Ninatrans had held in the background at the Transport & Logistics Awards in recent years. CEO Benny Smets is therefore a perfectionist: he only does compete with a file that is right to perfection. A winning strategy, because the company from Heverlee hijacked the Green Truck Award with its razor -sharp nose for innovation.
Everything starts with awareness, translated into a clear vision of the responsibilities of a transport company. “Ninatrans wants to take on its social responsibility by pointing out the way of innovation and the development of sustainable technologies, with ecology and sustainability at the center of our attention,” explains CEO Benny Smets.
These are not empty words. The ‘P’ of ‘Planet’ is noticeable in all facets of the company, in addition to the pillars ‘People’ and ‘Profit’. “This starts with recruitment: we look at whether candidates have the right ‘mindset’ in the field of green mobility. Our goal is to integrate this dimension into the DNA of our organization and to monitor this,” explains Benny Smets.
Innovative equipment
The impact of this strategy can be felt everywhere in the activities. Since the transport types of ninatrans (including air freight transport) are not easy to lend themselves to ‘modal shift’, environmental efficiency gains are sought in planning and vehicle choice. Ninatrans was the first Belgian user of Ecocombi’s and will soon start a new route with a new type of Ecocombi for the transport of temperature controlled products between Liège and Amsterdam. The company was also the first (and for the time being) to use an aerodynamic ‘drop -shaped’ trailer, by British example. And the company even goes so far that some of its vehicle combinations (because it is not useful for the entire fleet) rests with special hubcaps to save a little extra fuel.
In addition to the equipment, data is a different pillar of the green policy of ninatrans. For years, the driving behavior of drivers has been analyzed and used to limit consumption as much as possible. “In addition to these internal monitoring tools, we also work with external parties such as Ecovadis, Bluesky and Karomia, which deliver our parameters to measure our direct and indirect impact on the environment,” said Benny Smets. As a result, the company can reliably communicate about its emissions in scope 1, 2 and 3 and states the CO2 impact on all invoices.
The power of data
Thanks to these dashboards, Ninatrans can consider all forms of alternative energy and drive. The available data makes it possible to create a cost-benefit analysis and integrate it into commercial negotiations. Ninatrans uses all available alternatives in this area. Of the 250 trucks in the fleet, 8% drives HVO for customers who are willing to invest in sustainability, and 7% are LNG vehicles. With regard to electric drive, 100% of the light commercial vehicles (23 units) are electric and currently 2% of the truck fleet.
The electric trucks are mainly used around Brucargo, but since the availability of electricity around the Brussels airport will quickly form a problem, Ninatrans has invested in both a photovoltaic installation and a electricity storage and charging station. This not only ensures energy independence, but also contributes to the stability of the distribution network.
The most recent building block in this whole is the purchase of two electric Trova tractors-vehicles that have been retrofit, with the diesel engine being replaced by an electric powertrain. Ninatrans acts as a pilot customer for this young Belgian company, which claims to be able to deliver an electric truck in a week and for two -thirds of the price of a new electric truck.
In the long term, the vision of Benny Smets is clear: by 2030, only one in ten transports will still be carried out on diesel; The rest will be divided over HVO (20%), Biolng (35%) and electric drive. Five years later, diesel will have disappeared and electric drive will be responsible for half of the transport, with the rest spread over HVO (15%), Biolng (25%) and 10%for hydrogen, a technology in which Benny Smets believes for situations where the action radius and/or loading options limit the deployment of electrical trucks.
Ninatrans in short
• Head office: Heverlee
• branches in the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Spain
• Specialties: time -critical transport (air freight, express, fresh products), tank transport
• Turnover: 30.3 million euros (2024)
• Personnel: 236 people, including 169 drivers (+ 145 subcontractors)
• Fleet: 177 heavy trucks (in Belgium), 23 light commercial vehicles, 543 trailers/trailers
