Wiegand-Glas partners with DB Cargo Transa for even greater sustainability

Wiegand-Glas takes sustainability very seriously. The bottle manufacturer pays attention to this not only during the production of its glass receptacles, but also when it transports them to the beverage producers and bottling facilities. Until recently, the company relied mainly on lorries. Now, however, it is in the process of reactivating the old private siding at its plant in Steinbach am Wald, Upper Franconia. Thus, rail is being successfully integrated into the logistics concept in partnership with DB Cargo Transa.

Monthly savings of hundreds of lorries

Wiegand-Glas is one of the largest bottle-glass manufacturers in Germany.

Glass is already a sustainable product intrinsically. Wine, beer and water bottles are made from 100% natural raw materials. This makes glass one of the most environmentally friendly and climate-friendly products ever. The right logistics offers further potential for CO2 savings. Wiegand-Glas saves several hundred lorries per month by transporting its products by climate-friendly rail, thus making the glass bottles even more sustainable.. 

A strong team: DB Cargo Transa and Wiegand-Glas

DB Cargo Transa has perfectly consolidated its resources for this purpose: currently, lorries still drive to Saalfeld, about 20 kilometres away, where the load is switched to rail. The trains operate in a closed circuit, travelling empty to DB Cargo AG's loading and unloading siding in Saalfeld and continuing on from there with a full load to postprocessing companies and distribution centres. The pre-carriage and onward carriage are handled by Wiegand-Logistik GmbH, a subsidiary of the Wiegand-Glas group. This shows that successful door-to-door logistics works best when all partners combine their capabilities. "That means we have long main legs on rail and short onward carriage on the road," said Andreas Roseneck, Managing Director of Wiegand Logistik, and Kay-Uwe Müller-Gericke, Business Development Manager at DB Cargo Transa, in agreement. An overarching vision thus leads to a shared success story. 

Optimal transport by shifting to rail 
 

In full swing: the private siding at the plant in Steinbach am Wald (Upper Franconia) being reactivated.

Thanks to the reactivated private siding, it will be possible to load larger quantities of goods on an ad hoc basis from January 2023. This will make many of the pre-carriage lorry journeys and transhipment in Saalfeld superfluous. 
 
The company has several manufacturing sites and many customers spread across Germany, which poses a challenge for all concerned. However, this is no problem for DB Cargo Transa, which handles this task, too, to the complete satisfaction of the Wiegand-Glas group. 
 
Shifting to rail creates an optimal transport chain, which also significantly reduces lorry journeys.