FERCAM: Record turnover for 2022
(Bolzano, May 11, 2023) The South Tyrolean logistics and transportation company FERCAM closed 2022 with a record turnover of €1.128 billion, an increase of 19.6% compared to the previous year, in an exercise characterized by difficult framework conditions, as well as cautious management of global economic dynamics with skyrocketing freight rates and raw material costs
For the first time in its corporate history, FERCAM exceeded €1 billion in turnover with a growth of 19.6% compared to the previous year. With this result, FERCAM strengthens its role as a global player in its various logistics, transportation, distribution, Air & Ocean, and Special Services sectors, a division that includes art logistics, Fairs & Events, as well as Moving and Relocation activities.
«It was a year full of uncertainties with interruptions in logistics chains following the previous pandemic years and the war in Ukraine, a shortage of drivers, and significant increases in energy costs. However, the great professionalism of all our FERCAM employees allowed us to close 2022 with the best result ever in absolute value, recording a double-digit revenue growth (+19.6%) for the second consecutive year», says Hannes Baumgartner, FERCAM’s Managing Director.
Competence, reliability, and service quality were the basis of success, in connection with a favorable trend in the country's economy. «A GDP of +3.7% in Italy, thanks also to the increase in exports, requires efficient logistics, which is essential for the competitiveness of made in Italy in foreign markets» adds Hannes Baumgartner.
The foreign companies of the South Tyrolean operator also recorded excellent results, with particular mention for the Kiev branch, whose employees demonstrated great resilience and courage, remaining operational even in the darkest moments of their recent history.
The performance of the historic and most important Business Unit of the Company, the Full Truck Load (FTL) sector, which traditionally accounts for over 50% of the company's turnover, was very favorable, with exceptional results from the Freight Management Business Unit.
As in the previous year, the growth for the Air & Ocean division was absolutely satisfactory, with an increase of +36.9%. In the first half of the year, the tight cargo capacity and consequently increased freight rates had positive effects on the turnover of the sector, thanks to a reliable and efficient network of correspondents, conditions that gradually normalized starting from September 2022.
INVESTMENTS TOWARDS A ZERO-EMISSION LOGISTICS FOR FACILITIES AND SERVICES
In line with the increasingly strategic importance of the logistics and distribution sectors, investments in 2022 focused on expanding the company's distribution network with new openings or branch expansions in Como, Udine, Cuneo, and Reggio Emilia, while the completion of the construction sites of the facilities in Alessandria, Verona, Novara, Mantova, Modena, Padova, and Cattolica is planned for 2023.
The technological investments made on existing facilities aim in particular at energy diversification, expanding a photovoltaic park of 24 plants with about 3.7 MWh of power at the end of 2022. To reduce electricity consumption for various logistics activities in various logistics facilities in 2022, there was massive replacement of traditional incandescent lighting systems with LED lighting, advanced home automation implementation, and astronomical twilight technology with presence sensors.
The latest investments for the vehicle fleet focused on technological innovations in the field of alternative feedstock such as Biogas and HVO Fuel for heavy transport and electric vehicles for urban distribution.
«In the first months of 2023, we recorded a slight decline in demand. In the context of general uncertainty, the future of our sector will also be very challenging. But the results achieved are encouraging, and after two years of exponential growth in situations of considerable difficulty, in which our entire FERCAM team has worked with maximum commitment and reliability and has demonstrated resilience and flexibility, we are confident we will be able to face this year’s challenges too», concludes Hannes Baumgartner.