TX Logistik and Wascosa expand cooperation

Verona/Troisdorf, 11 September 2024 – TX Logistik AG and the freight wagon rental company Wascosa AG have concluded a framework agreement to expand the future cooperation. It primarily covers the further development of the existing cooperation in the freight wagon rental business and the cooperation to market the NiRKASA handling system, which allows non-craneable trailers to be loaded onto rail quickly and easily. The agreement forecasts an initial order by Wascosa for 125 Nikrasa plates, worth approximately 3 million euros. The understanding was signed at the Quadrante Europe terminal in Verona by Ugo Dibennardo, CEO of TX Logistik and Iris Hilb, CEO of Wascosa AG, in the presence of Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics. The meeting was also the occasion for a demonstration of the NiKRASA system.

Both partners have been working together for many years and, with the new framework agreement, want to jointly develop relevant markets on basis of mutual business relationships. “In the current tense market situation, this partnership is a sign that we are looking to the future,” says Ugo Dibennardo, CEO of TX Logistik. “In addition to wagon rental and the marketing of NiKRASA, we also want to work closely together on transport solutions and innovative developments and drive these forward together and with other partners.”

Wascosa is also the first partner with which TX Logistik has entered into a NiKRASA cooperation. The rail logistics company, which belongs to Mercitalia Logistics (FS Italiane Group), designed the NiKRASA system from the outset to be freely accessible to all market participants and would like to gain further partners in the future. Ugo Dibennardo: “We want to contribute to achieving the climate targets and ensure that shifting freight from road to rail is simple and possible for anyone interested.”

The NiKRASA platform enables the handling of non-craneable semi-trailers, which currently make up around 90 per cent of European truck fleets. They can be loaded from road to rail in just two minutes. Changes to the existing standards in the terminals, on the wagon and on the railway are not necessary for this. In addition to classic semi-trailers, silos and trailers with fixed body, mega-trailers and trailers without a body and container chassis can also be put on the rail. If the NiKRASA loading frame remains empty in the wagon, swap bodies and containers can still be loaded as usual without the systems interfering with each other.

Cooperation partner and freight wagon rental company Wascosa is convinced of the solution’s potential. “The Nikrasa solution fits perfectly into our market strategy to generate customer value in rail freight logistics and at the same time supports the shift to rail,” says Iris Hilb, CEO of Wascosa. “In future, we will offer the handling system as a standard new service for the renting of pocket wagons to make it easier for shippers to enter the world of combined transport.” There is evident interest in the market, as more and more shippers in Europe are facing the challenge of making their logistics chains more environmentally friendly and economical in the future.

The new cooperation also supports the Mercitalia’s sustainability strategy. “The aim is to permanently expand our range of environmentally friendly logistics solutions in Europe. The Nikrasa system, fundamental for the efficiency of the terminals, together with the development of intermodal hubs, represent a winning combination to promote the modal shift’ emphasises Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics. ‘In addition, we are constantly working on the introduction of advanced technologies such as digital automatic coupling, which help to improve efficiency and productivity in rail transport and reduce emissions, while ensuring a high quality of service.”

In order to convince as many market participants as possible of the benefits of the NiKRASA system in practice, TX Logistik intends to organise further NiKRASA events in Europe together with Wascosa.

About Wascosa AG

Wascosa is one of the largest rail freight wagon rental companies in Europe. Based in Lucerne, it was founded in 1964 and is one of the industry pioneers in freight wagon rental. Its core business is the leasing and management of freight wagons for use in rail transportation throughout Europe.

Thanks to investment totalling over 150 million euros annually in an impressive variety of wagon types, Wascosa’s fleet has seen constant growth, allowing the company to serve the needs of the rail transport industry with the most modern freight wagons available. Today, Wascosa has a highly diversified fleet of over 16,000 wagons ranging from tank wagons for the chemical and oil industries to container and pocket wagons for intermodal transport, as well as wagons for transporting bulk goods and for use in infrastructure construction. Wascosa is also home to the highly acclaimed flex freight system^® which is a modular wagon concept developed by the company’s own engineers and which is in frequent use across a growing number of product sectors. Wascosa’s biggest customers include petroleum and chemical groups, industrial and logistics companies, but also private and state railway companies. Over 140 employees work from its offices in Lucerne, Hamburg, Hull (UK), Madrid and Milan, serving national and international customers alike.
www.wascosa.com
info@wascosa.com

About TX Logistik AG

TX Logistik was founded in 1999 as a private rail transport company and maintains an efficient European network with connections in eleven countries. The company has subsidiaries in Switzerland, Austria, Denmark and Sweden as well as local office in Italy. In its Intermodal and Rail Freight divisions, TX Logistik develops comprehensive rail solutions for continental and maritime traffic as well as tailor-made concepts for conventional freight. With around 650 employees and 8.6 billion tonne kilometres, the company generated annual sales of 253 million euros in 2021. Since January 2017, TX Logistik has been wholly owned by Mercitalia Logistics S.p.A., a subsidiary of Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

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