Katoen Natie
Encyclopedia
Katoen Natie is an international logistics
service provider and port operator
. The company is present in 28 countries in five continents and employs about 9300 people worldwide. In 2009 the company had 154 logistics platforms. Its headquarters are located in Antwerp, Belgium
.
Its mission: To provide integrated and tailor-made logistics
solution
s to a key number of industries and to clients all over the world.
All of these business units rely on locally operating companies. A main component of Katoen Natie’s values is the believe in teamwork based on:
(Belgium), the original activities of Katoen Natie consisted of typical wharfingers activities: the reception and handling of goods on the docks, especially cotton – hence the ‘Katoen’ in the name- and other commodities such as jute, coffee, cocoa, wool, rubber, aluminum. The wharfinger (Natie) traditionally formed the link between the stevedoring (loading and discharging of ships) and transport activities to and from the hinterland.
In the 1980s the range of sectors was expanded to include consumer goods (e.g. textiles, electronics, DIY articles, fast moving consumer goods
) and the petrochemical
, chemical and automotive industries.
The 1990s marked a strong international growth for Katoen Natie. Nowadays, the company is present in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
s, including warehousing and storage, packing and (re)packaging, transport and distribution, value-added services, cleaning and repair, projects & process engineering and port operations.
Each business units has its own set of services:
s to customers in the automotive world, such as vehicle manufacturers, first and second tier suppliers and suppliers to the aftermarket. This business unit also offers solution
s to manufacturers and distributors of industrial products, such as machinery, tools and semi-finished products .
, rolling stock
and forest products. It also provides container depots, maintenance & repair and warehousing services, in ports in Europe and South America.
, Antwerp, Genk
and Ghent
. These installations produce a yearly amount of about 35 gigawatt hours, accounting for 25 % of the total solar energy capacity of the Flemish region
. The electricity that is generated with these solar panels is mainly used for the Katoen Natie’s own electricity supply. The remaining energy is transferred back to the electricity net.
The company is currently investigating the implementation of wind turbines and electric cars.
lock where barges and feeders can be loaded and unloaded.
The logistics complex counts about 150 warehouses of 8000 m2 each.
houses and one new building have been harmoniously integrated into the company’s headquARTers.
HeadquARTers houses the world’s largest collection of textiles and “objets d’art” of the Coptic art
(late Egyptian period). Some of the fabrics date from as far back as 2000 BC.
In addition, the Katoen Natie headquarters houses an extensive Cobra
collection with works by the Belgian artists Pierre Alechinsky
and Christian Dotremont
, the Dutchmen Karel Appel
, Corneille
, Rooskens and Lucebert
and the Danish artists Asger Jorn
, Carl-Henning Pedersen
and Egill Jacobsen.
Contemporary artists from Latin America are represented as well.
Installations by the hand of Wim Delvoye
, Jan Fabre
, Panamarenko
, Denmark, Kobe and Marcel Broodthaers
complete the collection.
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
service provider and port operator
Port operator
A port operator is port authority or company that contracts with the port authority to move cargo through a port at a contracted minimum level of productivity...
. The company is present in 28 countries in five continents and employs about 9300 people worldwide. In 2009 the company had 154 logistics platforms. Its headquarters are located in Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
.
Its mission: To provide integrated and tailor-made logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s to a key number of industries and to clients all over the world.
Fields
Katoen Natie believes in ‘delegation and decentralization’. The company has a flat organizational structure with 7 main business units, each focusing on a specific branch:- petrochemicals
- specialty chemicals
- consumer goods
- industry
- general cargo & commodities
- port operations
- processing & projects
All of these business units rely on locally operating companies. A main component of Katoen Natie’s values is the believe in teamwork based on:
- a decentralized organization
- a central unit that is as small as possible
- small and independently specialized company units
- flexible structures
History
Incorporated in 1854 as a cooperative in the port of AntwerpPort of Antwerp
The port of Antwerp, in Belgium, is a port in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. Antwerp stands at the upper end of the tidal estuary of the Scheldt. The estuary is navigable by ships of more than 100,000 Gross Tons as far as 80 km inland. The inland location means that the port...
