Logistics company looks forward to a greener future
For BHS Logistics, the future is always a slightly uncertain quantity, as activity within the logistics industry is something that comes rolling in waves. And that is why it has been a huge help to them and similar companies that Business Center Bornholm has been able to step in with sparring and the opportunity to network with other local players through the Ready for Energy Island Bornholm project.
The prospects for the gigantic offshore wind turbines, which will soon make up a significant part of the large-scale Energy Island Bornholm project, are correspondingly gigantic, but will also present a major challenge. Not least regarding logistics. There will be a need for an upscale that must also be environmentally responsible.
That has set the wheels in motion for many of the companies that are going to have to deal with it – including the Rønne-based company BHS Logistics, whose 120 permanent employees need to be able to keep up with the massive demands that lie ahead in the future. And not just regarding the purely physical part of the work. Plans must also be made for how to make their business operations greener.
Now things are really about to kick off gear involved in the wind turbines here in June, so there'll be of course also to have to more appointments for
However, fortunately the challenges on Bornholm are the kind that can be tackled together, and that is why, among others, BHS Logistics has been able to get a helping hand to develop its business from Business Center Bornholm, says Mikkel Lund Ørum, who is the branch director for the Bornholm division of the company.
"From the very beginning, we have seen great potential for our business in relation to working with offshore. And we have already gained some experience which we are pleased to share with others, and we have been given the opportunity to do so in connection with the workshops that Business Center Bornholm has organised as part of the Ready for Energy Island Bornholm project. There are always new business areas to reach, and it has been a great help to be able to work together with them," says Mikkel Lund Ørum.
Important to be able to continue to be attractive
There is also quite a bit of legal work that needs to be in place to live up to the requirements placed on a modern business in the logistics industry, and here too it has been possible to draw on the consultants, who have been able to provide impartial assistance with, among other things, the certificates that are necessary to drive everything forward and which must be renewed at regular intervals.
"It goes without saying that we must and will also be a green business, but as the turbines get bigger, there are even greater demands on how we work moving forward. And naturally, we have long periods where not all that much happens, so here it has been nice both to gain experience in terms of moving ahead, but also to be able to share that experience with other Bornholm-based businesses. Now things are really going to get moving with the wind turbines here in June, so of course more recruitment will also be required," says Mikkel Lund Ørum.
Continuity in the horizon
As a Bornholm-based business, it is extra important to be able to remain attractive, because there are constantly businesses starting up, but also many businesses disappearing again. However, for Mikkel Lund Ørum, it is crystal clear that the need to have things transported to and from Bornholm is growing, so the opportunity to bring more continuity into their cycle is something he is very much looking forward to.
– We are the kind of company that prefers not to miss out on anything, and therefore we also stay on our toes when it comes to all forms of business development. And when we speak with wind turbine manufacturers, for example, it is clear that we are entering a really good period, not just for us, but for Bornholm, so the hope is certainly that there won't be periods of stagnation. Whatever happens, it is important to feel that people support you and that you can draw on other people's competencies, he says.
For BHS Logistics, it is also a major point of contention what to use in future as fuel to run the fleet of lorries, and therefore Power-to-X technology is something they look forward to developing in relation to whether the future holds electric lorries or whether it will be hydrogen, for example, that is to be the driving force towards a greener Bornholm.
– We constantly set high standards for ourselves, but planning in a structured, forward-looking way regarding which lorries we should invest in also requires having someone to bounce ideas off, and that is why it has been super to be able to get so much feedback on our thoughts about the future and generally experience so many initiatives from Business Center Bornholm and the Jobcentre, he concludes.