After the organisational merger of the two VW commercial vehicle brands Scania and MAN, logistics services in European core markets were newly tendered. After a long and intensive process, Hödlmayr High & Heavy was able to maintain the existing order volume. “This is a positive result for us under the current conditions; after all, the order volume corresponds to a considerable share of our total turnover”, says Johannes Alexander Hödlmayr, who has been in charge at High & Heavy since the beginning of the year.
The new managing director would have liked the framework conditions to be a little easier when he took office. Whether it is the corona crisis or the uncertainties on the semiconductor market – despite ongoing intensive consultations with customers, it is quite difficult to make a forecast for the current business year. Hödlmayr: “And we are still unable to predict the effects of Brexit. After all, last year we made about 10% of our sales with units for the UK market”.
In the medium term, the High & Heavy Managing Director sees growth opportunities in the worldwide commercial vehicle market. According to Hödlmayr, government support programmes – for example, for infrastructure projects or in agriculture – will also have an effect on the commercial vehicle market. “Trucks stand not only for transport but also for construction and agriculture. And some of these sectors even benefited during the Corona crisis”. The different regional developments also give cause for optimism. “We are already noticing that demand is once again increasing in CEE and Turkey, for example”,says Hödlmayr.
The vehicle logistics experts from Mühlviertel are convinced that they are well equipped to face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. “Thanks to the long-standing and close contacts with our customers, we are fully aware of their needs and can therefore look for suitable solutions early on. Of course, existing capacities or co-operations – for example in the area of loading safety – play a major role here”, says Hödlmayr. The new managing director also sees potential for additional customer benefits in shifting transports to rail. “This is, of course, much more complex for heavy vehicles than for passenger cars because of the smaller numbers, larger dimensions, and higher weight. Nevertheless, we will still be able to offer attractive concepts for our customers as well”.
Hödlmayr High & Heavy generated sales of around €20 million in 2020.
