How to turn a Seafood trade fair in Barcelona into a business opportunity
At the beginning of May, our new Country Director in Norway, Kim Laméus, visited the PNO Group office in Copenhagen, and we had a chat about his first month as Country Director.
Kim is responsible for the Norwegian team, which counts four people. His greatest responsibility is to support and develop the team and ensure that PNO Norway continues to grow commercially. He brings knowledge from, among others, the air freight industry.
“In my first month here, it’s been a pleasure to see how much focus is on the customers. The atmosphere is good, and it’s easy to turn ideas into action because PNO has a flat structure.”
Being a B Corp, PNO is always looking for more sustainable ways. We want to lead the transition to sustainable freight and hope to inspire our customers to do the same.
Of course, we’re not perfect at PNO, but we’re trying to make a difference and inspire our customers, and that is a great motivation, says Kim.
It’s exciting times in Norway when it comes to sustainable solutions. There has been a lot of focus on, for example, electric cars. Previously Norwegians chose to drive electric cars because they were cheaper, but now the focus has changed for more environmental reasons. Overall, we’re seeing an increasing awareness of how we can look after our planet and secure it for future generations.
“The environmental awareness increases the pressure from the customers to have sustainable solutions, and for PNO, this means having more sustainable trailers available, such as the New Cool.”
You’ve just been to Barcelona. Could you tell us why you were there and why it’s interesting for PNO?
I had many contacts from previous work who were going to the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest seafood trade fair. Seafood suppliers from all over the world attend to this.
We need more focus on sustainable cooling transport when goods are being moved from, for example, Norway to South Europe. There is an increasing focus on sustainable air freight. Still, the part of the supply chain transporting the goods from a to b is lacking, and the exporters are experiencing pressure from customers who want to reduce their emissions.
I eyed an excellent opportunity for PNO here and went to the trade fair in Barcelona. I pitched and showed potential clients the New Cool trailer (ideal for transporting, for example, seafood) on my phone, and the feedback has been exciting. Shortly after the fair, we got two new deals with our New Cool and Thermoking, both more sustainable solutions and perfect for transporting cold goods such as seafood.
What is challenging about moving into a new business coming from air freight?
The challenging but exciting part is that there are many moving parts and customer-specific specifications compared to what I’m used to from air freight. I enjoy working in an environment where no day is like the day before, and you’re challenged to think outside the box.
I can really embrace such a working environment as I come from a fast-paced industry. I believe that the knowledge I bring can help the team and myself grow our footprint in Norway. And continue to deliver a great customer experience to all existing and future customers.
Meet everyone from the Norwegian team here.
Launch of our Impact Report 2022
We’re excited to launch our Impact Report 2022 – a place to share the progress of our sustainability initiatives. With our purpose to lead the transition to sustainable freight, it’s about taking an honest look at how far we have come and how far we still need and want to go. Impact and sustainability are a constant work in progress.
This year, a main focus of our impact efforts has been understanding and visualising our Scope 1-3 CO2e emissions in collaboration with our suppliers.
Everything we do has an impact on people and the planet. We embrace our responsibility to build a deep understanding of what that impact looks like for us and what actions we can take to improve.
Our journey started with an internal transformation – making sure the PNO team acts in the most responsible ways. Whether that’s becoming a B Corp, switching to re- renewable energy, recycling our waste or educating ourselves on climate change.
Our business model focuses on rental instead of ownership. Looking ahead, we will innovate our business model even further – moving towards a sharing model. We believe this is the next frontier.
So we created this Impact Report – to share more about our choices, learnings and challenges with our transition to sustainable freight. With this report, we hope to start conversations about how we can all play a role in combating the sustainability issues that we face.
Curious to learn more? Read our Impact Report 2022 here.
We’re also sharing highlights and insights throughout the year on our Linkedin page – check it out here.
Local Community Day with WeFood: The Fight Against Food Waste
Being a B Corp also means that all PNO employees spend two full working days yearly helping the local community on projects to improve the local society’s social and environmental conditions. This year, PNO Group spent the day with WeFood in Copenhagen.
WeFood was founded by Folkekirkens Nødhjælp (DanChurchAid), and the first shop opened in 2016. It’s the first supermarket chain in Denmark to sell products with broken packaging and exceeded shelf-life. When you shop in WeFood you reduce food waste while supporting people in the world’s poorest societies. You’re also supporting Folkekirkens Nødhjælps climate work and development projects in countries like Cambodia, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe. All profit from the Wefood shops goes to people in need.
Did you know that 1/3 of all food in the world ends in the bin?
An average family in Denmark throws out 20% of their groceries, while 821 million people live in hunger. This means that every fifth shopping basket we fill in a Danish supermarket ends up in the bin, while 1 in 10 people worldwide does not get enough to eat. You can read more about WeFood and Folkekirkensnødhjælp here.
Read more about PNO Local Community Days here.
We’re supporting the youth movement SAGA
Why do we support SAGA?
