Personnel recruitment now also successfully launched in South Eastern Europe
In order to stabilise and expand our personnel capacities, we have decided to intensify the already successfully tested recruitment in South-Eastern Europe with our long-standing Croatian employee and to procure personnel specifically for the needs of our customers.
Since he recruits staff on site in South Eastern Europe, it is possible to test the applicants in advance and avoid language barriers from the outset. Only then do internships and special training courses take place in our company. Thus, all the necessary prerequisites such as manual skills or language qualifications are closely scrutinised on site in South-Eastern Europe, so that a successful and long-term cooperation can be guaranteed.
It is hard to believe that in our industry the requirement of the driving licence class does not play a role at all. But through our driving school, it is completely irrelevant which driving licence class an applicant has. If an applicant fulfils all other criteria, he or she will receive training for driving licence classes C/CE through our driving school. During this training, our new employee is additionally trained for all activities related to end-user logistics.
Our new masks are here! Aren’t they cool?
Move of a priest.
This is a picture of a parish priest moving from Waldfenster to Stettbach.
In the past, and as I have been told even today in parishes the tradition is upheld, when a parish priest was paraded, the parade vehicle was festively decorated. In addition, the procession was accompanied to the parish boundary or even to the clergyman’s new place of work.
Delivery with external lift
During the customer’s notification, it was discovered that the spiral staircase leading to the delivery location was still largely under construction and also too narrow for the large and heavy boxes, so it was decided without further ado to deliver the goods to the first floor via the external lift.
Benedikt Kohlhepp took part in the full-day training course on road construction site safety on 11.02.2020.
Thank you @Pension Rittergut Nieder-Mosel.
During our clean-up we also found an old carriage that used to be used for the processions! We are happy to have found an enthusiast who is now restoring it and giving it a new life!
Report from Möbelkultur 11/2019
Kohlhepp Logistik: Serbs solve shortage of skilled workers
Go creative ways.
The issue of a shortage of skilled workers has been burning on the furniture logistics industry’s nails for some time. New ideas are urgently needed. Kohlhepp Logistik GmbH, a company with a long tradition in Bad Kissingen, has developed a comprehensive concept that is now bearing fruit. In addition to intensified advertising for school leavers and retrainees as well as the founding of its own driving school, the company has made efforts to recruit skilled workers in European countries that do not belong to the EU. In Serbia, they have found what they were looking for and have already conducted successful recruitment interviews in cooperation with a local recruitment agency. This was a long and complex process, visas and work permits had to be applied for. German language skills are mandatory for non-EU foreigners. “We knew from the beginning that this would require patience and stamina, but it was worth it,” reports Managing Director Peter Kohlhepp. “The personal interviews in Belgrade were absolutely necessary to check the qualifications of the employees in question.” The first Serbs are now finally at the company in Bad Kissingen, with more to follow who already have visas and work permits. The new employees are being thoroughly trained and are then to do the same with their colleagues who follow. The Kohlhepp family business has specialised, offering high quality with one-stop-shop, 2-man handling and on-site assembly. “So it is indispensable for us that our employees speak German,” Kohlhepp even sees advantages compared to possible employees from EU countries like Bulgaria or Romania. Kohlhepp Logistik GmbH focuses not only on high-quality furniture but also on sensitive goods for public and medical institutions. The next group of new employees is currently being recruited with the help of the recruitment agency in Serbia, which also takes care of providing initial German language skills. “With this, we want to accelerate and consolidate our transports, as well as expand our services for sensitive goods,” Peter Kohlhepp explains the next envisaged goals and sees the problem of a lack of skilled workers solved for his company.
In end consumer logistics, Kohlhepp is one of the few companies that delivers almost all shipments itself due to its central location. No matter to which city in Germany, Austria, Switzerland or BeNeLux. Professional driver is a profession with the best prospects. “So it’s only logical that we train them ourselves. Through the driving school, we have the complete training in one hand and can train our employees specifically for our needs,” says Kohlhepp. Thanks to the comprehensive offer, all professional drivers can complete the necessary prescribed modules here. School leavers under the age of 17 receive comprehensive training – first two years as a warehouse logistics specialist and then another two years as a professional driver. In addition, after the training, the company offers very flexible options in terms of working hours – such as compensatory time off with extended weekends, half-day solutions or even weekly holidays, which is particularly attractive for employees whose families have their centre of life further away. This in particular was a weighty factor for many Serbs in choosing the medium-sized Franconian company.
