Antwerp-based freight forwarding company Fracht Polytra Belgium celebrated its 50-year partnership with German chemical giant BASF in Antwerp on 5 June 2024. “BASF has always challenged and ‘pushed’ us to keep innovating and looking for new solutions,” it sounds.
BASF is the world’s largest multinational chemical group. It is a German company with its headquarters in Ludwigshafen am Rhein. Founded in 1865 by Friedrich Engelhorn in Mannheim, the company was originally engaged in making dyes. Today, BASF specialises mainly in the production and sale of more than 9,000 chemical raw materials and semi-finished products. BASF Antwerp was founded in 1964 and is BASF’s second largest site worldwide after Ludwigshafen.
Polytra has been a renowned name in international logistics for many years. The family-run company was founded in 1974 by Maurice Velge. Some customers – including BASF – go back decades and have grown along with Polytra itself. In 2018, Polytra was acquired by Swiss logistics service provider Fracht Group. The company operates globally and has 150 offices in 80 countries. “We are the architects of logistics. We provide solutions to logistics challenges and ensure that our customers have a global view and control over their supply chain,” says Amaury Luyckx, managing director of Polytra Group(second from left in the picture). “Thanks to the data we collect for them, we can strongly engage in continuous improvement processes. We constantly strive to improve our customers’ logistics chain in terms of cost reduction, lead times and sustainability.”
Sailing on ‘Evanna’
Especially for the 50-year partnership between BASF and Fracht Group, Polytra put together a rich day programme. “We welcomed our guests at the Port House where we attended a presentation by Port of Antwerp-Bruges on sustainability and energy transition. These are themes that are high on the agenda for both us and BASF,” Luyckx says. “Afterwards, we took to the water and did an exclusive boat tour aboard the ‘Evanna’ (TV maker Gert Verhulst’s boat ed.). From the Eilandje, we sailed all the way to BASF in the Port of Antwerp for a fantastic view of the site.”
Honoured guests
Later in the evening, Polytra invited its partners – including top managers of shipping companies, as well as people who support the company in the fields of customs, IT and consultancy – to the Royal Yacht Club Belgium on Thonetlaan to raise a glass together and enjoy a walking dinner. Among the guests of honour were global president of procurement at BASF Matthias Dohrn(right in the photo), CEO of BASF Antwerp Jan Remeysen and Ruedi Reisdorf, CEO of Fracht Group(left in the photo) “CEO of Port of Antwerp-Bruges Jacques Vandermeiren also made time especially for us to attend the celebration. We could greatly appreciate that,” says Luyckx.
Pushing boundaries
What is the ‘magic’ formula to secure such a long collaboration? “It’s a true partnership, with both parties constantly investing in innovation to stay competitive and adapt to new market demands,” says Luyckx. “BASF has always challenged and ‘pushed’ us to keep innovating and looking for new solutions. We had to reinvent ourselves to respond to new market conditions, but with BASF giving us a fair chance to do so. Today both groups have a global presence, ready to develop their activities together worldwide.”
BASF has a 50-year continuous relationship with no other partner in the world than with us
“BASF indicated that it does not have a 50-year continuous relationship with any other partner in the world. Even the global procurement director had to be surprised by that,” says Ken De Clopper, group business development director at Polytra Belgium. “The success in this story definitely lies in a combination of technological developments, which always remain paired with our ‘people-centred logistics’ approach. Meanwhile, Polytra knows the BASF Group and its challenges so well that we act as consultants to optimise BASF’s supply chain. We understand each other very well and there is a lot of mutual respect.”
After the speeches, Dohrn and Reisdorf received a bronze statue as an anniversary gift from Vandermeiren: the initial logo of Fracht Group, a globe, in a square. This in turn refers to BASF’s logo. “In addition, the globe is also a nod to our transport services we offer to BASF. We connect our customer to the rest of the world,” says Luyckx.
Wine from BASF
“There is a very close relationship between Polytra’s operational teams in Antwerp and BASF in Ludwigshafen, which also includes wine from BASF,” adds De Clopper. “Many people don’t know that besides being a chemical giant, BASF is also a wine producer. Its origins lie in the very first plant in Ludwigshafen, located in a wine region, where BASF ‘warmed up’ its staff to come from the vineyard to work in the plant by paying and motivating them with wine, among other things.”
“BASF’s customers and suppliers are also no strangers to us, with whom there are also collaborations. The circle is thus complete,” he concludes.
