Interview of the week – Riedl Group – Germany

Since 2004, Iris has been the Managing Director and shareholder of ROLF RIEDL GmbH, International Project Forwarder based in Hagen, Germany. She studied at the University of Muenster and holds a Diploma in Economics. She is married and has three school-aged children

Tell us about the Riedl Group. Who owns the company? Tell us a few words about your experience, your expertise and your business in general.

Different companies are combined under the trade name: THE RIEDL GROUP, bundling their strength and pursuing a common goal to carry out projects professionally for our customers. In 1987 the roots of the RIEDL GROUP were established, when my father Rolf Riedl founded ROLF RIEDL GMBH.

The shareholders of ROLF RIEDL GmbH are Iris K. Müllejans (37.5%), my brother Andreas Marc Riedl, a lawyer specialized in international transport and forwarding and maritime lawyer, based in Hamburg, e-mail: [email protected], (37,5%) and Britta Pehn, daughter of my father’s business partner, Joachim Patzner, (25%).

Where are your offices located?

ROLF RIEDL GmbH is located in Hagen, in the Ruhr Valley, industrial heartland of Germany. Furthermore, our sister company Transgerma Riedl & Kiehntopf GmbH is located in the Port of Bremen. 

Our rigging companies have offices in Hammersbach, near Frankfurt / Main, Leipzig and Hagen. As mentioned, we are asset based and have our own strand jack systems for lifting and installing large plants, as well as hydraulic gantries and lifting tracks. The specialists of our rigging company offer a comprehensive service portfolio for erection, skidding and lifting of all kinds – worldwide with our own equipment.

In addition, here you will also find the right experts for complete company moves.

What is Riedl Group specialty and service range?

The company offers a complete range of logistic services and solutions to its customers. These include assisting customers during the planning and quotation phase with transport budgets and feasibility studies until the execution of the project with shipping by road / rail / inland waterway, sea and air freight, last-mile delivery, but also assembling and dismantling, packing at customers’ works, supporting with all risks insurance and customs formalities, global heavy lift movements, chartering, cranage rigging and assembly with own heavy lift equipment worldwide.

To ensure these services and to deliver from one point to another, my father founded THLG (former EHLG) in 1987, became a member of the SC&RA and also acted as an initiator and co-founder of the WPG! This approved international network is a significant advantage for our customers worldwide.   

Tell us about projects you have handled recently.

Project Nemo
Our customer was awarded the contract for the supply and construction of two “HVDC Converter Stations” in Belgium and Great Britain. Riedl Group was awarded the total logistic part of this project. The scope of the project was the delivery of the on-shore and off-shore substation components:

• Belgium Site (Herdersbrug Substation): approx. 3.900 mt, 13.300 FRT incl. Heavylift components
• Great Britain Site (Richborough Substation): approx. 4.400 mt, 16.400 FRT incl. Heavylift components

All in gauge and ODC components were transported by standard trucks / trailers and the H/L components:

Cargo per substation:

• 3 main transfomers, 1000x424x460 cm – 295 tons each
• 1 spare transfomer, 1000x424x460 cm – 295 tons

Additionals per substation:

• 6 converters, 350x350x450 cm – 7,8 tons each
• 1 converter, 350x350x450 cm – 7,8 tons
• 3 radiator banks, 890x390x435 cm – 33,5 tons each

Transformers UK:

• 3 main transfomers, 1000x424x460 cm – 295 tons each
• 1 spare transfomer, 1000x424x460 cm – 295 tons

Transload by crane from barge to coaster in NSP, then shipped to the port of Ramsgate, UK. Here the H/L components were transload by floating crane onto modular trailers. The inland transport to site was by road via the harbour approach tunnel and a short section of residential road to site, in order to avoid a second tunnel. On arrival at site the components were unloaded onto Riedl skidding equipment for foundation setting.

Special about this project:
The Port of Ramsgate is predominantly a roro port which was not in frequent use, as such there were no quays suitable to rig a heavy lift crane to discharge the transformers direct from a coaster. Furthermore, the Roro Jetties were also not of sufficient capacity to roll these transformers from a roro. The Riedl-Group came up with the unique concept to use a floating crane, resulting in a lot of money saved for static calculations and strengthening of the quay.

The on-carriage was performed with our THLG partner Allelys. A special security frame positioned in front of the cargo on Allelys trailer warned of any collision with the tunnel before any damage occurred while driving through a very narrow tunnel! Neither the frame nor the cargo made any contact. For the foundation setting a special turning device was used by Riedl-Group’s own rigging team.

Due to the intensive and great communication and efforts of all involved, all permits were released in a timely fashion and the components were delivered on time and in good order.
 

Project Västeras
We had already handled the first industrial power plant going to Västeras, Sweden, and about 5 years later, the second industrial power plant was awarded to us by our customer. 

As to the heavy lift operations, the turbine, generator, condensers and all accessories from various suppliers in Germany and border countries, were handled professionally and on time by us.

The site area was quite tight due to existing buildings and there was not a lot of space for the inhauling also. The inhauling was engineered by our own rigging company. For the lifting, RTM used its own designed and built LHS600 Heavy Lifting System. 

Which ports are mainly used for project cargo in Germany?

For project cargo business in Germany, the ports of Bremen and Hamburg are used, but we often also use for project cargo out of Germany the port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, as well as the port of Antwerp in Belgium, due to their excellent road, rail and inland waterway connections, along with several departures of shipping lines worldwide.

For ferry transport to the UK, Scandinavia and some South European ports, we use various North Sea ports in Germany, but also the Netherlands.

Is shipping a competitive sector in Germany? How do you ensure that you will stand out?

The key to our continued growth and development is our comprehensive package of services, our worldwide personal connections and experienced partners across the shipping, rigging and assembly sector, our experienced and well-trained staff of specialists, our professionalism and our focus on partnership with our customers. We escort and control our customers’ project cargoes from start to point of delivery and keep our customers informed on a daily basis. Our industry partners can depend on our service and value us as a trusted partner!

What made you personally join the industry?

In 2003 my father asked the family to join for a family meeting to discuss the future of the company, since he was searching for a successor. At that time I was working for Vodafone in Düsseldorf as a Project Manager for business cases for the new technologies like UMTS and WLAN. Since I studied Logistics, International Marketing and Communications and loved to travel, it was a great opportunity to step into my father’s business and take over the responsibility for an own company. When I was a child my father brought special presents from each country of his business trips. What I further enjoyed as a child was that always business partners from all over the world were welcomed at our home.

So, in the end, my father was the link, along with the business partners that become friends and part of our family. 

What do you like the most about your business?

Meeting and working with all the open-minded different people in our worldwide industry and the opportunity to always learn something new. Each project is different and has its challenges. Mostly I enjoy working in a team of multicultural business professionals having the goal to move the cargo to the full-satisfaction of the customer.

Who should be approached in Riedl Group for enquiries etc.?

Please feel free to contact myself or Christian, whom you probably have met at the various THLG meetings and the Break Bulk show in Bremen: 

• Iris K. Müllejans, Managing Director
  mobile: +49 173 5333 523 
  e-mail: [email protected]
• Christian Terweiden, Managing Director
  mobile: + 49 172 2889 990
  e-mail: [email protected]

Our trained staff can help you any time:
phone: +49 2331 94080
fax: +49 2331 94082 
email: [email protected]

They are looking forward to hearing from you and are glad to be of assistance!