Value-added services are key
“Ever since our establishment in 2004 and adoption of the group’s experience, we have always focused on providing customers with value-added services, offering a full-service package, rather than just delivering cargo from point A to point B. The service package is continually growing according to the wishes of our clients and tendencies in the market. For example, now it includes cargo warehousing with the opportunity to request delivery at exactly the required time, cargo collection and packaging, preparing goods for distribution, keeping track of expiration dates, etc.”, – says Audrius Losunovas, the head of Raben Lietuva.
The company is also well-known as a producer and exporter of Lithuanian food products, especially in the dairy industry. From 2007, Raben Lietuva offers Fresh Logistics services- transporting fresh food products that require a constant temperature of 2-6 degrees. The company also provides regular cargo shipments to major European retail chains, with agreed delivery times not only for Fresh (perishable food products) but also for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), industrial and other goods. Clients are directly provided with all the know-how and are advised on the delivery deadlines, times, and optimal dates.
Poland tomorrow, and Germany on the next business day
In light of changes in the market and the needs of clients, Raben Lietuva has taken another strategic step in April of this year by establishing an everyday and direct freight transport route Lithuania-Germany-Lithuania.
“Germany is the economic engine of Europe, producing a high number of value-added products with the highest logistics requirements. By establishing a direct freight route between Lithuania and Germany, we can ensure fast and uninterrupted delivery of goods and a competitive price of services. We currently offer door-to-door delivery, send out pre-delivery and pre-loading notifications, provide document return services, empty package returns, pick-up from our warehouses, etc. Additionally, due to a well-developed network in the Baltic states, we offer regular deliveries to and from Germany in Latvia and Estonia. We are one of the few companies in Lithuania that offer such a wide range of services in the German market, which is a great advantage to companies that are currently active in the economically largest European country or planning to expand there“, – says A. Losunovas.
Such a comprehensive and successful supply chain between manufacturers and shopping center logistics warehouses has already been established in Poland several years ago.
“Although it is a large country, we have been offering our clients 24-hour delivery for many years- goods that were loaded in Lithuania today will reach logistics warehouses of Polish shopping centers tomorrow. For our client, this means efficiency and on-time delivery, at extremely competitive prices“, – points out the head of Raben Lietuva.
New technologies provide value to clients
Within 15 years of operations, Raben Lietuva has implemented a number of advanced solutions that help improve service quality, optimize costs, and meet clients’ needs more efficiently.
At the beginning of this year, the company started to use the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA) system. Raben Lietuva is the first in Lithuania to offer this opportunity with pallet freight shipping. The system allows the customer to track the estimated time of delivery and drivers receive information on their smartphones about where to go and the optimal route based on real-time navigation data. This saves time for both clients and drivers, while also reducing fuel consumption and, consequently, emissions.
“This year, we will be offering our clients another additional service- iSMS. This service is still very rare among pallet truck drivers, – says the head of Raben Lietuva – Upon ordering freight transport, by specifying the recipient’s mobile phone number and choosing this service, the recipient will receive a short message to their phone on the day of delivery with the estimated time of delivery.“
Trucks powered with liquefied natural gas (LNG) have also been tested this year. It is estimated that these trucks can travel at 10,6% lower costs than regular diesel vehicles. A. Losunovas believes that LNG-powered trucks would not only reduce fuel consumption but would also be beneficial to the environment.
Europe is becoming more accessible
Raben Group is constantly expanding. At the beginning of November of this year, a division of the group was opened in the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. Having a location in this country has made it possible to build a bridge between Raben Group and southeastern Europe. This fulfilled the needs of clients who had been waiting for high-quality logistics services for shipments in this direction and also attracted the attention of potential clients with business relations in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe. The establishment of this new division provides the group with further development opportunities in southeastern Europe.
“To Lithuanian manufacturers and exporters, the network of routes for reaching different parts of Europe is becoming much more complex. We have also already begun to offer our clients freight transport services to and from the Balkans, which is surely not the only piece of news that we will deliver in the near future. We are always looking for ways to make our logistics more efficient, so in the near future, we will focus not on purely increasing turnover but rather on investments to improve operational processes and service quality”, – says A. Losunovas.
He mentions that this fall, the company has begun implementing the LEAN system, which will lead to the gradual abandonment of low-value processes and, of course, a greater focus on the processes that provide value to customers.
“Logistics remains to be one of the most promising areas in Lithuania with great opportunities, which is why we are constantly searching for young people to join us and prove their skills in logistics, transport planning, customer service, and sales, – invites the head of Raben Lietuva. – One of the values of our company is professionalism, which is why we actively participate in Career Day events to connect with students, provide them with information and invite them to gain real experience in logistics by interning at our company – we have the necessary foundation and opportunities for growth”.
The head of Raben Lietuva is pleased that many interns successfully remain in the company as employees:
“Employee training is a process during which we strive to motivate each employee individually, as well as the entire team. After all, we are all different. Sharing the different qualities that we have is a crucial factor in developing more productive teamwork.”