Who we are
Ancotrans is a market leader within container road transport and one of Denmark’s oldest family owned and managed companies (owned 40/60% by Henrik Steenbjerge 4th. generation and Anne Kathrine Steenbjerge 5th. generation and CEO).
Our vision is to become the leading European container trucking company.
And our daily mission is to deliver the most eco-friendly container transports in our markets, while still fulfilling our ambitious service goals.
Our long-term focus is to become more:
- Digital/automized
- International
- Green
Our aim is to remain the preferred partner to our customers (carriers, forwarders and direct importers/exporters) throughout Europe.
Since the 1970s, the road transportation of all types of shipping containers has been our primary activity. We have around 750 trucks and 1700 chassis in daily rotation in an area covering Sweden, Denmark, Germany and The Benelux.
We never say no to transport.
Since it was founded in 1882, Ancotrans has expanded to the point where we have offices in Gothenburg, Helsingborg, Copenhagen, Odense, Aarhus, Hamburg and Rotterdam.
Quick facts
231 full-time
employees
1450 daily transports
€110 million turnover
650 sub-contractors
100% climate offset possible
Transport in Many Generations - Company History
In 1882, Anders Nielsen & Co/Ancotrans was founded by Anders Nielsen who started with a horse and wagon in Copenhagen carring goods and luggage for visitors to and from the port. From 1904 loads were carried as a contractor for Københavns Frihavns Aktieselskab. Since then the company has passed down from father to daughter and son-in-law, from son to son and, most recently, from father to daughter. Since 1904 Anders Nielsen & Co have had different offices in Copenhagen’s Freeport. When Henrik Steenbjerge came into the company in 1969 Ancotrans had fifty or so trucks operating across a wide range and still a few horses in the stable! The trucks transported everything from beer to asphalt. Luckily, Henrik Steenbjerge saw the global tendency towards container freight and in the 1970s decided to focus on this niche in the transport industry. This turns out to have been a very successful strategy. In 1982 Anders Nielsen & Co/Ancotrans opened their first office in Aarhus On 1 April 2008 we opened our first office outside Denmark – Ancotrans GmbH in Hamburg.
On 4 January 2010 we opened up in Gothenburg – Ancotrans AB.
On January 1st. 2017 we opened our second office in Sweden in Helsingborg.
On June 1st. 2018 we opened in Rotterdam and in Odense in Denmark (after we bought ERA Transport).
In January 2021 we opened in Kastl/Burghausen close to Münich.
Timeline
-
1. Generation
Anders Nielsen begins in 1882
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2. Generation
Carl Steenbjerge* begins in 1917
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3. Generation
Åge Steenbjerge begins in 1933
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4. Generation
Henrik Steenbjerge begins in 1969
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5. Generation
Anne Kathrine Steenbjerge begins in 2003
* Anders Nielsen “only” had a daughter Olga Nielsen, who married Carl Steenbjerge, the Co. in our company name. They had a son Åge Steenbjerge, who inherited Anders Nielsen & Co. from his mother and father.
Our values
All companies have their own characteristics. Some companies are extraordinary and have a set of values that differ significantly from the norm. Others blend into a grey mass and do not really have a profile.
There is no doubt that our long history, the many loyal employees and customers with Ancotrans has created a special “soul and spirit” and a set of values that makes it fun to work for precisely ANCO. But values are not only for fun. If we as managers are able to demonstrate and promote the same understanding of our values in the company they will help us reach our vision and fuel our strategy. Why? It’s very simple.
Having the same understanding and language in each office, between offices, towards our customers and suppliers makes it much easier to communicate and to understand one another and thus problems will be solved quicker and solutions will be found in a more constructive way.
Also our values should be the filter we look through when hiring new colleagues – Do they live up to our values? If yes the new colleague will for certain adapt to the ANCO family quickly.
We are one company
Anders Nielsen & Co/Ancotrans is one company to the outside world. And even though we are acting from four locations, we are also one company to ourselves. We have to remember that when we deal with customers. They are doing business with one company and they can rightly expect to have the same service and conditions from all offices. We must promote a common spirit and situations when common initiatives, experience and opinions may be exchanged. For that reason Anders Nielsen & Co always throws an annual party for all staff.
All opinions count
We have a free exchange of opinion where everybody has a right to speak their opinion to everybody – and a right to disagree. However, in return we expect of each other that we follow loyally decisions that we do not agree with.
Flat Structure
ANCO has always been characterised by a flat organisation. That will continue. At all times it should be possible for everybody to talk to the management and discuss major or minor issues. Therefore, we have near open space offices and our doors are always open.
No fuss
”It’s about trucking some boxes”, is a quote which is very characteristic of our company. And this we have to remind ourselves. We are not into long explanations and presentations. At the end of the day, what we are interested in is to truck as many boxes as possible in the most efficient way in our markets.
Positivism
– Anything is possible
When we are contacted by a customer, in principle everything is possible. This also applies to colleagues internally. We will always go out of our way to solve a given problem and always appear positive and solution-oriented. This gives the best working environment internally and a lot of strength externally.
Unstoppable
fighting spirit
We fight till we drop whether we play bowling or fight for a customer. By nature, we are sceptical towards accepted norms and we challenge our surroundings in order to carry through what we believe in. We are not satisfied with a “we will revert to you later” when the telephones are down. In that case we try to get hold of a top executive in the telephone company to solve our problem.
Black sense
of humour
We like to tease one another and we know that black humour and irony is not mean but just part of the heritage of our company. Between offices there are often good-natured verbal “beatings”. That is perfectly alright as long as the tone is seen as a positive.
Tidiness internally
and externally
We are proud of our offices that reflect our working style and morale. We have modern and functional furniture and the latest in IT. Our offices are always tidy, just as we, in our communication to the outside world are orderly and precise. That is one of the ways to appear professional and reliable internally and externally.