Since March 1, our colleague Erik Mekkes has held the new position of Operations Director. This means that Erik now heads all three business units of our organization. Oldenburger|Fritom opted for a business unit structure from a strategic point of view. You can read how we use this structure to give concrete form to our distinctive capabilities in quality, sustainability and innovation.
In this newsletter, we would like to take a moment to reflect on a key milestone in our company’s history. Twenty-five years ago, Oldenburger was acquired by the Fritom Group. Since the acquisition, on the eve of the 21st century, new technological developments have followed each other in rapid succession. Thanks to the investments and commitment of Fritom, Oldenburger|Fritom can continuously embrace these developments.
Corporate stakeholders increasingly value sustainability. As a result, this theme is playing an increasingly important role in investments. Including in the logistics sector. For example, distribution centers and warehouses with a sustainability certificate will soon be the norm. Oldenburger|Fritom has opted for BREEAM certification. This year we are building a second distribution center in Veendam according to the highest rating: 5-star BREEAM Outstanding.
The new construction of our second BREEAM Outstanding distribution center in Veendam is progressing steadily. As we said earlier, Oldenburger|Fritom wants to distinguish itself in both sustainability and innovation. Lean Six Sigma has been proven to be effective in change management. It is now exactly 20 years ago that we were on the eve of our business transformation into a trendsetting logistics provider. Following this milestone, you can read an interview with our CEO, René Dale.
Oldenburger|Fritom will expand in Veendam. On January 29, we signed the construction contract for a second distribution center according to the highest sustainability level: BREEAM Outstanding (5 stars). Bouwgroep Noord, based in the city of Drachten, and Hardeman, based in Veenendaal, will realize the construction project. Our new distribution center is expected to be completed at the end of this year.
Oldenburger|Fritom has integrated the QHSE management system – the acronym of Quality, Health, Safety, Environment – into its business operations. By doing so, we want to add value in global supply chains. Certification according to international and sector-specific standards is part of this. In this context, Oldenburger|Fritom has been GDP-API registered for customers in the healthcare industry since last month.