Wholesale company Stroetmann: plugged-in

The family-owned company L. Stroetmann heading into its sixth generation is growing successfully not only in terms of the wholesale and retail of food, but also in the production and sales of seeds and animal feed. The company's own property division builds and operates supermarkets, logistics centres and even, if necessary, entire districts, including flats, nurseries, practices, local amenities and restaurants – all with a thought-out environmental and mobility concept. This holistic approach is well-received: Stroetmann is in demand from both customers and business partners such as EDEKA because the company combines conservative business virtues with a dynamic innovation strategy. The company motto "Moving forward since 1791" is freely translated by the Head of Division for Operations/Logistics Franz Gerhard Jungkamp as "Many talk, we do it".

As a regional wholesale partner of the EDEKA Group, Stroetmann supplies around 100 EDEKA retailers and operates seven of its own E-Centres. The company has also set itself the goal of being "Frontrunner in fresh food", which means ensuring the shortest route possible to the consumer. To do so, Stroetmann has established a network of regional fruit and vegetable producers and reorganised its logistics. Thanks to its strategic position, a fresh food and logistics centre opened directly on the A43 in 2024 saves one million lorry kilometres per year and covers half of its energy needs with its own solar roof. It is therefore only logical that Stroetmann has long been using Mercedes eActros with electric drive among its 86 lorries. Meanwhile, the automotive industry values Stroetmann as a partner for development, for example of a water-driven Hyundai XCIENT Fuel Cell refrigerated vehicle, but also for electrical transport refrigeration.

Franz Gerhard Jungkamp was sceptical of electrically-powered transport refrigerators for a long time, after a test trailer from an axle producer proved to be premature and still somewhat impractical. He only dared to make a new attempt together with long-term, proven partners such as the vehicle manufacturers Wüllhorst, Frigoblock, ThermoKing und BPW. Together they developed the optimal trailer configuration for Stroetmann: a positively steered two-axle trailer, optimised for 18 tonnes usable load and a load volume of 54 roll containers for produce. 

The ePower generator axle from BPW forms the centre of the AxlePower System from ThermoKing. It supplies the electrical transport refrigeration machine Frigoblock HKe with power, or stores it in a powerful battery. Jungkamp's request: the vehicle must be able to run without an external power supply for at least three to four hours, without limiting the cooling capacity. The fact that purchase and operation were calculated meticulously goes without saying for a Westphalian business man.

The result of the field test convinced Jungkamp. The refrigerated trailer managed the daily mileage of 350 kilometres without any problems. The lorry begins its journey in the morning at the new L. Stroetmann fresh food and logistics centre in Senden and starts its return journey at the EDEKA central warehouse in Hamm. The combination of a powerful battery, insulation and temperature management makes the necessary pre-cooling possible and in some cases, hours of idle time. Jungkamp's conclusion: "The system also fully impressed our drivers. A planned charging station at an E-Centre does not need to be installed as a precaution." And what about excess consumption of the tractor unit? "This is just half a litre per 100 kilometres - and we easily make up for this through our use of KlimaDiesel90 (HVO100), partly from used cooking oil." The electrical refrigerated trailer is expected to be in use at Stroetmann for ten to twelve years. 

For the future, Franz Gerhard Jungkamp expects a rapid development in battery technology. However, he does not want to wait to find out, as a glance across the nearby Dutch border reveals the trend of ever increasing vehicle access limitations in environmental zones for diesel lorries, as well as noise and emission regulations. "We would rather take matters into our own hands and have an influence, than simply waiting to see where the journey takes us.“