Catch up on Joloda Hydraroll’s inspiring journey of acquisitions and sustainability efforts
For over 60 years, Joloda Hydraroll Ltd (Joloda) has played a key role in optimizing operations across industries worldwide through its loading solutions. More than a mere off-the-shelf products provider, Joloda is a pioneer, innovator, and expert in material handling, specializing in loading and unloading processes. With a mission to automate and streamline its clients’ logistics, the company leverages its extensive experience of over 500,000 loading systems to deliver the ideal solution for their loading problems. By tapping into its deep knowledge and expertise, it inspires change and makes loading solutions more efficient and effective. Since its last feature in Supply Chain World a little over a year ago, Joloda has been on an exciting journey of acquisitions and investments further driving its growth. 
“In the past year, we have made two notable acquisitions. Firstly, we acquired the Finnish company, Actiw, which also specializes in loading. Along with a workforce of approximately 45 people, Actiw boasts cutting-edge technology and has established itself as a market leader in the loading of unmodified trailers. Following this acquisition, we made a big move into the air cargo industry through a license deal with Air Tech Innovations, granting us access to air cargo warehouse technology,” opens Wouter Satjin, Owner and Sales Director.
“Additionally, we have made substantial investments in our internal recruitment and people strategy to attract new talent due to our ongoing growth. As part of that, we recently held a leadership event, hired a team coach, and further emphasized our values. While we were already an international company, this renewed focus on our people has further diversified our team. Lastly, we have altered the ways in which we sell our automated loading solutions, bringing more cost analysis and methodology to our working practices. This has been matched with technological advancements across the industry, as well as the need to optimize and make operations safer. As a result of all these developments, we have experienced tremendous financial growth in the past year,” he adds.
Wouter expands on the nature of the relationship between Actiw and Joloda, as well as the advantages the acquisition presents. “During the integration process, we learned a lot about how we complement each other. The acquisition of Actiw filled a hole in our solutions portfolio, enabling us to offer a comprehensive range of loading solutions. At Joloda, we have modified trailer solutions that cater to both manual and fully automated systems. Meanwhile, Actiw possesses specific technology for loading containers or trailers, but not to modify them. By joining forces, we can now accommodate virtually any trailer that comes to our doorstep, making us a true one-stop shop for all loading needs.
“Becoming a complete one-stop-shop has greatly improved the solutions we offer to our customers. Almost like consultants, we observe our clients’ operations and propose the most appropriate solutions for them. Taking into consideration the return on investment, environmental footprint, safety, and potential damages to goods or hardware used, we then make a proposal and build a business case. Once we have a proposal, we work together with the client to decide on the investment. Because of the wide range of clients we work with and the diversity of their needs, offering a comprehensive solutions package is a must. Therefore, we now offer everything from manual, hybrid, to fully automated and high-tech systems, ensuring we can cater to all requirements. On top of that, we provide a global service package in 33 countries, enabling us to serve clients of all sizes, from large multinational producers to 3PL companies, in their local language and time zone,” he states.
On a similar note, Wouter expands on how Joloda’s deal with Air Tech Innovations further enhanced its services portfolio, leading to the launch of its own air cargo business branch. “Since we have been providing roller track for cargo in trailer for nearly three decades, expanding into air cargo handling was a no-brainer. As a result, we have established a presence in and around airports, as well as on the roadside. However, some of our customers asked for us to also provide cargo handling solutions within the warehouse. Thanks to the knowledge of Air Tech Innovations, which has a very good reputation in air cargo handling in airport warehouses, we have started offering those solutions. Thus, our seamless air cargo solutions entail moving cargo from the roadside to the warehouse, and then into the trailer before it can be loaded on the airplane. There have been interesting developments in air cargo because cargo hubs are investing more in their handling facilities, especially in places like Hungary where demand is rising due to the expansion of companies like Alibaba and Temu,” Wouter explains.
Committed to making the world a better place, Joloda promotes sustainability across its operations. “We have implemented an automated loading solution to reduce the idle time in trailers. By doing so, we use our trailers more efficiently and eliminate the need for forklifts, thus reducing our carbon footprint. Prioritizing sustainable practices is crucial in our industry, especially working with large companies like Amazon, which require satisfactory ESG reports from their suppliers. To that end, we made great strides internally, including efforts to further electrify our fleets and installing solar panels on the roof of our building, among other initiatives,” concludes Wouter.
Guided by a dedication to streamlining global supply chains, Joloda is sure to optimize the operations of many more industries through its innovative solutions and expertise well into the future.