Doing what you are good at

Transportation partner with added value

A steel company and concrete company in Oosterhout have in common that they have largely outsourced the logistics side of the business to Martens Transport, also from Oosterhout. "The cooperation comes out best with demanding customers who can sometimes throw up schedules. Then a logistics partner who unburdens you in a flexible way is of great importance."

Jan Kops knows the ropes. He has been working for Deltastaal for 38 years, where he is jointly responsible for planning and dispatch. Deltastaal, part of the Salzgitter Group, supplies steel beams, bar steel, sheet steel and pipes to construction and industry. "We have been using Martens Transport for all our transports for 40 years. Like us, they are located at Weststad II business park in Oosterhout less than a four-minute drive away. At the time, it was a conscious decision not to maintain a fleet of vehicles ourselves. That way we both do what we do best. Some of the equipment is specially tailored to our products. Our products are in stock in lengths of up to 27 meters and Martens Transport can transport that effortlessly. And even larger lengths brought in via the Wilhelminakanaal dock can be brought to the customer with special trailers. For blasted products, it has hooded trucks that can transport lengths from 23 to 27 meters."

Exceptional transportation

On the other side of the Wilhelmina Canal we find Martens Beton. "Partner company of Martens Transport, but no further relationship," stresses representative Jaap de Jong. "We are a 143-year-old family business, with John Martens at the helm and sons already at the ready. We make prefab concrete manholes and pipes for the GWW sector. This mainly concerns standard products but also special projects. For example, we recently took a pit measuring 5 by 6 meters and weighing 60 tons onto the road. That means not only night transport with a low loader, but also a whole process with permits and planning. It is very nice when you can count on a partner who not only arranges the daily transports, but also carries out difficult projects with all the bells and whistles. Not infrequently these are critical customers who can also change a cargo two hours in advance. If you have to solve this with your own equipment, your planning is upside down. Martens Transport is then the flexible shell that solves that in an excellent way." 

Data Centers

This state of affairs Kops can attest to. "You never know for sure how things will turn out at the delivery location. The customer determines and has his preferences for delivery. Deviations from that you have to resolve yourself, even if a delivery is cancelled." Critical customers go the extra mile. De Jong: "They sometimes make very high demands that you have to follow to the letter. If something isn't right, the unloading might not take place and you're left standing there with your 60-ton element." An example of critical projects are data centers. "Power and data cables are protected there with manholes and pipes that we supply. These are American clients with associated claim and insurance culture. We have been working for data centers for 10 years now, and not once has a delivery caused a problem."

Truck mounted cranes

To broaden its services, Martens Transport recently acquired the truck-mounted cranes of Teuben Crane Rental. "A strategic acquisition that allows us to load and unload products up to ten tons ourselves," says sales manager Lorenzo Bruni. "Customers usually have a crane at work, especially for large and heavy elements, but this allows us to further expand our services. Capacity expansion is also to be expected. Delta Steel has worked out plans for additional warehouse space. I foresee more transport movements then, and as a flexible transport partner, we can certainly provide them."