Interview of the week - Hacklin Logistics - Finland

Marianne graduated with a bachelor's degree from the Helsinki Business school in 1985 and had a dream to work at a job within marketing and sales or export sales. One thing lead to another and she found a job as a trainee in a ship’s chartering and brokerage company. She enjoyed this business very much from the beginning, as it includes a lot of international interactions and a vividness that impressed her.

Tell us about Hacklin. Who owns the company?

Hacklin is a privately family-owned company established in 1908 by the brothers Otto and Emil Hacklin and it is the fifth generation of family Hacklin and Gronroos, who are the majority shareholders of the company.

Today, 112 years later, the company is still active in multiple sectors of logistics, transportation and freight forwarding.

We within Hacklin Logistics are focusing on freight forwarding whereas Hacklin Port Services focuses on stevedoring and port handling in Mantyluoto, Pori, Hacklin Hamiko is a logistics company with large warehouse capabilities and Hacklin Bulkboys are handling and transporting bulk cargo.

Tell us a few words about your experience, your expertise and your business in general.

During my career of 30+ years, I have worked with several shipping lines, both Ro-Ro and container lines. My career with Hacklin started in 1997 and have been the Managing Director for Hacklin Logistics since 2013. Before Hacklin I worked for UPS Supply Chain solution as an operations director for air and ocean for 13 years.

The involvement with projects started also early, I had the opportunity to work with many pulp and paper projects in the late 1990’s. Project logistics is really interesting and my heart beats a little bit more when I hear about an interesting project somewhere.

Where are your offices located?

Espoo, Pori, Hamina, Kotka, Shanghai.

Tell us about projects that you have handled recently.

For the time being we handle several projects to Russia, North America and Brazil for example. One of the Russian projects is a very special one, as the site is located very remotely in East Siberia. The project will last for another 18 months and includes multiple deliveries from different parts of the world. Hacklin Logistics' role is to consolidate and steer the transportations from the points of origin via our hubs to the final destinations.

As always, it is essential to find safe and proper transport solutions for the customers and as we all know, correct documentation is essential for getting the cargo moving and reaching to the final destination on time.

Are there any particularities in project cargo forwarding in Finland? such as weather restraints, regulations etc

When handling projects from and to Finland it is always worth contacting one of the local experts. There is a lot you have to take into consideration, as Finland is like an island when you consider the European continent. We have different weather conditions for different parts of our country, we have multiple ports with different capabilities and strengths.

Which are the main industries served in Finland?

Finland is basically standing on two legs, the paper and pulp industry and the metal industry.

For a project freight forwarder both industries are interesting, we have several engineering companies that are selling turn key solutions to customers around the world.

Is special transport a competitive sector in Finland? How do you ensure that you will stand out?

Our customers have a lot of good choices from serious and knowledgeable players in this field. There are several multinational companies established now on the Finnish project freight forwarding market.

I believe in the saying „quality before quantity“, i.e. we are focusing on delivering an excellent service to our customers.

What made you join the industry?

As said earlier, the business seemed interesting, international and I loved from the start as a trainee to discuss and coordinate transports with a lot of different nationalities and cultures. I have e.g. good memories from my young days with Swedish Orient Line where I could work with partners and colleagues in Greece, Israel, Turkey and Lebanon.

What do you like the most about your business? 

Working with people and finding solutions for our customers. 

Who should be approached in Hacklin for inquiries?

We have a dedicated team handling projects and related request and you can send your inquiries to: projects.logistics@hacklin.fi