7 February 2025
Interview with Vincent Fromont, Kuehne+Nagel
Can you tell our readers a little about your organisation? (general history in Europe, countries in which you are active, specific projects you are involved in, industry players you have worked with, etc.)
In 1890, August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel founded a freight forwarding company in Bremen, Germany. Over the last 135 years, Kuehne+Nagel has evolved from a traditional shipping company to a global logistics partner that offers highly specialised solutions for major industries worldwide.
Today, Kuehne+Nagel is headquartered in Switzerland, with a presence all over the world. We focus our business on the most essential element: the needs of our customers.
- 400,000 customers trust us to manage their logistics.
- 1,300 locations worldwide, so that we are close to our customers.
- 100 countries, connected via our network.
- Over 80,000 logistics and supply chain professionals who give their best every day.
- No. 1 sea and air logistics provider.
We believe in contributing to the world around us and thus being a part of something greater. As a logistics partner, we see ourselves as part of the big picture, bringing people and communities all over the world closer together. That is why we dedicate our time to ensuring that people all over the world have access to what powers their businesses and lives, from technical components, medication and perishables to urgent spare parts for an aircraft.
We strive to have a positive impact on the world around us by working towards sustainable logistics.
For the past few decades, Kuehne+Nagel has been developing energy solutions for its customers on every continent. We are committed to renewable energy, with a special focus on wind. Whether transporting an entire wind turbine or a modular plant to a remote project site, our dedicated project teams around the world understand our customers’ specific challenges. We aim to supply all the logistical know-how for wind energy (onshore and offshore) and other renewable energy sectors. No matter how complex the project or logistics need is, Kuehne+Nagel offers customised solutions, keeping our clients on track and helping them meet each milestone.
What are the most exciting developments you have seen in the wind industry?
I am impressed by the technological advancements we have seen in recent years. The offshore wind industry's move to ever-increasing turbine power is very impressive, but it presents challenges in terms of scaling up equipment, construction capabilities, and installation assets. This is even more relevant when it comes to floating offshore wind. We at Kuehne+Nagel are developing innovative logistics solutions to make floating offshore wind a reality for large-scale turbines.
We are equally excited about the growing role of onshore wind. A team of over 100 project logistics professionals, vessel chartering experts, transport engineers, drivers and riggers, are currently working together to ensure the delivery of 190 wind turbine generators and 67 tower sets to Saudi Arabia.
Looking at onshore and offshore wind, we believe that digitalisation will play a major role in the years to come. Data is already a very powerful resource and wind assets churn out huge quantities of data every day. By turning this data into intelligence, it’s possible to accurately monitor assets in real-time to boost venue and revenue, as well as reduce costs.
While we are convinced that offshore wind will play a huge role in reaching net-zero and providing energy security, we also believe that a mix of new and existing technologies is required. We are continuing to deliver onshore wind projects around
the globe.
What changes would you like to see in the wind industry?
Since wind energy is less and less subsidised at the state level all over Europe, many new challenges will emerge to reduce the costs of wind energy. In our view, this opens up new opportunities for companies that introduce innovative logistics solutions and technologies to the market. Significant disruptions have occurred in global supply chains, and the possibility of more disruptions is being looked at by Governments and companies. Within this context, the vulnerability of wind power supply chains has become a serious concern due to forecasts of supply shortages and bottlenecks for key components. Geopolitical and socio-environmental challenges could seriously disrupt a functioning wind power supply chain.
The wind market, large and complex as it is, needs more transparency, collaboration, partnerships, and other forms of cooperation between key players. By working with the supply chain to find mutually beneficial solutions, we can boost global manufacturing, ease demand constraints and create new job opportunities. We strongly believe that collaboration is the key to managing projects of the size required to really make a difference in combatting climate change.
Going forward, what role do you see your organisation playing in the future development of wind energy?
Wind energy has the potential to play a big role in the power we need. Our role is to enable the energy transition and assist customers, partners, and Governments in achieving ambitious objectives for climate change, including reducing carbon emissions and providing sustainable solutions. Our plans involve working collaboratively with a broad range of customers, partners, and other stakeholders to provide innovative transport and logistics solutions with a fast-track schedule. We aim to continue developing a supply chain that is robust and resilient to guarantee the delivery of projects, benefiting local communities and creating jobs.
How has WindEurope membership benefited your organisation?
WindEurope is an amazing organisation that has provided Kuehne+Nagel with a sounding board. Being part of an organisation with such breadth and depth has helped us to be more visible to potential customers in our transport and logistics supply chain than we would be if we tried to network on our own. Now that the way we work together has evolved, I’m keen for either myself or the Kuehne+Nagel team to continue to take an active role in working groups and task forces – helping to explore industry challenges and develop solutions by sharing market intelligence and knowledge.
Like any membership-based organisation, you get more benefits the more effort you put in, and we have certainly seen how much the understanding of the role that wind energy can make in the energy transition has transformed since we joined because of the work of the association and its members. We look forward to seeing how this translates into new business opportunities for Kuehne+Nagel.
If we look ten years ahead, what do you hope to have achieved?
I hope we will have continued to seize the opportunities generated by the energy transition and to have contributed to increased global energy sustainability by building on transport and logistics business innovation and technological developments with AI.
I believe that we all share the same vision when it comes to addressing climate change. We want to create a better, greener, and more sustainable world. At our level, we, as key players, can shape renewable energy, particularly wind, and use it to build a brighter future.
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