(Belgium), the original activities of Katoen Natie consisted of typical wharfingers activities: the reception and handling of goods on the docks, especially cotton – hence the ‘Katoen’ in the name- and other commodities such as jute, coffee, cocoa, wool, rubber, aluminum. The wharfinger (Natie) traditionally formed the link between the stevedoring (loading and discharging of ships) and transport activities to and from the hinterland.
In the 1980s the range of sectors was expanded to include consumer goods (e.g. textiles, electronics, DIY articles, fast moving consumer goods
Fast Moving Consumer Goods
Fast moving consumer goods or Consumer Packaged Goods are products that are sold quickly and at relatively low cost. Examples include non-durable goods such as soft drinks, toiletries, and grocery items...
) and the petrochemical
Petrochemical
Petrochemicals are chemical products derived from petroleum. Some chemical compounds made from petroleum are also obtained from other fossil fuels, such as coal or natural gas, or renewable sources such as corn or sugar cane....
, chemical and automotive industries.
The 1990s marked a strong international growth for Katoen Natie. Nowadays, the company is present in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Africa.
Services
Katoen Natie offers integrated logistics solutionSolution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s, including warehousing and storage, packing and (re)packaging, transport and distribution, value-added services, cleaning and repair, projects & process engineering and port operations.
Each business units has its own set of services:
Petrochemicals
Katoen Natie offers a global logistic service for the petrochemicals industry. The supply scope includes product related activities such as homogenizing, drying, sieving, deodorizing, grinding, dedusting... of plastics.Specialty chemicals
Provides the link between producers and end-users of specialty chemicals and high-tech plastics.Consumer Goods
Manages the logistics and distribution of fast-moving goods such as textiles, DIY, sporting goods, consumer electronics, preserved food, etc.Industry
The Industry business group offers supply chain solutionSolution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s to customers in the automotive world, such as vehicle manufacturers, first and second tier suppliers and suppliers to the aftermarket. This business unit also offers solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
s to manufacturers and distributors of industrial products, such as machinery, tools and semi-finished products .
General Cargo & Commodities
This business unit provides logistics and engineering services. From transport and reception of general cargo and commodities to the conditioning, repackaging and distribution towards the final customer, plus everything in between.Port operations
Offers stevedoring and terminal services for containers, general cargoCargo
Cargo is goods or produce transported, generally for commercial gain, by ship, aircraft, train, van or truck. In modern times, containers are used in most intermodal long-haul cargo transport.-Marine:...
, rolling stock
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
and forest products. It also provides container depots, maintenance & repair and warehousing services, in ports in Europe and South America.
Processing & Projects
This business unit is active in designing and building industrial processing lines and logistics terminals. Services offered range from process technologies, product handling, dosing, mixing, storage characteristics, process controls,... to total project management of green-field terminal/facility build: permit requests, civil and mechanical construction, utility analyses and tie-ins to local networks.Green policy
In 2009 Katoen Natie installed 800.000 m2 of solar panels on the roofs of its warehouses in KalloKallo
Kallo is a brand name, owned by Kallo Foods located in Godalming, in the United Kingdom. Its range is notable for containing the UK market leader of rice cracker, marketed as Kallo Rice Cakes. However more notable is its substantial range of organic foods.There is also a Kallo range of dehydrated...
, Antwerp, Genk
Genk
Genk is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality only comprises the city of Genk itself...
and Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. These installations produce a yearly amount of about 35 gigawatt hours, accounting for 25 % of the total solar energy capacity of the Flemish region
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
. The electricity that is generated with these solar panels is mainly used for the Katoen Natie’s own electricity supply. The remaining energy is transferred back to the electricity net.
The company is currently investigating the implementation of wind turbines and electric cars.
