Trees on the right track

PMG Holzhandels GmbH is a timber trading company established in Villach, Austria, that supplies raw materials to wood processing companies across Europe. For years, it has successfully relied on the professional transport expertise of DB Cargo Logistics to get its products where they need to go. In the spring of this year, PMG began supplying beech logs from forests in the Czech Republic to a customer in Belgium. DB Cargo Logistics once again stepped up to the plate, providing a sophisticated, environmentally friendly and customer-centric logistics solution that utilises an efficient wagon turnaround cycle and the timber port in Trier.

Reloading: the secret to greater efficiency

The journey to the Trier timber port is efficient and flexible in equal measure. Freight wagons carrying wood from across Germany travel to Austria for unloading. In the past, the wagons would return mostly empty. That was until PMG decided it wanted to ship beech logs from Czech forests for further processing in Belgium. It was the right idea at the right time. A reloading solution was developed for freight wagons between Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic in which empties from Germany could be dispatched directly from Austria to pick up new freight at over 20 timber loading points in Czechia. Now, every week with the exception of a summer break, PMG sends some 15 to 20 freight wagons full of logs via traditional single wagonload transport to the Trier timber port. The reloading solution is a win for all parties. DB Cargo benefits from the efficient utilisation of wagon capacity and PMG from flexibly scheduled transport services and the advantages of the Trier timber port..

Thanks to the cooperation between DB Cargo Logistics, PMG and Am Zehnhoff-Söns, even more regulars are travelling by rail

Timber ports – more than just a transhipment station for wood

What exactly is a timber port? It's more than just a timber loading and unloading point. Not only does it serve as transhipment station for rail, it also offers even more logistics services for our customers. Its most important advantage is the "disentangling" of road and rail. Timber can be temporarily stored at the site, freeing up freight wagons faster for other tasks. Delivery and pickup by trucks enjoy greater scheduling flexibility. Thanks to the on-site storage facilities, lorries don't have schedule deliveries or pickups to coincide with train arrivals.   

Additional services are also offered by the timber port, such as cargo weighing or disposal services for wood residues and bark. It's a one-stop shop solution.

PMG and DB Cargo Logistics use the timber port at Trier as a transhipment point on the way to Belgium. The port is operated by the Am Zehnhoff-Söns Group and it literally never closes, offering around-the-clock services seven days a week. It's one of four DB Cargo Logistics timber ports in Germany. The port is spacious enough to allow wood to be separated and stored by type or customer-specific requirements. Covered areas are available for dry storage if needed.

The timber port in Trier thus offers benefits to all its customers. The convenient location of the port minimises lorry traffic and emissions by reducing the road leg of the journey to Belgium. DB Cargo Logistics transports around 50,000 loads of timber per year, making it one of the largest wood logistics companies in Europe. With a fleet of over 1,700 special wagons and a range of logistics services, DB Cargo Logistics offers timber industry customers an all-around package.