Industry Idols: Get to know Florin Vladut from Smart Autohof

By:
On:
In: In the Spotlight, INTRANSIT NEWS

In a new series, the ESPORG team will be interviewing prominent figures within the logistics industry who we feel embody the values of safety, security, connectivity, sustainability and wellbeing and who serve as role models for best practices and innovative ideas within transportation. This month we would like to feature Florin Vladut from Smart Autohof, a gold certified safe and secure parking area in Romania.  

ESPORG: Tell me a little bit about yourself and what you do.    

Florin: I am 56, married, with 2 sons, living in a small town close to Hungarian border. My background is as an industrial chemistry engineer. I have 7 years’ experience in sales and advertising, about 10 years’ experience in top management positions for a multinational company active in the automotive industry and 15 years’ experience in the entrepreneurial area mainly on fuel supply solutions and transport related services, including 7 years of SSTPA operational management. I like to do new things.

ESPORG: You’ve been part of a lot of successful projects in several different industries—what do you think your secret to success? 

Florin: Addressing a project is the same: you analyze, you find the expertise you don’t have, you mobilize, plan, follow-up, fill up the budget, solve whatever comes and you have to be involved on a daily basis. 

My recipe is to put your heart into it and like it. Everything takes time: choose what you like to do. I’ve never started a project that I don’t like or believe in it; if at a point that happens, then I consider it is preferable to stop it or leave it.

ESPORG: What is something we don’t know about you?

Florin: I have a degree in flour milling!

ESPORG: What is your favorite project you or your company is currently working on? 

Florin: The development of Smart Autohof a motorway service area.  It is a greenfield project started in 2017 addressed to A1 transit which at the moment includes:

  • 1 dedicated truck fuel station
  • 1 public fuel station 
  • 120 places SSTPA
  • 100 places restaurant

ESPORG: What do you think sets your company apart from the rest in the market? 

Florin: We aim to be a one stop premium service provider for all categories of people and vehicles in transit. We are focusing on the quality of the services provided trying to be professional, flexible and innovative.

ESPORG: When you say “one stop premium service provider”, what kind of services do you provide? 

Florin: We provide most of the same services as other places: mini mart, print documents, etc. but we have the motto that our parking area should be “almost like home”. We go the extra mile and try to help with whatever problem comes along. For example, in Romania, when drivers have to pay penalties, it is unclear for them the procedure to pay (specific place for foreigners to pay, specific documents, information that if they pay within 48 hours, they can pay half the amount) and they probably cannot communicate with local police. If they don’t pay these fees in the right way, they cannot leave Romania. So, someone from our team will go with them to help them. 

Clients trust us to keep documents that need to be transported back to their headquarters, we can order spare parts when needed and we are open to discuss. We help our customers in many more ways than what is listed on our site. We believe that once you serve someone, they will come back. 

ESPORG: What do you think are the biggest challenges the industry faces today? 

Florin:  I consider that the biggest challenge is to address properly and environment in permanent turmoil and very unpredictable. Over the last years we need to take management decisions in order to start-up , develop and sustain the business despite the challenges related to :

  • The setup of a new business model with limited experience and resources  
  • To administrate the business on COVID crisis
  • To develop the business on a very difficult political and economic situation in relation to the war in Ukraine

…as well as other secondary challenges like:

  • Shortage of manpower due to the migration on wester EU countries
  • Poor support from some local authorities
  • Aggressive competition 
  • Delays of Romania in entering the Schengen Area 
  • The pressure of new EU regulation on the Eastern Countries transport Companies 
  • Switch to the new more green technologies in fueling

There are increasing fuel costs, increasing transport costs and drivers don’t want to pay for anything they don’t have to pay for.

ESPORG: What do you like to do in your free time? 

Florin:  I like traveling. Whenever is possible we have a family weekend or holiday together.

ESPORG: What’s your favorite place to travel to?

Florin: I like historical places like Greece. When I travel, I like to try to see how the people live there. I used to work for a multinational, same table, same room, with over 20 nationalities. The bottom line is we share the same feelings, lots of things that make you human, which is a base to build on. 

ESPORG: What topic do you think the industry should be focusing more on? 

Florin: The future does not look like an easy one so we need to stay alert, flexible and innovative ( SMART 😊)  in order to achieve our development goals.
High waves times are risky for sinking … but could be also a wonderful opportunity for surfing.

ESPORG: What kind of opportunities are you surfing at the moment? 

Florin: We have to reinvent somehow. Let’s take our parking area. The food industry is moving towards fast food in Romania, but in our restaurants, we choose to cook. We have some older ladies who like to cook for their families, and we have shared their recipes in our restaurant. We make homemade bread–fresh, no additives or preservatives, no transport, no packaging.

We choose to go against market because we think that in the long term, we are going to gain more. The people will be more selective; they will realize they get value for their money. Our clients are more stable, appreciate and stop there. This is also a challenge because we have to buy different ingredients, need more people and it takes more time.

In Romania, our parking area is atypical. We took the concept of the “autohof” in Germany, but the food and services we offer are Romanian. If you ask for the “extra mile” services I was speaking about in Germany, it is very likely that you won’t get them. 


Despite the challenges, we have to ride the waves and keep the ship floating.