The Ziegler Group and Futech are two companies that are on a mission to change the world for the better. Both companies are at the forefront of using technology in their respective sectors – logistics and solar energy – to empower a revolution in sustainability.
The story of Ismaël Ben-Al-Lal, the owner of Futech, is truly inspiring. As a student, he built award-winning solar-powered race cars and karts, showcasing his passion and expertise in the field of solar energy as well as his creative potential. Today, he leads a company that is a leader in the photovoltaic market and is making a real difference in the world.
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The Ziegler Group is honored to be working with such an innovative and impactful company as Futech to currently handle all of Futech’s transportation needs, using all modes of transport to ensure that their products are delivered on time and in perfect condition. Our commitment to excellence and attention to detail has earned us the trust of Futech, and allowed them to focus even more on their core business of designing and manufacturing solar energy systems.
Both Futech and the Ziegler Group share a deep passion for the environment and sustainable development. Our common values and focus on emerging green technologies have brought us together in a powerful partnership that is making a real difference in the world. We are proud to be working with a company that shares our commitment to making the world a better place and are excited to continue supporting them in their efforts to revolutionize the solar energy industry.
Together, the Ziegler Group and Futech are each striving toward the green technology revolution, making a real impact on the world and proving that businesses can be a force for good. We are excited to be a part of this journey and look forward to continuing to make a positive impact on the world with Futech.
At Ziegler Group, we pride ourselves on our commitment to spreading knowledge and collaborating with academic institutions to advance cutting-edge technologies and sustainable development. Recently, we had the privilege of working with Ghent University in collaboration with Université Libre de Bruxelles on their Tango expedition to the Southern Ocean.
The Tango expedition aims to gain more knowledge about marine biodiversity in the Southern Ocean while minimizing environmental impact. We were tasked with delivering the necessary gear and instruments for the expedition, which required careful planning and execution to ensure the safety and efficiency of the journey.
The goods traveled via Buenos Aires and Ushuaia in Argentina before finally starting toward the southernmost point on Earth. This successful delivery in cooperation with High Flight Logistics showcases our ability to deliver anything, anywhere, and puts our footprint on yet another continent. Successful research in the Antarctic is always the result of a large collaborative work, so this is in the spirit of everything that happens in such extreme places on the globe.
We are proud to have contributed to the Tango expedition and encourage you to learn more about their important research by visiting their website at www.tango-expeditions.be.
Ziegler Group remains committed to partnering with organizations and institutions to make meaningful contributions to sustainable development and innovative technologies.
Ziegler is pleased to introduce you to Patricia and Gilles Bonaert, who have embarked upon an epic ‘Grand Tour’ of Europe by e-bikes.
With the pandemic slowing everything down, they realized they also wanted to take a step back from some of their more demanding obligations and take the time to explore things that were most important to them.
They bought a farm, which was in need of renovation. They envisioned that this could turn into a bigger project involving four overarching values: Humanity, Art, Nature and Economy (HANE). They understood that their project would be enhanced by encountering people and visiting different places. With this in mind, they decided to start a ‘Grand Tour’ around Europe and to use sustainable transportation.
So they set out on their journey on e-bikes, covering up to 250 km in a week. And even amid some difficulties from time to time on the road, the experience is very rewarding.
“Because it’s a slow pace of travel, we can visit all these people and places that would inspire us. While you’re biking, you have a lot of ideas because you have time to think – it’s like a kind of meditation, like being in a bubble, free of all distractions. You can act as a sponge, absorbing what your surroundings have to offer. You experience this with all five of your senses,” Patricia says.
Currently coming back from Nordkap, Norway (which they reached in August) they’re traveling Europe with HANE in mind.
“These are the four pillars that we really are focusing on for reconnecting and regenerating,” Gilles said.
And this vision matches Ziegler Group’s very well, since our ‘Ziegler. Now even greener’ programme was designed to help fulfill the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Patricia and Gilles reached out to Ziegler a few months ago for assistance in transporting their bikes for an overseas leg of their journey.
That’s when Ziegler learned of the vision for their ‘Grand Tour’, and since Ziegler is very passionate about encouraging the use and development of sustainable transport, it was a perfect match for Ziegler to support their journey with our services.
