Profile of Astre, a European haulier network
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Strict selection criteria
"Astre (Association des Transporteurs Européens; Association of European Transport Operators) is a union of independent, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the transport industry, mostly owner-operated, who cooperate in the transport of palletised shipments,>> says George Bouffet. director of the Réseau Astre (Astre network).
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New members must meet the very strict criteria set by the association. The cooperative was founded in 1992 by 19 partner companies, which increased to 34 by the end of that year. Now the membership has risen to 103 firms. "We check the financial situation of the corn-
pany before it’s accepted into the association and then again every year so that we have advance warning if a company is getting into trouble. Every member company must deposit a bond, so that if it were to go bankrupt, Astre can use the deposit to settle debts owed to other members.
"In addition, Astre sets a monthly revenue target every year for each individual member, which it has to reach by doing business with other Astre members. We also keep a watchful eye on the quality of the transport services. If there are constant complaints about a company, we notify the other members, follow the problem up and try to resolve it. In the worst case, it can mean that the company is expelled from the association,>> said Bouffet.
Intensive cooperation
"All our members have regular customers with whom they do most of their
business. The rest they do with their partners in Astre,>> he continued. <
The development of internal and external cooperation is one of the most important objectives of the association. Out of the total of 103 voting members today, ten have their headquarters in another country (two in Germany. three in Belgium, two in Ireland, and one each in Italy, Spain and Austria). <
Advantages of SMEs
Like all cooperatives and partnerships, Astre is in competition with the major pan-European logistics concerns like Danzas, Geodis, Schenker etc. <
Major shippers who demand onestop shops for their logistics services in Europe are served by "Astre Commercial>>. <
Everything is in a state of flux
Following the general trend in the industry, the members of Astre are to an increasing degree ceasing to be pure carriers and are also becoming freight forwarders and contract logistics providers. With the generational change, mergers among members are becoming more frequent and the size of the companies is growing.
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Taking the inherent individuality of the members into account, Astre has no central accounting and settlement system for services rendered by members to other members of the association. Nor does it offer an intranet system to connect the IT systems of its members.
Astre prefers that the partners and/or staff in the partner companies. branch offices and subsidiaries attend regular personal meetings (every two months) on a regional and inter-regional basis. An elected supervisory body of six members meets every month to take strategic decisions. settle disputes between the members or carry out other administrative tasks that are not taken care of by the six permanent employees in the Astre headquarters near Paris.
"Meetings like today’s are very valuable. I do not only get new ideas here, but can also ask a friend in another company how he has tackled a problem arising from labour legislation, social relations or operations. I can talk with him quite openly, without any fear that he’ll try to use our conversation to his own advantage,>> says Heintz. evidently thoroughly convinced of the value of Astre membership.
Astre
Founded: 1992
Revenue: EUR 915 million
Voting members:1 03
Staff: 8500 in 250 offices
Tractor units: 2700
Trailers: 3400
Warehousing: 1.2 million m2
