The Raben branch in Mittenwalde is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. Just outside Berlin, 1,000 consignments are handled daily in the 6,100 square meter warehouse. Every day, the Mittenwalde branch supplies the areas of Berlin, Brandenburg and parts of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania with 60-70 trucks. "This gives us the largest delivery area within the Group," says branch manager Frank Ostroga. In addition to the automotive, technology and chemicals sectors, food logistics accounts for almost a third of the company's business.

On his tour of the large transshipment hall, Raben and Ostroga showed the Prime Minister how customers' consignments are handled and picked at the cross dock in the shortest possible time and using a state-of-the-art management system. During the lockdown in March and April, the international logistics service provider was faced with the challenge that the structure and type of goods changed completely from one day to the next. "The demand for basic goods and cleaning products increased significantly, while at the same time the volume of goods from the automotive sector, for example, fell sharply," says Ostroga. As a result, the warehouse was suddenly no longer stacked with motorcycles, but bicycles. Instead of automotive components, the cross dock was now handling DIY accessories from DIY stores for end customers. "The fact that this worked so smoothly is thanks to our outstanding international groupage network, our own fleet and our excellent transport management system," says Ostroga.

The early protective measures formed the basis

Increased hand hygiene, social distancing rules and avoiding shaking hands - the Raben Group had already introduced numerous new rules for daily work at the beginning of February. The fact that this early action was also correct in Mittenwalde became clear in mid-March at the latest, when the virus brought public life in Europe to a standstill. In Mittenwalde, Woidke gained a good impression of how the 55 employees at the site are strictly adhering to the hygiene regulations and restrictions of the World Health Organization (WHO). The specially established crisis management team is monitoring the situation and supporting the employees.

Among other things, Raben has provided clinical thermometers, disinfectant and face masks at the entrances to the buildings. If the temperature reaches 37.3 degrees Celsius, employees are sent home with a request to report to the doctor or health authority. In addition, all utensils, sanitary facilities and common rooms are cleaned and disinfected more frequently. Raben also distributes disposable protective gloves and face masks for employees in the warehouse and for those employees who have contact with external people. "The measures may often be disruptive in everyday working life. However, we wanted to ensure from the outset that no one gets infected. An infected employee would shut down the entire general cargo network and not just one branch," emphasizes Raben.

At the beginning of the crisis, the widest possible distancing rules and access restrictions were in place in the operational area. Truck drivers were informed in several languages about how they should behave on the premises. In some cases, drivers only passed the freight documents through a slot and remained in the cab while the truck was being loaded or unloaded. Where possible, office staff worked from home. Teams were split up and worked alternately at home and in the office.