Be #RAILCORE

ASAMER: Committed to the environment

25. 10. 2021

If you need gravel, concrete or earthworks, you are in good hands with ASAMER Kies- und Betonwerke GmbH. The company, based in Ohlsdorf in Upper Austria, is playing a pioneering role with a block train concept that is unique to date: Innovative container solutions in combination with an optimized rail concept enable competitive and climate-friendly transports.

Not only is rail transport an important component of the sustainability strategy of the company, but it also makes transport more efficient. Sales representative David Haidinger tells us more about the company in this interview and explains why the cooperation with ÖBB Rail Cargo Group is so valuable for ASAMER.

David Haidinger

What kind of work does your company do?

Our main lines of business are stone, gravel, concrete, recycling and earthworks. We have 60 years of experience in this industry and have made a name for ourselves as a reliable partner. As a family business with regional roots, we also have a sense of responsibility for our home. We currently employ over 300 people at 14 locations.

What products do you transport by rail?

We mainly transport gravel of various sizes for producing our fresh concrete.

What are your products used for?

Our concrete is used, for example, to build the basic structures of large residential projects such as the Bruckner Tower in Linz, but can also be found in bridge construction – for example, in the Danube Bridge. Our concrete is used in the construction of houses as well as for cycle paths and footpaths. ÖBB is also one of our customers: we produce track ballast in our quarry in Wanko.

How long have you been a customer of the RCG?

Our partnership started in 2009, so it's been twelve years now.

What was the best experience you have had with the RCG?

We work very well together in general. We especially enjoyed the joint filming project during the production of our image video, which was truly spectacular.

What made you decide to use rail transport?

We transport goods from the loading station at our gravel plant in Roitham to Linz, which supplies our concrete plants in the central region. This helps us to significantly reduce our CO2 emissions and brings us a good deal closer to our sustainability goals. The rail logistics concept deserves special mention: a fast-moving MOBILER block train has been transporting 110,000 tons of our goods over a total distance of 60 kilometers every year since 2009. We reap the benefits of shorter transport distances, as only the onward leg has to be carried out by truck. The optimised transport of building materials is a clear advantage for us and our customers.

Transhipment of a MOBILE container from the truck to the train

What does sustainability mean to you?

Sustainability is not simply a buzzword for us, it is something that we honestly care about. We are taking action now in order to leave behind a habitable planet for future generations.

We aspire to a 100% recycling rate in order to conserve natural resources. By recycling, we hope to avoid the use of landfills in the long term. We have already installed solar power systems at many of our sites, and also rely on green electricity. E-mobility is also an important topic for us: the CAT D6XE at the Roitham site, for example, is a hybrid vehicle that also runs on electric power.

Are you curious to see ASAMER's image video and the breathtaking scenes that were shot with the support of the RCG?

You can watch the video here.