In order to help the people affected by the war in Ukraine or who are forced to flee, the Krone vehicle factory has donated EUR 50,000 as emergency aid. EUR 10,000 each will go to aid organisations in five countries: In Poland, the work of Caritas is being supported in Hungary, the charity service of the Order of Malta, in Romania the Red Cross and in Germany the campaign ‘Deutschland hilft’.
In Slovakia, the money was handed over to the organisation Integra, which uses 100 per cent of it for humanitarian aid and the provision of accommodation for Ukrainian war refugees in Ukraine. A truck loaded with food, hygiene articles and sleeping bags, among other things, was sent directly to Kyiv and Kharkiv. Together with other humanitarian organisations, Integra provides initial aid to people fleeing war but also to those trapped in war zones.
Two weeks after the outbreak of war, the Krone ScanBalt Group, which includes Krone’s subsidiary in Ukraine, continued its sales and rental activities in the country. All staff are working remotely from secure locations. In addition, individual support is being provided if colleagues want to stay in the country or go to Poland or Lithuania. Furthermore, Ukrainian immigrants in Denmark have helped with translation, and many staff members have made private donations.
Strategic Partnership with ECR
The Krone Commercial Vehicle Group and the independent service provider ECR-Solutions have agreed on a strategic partnership: Together they want to further develop service packages for fleet management. Fleet operators today have to be prepared for increasing volatility in the markets.
Many, therefore, are relying on vehicle types from different manufacturers, and on partners with diverse financing and ownership concepts. At the same time, the complexity of fleet management is on the up. Krone and ECR offer customised holistic solutions to logistics service providers and shippers for the management of trailer fleets. Krone has been working with the company for many years – not only within the remit of warranty processing but also full service (‘Fair Care’) and rental (‘Krone Fleet’).
Ole Klose as the new member of the Executive Board
Ole Klose has been appointed as an additional member of the Executive Board of the Krone Group of Companies. In addition to Board members Dr David Frink (CEO) and Dr Stefan Binnewies (COO), he has been responsible for the activities of the company’s corporate divisions – such as leasing, financing and the trading division – as a member of the Executive Board of Krone Holding since October 2019.Now on the Executive Board, as CFO, he is responsible for bundling financial activities and for human resources.
European research contract Gaia-X
How can the flow of goods and commodities be optimised through intelligent use of data? The answer to this can be found at the Krone vehicle factory on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics. As part of the ‘Gaia-X’ research project, which aims to offer European companies an independent alternative to the market-leading cloud providers from overseas, Krone will develop a concept that optimises the flow of goods and commodities through the intelligent use of data.
e-Trailer wins Zenit Innovation Award
For their work on the electric drive train for long-haul trucks developed by Krone and Trailer Dynamics, the companies have been awarded the Innovation Prize of the Zenit e. V. network. The prize comes with EUR 10,000. The foundation of the system is the eTrailer – a powerful electric axle that works independently of the tractor unit. It means that diesel trucks emit less CO2, and it ensures a noticeably longer range for electric tractor units.
Even larger service network for Celsineo
Celsineo’s service network is being expanded: In addition to approximately 200 bases in Europe that are already certified, more are to be added in 2022. The ‘Celsineo’ modular trailer refrigeration units, which Krone produces in cooperation with Liebherr, were launched on the market in 2021 with tremendous success. Recently, they have also been sold in Spain, with the Scandinavian countries to follow in 2023. The close-knit Krone service network in Europe is one of the major success factors here. New partners do not have to provide refrigeration staff; at most a minimum of two technicians per company undergo a free two-day training programme. An overhead crane is needed in the workshop, and the investment volume for a starter kit is in the low four-digit range. In this way, the service partners can expand their scope of services with little effort.
