At its annual conference, the German Steel Recycling Association (BDSV) has stated that the ongoing logistics problems on road, rail and waterway routes in Germany have been a burden on the steel recycling industry for a long time, but this year has been particularly severe.
Due to the low water levels during summer, many scrap transports could only be carried out to a limited extent by inland waterway vessels. As a result, BDSV member companies were forced to switch to other modes of transport, which were also scarce and expensive.
The BDSV stated that more scrap transport should shift to rail as road transport, which is unavoidable for many freights, is also heavily burdened by high fuel costs and the acute shortage of drivers. However, lack of rolling stock and few staff are already factors that have had a strong negative impact. The association stated that the priority given to energy transport by rail as part of the energy supply crisis will further aggravate the already tense logistics situation on railways. Accordingly, the BDSV is sticking to its initiative of innovative concepts such as the m2 wagon, which are intended to make combined transport easier.