XtraBlatt Issue 02-2019

INTERVIEW LOGISTICS FOR

INTERVIEW LOGISTICS FOR THE “LAST MILE” 48

How often does the package delivery service call at your address? Once a week, or more than that? We all increasingly buy online and naturally expect delivery. But in densely-populated urban areas the delivery vehicles are often a hindrance in already congested daily traffic. A very promising solution comes from the Krone Group. Online trading booms and, with it, the package delivery, courier and express services: a development that the Krone Group observes very closely. There are good reasons why. In the concern’s commercial vehicle division annual production includes assembly of around 12,000 swap container bodies. These represent the most important load-carrying units for logistic branches in this segment. For two years now, the company has also been active on the so-called “last mile”. On the one hand, package containing bodies for light commercial vehicles are assembled. On the other, foundations are being laid for a new logistic concept behind which lies a joint venture started in 2017 and now producing its own load-carrying bicycles or cargo bikes. The idea flowered after a coincidental meeting between Ingo Lübs and Dr Arne Kruse, a Bremen-based businessman and bicycle expert. Now, both are directors of Rytle GmbH and involved in developing a worldwide network offering hitherto unimagined possibilities. We spoke with Ingo Lübs about the project. XtraBlatt: The Krone Group is successful the world over with agricultural machinery, it is also one of the most important European commercial vehicle manufacturers – and now producer of cargo bikes. How did this come about? Ingo Lübs: The announcement that we in Krone now assemble cargo bikes, is not really accurate. More to the point is that we have an overall view of processes in package logistics and our Rytle system has developed from this. It’s a system that has been conceived exactly for the “last metres” of city logistics. Because it is precisely at this point that the profitability of package delivery is decided. We help our customers with hard- and software to design their processes more efficiently so that, over these last metres, they can win the race in package logistics, in other words work profitably. 49