In autumn 2020 we received an inquiry from Thomas Kogler for the development of a brand design including a website for his newly founded forwarding agency called Spedination. Since the transport industry has been with us for many years anyway (in the course of print designs and app designs for Blickpunkt LKW & BUS and the rebranding for Spedifort, the brand design for Spedination was a great project to dive even deeper into the exciting world of freight forwarding and logistics.
Helene Clara Gamper: Thomas, you and your team have officially been in business for about half a year now. How have the last six months been for you and your team?
Thomas Kogler (founder, owner and managing director of Spedination GmbH): The last six months have been very exciting and, above all, a lot of work. Completely setting up the system, convincing customers and freight forwarders of our quality, giving new employees the chance to become part of the Spedination family, to name just the most important things.
HCG: Well, there are a lot of forwarders out there, and - to be very honest - they all do more or less the same thing: They transport goods from A to B. An outsider might think: "He's going to start his own business in an industry with a lot of competition - and even in these uncertain Corona times. He must be totally crazy!" Why did you take the plunge into the adventure of entrepreneurship?
Thomas Kogler: I would like to state one thing here: I have no competitors, just companions on the market. And there is a very clear focus here. Better and more modern, but above all maybe a little different from the others. Have you heard of the Red Ocean or Blue Ocean strategy? Here I have definitely steered my company into blue waters.
HCG: I can still remember that in autumn 2020 you already had a logo, even a kind of corporate design "light". Nevertheless, you wanted a rebrand before the official start of the company. Why?
Thomas Kogler: As an entrepreneur you have to stand by what you do and therefore there are no compromises on this topic. If even one piece of the puzzle is missing (which was the missing social media icon in the previous CI), it's not good enough.
HCG: What kind of feedback do you get from people about your company's appearance? Especially the copy and wording on the website are quite provocative here and there.
Thomas Kogler: The feedback on the website is so good that sometimes you might think people just want to slime. But what is really nice about it: We receive emails via the contact form from people who have nothing to do with transport, only to say that the homepage makes them want to work for us.
HCG: When you think about our collaboration; were there things that surprised you or that you did not expect?
Thomas Kogler: I was surprised by the intensity of the questions that were asked from the start. How much you went into detail about the topic and the overall positioning of our brand over and over again. But that is exactly what delivered a great result and what also greatly simplified any further advertising activity, as it is always immediately clear what is desired.
HCG: Yes, the briefing is the most important thing for me as a brand designer, that's for sure. Employer branding was also very important to you from the start. How did the search for employees work out for you in the end?
Thomas Kogler: Yes, the branding is extremely important and, above all, being different and better than the companions in the market is fully in line with my strategy. As far as the search for employees is concerned, I was very positively surprised. This is one of the most difficult topics in our industry and usually involves a lot of effort and a lot of money. At the moment, however, I have far more applications than I could hire new employees. And not just career changers, but also experienced professionals who would like to become part of the Spedination family in order to experience our spirit. Growth is great, but in a controlled manner.
HCG: That sounds great. So Spedination is ready for expansion. For me it is of course very nice to see how customers flourish and grow. Where do you see your business in five years?
Thomas Kogler: It is a bit difficult to give an exact forecast of when I will achieve which goals, as many things are currently changing very much due to Corona and the acceptance of digitization, I would even say: very much better. My goal from the start was 30 x 10!
What do I mean by that: I never wanted to set up a company with 100 employees in one location. My goal is to set up 30 branches across Europe with 10 employees each. Due to the new possibilities, I no longer see the business as being tied to one location only. And so I get a whole new level of flexibility and a whole new level of employee satisfaction as well.
HCG: If someone wants to get into the freight forwarding industry - what would you advise them to do?
Thomas Kogler: To become a member of the Spedination family! And not only as an employee, but also to become your own boss - similar to a franchise system. Many feel the need not to be the cog in the system, but to be the system itself. As part of the Spedination family, you can make your dream of independence come true with a "company within the company" system.
HCG: Thank you for the interview and of course for the great cooperation. I wish you and your team good luck and all the best for the future!
Thomas Kogler: Thanks also to you for the great cooperation!
(Due to the corona pandemic, the interview was carried out "remotely" without personal contact.)
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