Just as Ziegler, Patricia and Gilles are discovering new ideas, concepts, and individuals, guided by the principles of authenticity, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and best practices. This corresponds with Ziegler’s own values on our current path to become an even more responsible and sustainable company.
As a result, Ziegler Group has become a partner to support them on their journey.
“It really was a very nice surprise when Ziegler decided to partner with us! The way our values aligned with Ziegler’s was truly fortuitous!” Patricia said.
Gilles has been and remains involved in Belgian companies and investments while Patricia is still involved in creating vibrant live communities in large organisations. These experiences in business and community have given them tremendous respect for what can still be learned and improved on.
You can follow their journey through the PolarSteps app which is available for iPhone and Android. Just search for ‘PatriciaBonaert’, and you can request to become a follower of their journey.
They look forward to your comments, ideas and encouragement there!
Here’s another big (quite literally!) challenge that Ziegler successfully overcame thanks to our experience, expertise, and cooperation within the international Ziegler network.
Ziegler Kontich managed the unusual transport of two storage tanks which measured 22.5 x 3.6 x 3.6 meters and weighed 37 tons apiece! For logistical reasons, the road transport between Poland and Belgium took place mainly at night. After 3 nights the storage tanks were transferred to Antwerp on a two 80′ MAFI loading platform on wheels and then were loaded onto a RORO ship and shipped to the port of Casablanca in Morocco, and from there was handled by Ziegler Morocco.
“Ziegler used our internal network to realise this project. This allowed us to guarantee dedicated customer service. We guided our customer through the entire transport process. And safety was a number one priority. The customer was kept informed regularly by Ziegler about the status of their shipment. The whole operation was completed successfully and flawlessly to the satisfaction of all parties,” said Wim Peeters, Branch Manager Ziegler Kontich.
Founded in the 1950s, Chacalli Wines is a family-owned wine distributor that offers a wide selection of wines from all over the world, including prestigious wineries such as Maison Louis Latour, Alain Brumont, Pio Cesare, and others. The company distributes its wines to restaurants, supermarkets, and private customers.
To support its international wine transport and logistics needs, Chacalli Wines has partnered since 1995 with Ziegler Group, a family-owned business with over 100 years of experience in spirits transport and warehousing.
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Ziegler Group handles all of Chacalli Wines’ logistics and transport, delivering wines from producers around the world to its warehouse, handling customs formalities, checking, unpacking, warehousing, and repackaging. With Ziegler Group’s support, Chacalli Wines can offer many wines for next-day delivery.
“Without the service level that Ziegler provides, we couldn’t be as successful as we are today,” remarks Albert Nuemark, CEO of Chacalli Wines.
By partnering with Ziegler Group, Chacalli Wines relies on a specialist partner to handle the logistics and transport for them, allowing the company to focus on what it does best.
“We are knowledgeable about wines, but we’re not transport and logistics specialists, and it’s better to have a specialist partner do that job for you, than to do it yourself,” Albert says.
Both Ziegler Group and Chacalli Wines are family businesses that have been passed down from generation to generation and as such, they share common values, including a strong commitment to quality, tradition, and a passion for their respective industries.
Ziegler Group is committed to providing customized logistics solutions that are tailored to meet the specific requirements of each client. Whether it’s ensuring timely delivery of products, maintaining product quality, or meeting compliance requirements, the Ziegler Group is dedicated to delivering the best possible service to its clients.
By partnering with companies like Chacalli Wines, the Ziegler Group is looking forward to leveraging its expertise and resources to help companies grow and succeed in today’s fast-paced business environment.
Imagine the thrill of the open road,and the wind in your hair while cruising the roadways of southern France in a classic American muscle car – a true work of automotive art.
That dream is exactly what Ziegler’s Special Request department made possible for one of our customers who had a very special request that required white-glove treatment.
Our customer, a lover of American classic cars, contacted us with a dream: to bring an original AC Cobra from Los Angeles, California to his home in the south of France. And, as always, we were more than happy to oblige with such high-value cargo.
We reached out to our American partners, gathering all the necessary details about the car – from its bodywork to its value – and carefully crafted the perfect plan to transport it across the Atlantic. Our team worked tirelessly to arrange the appropriate air transport, ensuring that the car would arrive in pristine condition at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport.
