Steel-e-Motion

Steel-Solutions B.V.

A few years ago, bike couriers in big cities like New York and London started to deliver their packages on so-called fixies, fixed-gear bikes. A new sub-culture developed and grew to be one of the biggest urban trends of bike trends of this moment. The purity and simplicity of this bike have seduced Steel-Solutions to make this fixie into an art piece.

By now, fixies have taken the shape of a new hip trend. Riding a fixie bike has become more popular worldwide. But it is not this trend that made Steel-Solutions enthusiastic. It was the efficient character of the bike; pure, no bells and whistles.  The authenticity which represents the bike. Steel-Solutions is not just a trend, not just a story that you forget. As this bike, Steel-Solutions represents the same characteristics. It is a foundation, it is honest and pure.

But how does this reflect in our business? How does this create an advantage for our clients? On the pictures you can see the words “Steel-e-Motion”. The steel market is constantly moving. Products go from one place to another and that is done with different means of transportation. Steel is always moving and as a logistics service provider, Steel-Solutions takes care of all these logistics trajectories. The market is moving, supply and demand are constantly changing, and Steel-Solutions is changing with them. We are constantly looking for the best

“Steel-e-Motion” also gives away how we take care of these trajectories. It is not just business, it is about doing something for someone else. It is about emotion and passion for steel. And not just for our own company. It is about putting passion in everything you do to make sure that you partners and clients get the best of your services and products every single time. 

How did we linked this vision and the fixie? We bought our own fixie and had it customized by Jeroen vanden Boer to fit Steel-Solutions’ company image.

 “For Steel-Solutions I started with a steel (!) framed fixie of the Italian brand Olmo. This particular fixie originates back to the 80’s. I completely stripped it, sandblasted the fork and the framework and coated it with fresh blue paint. I reused as much of the retro and original components and combined those with a new bike chain, rims and tires. To top it off, I added the beautiful orange and blue colours and the logo of Steel-Solutions that make it their bike”.

One man’s misfortune is another man’s opportunity.

Steel-Solutions B.V.

The reason for writing this blog was an article from “Nieuwsblad Transport” of last November 12^th. Title of the article; ”City throws away logistic future”. Antwerp, one of the biggest transhipment harbours of Europe, has turned into a big industrial area with an even bigger problem. The traffic jam problem is enormous and according to logistics companies trucks are stuck in traffic at least 1.5 hours a day, every day. The breaking point has been reached. Where companies first choose Antwerp to settle because of the logistics advantages, they now have started to leave the city. Companies are leaving the industrial heart of Antwerp. The long travel times which are caused by the traffic jams are anything but profitable. Companies have decided to take matters into their own hands because they are barely able to keep their heads above water. There have been news report that Corneel Geert Transport Group is looking for possibilities in Genk. Wim Bosman already made this step before him.

Companies see Antwerp more as a bottleneck, rather than as an opportunity. The current beltway has been there for the past 45 years. At first this beltway was a one of a kind but now it is completely out dated and inadequate to cope with current traffic flows. New plans of improving the accessibility of both the city itself and the harbour, stand on hold till this very day.

Steel-Solutions read this article with great attention and remembered it. Why? Because Steel-Solutions responded to this problem in an early stage and moved its distribution centre from harbours to more ideal locations such as Maastricht and Born. Through our own inland waterways and railway-tracks, we can transport containers as well as break-bulk to our own distribution warehouses. From these warehouses are we able supply the entire European inland.

 

This makes it that we experience no logistical barriers. There are no long waiting times and there are hardly any traffic-jams. Both of our locations have tri-modal transport possibilities (rail, road and barge). The accessibility and availability of these tri-modal services make Steel-Solutions an excellent logistic partner.