Marc Rooms, Global Reefer Trainer, has quite an impressive travel log as his job takes him to Kuehne + Nagel offices around the world. The reefer specialist spent a large part of his career with carriers in the reefer business, until his aspirations shifted to teaching. “My previous jobs were more commercial, but in one of them I also supported the teams in expanding their reefer knowledge. So at some point I decided to take teacher trainings to prepare me for a career focused on educating others.” Since 2017, Marc has been sharing his expertise - often with a touch of humour - with colleagues and customers around the world.

It is this knowledge-sharing practice which, according to Marc, makes Kuehne + Nagel a reliable partner for seafood transportation. “The freshness and storage life of salmon and fish in general is determined by the temperature it is stored in. Our trained KN FreshChain professionals know this and can guide the customer. Most fish that is transported by sea logistics is frozen, and although the commonly agreed temperature for frozen goods is -18°C, fish is an outlier. It is better to go below -20°C. Essentially, the colder you go the longer the shelf life. Sushi grade salmon and tuna can even be shipped with superfreezers at –60°C. At that level virtually all bacteriological live stops so the fish remains as good as fresh.”

Talking on behalf of air logistics, Jon Bayliss – Head of Seafood Development Europe - adds that the majority of salmon transported by air is chilled rather than frozen. Here time is even more of the essence to maintain its freshness. According to him, our good relationships with carriers – in addition to our aforementioned expertise - also distinguish KN FreshChain’s offer. "I have been working with salmon in air logistics for over 20 years now, and I can tell you that the logistic of it is very complex. Our operational teams are trained to react promptly to any unexpected changes and can leverage our carrier networks to make sure that the fish reaches its destination fast.”

The UK-based salmon expert also highlights our own storage facilities, one of which he helped set up in 2007 when he joined Kuehne + Nagel. Jon: "I joined Kuehne + Nagel to start up the UK perishables business and the first thing we did was to start operating from a chilled warehouse so that we can maintain the chill chain for our customers for as long as possible. Being able to receive, screen and build aircraft pallets in a chilled environment at our own dedicated facilities really sets us apart. It gives us the capability to be fully in control and deliver high quality service and tailored solutions to our customers."

Over the years, the seafood business has grown immensely partly thanks to great customer loyalty and the convenient solutions that Kuehne + Nagel can offer. Jon: "We're very proud of our year-by-year growth and I am confident to say that we can handle even the most challenging shipments. One of the most satisfying things is to fill the hold of a passenger 777-ER flying from London Heathrow to New York with 11 air cargo containers of salmon, weighing 45 tonnes! So if you're looking for a dependable partner to ship your seafood, give us a call!"

"The value of pineapples in 15th century Europe reflected these difficulties well", says Robert Mant, Global Reefer Sales Manager at Kuehne + Nagel. "In that époque a single pineapple could fetch you a fortune and thus symbolised wealth. The reason? Their rarity in Europe due to a very short shelf life", he explains. While today we're much better equipped - with temperature-controlled containers and faster transportation modes - to move pineapples, the shortest possible transit time from farm to market remains key to retain their freshness. “Unlike bananas, pineapples won’t ripen anymore once harvested and after their prime time they degenerate quickly”, Robert explains. Both for sea and air freight, this presents our KN FreshChain specialists with a true race against the clock.

While unexpected hurdles such as strikes and weather conditions can complicate this race even more, Jeanne-Mari Van Rooyen, Global Perishables Development Manager for Airfreight, clarifies that the stakes are further raised because of the perishables business’ personal character. "The people you meet are the farmers who are really passionate about the product and who make a living out of it. This passion keeps you on your toes and gives you extra motivation to provide the best service. At the same time, admittedly, it presents an additional pressure to treat their perishables cargo with the highest care ever."

Expeditious operations, however, isn't everything. "There's more to shipping pineapples than a short transit time. You also have to understand what pineapples are sensitive to in order to get the packaging, temperature and every other aspect right", Jeanne-Mari explains. “We regularly organise visits on farms to see where, and more importantly how the pineapples and other fruits we transport grow. We walk to process from field to table so that we can piece together the best plan for transportation", she adds.

It is good to know, that our experts have this knowledge. But even more importantly, our perishables experts ensure that this wealth of information is also shared with our customers. The result? Peace of mind for the latter and a fruitful cooperation. Having spent several years on the customer-side of the fruit transportation business before coming to Kuehne + Nagel, Robert understands the value of partnerships over a mere transactional way of doing business: “At Kuehne + Nagel we interact with customers using our knowledge and operational excellence. You see, as a sales person I can promise anything. However, the moment we fail on that we put ourselves in jeopardy. Working closely with the customer as a partner, managing their expectations and being transparent is essential to maintain our reputation and to retain our customers.”