We have a big heart for projects or groups that genuinely feel responsible and can be levers of change in the world. PNO is supporting SAGA because it’s a movement with passionate and intelligent people who recognize that we cannot wait to create a more inclusive and healthy society.
SAGA is a Danish non-party youth movement, whose purpose is to engage and represent the youth in democracy. You can read more about SAGA here.
PNO has joined the UN Global Compact
We are proud to share that we joined the UN Global Compact a few months ago. Our commitment to the UN Global Compact is yet another way to hold ourselves accountable for our sustainable goals and ambitions. The Global Compact aims to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders to achieve a better world. To make this happen, the UN Global Compact supports companies to:
– Do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with ten principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption; and
– Take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.
You can view our letter of commitment here.
Announcement: A new local partnership
With great excitement, we share the news that PNO Deutschland GmbH and Transport und Service Lenicker GmbH have decided to form a strong partnership where PNO will take over Lenicker’s existing rental business in the German market. This is an excellent opportunity for PNO as it supports our growth ambitions and delivers value to our customers through the network offered via Lenicker. Lenicker offers a strong service package on behalf of PNO at 3 locations (Hürth, Cologne-Eifeltor, and Genk/Belgium). Taking over existing contracts and customers accelerates our growth ambitions in a strategically important market.
Both PNO and Lenicker are family-owned businesses with a strong focus on sustainable growth with a local presence who will now act as partners.
“We are pleased to have found in PNO a trustworthy partner who accompanies our company into the future,” says Angelika and Karl-Heinz Lenicker, owners.
“Local anchoring is very important to us at PNO. That is why we are pleased to have found a strong and reliable partner in Lenicker,” says Wemal Kumar, Country Director.
Read about Transport und Service Lenicker GmbH here.
For more information, please contact:
Chief Commercial Officer, Pauli Johannesen – pauli@pnorental.com
Country Director Germany, Wemal Kumar – wemal@pnorental.de
One month as a Country Director in Norway
How to turn a Seafood trade fair in Barcelona into a business opportunity
At the beginning of May, our new Country Director in Norway, Kim Laméus, visited the PNO Group office in Copenhagen, and we had a chat about his first month as Country Director.
Kim is responsible for the Norwegian team, which counts four people. His greatest responsibility is to support and develop the team and ensure that PNO Norway continues to grow commercially. He brings knowledge from, among others, the air freight industry.
Being a B Corp, PNO is always looking for more sustainable ways. We want to lead the transition to sustainable freight and hope to inspire our customers to do the same.
Of course, we’re not perfect at PNO, but we’re trying to make a difference and inspire our customers, and that is a great motivation, says Kim.
It’s exciting times in Norway when it comes to sustainable solutions. There has been a lot of focus on, for example, electric cars. Previously Norwegians chose to drive electric cars because they were cheaper, but now the focus has changed for more environmental reasons. Overall, we’re seeing an increasing awareness of how we can look after our planet and secure it for future generations.
You’ve just been to Barcelona. Could you tell us why you were there and why it’s interesting for PNO?
I had many contacts from previous work who were going to the Seafood Expo Global in Barcelona, the world’s largest seafood trade fair. Seafood suppliers from all over the world attend to this.
We need more focus on sustainable cooling transport when goods are being moved from, for example, Norway to South Europe. There is an increasing focus on sustainable air freight. Still, the part of the supply chain transporting the goods from a to b is lacking, and the exporters are experiencing pressure from customers who want to reduce their emissions.
I eyed an excellent opportunity for PNO here and went to the trade fair in Barcelona. I pitched and showed potential clients the New Cool trailer (ideal for transporting, for example, seafood) on my phone, and the feedback has been exciting. Shortly after the fair, we got two new deals with our New Cool and Thermoking, both more sustainable solutions and perfect for transporting cold goods such as seafood.
What is challenging about moving into a new business coming from air freight?
The challenging but exciting part is that there are many moving parts and customer-specific specifications compared to what I’m used to from air freight. I enjoy working in an environment where no day is like the day before, and you’re challenged to think outside the box.
I can really embrace such a working environment as I come from a fast-paced industry. I believe that the knowledge I bring can help the team and myself grow our footprint in Norway. And continue to deliver a great customer experience to all existing and future customers.
Meet everyone from the Norwegian team here.
Reducing Consumption with Solar Panels in Finland
We had a goal of saving 42%, but already in the first year, we exceeded the goal as the cost savings were 45%, says Petteri Heino, Country Director in Finland.
PNO Finland’s Solar Panel journey began in 2016. Not many thought of Solar Panels as an option for alternative energy production at that point. But in 2018, they were ready to install the solar panels and start producing energy.
They made the necessary calculations and estimated a breakeven after eight years – but with the current prices, PNO Finland will probably reach breakeven sooner than estimated.
If you haven’t been to Finland, you might think that there are too many dark months and too little sunlight for the use of solar panels. But the Summer months in Finland are very light, and the sun is only gone for a couple of hours. All these hours of light in the Summer compensate for the extremely dark months in November, December and January.
