Poland: Edro-Trans has 70 Actros trucks in its fleet

One of the roads that leads to the premises of Edro-Trans in Silesia runs under a brick railway bridge over the Wielopolska road in Rybnik. It is the only construction of this type in Upper Silesia – and comprises five arcades spanning eight metres with a height of almost 14 metres. The viaduct is part of the historic railway line Katowice-Ligota-Nedza built by the Prussian state railway. The stretch of railway from Katowice to Ratibor and Wodzisław Slaski is still in operation. Freight transportation, though today no longer by rail but by truck, is one of the most important sectors in the region, second only to mining.

Eugeniusz Ptak is the founder and managing director of Edro-Trans and his career is also closely connected with these two industries. “I started in mining,” says the 55-year old entrepreneur from Rybnik. “Then however I followed my father’s lead; he was also working in the transport industry. In 1991 I started with one truck, but from the very beginning I relied on international freight transportation. The first years were quite difficult. We fought to survive. However the reason for that wasn’t the strong competition but the political and economic change in Poland. Luckily we now have other challenges.”

Nowadays, the family plays an even greater role at Edro-Trans. When Eugeniusz Ptak and his wife, Barbara, founded the company, the managing director was only 27 years old. Today his three sons and a daughter are of a similar age to him then – and all of them are employed in the company. “We grew up with the company,” says Wojciech, the eldest son who is exactly the same age as the company and now works as the head of freight-forwarding. “For us it was a given that one day we would be actively involved in shaping it.

22-year old Aleksander and 24-year old Krzystzof are studying logistics but manage to combine their studies with work. “We often go directly to the office after lectures,” smiles Aleksander before climbing into an Actros and manoeuvring it in the company's yard on Mikołowska road. “The company is like a second home to us. Our sister, Anna, also works with us although she studied something else.”

However tradition and stability are not enough: international transport is becoming increasingly difficult. It requires a great deal of flexibility, fast reaction times and the ability to react to change.

“There is a lot going on in this market which demands that we constantly search for solutions guaranteeing the company a certain amount of stability as well as efficiency and quality for our customers. That is why optimisation of one of the key tools in transport is so important – the truck,” the company’s owner explains. Today the company has a fleet of 130 tractor/semitrailer combinations. Over half of them are Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

“A truck like the Actros with its automated transmission and a Fleetboard telematics system is a great help to us as such good consumption values can be achieved with it – thanks for example to Predictive Powertrain Control with which our drivers are increasingly impressed. And today no transport company can ignore fuel costs.”

The Edro-Trans fleet transports goods throughout most of Europe, particularly in the south. The trucks cover an average distance of 125,000 km a year. This means that fuel costs are one of the most important expenses.

According to Wojciech Ptak, the head of freight-forwarding at Edro-Trans, low consumption values are not the only argument in favour of the truck bearing the star. “Our customers insist on a punctual delivery with no breakdowns. Our priority is a fleet of trucks that are in a very good condition. That is why our trucks are not older than three years,” says Wojciech.

“Rybnik, a town full of energy,” this is the motto of the Ptak family’s home town. The energy with which the Edro-Trans managing director manages his company has rubbed off on his children. “But I love this work,” says Eugeniusz Ptak. “I think that is the most important factor if you want to be successful. I would like my sons to take over a successful company. Perhaps they will then develop it further. At their age it’s much easier to take risks. Particularly when you get support from brands like Mercedes-Benz.”

Photos: Krzysztof Sklodowski