Loghidden City
Centrally located in the port of Antwerp, at the heart of the European market, lies Loghidden City, a high-tech logistics complex covering some 260 hectares. Loghidden City is located at the most important intersection on the Flemish highway network and rail connection, with direct connections to France, the UK, Germany, Eastern Europe, the Netherlands and Scandinavia. It has 350m of wharf at the entrance of the KalloKallo
Kallo is a brand name, owned by Kallo Foods located in Godalming, in the United Kingdom. Its range is notable for containing the UK market leader of rice cracker, marketed as Kallo Rice Cakes. However more notable is its substantial range of organic foods.There is also a Kallo range of dehydrated...
lock where barges and feeders can be loaded and unloaded.
The logistics complex counts about 150 warehouses of 8000 m2 each.
HeadquARTers: Katoen Natie’s art collection
The group has an impressive art collection, housed in its headquarters. HeadquARTers was created by the architects Robbrecht and Daem. Four 19th century warehouses, two Art NouveauArt Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
houses and one new building have been harmoniously integrated into the company’s headquARTers.
HeadquARTers houses the world’s largest collection of textiles and “objets d’art” of the Coptic art
Coptic art
Coptic art is a term used either for the art of Egypt produced in the early Christian era or for the art produced by the Coptic Christians themselves. Coptic art is most well known for its wall-paintings, textiles, illuminated manuscripts, and metalwork, much of which survives in monasteries and...
(late Egyptian period). Some of the fabrics date from as far back as 2000 BC.
In addition, the Katoen Natie headquarters houses an extensive Cobra
Cobra
Cobra is a venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae. However, not all snakes commonly referred to as cobras are of the same genus, or even of the same family. The name is short for cobra capo or capa Snake, which is Portuguese for "snake with hood", or "hood-snake"...
collection with works by the Belgian artists Pierre Alechinsky
Pierre Alechinsky
Pierre Alechinsky is a Belgian artist. He has lived and worked in France since 1951. His work is related to Tachisme, Abstract expressionism, and Lyrical Abstraction.Alechinsky was born in Brussels...
and Christian Dotremont
Christian Dotremont
Christian Dotremont, , was a Belgian painter and poet who was born in Tervuren, Belgium. He was a founding member of the group Cobra, and later became well known for his painted poems, which he called logograms....
, the Dutchmen Karel Appel
Karel Appel
Christiaan Karel Appel was a Dutch painter, sculptor, and poet. He started painting at the age of fourteen and studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam in the 1940s...
, Corneille
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo
Guillaume Cornelis van Beverloo , better known under his pseudonym Corneille, was a Dutch artist.Corneille was born in Liege, Belgium, although his parents were Dutch and moved back to the Netherlands when he was 12. He studied art at the Academy of Art in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands...
, Rooskens and Lucebert
Lucebert
Lucebert was a Dutch artist who first became known as the poet of the COBRA movement.He was born in Amsterdam in 1924...
and the Danish artists Asger Jorn
Asger Jorn
Asger Oluf Jorn was a Danish painter, sculptor, ceramic artist, and author. He was a founding member of the avant-garde movement COBRA and the Situationist International...
, Carl-Henning Pedersen
Carl-Henning Pedersen
Carl-Henning Pedersen was a Danish painter and a key member of the COBRA movement. He was known as the "Scandinavian Chagall", and was one of the leading Danish artists of the second half of the 20th century....
and Egill Jacobsen.
Contemporary artists from Latin America are represented as well.
Installations by the hand of Wim Delvoye
Wim Delvoye
Wim Delvoye is a Belgian neo-conceptual artist known for his inventive and often shocking projects. Much of his work is focused on the body. He repeatedly links the attractive with the repulsive, creating work that holds within it inherent contradictions- one does not know whether to stare, be...
, Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre
Jan Fabre is a Belgian multidisciplinary artist, playwright, stage director, choreographer and designer.He studied at the Municipal Institute of Decorative Arts and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp...
, Panamarenko
Panamarenko
Panamarenko is a prominent assemblagist in Belgian sculpture. Famous for his work with airplanes as theme; none of which are able nor constructed to actually leave the ground....
, Denmark, Kobe and Marcel Broodthaers
Marcel Broodthaers
Marcel Broodthaers was a Belgian poet, filmmaker and artist with a highly literate and often witty approach to creating art works....
complete the collection.