How do you keep your logistics operation under control when your business is growing 30%+ year on year? How can logistics providers win more project cargo business by leveraging their in-house engineering capability — rather than relying only on sales reps? And how could LSPs be helping shippers navigate the growing weight of global regulatory compliance, from CBAM to Article 232?

These are just some of the questions addressed in this special episode, recorded live on the Breakbulk Live Stage at Breakbulk Europe 2026 in Rotterdam, and moderated by Luke King, This episode of Project Cargo Professionals offers a candid, no-filter panel of three senior logistics decision-makers — the people who actually decide which providers get the work. They are:

Christian Ohlrich — Director of Global Logistics at Fluence Energy, one of the world’s leading battery energy storage integrators, managing shipments of hundreds of 45-tonne-plus units to project sites across the globe.

Steffen Blumhofer — Head of Trade, Transport and Logistics Sourcing at Hitachi Energy Germany, responsible for sourcing logistics for some of the largest power infrastructure projects in the world.

Henk Alma — Logistics Manager at NEM Energy, a specialist manufacturer of heat recovery steam generators whose modules can weigh up to 220 tonnes — and whose project pipeline is, in his own words, “going berserk.”

In this session we get into what actually drives project cargo awards — and we go beyond HSE records and scorecard ratings. Christian makes a compelling case for why this industry will always be a people business, and why no scorecard will save you if the gut feeling isn’t there. Henk explains why NEM cut its logistics provider pool from 80 companies down to a core group — and what it takes to get into that group and stay there. Steffen talks about the shift from transactional, project-by-project thinking to genuine long-term partnership, and what that means for providers willing to invest in the relationship.

We also get into the changing cargo realities each of them is managing right now: Fluence’s deliberate decision to go against the industry trend and break its BESS units apart rather than go bigger; Hitachi’s approach to managing an increasingly complex global supply chain under constant geopolitical pressure; and NEM’s deep dive into the regulatory headaches — CBAM, US Section 232, mill certificate demands — that are quietly consuming enormous management bandwidth at companies that don’t have dedicated compliance departments.

If you work in project cargo logistics and you want to understand how your customers think, this is the episode for you.

🎥 Recorded in Rotterdam, Netherlands

👉Connect with the panellists on LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianohlrich/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/henk-alma-51969137/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/steffen-blumhofer/

Produced by Prospect Communications, a specialist PR consultancy for the project cargo sector. For all business enquires relating to the podcast, email Luke@prospectcomms.co.uk and visit https://www.projectcargopros.com/

About Breakbulk

Breakbulk organises the world’s largest events for project cargo and breakbulk logistics, bringing together cargo owners, EPCs, carriers, forwarders and ports from across the global supply chain. With flagship events held annually in Dubai, Rotterdam, Houston and Singapore, Breakbulk serves as a key meeting point for networking, deal-making and industry insight.

👉 Visit https://breakbulk.com to find out more about upcoming events and registration.

00:00 Welcome and Panel Intro

01:18 NEM Energy Acquisition News

01:52 Biggest Logistics Frustrations

04:44 What Wins Work Today

08:35 Forwarding Quality Rising

12:15 Requirements Getting Harder

18:06 Regulations and Compliance Pain

22:17 Industry Consolidation Debate

26:03 Sustainability and Paying Premiums

33:29 Top Tips to Win Business

41:38 Closing & Thanks