History

The Schmalstieg family founded the business Heinrich Schmalstieg Tankwagentransporte und Spedition in 1963 with a single used articulated tanker lorry. Today, H. Schmalstieg is a business specialising in the delivery and storage of lubricants, known far beyond the boundaries of Germany.

Heinrich Schmalstieg Tankwagentransporte und Spedition GmbH has a fleet of various vehicles, storage facilities and supply vessels at its disposal. The company as a whole focuses on a flexible, rapid and high-quality delivery of lubricants to end customers. Its core delivery region today covers Germany, Scandinavia, Poland and Benelux, although we do make deliveries to other European countries on request. From Kirkenes to Gibraltar, from La Rochelle to Odessa, we have already supplied ships. Thanks to our very low rate of personnel turnover, the company can draw upon a very large amount of experience, which is ultimately reflected in the quality of the service.

It all began in 1963. This was the year in which Heinrich Schmalstieg Tankwagentransporte und Spedition was founded in Hamburg. With just a single articulated tanker, heating oil traders and wholesale buyers between Hamburg and Uelzen were supplied. Thanks to his contacts with individual traders, Mr Schmalstieg was able to supply warehouses even late in the evening or on weekends. It was a hard time and working hours weren’t yet counted at the time. The family was able to make a living from it, but there was doubt if self-employment had been the right step. It took a few years until things slowly got better.

In winter 1971, Mr Schmalstieg was asked if he would perform a lubricant delivery to a maritime vessel in Gdansk, Poland. Without knowing precisely the nature of shipping motor oil, he accepted the transport job. Because all of his vehicle’s equipment was designed for the delivery of fuel, he needed 14 hours to pump the product in Gdansk. That’s the end of that then, thought Mr Schmalstieg.
But the customer got back in touch, and there were offers of further jobs of this kind. And indeed, the next job arrived, and a stronger pump was sought out and fitted immediately. The customer was delighted, and more of the same kinds of transport jobs followed. Each transport job was and continues to be a learning experience, and the pumps and equipment continue to be improved and adapted to changing requirements. Our current tankers are custom vehicles developed by our own workshop in line with the requirements of the lubricant sector.