Finally it’s here!
The new Actros 5 is now in use for us.
The special thing? Mercedes-Benz has launched the first truck on the market that no longer has side mirrors. Instead, there are cameras above the doors, also called MirrorCam, and screens on the A-pillar that help you keep a perfect eye on traffic behind.
The biggest advantage? The driver’s field of vision is significantly increased, as he has an unrestricted view out of the side windows. In addition, auxiliary lines are drawn on the screen, which make it even easier to assess the traffic behind.
All other innovations and information can be found at https://www.mercedes-benz.com/de/fahrzeuge/lkw/der-neue-actros-2019/.
We are proud to have the new Actros in our fleet already!
Report from the Main-Post from 02.07.2019
Vocational drivers: Where there is a shortage, there is a need for ideas
Spedition Kohlhepp in Bad Kissingen trains – and has founded its own driving school to better recruit professional drivers. In the photo, Peter, Martina and Benedikt Kohlhepp with apprentice Viktor Holstein.
Truck driver is a shortage occupation. This has been official since the end of last year. The Federal Ministry of Transport expects freight transport to increase by around 30 percent by 2030. Road transport, the main mode of transport, will account for almost three quarters of this. So who is supposed to drive the many trucks responsibly and well trained if there is already hardly any new blood for the industry?
Fewer truck drivers since the abolition of compulsory military service.
Peter Kohlhepp knows this dilemma only too well. The haulier from Albertshausen near Bad Kissingen has taken action in the meantime. He not only trains professional drivers himself, but has also affiliated a driving school for professional drivers to his haulage company. “There was no alternative!” says the entrepreneur. “The further south you go in Germany, the fewer professional drivers there are,” Kohlhepp knows. He sees one cause in the abolition of compulsory military service. According to the German Transport Association, 40,000 new drivers are needed nationwide. 10,000 are trained by driving schools – and until 2010, 15,000 were added annually from the German armed forces. They are now missing. And accelerate the problem enormously, the association says.
“Of course, you don’t just set up a driving school on the side. There are costs involved.” Kohlhepp, who runs the haulage company as a family business in the fourth generation, refers to driving school management, administration, marketing, certification, training vehicles and technology. “The expense is enormous. It has to pay off at some point,” he says.
International requirements
Kohlhepp currently has four apprentices training to become professional drivers. It lasts three years. Viktor Holstein is one of them. The 19-year-old already had a lot of fun with big vehicles when he was a boy. “So I quickly applied,” says the Schweinfurt native. Driving school manager Roland Speth sits in the driver’s cab with his trainee. He has four to five weeks until the exam. After that, Holstein will have the qualification to drive trucks. “But only in Germany. If you want to drive EU-wide, you have to be 21 years old,” Speth explains the international requirements.
Forwarder Peter Kohlhepp (centre) has also opened a branch of his Rhön driving school in Bad Kissingen. Bad Kissingen’s second mayor Anton Schick and Digital Minister Dorothee Bär
were present at the ceremony.
Also in his first year of apprenticeship as a professional driver is 19-year-old Afghan Darwesch Amrullah. The migrant comes from Leipzig, is doing his apprenticeship in Albertshausen and goes to vocational school in Leipzig. “Our local trainees have to go to Kulmbach or Zella Mehlis for block lessons,” explains Speth. The driving instructor knows that he also has to deliver for the haulage company. “I know the cost pressure. We have to get the trainees to the test safely.” After all, a truck driving licence with all qualifications costs between 6,000 and 10,000 euros. And the qualifications do not only include safe driving and manoeuvring, a professional driver must also have technical understanding and an energetic approach, says Speth. And: “We see exactly who has strengths where!”
Maintaining very good staff for customers.
