The MOSOLF Group is one of the leading system service providers for the automobile industry in Europe. Founded in 1955 and headquartered near Stuttgart in the German town of Kirchheim unter Teck, the family-owned business offers tailor-made logistics and technical/service solutions facilitated by a network of 38 business sites across the Continent, a compound in China, and a multi-modal fleet that combines different means of transports.
The spectrum of services provided by MOSOLF covers the complete value-added chain for automobile logistics, ranging from the end of the production line to recycling. With more than 100 vehicle transporters and 350 double-decker wagons, MOSOLF transports cars, light vans, and high and heavy vehicles. In addition to transporting vehicles, workshop services, special vehicle construction, industrial paintwork, mobility services, releasing agent services, and vehicle recycling are all part of the company’s portfolio of services. Within this context, MOSOLF provides all-round, customised solutions for the automobile industry, fleet operators, and dealers, and also handles the associated data flow using modern software solutions.
For over 30 years, Vice-Chairman of the Board and COO Gregory Hancke has been at the forefront of MOSOLF’s development from trucking all the way to full-service provider for every stage of multiple automotive pipelines. “We are there from cradle to grave – and my key business message is that change is not your enemy,” he says.
Such a philosophy has been essential in re- cent years as the automotive industry is undergoing a huge shift to electric vehicles (EVs), and the company is evolving at the same time. “The electric power car and battery market is exploding and the prospects are improving,” Gregory adds. “We are very much on board with this revolution.”
As expected, COVID had made its mark but Gregory kept MOSOLF “fully operational and every branch was able to continue working during the pandemic.” The company wasted no time in launching a COVID mitigation strategy, in fact, the measures put in place were so successful that the company even offered assistance to its competition during the pandemic. “At the end of the day, in such a crisis, even competitors must work together,” he explains.
Gregory’s acceptance of change meant lockdowns were viewed as an opportunity. “We created many pop-up compounds for customers to store their vehicles, crisis is always an opportunity and we took that chance and created additional business.” Optimism, therefore, is a key component of both Gregory and MOSOLF’s outlook.
However, it wasn’t only the virus that put a spanner in the works since the beginning of 2020; the global semiconductor shortage massively impacted automotive manufacturing in 2021. Factories reduced their inventories because of cash flow concerns, and no one could predict the economic bounce-back of China and the US. Once they were able to resume production, the stock shortage was found out. Gregory describes this as “a bigger issue than COVID,” one that “has changed the business like never before. COVID was a mess, but the actual situation has been much harder.
Ever the optimist, Gregory claims “this pressure provided a chance for internal changes, making us more professional, more flexible, and faster whilst reducing bureaucracy to focus on the core markets we are in.”
Crisis is always an opportunity and we took that chance and created additional business
MOSOLF thinks long-term – the group always has, and always will. “Generally, newer firms are looking to change tender and optimise on services in the short term, that is not our philosophy,” says Gregory. “Our decisions are made on a long-term basis with focus on quality and sustainability – because we are not publicly owned, we can think in generations not in quarters.” Generational thinking at MOSOLF comes from its roots as a family company.
Gregory is proud that MOSOLF has been working in partnership with some companies for almost 40 years. “We are not the company constantly changing business relationships,” he explains, “even when things are not running so we will always provide enough for our suppliers to stay alive, because we are a network company at heart.” From this it is clear to see how the familial influence of MOSOLF has impacted their operations.
Ultimately, the COO concludes, “Good ideas are not enough, you need the right idea and efficient execution. That’s what we focus on and it helps us in a dramatically changing industry.”
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