Interview of the week - Transpalux - Luxembourg

Stephan graduated as a Business Engineer from HEC Liège in Belgium.

After university, he started working in the consulting business for some years, after which he worked for an international freight forwarding company in Brussels.

Stephan joined Transpalux in 2010 as a dispatcher and today he is managing the company together with his father, Peter Adams.

Tell us about Transpalux. Who owns the company?

Transpalux is part of the P. Adams Group that was founded in the 1980's by Peter Adams and still owned by him up to this point. We are active all over Europe, providing heavy transport services with our own fleet.

Where are your offices located?

Our head office is located in the north of Luxembourg (Weiswampach). We also have offices in St. Vith, Belgium, and Dresden, Germany.

What is Transpalux specialty and service range? 

We offer road transportation services, as well as project management (multimodal, unloading onto foundation) in 3 main areas: (1) construction equipment, (2) plant equipment such as transformers and turbines, (3) wind power. It is also possible to rent some of our special equipment such as fly-over bridges, blade lifters, modular trailers, SPMT.

Tell us about projects that you have handled recently.

• Wind farm Vermeer / Eeklerpolder in the Netherlands: transportation of 500 components for a total of 35 turbines

• 300t transformer in Belgium with multiple intermediate handlings and jacking / skidding onto foundation

• 67m long rotor blades transported by blade lifter in Germany

• Press parts from Belgium to a car factory in France

Is the o/g licensing procedure time consuming or expensive in Luxemburg?

It is not that complicated up to a certain weight / dimensions. Above 100t weight, 4m width or 35m length, it is quite time consuming. That is not different from the other countries that we are daily working with (France, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium) – here too, the bigger, the more time consuming.

What is your advantage against competition? Why you stand out?

We have a very specialized fleet covering all possible types of heavy transports. At the same time, being a small-sized family-owned company, we can be very flexible and reactive to solve even the most complicated challenges for our clients. Last but not least, given our geographical location, the language skills of our people and the knowledge of local specifics, we can work across borders without any difficulties.

What made you join the industry?

At the beginning of our activities, we were mainly transporting the equipment of a road construction company that we co-owned at that time. Very soon, we had started to diversify our client base. Our fleet has increased with all kinds of special equipment along with the challenges of the industry.

What do you like the most about your business?

In this line of business, it's still the man who makes the difference – despite all digital technology. A surveyor searches and finds a route, the permit department talks to their contacts at the authorities to overcome all administrative obstacles, and then, finally, the driver and his steersman drive from A to B.

Who should be approached in Transpalux for inquiries?

Inquiries can be sent to Peter Adams (peter@p-adams.eu) or Stephan Adams (stephan@p-adams.eu)