German raw materials company K+S is putting the first 60 ChemieTainers from Innofreight into service. The collaboration with the Austrian rail logistics provider strengthens intermodal transport of fertilizer to Poland.
The handover of SurfaceWaterTank number 420 in summer 2024 was a real milestone in the collaboration between K+S and Innofreight. Just eight months later, this partnership has been enhanced by a high-performance product: the ChemieTainer for transporting different types of fertilizer. “Innofreight developed this container in a very short period of time and built the first 60 units, with another 60 to follow soon. This is a great achievement, and we are proud of it,” says Innofreight owner Peter Wanek-Pusset.
The first tranche was handed over at the German site in Werra, where the long-established raw materials company K+S extracts 20 million tons of raw salt annually. K+S has been drawing on Innofreight’s extensive expertise since 2018 to supply customers all over the world. The ChemieTainer, designed for the transport of bulk goods in combined transport, closes a gap in K+S’s logistics chain. The interaction with the 2×45 ft InnoWaggon creates significant payload advantages, allowing even more goods to be transported from road to rail. “Sustainability and efficiency play a key role here. The ChemieTainer and the train combination allow us to put fewer trucks on the road and reduce CO2 emissions,” says Lukas Miglanz, who works in logistics purchasing at K+S.
These advantages come into play in several ways. On the one hand, the ChemieTainer can also be loaded at night, and on the other hand, a single container can hold almost 33 tons of fertilizer. Using intermodal transport, K+S transports 1,500 net tons to Poland with each block train, where the containers are transshipped at the terminal and distributed to individual customers by truck.
Equipped with a durable interior coating, the 20-foot ChemieTainer meets the highest requirements for the transport of chemical goods. At the same time, a pneumatically controlled swivel roof makes loading not only easier but also safer. “The roof can be operated from the ground. This means that the operator no longer has to climb up, which is a real relief, especially in winter,” says Domen Rožanc, Managing Director of Innoduler. Unloading takes place at the truck via the tailgate.
Transport coordination is managed by Innofreight Transport Logistics, another member of the InnoWorld group that is increasingly positioning itself as a full-service provider. Just a few kilometers from the Werra site, ContServ’s specialists in Vacha take care of ongoing maintenance. Meanwhile, production at Innoduler in Slovenia continues seamlessly. Additional ChemieTainers will therefore follow, as will new forward-looking projects from K+S and Innofreight.