But our work didn’t stop there. We also had all the necessary international vehicle transport paperwork and import documents ready and waiting, so as soon as the car touched down on French soil, we were able to quickly and efficiently clear it through customs. And just a few hours later, the keys were handed over to our ecstatic customer who finally had the car of his dreams.
So if you’re ever in the south of France, keep an eye out for this classic beauty as it cruises the private roads on the weekends.
At Ziegler, we specialize in making dreams come true. So, if you have a special transport need, don’t hesitate to contact us whether that might be transport of a small high-value package, or even an American muscle car. We’re here to manage your fragile and high-value transport requests.
Dangerous goods include any substances that have the potential to harm humans, animals or the environment in some way.
Because some of these materials pose such a threat to safety, transporting these items must be done in a highly controlled way, regulated by the European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR) and the IATA DGR (Dangerous Goods Regulations of IATA) (among others).
Click here to learn more.
Fun fact:
In order to take into account the latest development of new substances, the regulations are adapted every 2 years.
So you have to stay alert and remain up to date!
And now imagine you are faced with the task of actually getting your dangerous goods transported from A to B. Have you already noticed the piles of documents and many procedures you have to perform in order to comply with the relevant specifications to even make shipping dangerous goods possible?
Don’t worry – even for this monumental transport task, you can fully rely on Ziegler and its well-trained specialists.
As an internationally operating freight forwarder, Ziegler acts as a consignor in the sense of the ADR, since the shipment of dangerous goods is organized by Ziegler employees on behalf of third parties. If the goods are handled at the company’s own logistics centers in the course of the transport, the employees act as unloaders or shippers.
To maintain the highest standards possible, our employees are trained and further educated at regular intervals in about the latest dangerous goods regulations and best practices.
Believe it or not, this kind of training can even be fun, as is proven by comments from attendees of corresponding seminars at Ziegler Germany and Switzerland in August and September this year under the proven leadership of our external dangerous goods officer Marcus Steinhauer.
Dirk Junkers had this to say about his annual training:
“It was a great group, I enjoyed it. I would definitely like to be back in this constellation for the next training.”
Renate Friske also had a great time and learned a lot:
“I must say that I really enjoyed the training and that Mr. Steinhauer made the training very interesting (with many examples) and also addressed the topics that were of particular interest to us.”
So, if you are facing the daunting task of transporting dangerous goods, you can rely on Ziegler and our enthusiastic, well-trained specialists.
The number of delivery vehicles in our cities is only expected to continue to increase, adding further to the existing issues of air and noise pollution and road congestion. One solution currently being explored by Ziegler Group to help reverse these trends in Brussels is the introduction of electric Autonomous Delivery Vehicles. In this video, various experts on vehicle automation, road safety, and city planning discuss the impact that AVs can have on finally reducing city congestion and pollution.
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How ready are we to see Autonomous Vehicles on the road? Is the technology there? Is social acceptance there? What about other areas? In this video, several experts from the fields of road safety, city planning and autonomous vehicles share their findings and perspectives from research and testing. They believe that it’s only a matter of time and that the time for serious use-case testing is already here. Our ecosystem is getting ready for technological improvements to lower emissions and pollution. What do you think? With some of the hype for autonomous transportation dissipating, Ziegler Group is leveraging its international outlook and experience with urban logistics to bring Autonomous Vehicles to city logistics.
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Strict gender divisions between professions reserved for men and women no longer exist. Theoretically, that is but there are areas that we still – even subconsciously – reserve for different genders. How so in the supply chain sector?
Only a dozen years ago, it was rare for a woman to be found working in a position related to civil engineering, IT, or transportation and supply chain. Today, that has changed and continues to do so. At the Ziegler Group this is easily apparent where 35% of employees today are women and this number is increasing with each passing year. Most of them work in administrative, operational and sales positions, a fair number are managers but there is also a large number of women holding positions which were once dominated strictly by men, such as truck drivers, forklift operators and IT specialists. In many Ziegler countries like Hong Kong, China, Greece and Tunisia, women even make up the majority of staff and management.