We’re selling the overproduced energy as a payout to others – so nothing is wasted. We’re producing more energy than what we’re using from time to time, and naturally, our own needs are less during the Summertime.
In addition to installing the solar panels, we also changed all the lighting to LED, which is better for the workshops as the light is clearer and brighter. The LED is very stable, and that means less maintenance.
You can read more about the story of PNO Finland here.
PNO’s Climate Investments toward Net Zero 2030
PNO has committed to Net Zero by 2030. It is a commitment to become emission-free by 2030 – not only through our own operations but throughout the entire value chain. We continue to build on our sustainability efforts (B Corp framework) and integrate science-based targets to achieve our reduction strategy for Net Zero 2030. It is in line with our purpose of “leading the transition to sustainable freight” along with our B Corp ambitions to raise our Planet ambition even further and faster.
The primary and most crucial element is understanding our climate footprint, so we know where to reduce our emissions, set realistic reduction targets, and then remove the emissions we have not been able to reduce.
The GHG (Greenhouse Gas) emissions caused by an organization are subsequently removed from the atmosphere to have no impact on the climate. This means offsetting using avoided emissions and no additional GHG reaching the atmosphere because of this organization.
E.g., I release X amount of CO2. To say that I didn’t impact the climate, I make sure that emissions are reduced elsewhere, equivalent to my X-ton CO2.
We have committed to a portfolio of permanent carbon removal projects for our emissions from 2019 to 2021.
How did we decide what to invest in for our removal projects?
We have been seeking advice from a third-party expert, Normative, who helped us set selected projects based on the guidelines put together by Oxford Offsetting Principles that outline how offsetting should be approached to achieve Net-Zero.
Normative pointed us to Patch, which offers a broad portfolio of high-quality carbon offset projects with international reach.
Based on the Oxford Offsetting Principles, we have spread our offsets across:
Running tide kelp sequestration
greenSand Olivine Enhanced Weathering
Carbon Cure Concrete Mineralization
For more information please contact:
Head of People, Communication and Sustainability, Solvej Lee Ørnstrand, solvej@pnorental.com
You can read more about how we’re working towards a more sustainable future here.
Announcement: Organizational change at PNO
It is with great excitement we announce our new Chief Operating Officer (COO), Thomas Rimington. For many, Thomas is already acting as COO while being CFO. Thomas has worked with PNO for more than five years as our CFO, and he has moved his area of responsibility into a new era through his dynamic leadership and professional approach.
There are great opportunities and challenges within the field we are operating, and we wanted a strong and qualified candidate who can transform the operational area of our business. We see this as a next step in the PNO growth journey, and it is a huge privilege that Thomas will step into the role as our COO.
Our finance team has been through an incredible journey under the leadership of Thomas, and at the end of 2021, our finance team reached best in class! Finance is healthy and strong, which has made it easier to make these changes. Thomas will continue as CFO until the new CFO is in place. Thomas will step into the COO role once the new CFO is in place.
We are excited about the future and look forward to building our long-term growth journey with our strong team.
PNO Management Team:
Owner and CEO, Jacob Lee Ørnstrand
COO, Thomas Rimington
CCO, Pauli Johannesen
COS, Ask Holme
CFO – hiring
For more information, please contact:
Head of People, Communication & Sustainability
Solvej Lee Ørnstrand
solvej@pnorental.com
Even ravens wish to be a part of PNO Finland
Petteri Heino, Country Director in Finland
How it all began
In 2003, PNO’s office in Finland was in the Eastern part of Helsinki, sharing a former shipyard area with other trailer rental companies, but the Finnish team needed more space. There was a forest area outside Helsinki that PNO invested in – and this is where PNO built the new office.
Two years after PNO invested in the area, we made the first MOT (all trailers should have an annual MOT check to ensure that they’re roadworthy). Since then, the office has been expanding several times, and today, the total area is 2000 sqm, and the parking yard itself is 15 hectares.
Wild animals and tame ravens
The team used to see moose and foxes from the office. Today the area is industrialised, but they can still find a snake in the workshops once in a while. Most wild animals are not living in the area anymore, but the employees in PNO Finland still have a couple of wild newcomers joining. A couple of ravens just really want to be a part of PNO Finland – so much that they are now almost tame.
A tightly-knit team with traditions
We’re ten people in the office and ten in the workshop. We’re a very close team where most of us have worked together for years. My colleagues are the best thing about being a part of PNO Finland. I’m enjoying and appreciate working with such high-level specialists who professionally solve the tasks.
Do you have any office traditions?
We have quite a few office traditions concentrating around cake, for example, on the 5th of February, we celebrate Johan Ludvig Runebergs birthday. He’s considered a national poet of Finland from the 18th century, and he’s the author of the lyrics to Vårt Land, which became the unofficial Finnish national anthem. So on the 5th, we eat Runeberg cake.
You can read more about PNO Finland and the team here.