For Jeanne-Mari there is another important aspect: "We’re in a privileged position in that we have a large network of contacts in airports, harbours and beyond. This gives us access to information that the farmers - our customers - often lack. So what we want to do is open that door for them and consult them on how to prepare the product for transportation, explain what kind of markets they might want to get into, and which limitations certain carriers may have.” Partnerships such as these, Robert and Jeanne-Mari both concur, cultivate the best results. It might require going the extra mile, but the fruits of the labour can be picked later. "There are many examples of customers whose business growth made our business grow. It shows that this approach pays off for both parties."

So think again before topping your pizza with pineapple. Not about whether it belongs there, but about the passion, expertise and partnership that went into getting it there in the first place!

Robert Mant, Vice President Global Reefer Sales, has been in the fruit transportation business for 27 years. His job at Kuehne + Nagel is to look at the requirements of customers in the perishables business on a global scale. Not surprisingly, then, Robert is well aware of what fruit producers and customers are looking for in a logistics partner. He follows up on their changing needs and shares this knowledge with our global network of experts. “My goal is to leverage our global network of KN FreshChain professionals across the world to achieve the best results for the customer.”

Initially, Robert was at the other side of the negotiation table himself, entrusting bananas and pineapples of a previous employer to Kuehne + Nagel. His experience on the customer side allows him to place himself in the customer’s shoes. “What I already learned back then is, if something is promised by Kuehne + Nagel, it will be delivered. That’s crucial in this business. And as a customer, it gives you peace of mind.”

This positive experience, along with Kuehne + Nagel’s renowned in-house perishable expertise, operational excellence, and IT capabilities, steered Robert’s decision to join the company almost two years ago. In the digital age, with real-time data increasingly gaining importance, those IT capabilities have become a big selling point.

“The customer, especially in the fast-paced perishables business in which timing is essential, likes to know exactly where the cargo is. When will it be shipped? When will it arrive? Are there problems on route? One of our biggest assets are our integrated IT systems which provides this transparency to the customer.”

Even Robert himself has been amazed by Kuehne + Nagel’s deliberate strategies and advanced digital solutions, exclaiming that “the company’s capabilities are far more than I thought they were before I started working here in 2017”. And part of this strength lies in its people: “Working here has been very eye opening and positive. The group I belong to in Bremen is a tight-knit management team, but we’re part of the huge seafreight teams we have all over the world. Each and every person matters to create the best possible customer experience.”

Kevin Verstraelen, Business Development Manager for Belgium’s reefer business, explains why you should “cherry pick” Kuehne + Nagel as a logistics partner for a fruitful cooperation: “We have a unique global network of dedicated reefer specialists. Our reefer desk was founded almost 20 years ago, in 1999, and has been growing ever since. Think of us as a specialist team within the Kuehne + Nagel organisation giving your special product a special treatment.”

With more than 55 reefer desks and 350 reefer professionals across the globe, Kuehne + Nagel is well-equipped to transport temperature-sensitive goods with the care they need and deserve. Our KN FreshChain solution, which focuses on the transport of fruits and vegetables, ensures an even more tailored solution for fruit farmers.

Great service starts with knowing your customer’s product. Last year’s harvest season, Kevin put on his rain boots and ventured into the lush apple orchards of one of our customers in the Belgian province of Limburg. He exclaims: “I’m always interested to learn what is important for our customers. The customer’s business is our business. Did you know, for example, that apple blossoms are extremely sensitive to frostbite and will not yield any apples when frozen? Together we root for a great harvest, so that afterwards we can transport delicious crunchy apples around the world.”

Behind the scenes, this transportation involves many more Kuehne + Nagel colleagues than one might think. As Kevin proudly explains, our colleagues in operations do an excellent job demonstrating true customer care which, so he add, makes his own job as Business Development Manager a lot easier. “It’s a relief to be able to assure the customer that once their business is on board it will be handled competently by our respective operational teams in the reefer desks.”

In the beginning of February, Kevin will attend Fruit Logistica in Berlin for the fourth time. Convinced of the added value that Kuehne + Nagel can provide, Kevin calls upon all fruit farmers to visit the booth at the fair. “The apple and pear business is looking good this year. We’re still expecting a fruitful export season of apples to India. Jump on board with us, we’re ready to move your apples!”