Logistics for gourmets

NÖM AG exclusively refines milk from Austria into enjoyable products that are trendy and free of genetic engineering. Brummer Logistik GmbH has been NÖM AG's logistics service provider since 2003. With comprehensive services and support from the members of the European Food Network, the specialist for food logistics ensures that the products are freshly and safely available in stores throughout Europe.

Only a healthy cow that feels well gives the best milk and this is the basis for the more than 800 refined milk products of NÖM AG, which are consumed by customers all over Europe. Why is the milk so good? The decisive factor is that the farms of the 2,500 NÖM farmers from Lower Austria, Eastern Styria and Burgenland are exclusively family-run and, together with NÖM AG, they have the welfare of the animals firmly in mind. On the outskirts of the big city of Vienna, with its headquarters in Baden (Lower Austria), the dairy manufactures its dairy products in modern production facilities and attaches great importance to regionality and short distances. 81 percent of the purchasing volume comes from Austrian suppliers, and 82 percent is less than 200 kilometers from the dairy site. The product portfolio includes milk and yogurt in a wide range of varieties and flavors, as well as butter, cream, curd, drinks with and without proteins, and NÖM coffee. Organic products are offered under the NÖM Waldviertler brand. People with lactose intolerance can also enjoy selected NÖM products lactose-free.

Partnership at eye level

A company that places high demands on the quality of its raw materials and uses them to offer excellent products for the food trade also expects its service providers to deliver high quality and process reliability in the provision of their services. Since 2003, the founding member of the European Food Network, Brummer Logistik GmbH, based in Neuburg am Inn as well as in Sankt Marienkirchen, has been the logistics partner of the export-strong NÖM AG and responsible for the distribution of goods to Germany. "We have been working with Brummer in the field of logistics for a good 20 years. We particularly appreciate the customer proximity and flexibility, and that special requests such as transit time adjustments or flexible scheduling are met without any problems, taking into account our production processes," says Andreas Hofbauer, logistics manager at NÖM AG.

Professionals for temperature-controlled transport and warehouse logistics

The family-run Brummer Logistik GmbH employs over 900 people and specializes in the transport and storage of foodstuffs in the temperature range +2 to +5 degrees Celsius as well as for frozen products. In 2022, Brummer carried out more than 600,000 food shipments for its customers from industry and trade, with a volume of goods of just over 800,000 tons. It goes without saying that Brummer complies with all IFS requirements as well as the EU directives on quality assurance and traceability of foodstuffs. A self-monitoring system in accordance with HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) is also used, for example to carry out hazard analyses and to be able to initiate preventive measures accordingly in advance. With a focus on food safety and cost efficiency, Brummer, together with all members of the European Food Network, has implemented uniform standards throughout Europe both for internal processes and for the loading and unloading, transport and storage of foodstuffs on the network side. To ensure that NÖM AG products reach their destination fresh and on time, nothing is left to chance. Because cross-network control measures that meet all IFS requirements and even go beyond them ensure that the specified standards, such as consistent temperature controls and hygiene measures, are adhered to within the supply chain.

It is also advantageous that NÖM can use fixed-cycle transports for its general cargo shipments, and that transparent and plannable processing of even smaller shipments across Europe is made possible via the European Food Network. NÖM can call up the shipment status online at any time and receives a digitalized delivery receipt after delivery. The flow of information accompanying the goods via tracking & tracing is implemented throughout Europe.

In operation around the clock

For NÖM AG, Brummer supplies customers in Germany, Belgium, Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands and Switzerland, either directly or in cooperation with the members of the European Food Network. For NÖM customers from Germany alone, Brummer ships well over 100,000 pallets. In 2013, Italy replaced Germany as NÖM's largest export market. Logistics services for Italian customers are provided by European Food Network member DACHSER. General cargo shipments in smaller quantities are transported to other countries within Europe via the network. Brummer also provides comprehensive warehouse services for the Austrian dairy. A wide range of value-added services complete the services that Brummer performs for NÖM AG. The company also makes great use of its expertise in assembling assortment cartons quickly and securely. "One of our particular strengths is our ability to respond to fluctuating volumes at short notice thanks to our flexibility. We provide employees at all times who reliably fill assortment cartons with the products and quantity frameworks that NÖM needs for delivery to retailers," says Christian Merten, Head of Sales & Forwarding at Brummer, who has been serving NÖM for many years. The logistics professional particularly appreciates the fact that cooperation on both sides is very solution-oriented and fair.

Sustainable by conviction

Both NÖM AG and Brummer Logistik GmbH are very committed to the efficient use of energy and resources. For example, NÖM AG is very conscious in its use of electricity and water. With the result that less water is consumed per liter of milk. As Austria's first climate-neutral dairy, NÖM uses only H2Ö electricity, 100 percent of which comes from Austrian hydropower. To drive the reduction of CO₂ emissions even further, NÖM is investing in renewable energies with the aim of enabling even more sustainable production in the future. The dairy also now uses 50 percent recycled rePET for packaging its PET range. Brummer, in turn, has installed photovoltaic systems on the roofs of its refrigerated warehouses and on nearby outdoor areas, and has significantly reduced its C0₂ emissions since 2014 thanks to the rooftop systems alone. In addition, Brummer uses only modern tractor units to keep diesel consumption as low as possible. The older tractor units are gradually being replaced with more energy-efficient new models, including e-trucks, in order to reduce fuel consumption and C0₂ emissions even further. The average age of the fleet is currently less than two years. Christian Merten: "NÖM's FRU FRU products made from stirred sour milk taste particularly good to me, and even better, because I know that the dairy lives sustainability out of conviction and that we at Brummer also do a lot to make the storage and transport of NÖM's refined dairy products resource-friendly."