There has been a massive increase in both the scale and speed of change in the market. In our lead article, the rail specialist Karl Arne Richter provides a clear summary of the impact this has had on players in the rail freight industry over the past 25 years. His conclusion: the scene is now dominated by oligopolies.
The challenge facing entrepreneurs is not simply dealing with the rapid pace of market developments as a determined ‘change manager’, but at the same time acting as a ‘speed manager’. Our wagon fleet has not only doubled in just five years, but telematics has become standard. We are now represented in all the major European markets with our own agents and have established ourselves as Europe’s leading provider of freight wagon systems. Following the recent acquisition of some of Nacco’s wagon fleet, we have become Europe’s fourth largest wagon leasing company.
Nothing is expected to stand still in future, either. That’s why Wascosa has decided to simplify its management structure and at the same time strengthen our team with new members. Our DNA is the same. We will continue to make all the necessary changes in future in order to deliver innovative, top-quality services to our customers and respond flexibly to market requirements, as CEO Peter Balzer explains in his interview.
There is one constant among all this flux, however: the hard steel used for constructing tank wagons. But there’s more than one sort of steel. Different types are required for different uses, depending on the material being transported. We provide a detailed analysis that is worth keeping as a reference. We hope you enjoy reading our latest infoletter no. 30!
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