90 years of history
Currently Raben Group has its own branches in 13 European countries, it offers approximately 1,200,000 m2 of warehouse capacity, employs over 10,000 employees and each day dispatches over 8,500 trucks on the roads of Europe. However, it all started really inconspicuously with a small Dutch family business.
Today, the values characteristic of family-owned organizations are still important to us, which positively affects employee engagement and partnership cooperation with customers.
The company origins
The company dates back to 1931, when in the small town of Winterswijk in the Netherlands, Jan W. Raben, grandfather of the current CEO, started to transport products of the local farmers to the market. He started a company, which is a global brand today.
Theo Raben takes over the helm of the company
The next milestone in the history of Raben Group was when the founder’s son, Theo Raben, took over the helm of the company in 1960 and extensively developed e.g. the transport of textiles to and from Poland.
The first step abroad
The first step abroad was taken by the founder’s grandson – the current CEO, Ewald Raben. He knew the company inside out; he washed trucks on Saturdays already at the age of ten and he worked as a truck driver when he was in college, driving to Poland, among others. He sensed the wind of change in the late 1980s and told his parents that he was emigrating to Poland to open a logistics business under his family name as a 22-year-old. After the transformation of 1989, he spotted the opportunity for development and set off to Poland with the aim of setting up a depot. At that time he bought a map of Poland and marked twelve locations which were to become branches in different parts of the country. In 1991, he opened the first branch of his family business in Poland. The company was originally located in Baranowo near Poznań and it employed 12 people. It had only one warehouse leased from the Automotive Works in Poznań.
First warehouse
Start of construction of the first own warehouse in Gądki near Poznań.
Launch of Fresh Logistics
Raben sets up Fresh Logistics which specializes in servicing fresh products which require controlled temperature from 0 to +6 in the whole supply chain.
Ewald Raben becomes CEO of Raben Group
Opening of Raben in Ukraine
Raben companies start their operations in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia
German company Birkart Systemverkehre GmbH becomes a member of Raben Group
Raben launches sea and air freight services
Setto joins Raben Group
A family company operating in the Czech Republic and Slovakia becomes part of the Group.
Czech company Transkam Logistik joins Raben Group
Raben Group starts operation in Hungary
Acquisition from Wincanton of the German road network and companies in Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia
Raben Trans European Czech (formerly Wincanton), Raben Logistics Czech and Transkam Logistik are merged into Raben Logistics Czech s.r.o.
Ewald Raben receives the E&Y Award ”Entrepreneur of the Year”
Fresh Logistics Polska joins the European Food Network
Raben Logistic Germany, Raben Trans European Germany, Eli Transport are merged into one company – Raben Trans European Germany GmbH
HRL Eurocargo, Balter Group and Spedition Weisshaupt from Germany join Raben Group
Further acquisitions in Germany: GS Frachtlogistik, Peter Spedition and Scheffler Spedition become part of the Raben Group
Raben starts operations in Romania
Raben East is established and complements Raben Group portfolio with international road transport services, including regular groupage connections with Eastern countries.
Raben Group in Germany acquires branches of: Rhenus in Fellbach, SCHMALZ+SCHÖN Logistik Gruppe in Kamen and Busse Logistik in Kassel
Raben Group acquires a 20%-share in Italian SITTAM
Launch of own transport network in Germany
January 2018 brings about the launch of own independent transport network consisting of 32 depots and 46 locations, employing close to 3,000 employees and using a fleet of approximately 2,000 vehicles. This undertaking is a milestone for Raben Trans European Germany because it put the company in the position in which it can offer independent transport and forwarding services to customers throughout the country and on international connections. The launch of own network is possible thanks to organic growth and acquisitions of local logistics companies carried out since the end of 2016.
Raben Group acquires TGL TransportLogistik in Schüttorf, Germany
In September Raben Trans European Germany opens its new headquarters in Mannheim and expands its branch in Gütersloh.
In March, Ewald Raben, CEO Raben Group, is awarded the LEO 2018 title in the “Entrepreneur of the Year” category by Deutsche Verkehrs-Zeitung
In April, Raben Logistics Czech officially opens its new headquarters in Nupaky near Prague
The new logistics centre with the capacity of over 27,000 m2, located in the strategically positioned CTPark Prague East, is one of the most modern facilities of this sector in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. It consists of warehouses with a total capacity exceeding 20,000 m2, including a warehouse with controlled temperature, an independent cross-dock warehouse with the capacity of over 5,000 m2 and offices with an area of 650 m2. The new headquarters of Raben Czech boast not only modern solutions and high safety standards, but also the unique, green and ecological surroundings.
Raben Group officially becomes a partner company of the Responsible Business Forum
In March the annual RBF publication “Responsible Business in Poland. Good practices” is published, which exemplifies 16 CSR actions of the leader in logistics.
Raben Group acquires 51% of the shares of the Italian company SITTAM which officially becomes member of Raben Group and changes its name into Raben SITTAM
In May, Raben Group commissions a modern warehouse with the capacity of 21,000 m2 in Robakowo near Poznań
Thanks to the new investment, Raben Group now uses 120,000 m2 of warehouse capacity in the logistics centre in Gądki, 185,000 pallet places, close to 18,000 m2 of cross-docking area and 5,000 m2 of production area. Raben Logistics Polska also opens a branch in Kielce.
In May, the President of the Management Board of Raben Group – Ewald Raben is awarded the Medal of the 100th Anniversary of Regaining Independence for his contribution to the development of the Polish economy
Raben family has a new member – Bulgaria
This means that since November the company has been operating in Europe on 13 markets and it has a network of 150 branches. The international HUB in Sofia and direct, daily connections with a partner network of six warehouses across the country not only allow for efficient operations in this market, but also open up new opportunities for development in the south-eastern part of the continent.
In November Raben Group signs and agreement regarding the acquisition of the German group Fenthol & Sandtmann,
which includes FKL & Kraftverkehr Ehrig. Raben acquires the remaining 50% of the shares of the company it cooperated with on a joint venture basis since 2011, which now makes it its sole shareholder. As a result of the transaction Raben Group takes over the distribution centres of Fenthol & Sandtmann in Hamburg, Erlensee, Leipzig and Dresden, including the employees. In addition, Raben in Germany is expanded with two new branches in Schüttorf in Lower Saxony and Neumünster in Schleswig-Holstein. The two-and-a-half-year-long extension of the Eisenach depot comes to an end.
In April Raben Group acquires the remaining 49% of the Raben SITTAM shares, becoming now its sole shareholder and demonstrating the continuity of the Group international developing
