Business Report 2024: Global economy leaves traces

Despite declining purchasing power and cautious investment in many countries, a. hartrodt maintained a stable customer base in 2024. "Our flexibility as a medium-sized family business is an advantage," comments Managing Partner Felix Wenzel on the presentation of the business report. Compared to the previous year, freight forwarding revenues rose by 9.5 percent to almost 566 million euros, while operating result (EBIT) fell by 66.8 percent to 3.8 million euros. On the earnings side, Felix Wenzel would have "liked to see a better year", but he is satisfied given the complicated global economy.

Asia strategically important, South America gaining significance

Europe accounts for almost half of freight forwarding revenues, which increased by 8.4 percent there. The second strongest region, Asia, which according to Felix Wenzel "is of great strategic importance", improved its turnover by 27.7 percent. Managing Partner Jan van Tienhoven observes a trend among customers toward multisourcing in order to minimize risks. He expects South America to "continue to gain importance for us".

Significantly higher revenues in almost all business segments

Last year, a. hartrodt transported 2.8 million tons of freight, 1.6 percent less than in 2023. Meanwhile, the volume of containers transported increased by 2.7 percent to almost 219,000 TEU. With freight rates rising, the number of shipments declined slightly, but unlike in the previous year, almost all business segments recorded noticeably higher revenues. The increase was particularly significant in the trucking sector, at 54.1 percent. The highest-revenue sea freight segment improved by 13.2 percent, and the warehousing business by 16.4 percent. Only airfreight saw a decline in revenue of 3.7 percent, and the margin also fell by 3.8 percentage points to 24.3 percent.

The management of a. hartrodt intends to continue working on cost structures, optimizing processes, driving forward digitalization, and further expanding customer care. Chief Financial Officer Andreas Schroen expects "an increase in revenue and a more positive net income after taxes in 2025 compared to the previous year". The focus at a. hartrodt is on further expanding its operational strengths and offering customers the best possible solutions in a volatile environment.