This is another reason why entrepreneur Kohlhepp decided to integrate a driving school into his haulage company. “We know our trainees, have the possibility to respond to them individually at any time. After all, we want to have very well trained staff for our customers. That is the best marketing for our company,” says Kohlhepp. In addition, the driving school times can be flexibly coordinated with the rest of the training. “That saves time and money,” Kohlhepp senior calculates. His two children, Martina and Benedikt, also work in the company as the fifth generation in administration and scheduling – and are taking their truck driver’s licence.
“Our work capacity is currently 50 per cent in personnel acquisition. We offer the so-called duo profession especially for pupils,” says Kohlhepp. A pupil under 17 who wants to become a professional driver first does a two-year apprenticeship as a warehouse logistics specialist before completing another two years of training as a professional driver. “This way, the apprentices have two professions in their pockets after four years. In addition to their salary, they receive extra pay and a driving licence for classes B and CE,” Kohlhepp explains. He also cites the flexible working hours of his employees, which include extended weekends or week-long holidays.
“All this will not solve the shortage of skilled workers in the long term, especially since the EU labour market hardly offers any skilled workers either.” Kohlhepp has now looked around in Serbia. He has contracted 30 drivers there. The only thing missing is the formal visa appointment. “I hope that will be settled in a few weeks!” Then the trucks standing in his yard can be moved again. And driving instructor Speth will have many new students for the module training.
After the class C driving licence, Martina now also has the CE driving licence in her pocket.
She is now allowed to drive heavy goods vehicles (trucks + trailers) on the road
.
This makes her one of the few women in Germany who have accepted this challenge. In 2017, approximately 163,500 HGV driving licences were issued in Germany, 8,400 of which were issued to women. In total, there are just under 22 million general driver’s licences for truck classes in Germany.
(Source: Federal Motor Transport Authority)
FACTS:
Minimum age 21, during training 18
C1 (medium-duty trucks) = permissible total mass up to 7.5t, trailer max. 750kg
C1E (medium-duty trucks) = combination max. 12t, tractor max. 7.5t
C (heavy trucks) = permissible total mass over 7.5t, trailer max. 750kg
CE (heavy trucks) = permissible total mass over 7.5t, trailer over 750kg
Limited to 5 years, then new medical examination and further training courses every 5 years.
East Hesse News of 11.05.2019
Temporarily in containers
A police station packed in 850 boxes – extensive refurbishment
11.05.19 – It follows carton, on carton, on carton – a total of 850 pieces are leaving the Schlüchtern police station to be unpacked again in the temporary container offices. The reason for this is the extensive renovation and refurbishment work at the police station, which will now take just under twelve months.
The Schlüchtern police station looks a bit chaotic at the moment: moving boxes are piling up everywhere, desks and cupboards are criss-crossing the offices and there is a flurry of moving helpers, workmen and police officers in and around the station. The station will be extensively renovated and refurbished in the coming months. Not only will the technology be renewed for the officers, but also sanitary facilities and a contemporary interior will follow.
In order to create enough space for the renovation work, everything that was in the station must first be packed up and moved to the new location. For safety reasons, all 850 boxes were packed by the police officers themselves. Of these, almost 200 boxes alone are filled with files from the last 30 years.
However, so that police work can continue in Schlüchtern, the officers are temporarily moving into the blue/white containers behind the police station. The new premises offer the police officers almost 400 square metres of office space, sanitary facilities and a holding cell. The officers’ new quarters are also equipped with all security standards. The walls and windows are bulletproof and the technology is state-of-the-art. After the completion of the reconstruction in the police station, the officers will move back into their former offices step by step. (Lena Riemann) +++
Opening of the driving school
.
With the opening of the Rhön Driving School, Kohlhepp Logistik has taken another step towards a successful future for the company. Managing director Peter Kohlhepp justified the step with the glaring shortage of skilled workers on the labour market. Professional driver is a profession with the best prospects. “So it is only logical that we train them ourselves. Through the driving school, we have the complete training in one hand and can train our employees specifically for our needs,” said Kohlhepp. At the opening ceremony, MdB Dorothee Bär praised the courage of the medium-sized company to invest in the future already in times of a good economy.
