On Thursday, 11 May, the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs, Henk Kamp, visited the Wascosa booth at transport logistic. The occasion for the visit was the German-Dutch Regional Development Partnership between the state of Bavaria and the provinces of Brabant and Limburg. During his visit to the trade fair, Henrik Kamp informed himself about examples of successful cooperation between German and Dutch companies.
The Wascosa flex freight system® for transporting chemical products is one such example. The BASF, the Belgian commercial vehicle manufacturer van Hool, the Dutch VDL group, and the Swiss company Wascosa, a lessor of freight vehicle systems, were involved in this project. This flexible logistics solution connects tank containers, rail and autonomous driving on the first and last mile.
A key driver for this project were the very high costs incurred on the factory premises (first and last mile) before the actual external rail transport and the equipment used (tank wagon).
To date, ordinary tank cars have been a problem because of the fixed connection of tank and car. The solution: a comparable large tank, which can be removed from the car and thus improves the logistics processes on the first and last mile. BASF has developed a tank container with the Belgian commercial vehicle manufacturer van Hool, which is virtually a tank wagon with a removable tank. This world's largest tank container was approved last year for road and rail transport.
In addition, the companies Tatravagonka, Wascosa and BASF have developed an optimized 5L wagon. Thanks to the use of modern brake discs, this wagon has a very high mileage is very quiet (75 to 78 dB(A)). Life-cycle costs are optimized by quickly interchangeable components. The wagons have a lightweight constructions (16.5 tons kerb weight), to enable a high payload. The use of telematics on the carrier and tank container leads to a logistical optimization. In addition, the cars were altered in height and are 1.10 m approximately 5 cm lower than a standard car, so that tank containers can be transported up to a height of 2.70 m.
Together with the VDL Group, BASF has developed an autonomous vehicle (AGV), which - contrary to the AGV used in large overseas ports - can travel on normal roads without damaging them. This AGV is used to transport the large tank containers within the factory.
The Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs was very pleased with this project. All those involved in the meeting confirmed that these partnerships are important to the European economy.
Peter Balzer (Wascosa AG), Karel Smits (VDL Steelweld), Henk Kamp,
Dr. Andreas Backhaus (BASF), Frans van Dommelen (VDL Steelweld)
© Stefan Obermeier
Henk Kamp, Peter Balzer (Wascosa AG)
© Stefan Obermeier
About Wascosa AG
Headquartered in Lucerne, the family-run business WASCOSA was established in 1964 and is one of the pioneers in its sector. Its core business is the leasing and administration of freight wagons for rail transportation. WASCOSA purchases modern freight wagons tailored to meet the requirements of the freight industry. The fleet ranges from tank wagons for the chemical and mineral oil industry through to wagons for combined transport and the conveyance of bulk goods. 50 people are employed at the company base in Lucerne to service its Swiss and international customers.
Additional information for media professionals can be obtained from:
Gabriele Wagner, Marketing & Communication
Wascosa AG, Werftestrasse 4, 6005 Lucerne, Switzerland
Phone: +41 (41) 727 67 41
E-Mail: gabriele.wagner@wascosa.ch
Web: www.wascosa.ch