Gopet Romania invests 1.5 million euros in intermodal trailers

  Gopet Romania, a freight forwarding company based in Bucharest, announces investments of 1.5 million euros in its own intermodal trailers, which will be added to the existing fleet. Gopet will therefore own a fleet of 100 trailers by the end of 2023, thus moving closer to one of the goals set in its business  strategy: integrating  solutions supporting more environmentally friendly transport and greater predictability.   With more than 20 years of activity in the field of international intermodal transport, Gopet Romania is positioned in the top 15 national forwarding companies, based on 2022 revenues.With a significant growth of 22% compared  to the fiscal  year 2021 , the company has reached in 2022 revenues  of 235.8 million  lei generated from road, intermodal, sea and air transport services.   We started investing in intermodal trailers as early as 2020, and this comes with  multiple benefits as it optimizes the transition to efficient, low-cost intermodal transport that contributes to meeting our long-term business strategy. Unlike 45″ containers, intermodal trailers allow loading/unloading operations to be performed from the side or from above.   This is especially important for customers who prefer increased cubic meter capacity and more efficient load management during peak times of the year. With these trailers we can better adapt to train delays or cancellations, thus having the option to continue on road, rail or ferry in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Of course, we should not forget the fact that there is also a shortage of professional drivers. By loading trailers on the train, we reduce the number of drivers needed to manage freight flows, which balances the human vs. freight ratio. With a diversified network of trains connecting to different terminals in Europe, through our rail partners, we also intend to expand our combined transport network,” says Dan Suciu, Intermodal Project Manager at Gopet Romania.   Gopet Romania has become a recognized player in the industry thanks to its increasing focus on solutions involving intermodal transport, a sector in which the company already has significant in–house experience, both in terms of setup development know-how and operational expertise. This is in line with the trend to reduce the carbon footprint of transport through services optimised in line with current european environmental legislation, which encourages migration towards sustainable mobility.    Cumulatively, in 10 years, the group has managed to  shift from road  to rail approximately 565.7 thousand tonnes of freight, which translates into 206.6 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) on average.   “Customers are showing an increased interest in adopting ‘green’ solutions, but cost remains a key factor in contract allocation decisions. A review of procurement processes is needed. There is still direct comparison of transport solutions that have different levels of maturity and cost structure. We are open to implementing customised solutions, but it is essential to develop long-term. partnerships to support the investments needed for sustainable growth,” says the company representative.   In the field of combined transport (road-rail), Gopet Romania has supported initiatives to increase the efficiency and safety of this mode of transport since the establishment of the intermodal division, promoting methods to streamline the shipping process.   A key aspect of the progress made by Gopet Romania is the funding obtained at Group level through the European Union’s Marco Polo programme, through which the group of companies has focused on creating viable road-rail links between the Balkans and the UK, its own intermodal train between Curtici and Ruse, Bulgaria (2014) and the second that made the Oradea-Lodz, Poland communication route possible. Currently, the company is working with most of the major rail providers in Europe, focusing on diversifying the setups and services offered.   “Creating our own train blocks has been a tremendous learning curve for us. Today we have the know–how and connections to build solutions for our customers. Infrastructure remains a major brake when it comes to setups connecting Romania with Bulgaria or Greece. On the other hand, to the west of Europe we have multiple providers with well-developed services to choose from and it is much more efficient to work with them. Of course, at the moment efficiency is in question because of the massive infrastructure works  in Germany  and  Hungary , and in Romania too such works will follow. For example, the Oradea – Cluj route will be closed from January 2024 for electrification works. It’s a difficult period, but when all these works are finished, there will be a real boom in combined transport,” adds Dan Suciu, Intermodal Project Manager at Gopet Romania.