Hello! First of all, it was the people I had previously met, especially the shareholders directly involved in the company's operations, as well as the company’s reputation that had taken shape over the years. Another important factor was its market-leading position, which I wanted to consolidate and expand into new market segments. And, not least, the prospect of applying and adapting my previous experience from the corporate environment to the specifics and challenges of the entrepreneurial world. On the other hand, after more than 16 years working in truck sales, of which the last 7, before joining CTE, I was sales director for the leading truck brand—a position I helped achieve and consolidate along with my team—I considered that CTE’s market segment offered both an opportunity to learn new things and to broaden my professional experience.
After 20 years of activity, the company holds a top position in the market for transport products and solutions, representing renowned European manufacturers such as: Krone, for general cargo, perishable or container transport semi-trailers; Meiller, for construction semi-trailers and superstructures; Faymonville, for specialized heavy and oversized transport trailers. We are the market leader in the supply of new and used semi-trailers, truck-mounted superstructures, maintenance and repair services, and the distribution of semi-trailer spare parts. Quantitatively, I would say we account for about a third of the Romanian semi-trailer market, and in recent years we have expanded our presence into neighboring countries such as Bulgaria. We have an annual turnover of 40 million euros, generated by the sale of 1,500 new and used semi-trailers, and the sale and installation of 200 superstructures, as well as maintenance and repair services and spare parts sales. All these achievements are possible thanks to a team of 100 employees, based at our headquarters in Bucharest and our branches in Arad and Pitești, as well as our regional representatives throughout the country. Over the years, our business required investments in infrastructure, such as the largest and most comprehensive specialized facility for semi-trailers, inaugurated in 2020; a superstructure assembly area; parking spaces for semi-trailers located in Ciorogârla (near Bucharest, with easy access to the A1 motorway); and warehouses and regional offices for semi-trailer and spare parts sales, to stay as close as possible to our clients. Although investments have already exceeded 13 million euros over these years, further investments are planned for the future. For example, we are currently in the early stages of building a facility in Arad, similar to the one in Bucharest, which will allow us to provide direct maintenance, semi-trailer repair, and superstructure assembly services to local and transit customers at the highest quality standards, just as we do at our main headquarters.
My day is always divided among several parallel areas of action: working with the team, continuous interaction with suppliers, direct contact with clients from various market categories and segments. This is crucial to keep me constantly connected to changes in each segment and to know what steps are needed to optimize activity results. I also give significant and constant attention to analyzing team and individual results across different business lines, market and competitor analysis, and managing various commercial activities.
Firstly, integrating as much corporate-derived know-how as possible, but tailored to each entrepreneurial company's specific context. Secondly, delegating responsibilities to the corporate management level, so they can act as autonomously as possible, in line with strategic directions and their allocated budgets. Thirdly—and certainly not least—properly cultivating, recognizing, and valuing the most important resource in a company: human resources. All these can only be harnessed on the basis of a clear vision, defined by well-identified values, owned and embraced by the entire team in every aspect of activity.
Today, we are in the midst of significant change and transformation in the transport market, driven by a host of pressures: shifting cost structures for transport operators (the most important), a growing shortage of drivers to meet market needs, a tendency among operators to focus more on specialized or niche market segments, and at the same time a trend toward using alternative or complementary cargo flows, such as intermodal transport. All these pressures will bring about changes in the typical profile of transport operators. Meanwhile, technologies that automate processes will gain increasing importance, so that, over time, the degree to which these are adopted will define the difference between thriving, growing companies and those unable to stay competitive in today’s market environment. In addition, new regulations that have recently come into force or will soon do so will shape how transport fleets evolve in the near future. As for vehicle categories, I believe traditional road transport as an independent activity, as it has existed for a long time, will dramatically decrease and will increasingly need to be integrated with logistics services, multimodal transport, and last-mile delivery operations. To sum up all these ongoing changes: in the future, value-added transport services will set one player apart from another.
First and foremost, I rely on involving and empowering the entire team when it comes to identifying and anticipating market trends or needs. Based on these, I only move forward with the analysis and implementation of new products or services once I make sure that everyone in the team shares a common understanding and conviction about their real potential. Usually, our commercial strategy is a topic for regular discussions within the team, with every member encouraged to actively contribute with ideas and well-argued proposals. Secondly, having a strong understanding of the transport business environment, it’s essential to adopt a commercial policy that is closely tailored to the market’s specific characteristics and needs.
As long as we are closely connected to the market and there are additional customer needs beyond those we currently meet with our existing products and services, I believe we are well placed to unlock new business potential that hasn’t been tapped before, and without necessarily requiring major investments in infrastructure. On the other hand, as long as the market’s needs keep diversifying, it will always be an opportunity for us to respond with attractive solutions—since, as I’ve said, we are already present and connected to this market.
Besides the CTE values reflected in each employee, I believe a company also needs ethical business conduct, consistency, top-quality products and services, an in-depth understanding of its clients' business and needs, and promptness—in short, professionalism. Through the results and reputation CTE Trailers has built over time, I think we are close to meeting client expectations in terms of quality, and we always strive to exceed this whenever we can.
There are many, even though I have only been part of the team for five years. But I’ll mention just those achievements that have already been recognized by our clients and partners. In addition to consolidating our leadership and top player position year after year, during this period we structured a dedicated used vehicle sales division, diversified the product portfolio now managed by our regional representatives, initiated and organized MaxRent trailer rentals—a new and still unique service on the specialty market—and established and actively supported CTE Trailers Bulgaria since 2018.
Absolutely. These focus on two main directions: on the one hand, continuing CTE Trailers’ international expansion into new regional markets where we are not yet present, and on the other hand, developing a broader management team to support this internationalization in parallel.
Given the market changes I mentioned earlier, the biggest challenge will be to anticipate the evolution of the market and its needs, as well as to keep up with the rapid pace of technological progress specific to our business.
This is a tough one, considering the speed at which everything is evolving in society generally and especially in our sector. But I’m certain things will look very different from what we imagine today.
I wouldn’t bet on either as a single solution that could be applied across the entire spectrum of transport applications. Most likely, there will be a mix of different solutions, each best suited to certain transport applications. For example, long-distance transport will probably use a technology that offers increased vehicle autonomy, while distribution and regional transport will more likely be based on electric propulsion.
