Meet Sverdrup Steel’s Global Transport and Logistics Manager
Making road transportation a sustainability winner might sound impossible. Yet, Thomas Stein Laursen, Sverdrup Steel’s Global Transport and Logistics Manager, is making systematic headway.
Making road transportation a sustainability winner might sound impossible. Yet, Thomas Stein Laursen, Sverdrup Steel’s Global Transport and Logistics Manager, is making systematic headway.
Here’s the case: If a customer knows the latest possible day he needs a shipment of steel – being today or in one month – he could let Sverdrup Steel know when placing the order.
«This is the grain of golden opportunity: When we are able to co-load the shipment on the truck, we minimize the environmental footprint of transportation – which is what everything is about,» says Thomas Stein Laursen, Global Transport and Logistics Manager at Sverdrup Steel.
A key part of Laursen’s role is to approve all new contracts signed, making sure the contractor could answer some essential questions:
«Are you able to assume responsibility for the product you’re transporting, and do you have a sense of the experience of the end-user?»
Laursen maintains that sustainability is about quality – and quality has to do with values and commitments:
“Which status does the transport company give its employees? How strong is the HSEQ performance? And how do they relate to ethical frameworks such as the EU Mobility Package?” he says.
Sverdrup Steel recognizes that the transport industry is undergoing a transition.
“We are moving in the right direction together with our partners, while also being pragmatic and realistic in how we approach this transition,” says Laursen.
When it comes to emissions, Euro 6/EU6 guarantees the lowest possible emissions of CO2, NOx, CO and particulate matter (PM) for diesel trucks, and remains the general benchmark for the European transport network.
“In terms of social indicators, anti-corruption, and transparency, our main transport partners comply with our requirements as well as Euro 6. On smaller contracts, we conduct due diligence to ensure alignment and achieving full compliance across all shipments is a gradual process”.
“Our ambition is to reduce emissions per kilometer and optimize load factors. At the same time it is important maintaining a strong and diverse transportation base – including smaller, local companies that play a vital role in regional logistics and also in their local community”.
Sverdrup Steel places strong emphasis on its social responsibility throughout the value chain: “Drivers must have good working conditions and fair pay. That is non-negotiable,” says Laursen.
Looking ahead, the focus remains on smarter logistics, closer collaboration with customers, and continuous improvement.
“We are working on reducing empty capacity and optimizing routes. That requires good communication with customers, smart use of data, and close coordination across the supply chain. I believe Sverdrup Steel will continue to move to the forefront of sustainable transportation – kilometer by kilometer,” Laursen concludes.