The Minister of State in the Federal Chancellery expressly praised Kohlhepp’s own initiative to counteract the shortage of skilled workers instead of waiting for solutions from politics. The concept of the driving school is based on three pillars; in addition to “driving with responsibility” (truck driving licence), “your piece of freedom” – starting with the car driving licence – is of course part of it. This is particularly attractive for prospective professional drivers because they can take this test at the age of 17. The third pillar, “Drive on”, is due to the special situation in Bad Kissingen. “We want to offer our many senior citizens the opportunity to bring themselves up to date again, both technically and theoretically,” says Kohlhepp.
Second Mayor Toni Schick was pleased on behalf of the city that Bad Kissingen once again offers the opportunity to obtain a truck driver’s licence. Thanks to the comprehensive offer, all professional drivers could also complete the necessary prescribed modules here. For Peter Kohlhepp, the decisive goal is that the company can continue to guarantee its core business – individual logistics for sensitive goods – with two-man handling to the end consumer in the best quality.
Internal training
Wedding with 450hp
A prince rides to his wedding with his beloved in a horse-drawn carriage – a trucker does it in his truck and 450 horsepower.
Just like our long-time driver Bernd Schröder, from Bad Kissingen, who picked up his bride in Zella-Mehlis for the wedding ceremony in his beautifully decorated “tractor”. That’s the difference between a Thuringian and a British royal – that’s how “wedding of the year” goes!
Benedikt Kohlhepp congratulated the proud wedding couple personally on site and enjoyed the successful celebration together with the other guests
We invest in the future.
Qualified professional drivers are hard to find on the market. So we have to train some ourselves. In the process, we have found that there is also a shortage of qualified warehouse and assembly specialists. Our own driving school and our training centre are the logical consequence, where not only professional drivers are trained and further educated, but also assemblers and warehousemen.
Our offer in driving licence classes B, BE, C, CE and D offers bright prospects for school leavers, retrainees and drivers who want to continue their education.
Don’t worry about the high costs! We take care of the financing and find a solution tailored to everyone’s individual needs.
Moving the nursing home from Partenstein
Whenever there is a need, Spedition Kohlhepp is on the spot – competently and reliably. A retirement and nursing home in Partenstein had water damage. All the residents and their furniture had to be moved at short notice.
Senior citizens and people in need of care require special care. So, at first, the severe cases were transferred to a facility in Mömlingen. All other residents were to be accommodated in the Parkwohnstift in Bad Kissingen. The aim was for those affected to wake up in their familiar surroundings in the morning and to be able to move back into their rooms in the Parkwohnstift with their furniture in the evening. With more than a dozen employees who had the necessary know-how, we took on this ambitious task – with success. The commitment of the employees went beyond the normal level. Since every hand was needed, colleagues returning from other delivery trips also joined in to get everything done on time for the senior citizens. More than 30 degrees in the shade did not dampen the good mood, there was even time to free some residents, who were transported by the Red Cross, from their vehicle because the door was stuck. Experiencing the gratitude of the people was a particularly nice recognition of their performance for all staff members.
Physiotherapy
Our staff are also under a lot of physical strain. Contract work in particular literally puts a strain on the bones. That is why health care is very important to us. The physiotherapy practice Markus Füller has developed a programme for us to increase fitness and prevent damage to health. For us, a company is only as healthy as its employees.
Finally back in our kindergarten
.
When trust in quality is required, we are the right contact. Of course, this was also true for the Garitz kindergarten, which needed all its belongings from the alternative quarters from the Kolpinghaus back in its usual rooms after the successful renovation of its domicile at the church. With our qualified staff, everything went like clockwork. The highest safety standards were met and in just two days everything in the beautiful new rooms was ready for the children to run around and play to their hearts’ content. – –
Move? Easy as pie!
Arcade construction:
Before the renovation work in the Bad Kissingen arcade building, large works of art also had to be dismantled and moved to other rooms. With the appropriate know-how, our employees carried out this responsible task.
Kohlhepp News
We are expanding our range of services and now also offer furniture assembly at end customers in Switzerland.