Drinks on us! Multimodal transport for Brau Union & Spar

We all know the drinks aisle in the supermarket. But very few people are aware of the journey that beer, soft drinks, and other beverages take until they are finally placed on the shop shelves. The drinks manufacturer Brau Union Österreich and the retail chain Spar are opting for a multimodal approach in their latest transports with RGC – an optimal combination of road and rail, with the environment in mind.

From Vienna to every Spar store

The journey of the beverages begins at the Brau Union Österreich production plant in Vienna-Schwechat in a pre-haulage by truck. The truck transports the goods in a Curtainsider Swap Body to the Vienna South terminal. In the main leg of the journey, they are then transported by single wagonload to the terminals located closest to the seven Spar distribution centres in Austria, such as the Hall terminal in Tyrol. The final step of the supply chain, the last mile, is again handled by trucks. They transport the beverages to the Spar warehouse in Wörgl. From here, Spar continues to distribute the products to its stores, before beer, soft drinks, and other beverages finally end up in our shopping trollies. The entire process from order to delivery in Wörgl takes just three days.

Swap bodies aka Curtainsider Swap Bodies

For these transports, the new swap bodies of RCG, also known as Curtainsider Swap Bodies, are being used. These are real stars among load carriers because they are multimodal, bridging the gap between road and rail, and enable universal loading – which means that they can be loaded and unloaded from all sides, as well as from above. This is what sets them apart from a conventional container. Another advantage is that they can be used across all industries for all kinds of goods (e.g. for chemicals and in the automotive industry). In 2023, RGC is investing in a total of 300 new swap bodies to meet the increased demand in Europe.

Sidings are optional

The transports for Brau Union Österreich and Spar highlight the greatest advantage of multimodal transport: customers do not necessarily need their own sidings at the location. Thanks to the optimal combination of different modes of transport, with the focus on sustainable rail, both customers and the environment benefit from an efficient end-to-end logistics solution. So far, with the use of eight swap bodies, 5.7 tonnes of CO2 equivalents have already been saved – a big plus in terms of sustainability, considering these transports previously took place exclusively by truck.

Transport throughout Europe

In addition to beverages, RGC transports a wide range of consumer goods throughout Europe – including pasta, disinfectants, sauces, pet foods, electronics, and much more. There are no limits when it comes to transport routes. For various customers for example, transport services are conducted from Germany to Italy and back, or from Hungary to Turkey and vice versa.

16.11.2023