Logistics Without Compromise: When a Product Range of More Than 20,000 Items Needs One Reliable Partner

Imagine the ultimate logistics game of Tetris. In one hand, you are holding a glass candle holder, and in the other, a garden sprayer, and your task is to deliver both safely to the customer without a single scratch. This is exactly the everyday reality of the Slovak company SLOVAKIA TREND EXPORT – IMPORT, s.r.o.

SLOVAKIA TREND is a Slovak family-owned wholesale and distribution company with roots going back to the early 1990s. Today, it ranks among the major distributors of work tools and hand tools in Slovakia, offering more than 20,000 products across dozens of segments - from hand tools and garden equipment to home decorations. The company operates in 15 countries, and its key customers include specialized stores, hardware stores, hobby shops, and wholesale partners who need a wide product range, stable supply, and a reliable long-term partner under one roof.

The Logistics Challenge: A Diverse Product Range and Two Transport Modes

SLOVAKIA TREND’s product range places above-standard demands on logistics. In addition to small hand tools, the company distributes large products such as wheelbarrows, ladders, and pallet trucks, as well as seasonal and fragile goods - ceramic decorations, glass lamps and candle holders. Every order may therefore require a different method of packaging, securing and arranging the goods on a pallet. Proper placement cannot be fully automated and the experience of warehouse staff remains irreplaceable.

At the same time, the company serves two different logistics modes. Traditional physical stores in Slovakia and abroad are supplied through regular pallet shipments. At the same time, online sales in Western Europe are growing, especially in Germany, where major e-commerce players have set customer expectations for maximum delivery speed, shipping accuracy and shipment visibility. Most online orders are shipped as parcels, while larger products such as swimming pools and hot tubs are delivered directly to end customers on pallets.

Why Raben?

Before the cooperation with Raben began, SLOVAKIA TREND supplied its foreign partners through a combination of its own vans and the services of several smaller external carriers. However, this model did not provide sufficient capacity or frequency. Shipments often had to be held back until the company could efficiently load its own vehicle or find an available carrier.

When selecting a new logistics partner, three criteria were decisive: price, coverage of the European market, and brand credibility. Raben met all three. The Group’s European network enabled SLOVAKIA TREND to supply foreign partners several times a week without relying on its own fleet. According to the company’s managing director, without this coverage, the cooperation would never have happened.

“Before partnering with Raben, we had very limited options for delivering oversized goods on pallets directly to end customers in Germany. Today, thanks to the Raben network, we deliver products such as swimming pools and hot tubs to German customers. During the summer season, when demand rises sharply, we are able to process orders that we previously could not handle efficiently from a logistics perspective,” says Samuel Žeňuch, Managing Director of SLOVAKIA TREND EXPORT – IMPORT.

Comprehensive Logistics Without Compromise

Raben provides several interconnected services for SLOVAKIA TREND:

• Pallet distribution in Slovakia - regular supply of physical stores and wholesale partners

• International pallet shipments - key destinations include the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, and the Baltic states

• Delivery to end customers in Germany - crucial for online sales of oversized goods

• Collection of supplier orders from across the EU - transport of smaller shipments from suppliers to the central warehouse in Sobrance

• Warehousing in Košice - part of the inventory is stored directly in Raben’s warehouse, expanding the company’s own capacity

• Reverse logistics - handling returns from online sales

Approximately 60 % of pallet shipments are delivered to the domestic Slovak market, while the remainder covers key foreign destinations. Parcel shipments are sent mainly to Germany in line with growing online sales.

Seasonality and Flexibility: The Greatest Test of the Partnership

The most demanding period for SLOVAKIA TREND is spring and summer. The company sends Raben advance notice of the expected increase in shipment volumes, but the exact development cannot always be estimated reliably. The most common non-standard situation is the need for a higher number of pallets than originally announced, for example in the case of urgent last-minute customer requests.

“The biggest game changer for us is the ability to respond more quickly to demand without being limited by the capacity of our own vehicles or the availability of smaller carriers,” adds Samuel Žeňuch.

The Human Side of the Cooperation

We place great emphasis on this factor at Raben because we consider it a very important element in achieving successful cooperation. Samuel Žeňuch commented on this as follows:

“From a human perspective, what we value most is the care and support provided by our assigned sales representative, Maroš Chovan. From the very beginning, he actively focused on our needs and played a major role in the gradual development of our cooperation into what it is today. Whenever we need to address a new request or an unusual situation, we know exactly who to turn to. Thanks to his approach, our cooperation did not remain limited to arranging individual shipments, but gradually expanded to include additional services and new logistics options.”

Sustainability in Day-to-Day Operations

SLOVAKIA TREND approaches sustainability through specific operational measures: energy-saving LED lighting with motion sensors, consistent sorting of packaging materials and foil for recycling, and the planned installation of photovoltaics to cover part of its energy consumption from its own renewable source. The company also pays fees for the recycling and collection of packaging materials and electrical products within the circular economy systems of EU countries.

Outlook: Benelux on the Horizon

In the coming months, SLOVAKIA TREND plans to expand its online sales into the Benelux markets. This expansion will require reliable parcel and pallet delivery to end customers, as well as sufficient flexibility to handle growing order volumes - precisely the parameters on which the current cooperation with Raben is built.

SLOVAKIA TREND recommends Raben especially to companies looking for regular pallet distribution in domestic and foreign markets, mainly because of the combination of broad European coverage, available transport capacity, and flexibility in responding to unexpected changes in shipment volumes.