Yes, they will tell you that for most of them, they could feel that they were entering a sector traditionally thought of as ‘male territory’ but that didn’t hold them back and for most it was an exciting challenge, even though they knew they would have to prove their worth. “When I joined the industry in 2011, I found a very masculine environment, and I was only 22 but I knew that the only way to make a change was to prove myself as a skilled person,” recalls Stephie Combe, Branch Manager in Ziegler Aurillac, France. “It wasn’t easy at first because I had just finished school and therefore had no experience but thanks to my persistence, I managed to push through my point of view and show my qualities and above all, prove that there is a place for me in this so-called ‘male’ world of transport,” adds Melanie Brasse, Land Operations Manager at Ziegler France.
Tenacity, persistence and resilience are certainly the qualities that have helped most of the women in male-dominated industries break through the resistance of their colleagues and environment and achieve success. However, the women who work at Ziegler also point to other important traits. “In terms of the qualities needed to break through, I think femininity brings finesse, detail and vision to stereotypically male professions, essential to success in this industry,” notes Ophelie Crevon, Branch Manager in Ziegler Rouen, France.
Patricia Knott, HR Manager at Ziegler UK, also notes that natural feminine empathy is a trait that, in spite of appearances, proves very helpful in a so-called masculine world. “Communication skills, the ability to relate to people at all levels, from the warehouse to operations departments to directors. A sense of humor, the ability to listen. Those qualities have certainly helped me a lot in this industry,” she says. She is supported by Ingrid Derimay, a sales representative in Ziegler France: “I don’t pay attention to comments that are sometimes not so appropriate, and I know how to gently but effectively bring some people back in their place when they go a little too far,” she says.
So, are there any particularly feminine traits that can help you to break through in a male-dominated industry or profession? Or perhaps women bring with them a different kind of feminine energy that is neither better nor worse but is equally effective in achieving the desired goals, even if the method looks different than was previously assumed…
Geraldine Van Reems, responsible for UK import customer service in Ziegler Netherlands, agrees, “I often manage to achieve more than my colleagues by being nice, talking lightly, joking. I believe that this is how you can achieve more than by acting tough and harsh,” she says. “Also, not to be overestimated is our female multitasking and ability to handle many things at once,” adds Mylene Beard, responsible for marketing in Ziegler France. Agnieszka Szulc working in Ziegler IT departament as a Full Stack Developer adds patience to it as well, which can sometimes be the key to success, especially in building good partnerships. “From my experience working with female developers, they have more patience, especially for beginners. With the right amount of patience, everyone on the team can feel more at ease and learn what they need to learn faster,” she notes. The ladies also find great value in their sensitivity and intuition, which certainly bring a feminine breath of fresh air to a masculine environment. “I think being organized and having feminine intuition brings great value to my work,” says Melanie Brasse.
So, can supply chain really still be called a man’s industry today? “Yes, it’s a more masculine industry but I’m in my place among men, I’m one of the team, I don’t feel I stand out in any way, I just sometimes wear heels and skirts,” Geraldine Van Reems states. “I’ve been working in the road transport industry for 29 years and when I started this subject wasn’t discussed. The biggest difficulty for me at the time was the age, not the gender difference. I think this issue is still relevant today but experience has made us approach the conversation differently, without an inferiority complex. Creating mixed-gender teams is essential to maintaining balance in a department, company or international group,” adds Sylvie Cousin, Branch Manager in Ziegler Narbonne, France. “While there is always the thought in the back of your mind that something is only for men, I try to go with the assumption that there are no more male-dominated industries and anyone with the right skill set will find their place where they belong,” Agnieszka Szulc concludes.
Women are making bolder and bolder forays into once male-dominated career paths and not just in the supply chain industry. Increasing gender diversity in many industries and professions certainly brings a lot of value to them but also to the teams and individuals working in them. However, some women are still hesitant and worried about whether they can make it. Katarzyna Dolińska, IT Scrum Master at Ziegler Group encourages them to redirect the focus away from gender and rather towards skills and competencies, “Don’t focus on your gender as a problem, but rather on developing your super skills,” she says. Monika Schneider, HR team leader at Ziegler Germany advises them not to be afraid and to believe in their abilities. She also notes that systemic support in this regard is important. “According to a British study, women’s IQ is on average higher than men’s. Women today are very well educated and contribute a lot to teams. Equality in the labor market must be guaranteed by the government,” she notes. .
The women at Ziegler Group are excellent proof that success is possible in any industry and in any position. Persistence, perseverance, professionalism and optimism are qualities that anyone can use on their path to success. These women have lived up to their potential and that is their key to success in the supply chain industry.