Dachser UK

The complexities of supply chain dynamics have never been so varied as those currently experienced by much of the retail sector.  Through a combination of well-established North African services and new network extensions in Turkey and Eastern Europe, logistics provider Dachser stands ready to help UK retailers cope.

Northampton, 28^th October, 2020

The COVID crisis, a boom in online shopping and the looming, yet uncertain effects of Brexit all add to retailer’s urgent need for their supply chain service providers to move fast in adapting to changing sourcing patterns.

While the Chinese manufacturing phenomenon has radically reduced UK retail prices over the last two decades, the cost of sourcing in China has long been on the rise, with other Asian economies benefitting from their lower labour costs. The COVID crisis as an accelerant of change, however, may well be encouraging the trends for near-sourcing policies to be re-energised as longer supply chains are seen as more susceptible to disruption.

Added to this trend is the current boom in omnichannel sales channels. The Office of National Statistics (ONS) figures show that in April this year, 30% of retail sales in the UK were conducted online. This figure compares with just 18% in the same month last year and 21% at the Black Friday/Christmas peak in 2019. Much of this online market is made up of fashion items and clothing that are changing in nature as lifestyle changes are forced on a ‘lockdown’ population.

Shorter lead times on textile products are being demanded by retailers of their manufacturers, and that means transit times of 4 or 5 days, by road and ferry from Tunisia and Morocco are preferable over 20 to 30 days by sea from the Indian sub-Continent, China and other Asia origins. The option of airfreight with transits comparable to North Africa at 5 to 6 days door-to-door, is far more expensive and currently lacking in capacity.

The ‘groupage’ and partial load services that are offered by Dachser enable customers to have the ability to move freight in smaller quantities regularly from the region. The UK retailer need not commit to the high-volume orders of items required when shipping full container loads from Asian origins.

Reliability of delivery is also crucial to the UK retailer. Merchandise delivered when expected and indeed arriving intact, are standard requirements for the fashion retailer to stay competitive. Again the shorter, overland North African supply chain has its advantages against the Asian alternative. 

Dachser has operated in these regions for over 25 years, with its own branch offices strategically located in Tunisia and Morocco.  The services are driver accompanied direct weekly road freight departures, utilising box trailers for added security.

This service provides reliable support for a wide range of industries, in addition to retail, and the fast transit times help customers improve and develop their supply chains, whether feeding the manufacturing process or for onward distribution.

ABOUT DACHSER UK

Dachser UK is part of the Dachser group, a major international logistics provider which on 31 December 2019 generated total sales worth EUR 5.7 billion. 31,000 staff working in 393 locations worldwide handled 80.6 million consignments comprising 41.0 million metric tonnes. Dachser has been established in the UK since 1975, and now has four locations which include a new logistics centre in Northampton as well as branch offices in Rochdale, Dartford and Bristol. 

Dachser aims to be the supplier of choice for European logistics and value-added services. A fully-integrated European distribution network provides a comprehensive, high-quality service of total freight solutions supported by the latest technology. Core services in the United Kingdom comprise European export, import and UK pallet distribution, as well as contract logistics, value-added services and international sea and air freight forwarding.  

For more information, please visit   www.dachser.co.uk 

The focus is on developing digital process and service innovations for the Dachser logistics network.

Kempten/Dortmund, October 20, 2020. The Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML and Dachser are extending their collaboration in the DACHSER Enterprise Lab for a further three years. Their partnership will continue to focus on research and development projects with practical application benefits for the Dachser network. These include digital technologies such as data science and artificial intelligence (AI), real-time locating systems (RTLS), 5G and the Internet of Things (IoT), autonomous vehicles, and adaptive warehouse systems.

“The first step in our joint research work in the DACHSER Enterprise Lab is to gain a detailed understanding of new technologies and their potential for logistics. Then we build on that to develop prototypes and concepts that add tangible value for Dachser and our customers, turning them into innovations,” explains Stefan Hohm, Corporate Director Corporate Solutions, Research & Development at Dachser, who will head the new IT & Development executive unit as of January 1, 2021. “So far, the work we’ve done together has proven that we can transform research results from the DACHSER Enterprise Lab into new processes and services throughout the entire logistics network,” Hohm says.

“We’re delighted that Dachser is continuing its collaboration with Fraunhofer IML. Our research results up to now and our new research contracts show just how important applied research is for logistics and supply chain management,” says Prof. Michael ten Hompel, Managing Director of Fraunhofer IML. “We’re particularly proud that the lab teams have continued to work effectively despite the restrictions imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. Of course, technical aids such as video conferences and collaboration tools have been a great help. But above all, it’s the extraordinary commitment and motivation of everyone working at the DACHSER Enterprise Lab that is key to successful research in challenging times,” ten Hompel says.

In the DACHSER Enterprise Lab, Dachser logistics experts and scientists from Fraunhofer IML work in mixed lab teams on various research and development assignments. The partnership between the logistics service provider and the research institute was launched in October 2017 and will now run until October 2023. 

About Dachser

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customised services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organisations represent Dachser in 44 countries. 

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com

Dachser UK, the international distribution and logistics specialist has been awarded the 2019 Logistics Partner of the year for the EMEA region by long-standing customer, Zebra Technologies, the multi-billion dollar global supplier of computer technology and products across many industries.

Rochdale 18 August 2020

From its European headquarters at Preston in the north of England, Zebra provides its customers across Europe with state-of-the-art hardware and software designed to improve data communication for businesses in healthcare to e-commerce, and from manufacturing to retail. For several years DACHSER Rochdale have supplied Zebra  with services for their distribution requirements, utilising the logistics operator’s reliable domestic and European daily pallet delivery network that encompasses 332 European locations and 68 partner locations throughout Europe.

In a virtual presentation of the award Zebra’s Glen Presley – Manager EMEA Transportation, commented, ‘’Dachser employees are always ready to go that extra mile, informing us of potential issues before we know ourselves. They are unbelievably flexible and a credit to their business function; they are certainly leaders of the pack.’’

As Dachser’s Sales Manager in the North of England, Marion Simpson is the primary account handler for Zebra. ‘’We have had a very productive partnership with the Zebra team in Preston for several years,“ she remarked. ‘’The building of a mutual understanding of the day-to-day needs and challenges that our customers face is fundamental to our service approach at Dachser. We are proud to have a successful partnership with Zebra underpinned with trust and respect.”

The supply chain environment in the recent past, particularly connections with European trading partners, has been dynamic and complex. A fact acknowledged by Mark Rollinson, Dachser UK’s Managing Director, ‘’The on-going uncertainties created by Brexit negotiations, and now the COVID pandemic have created unrivalled challenges both for our customers in marketing their products, and ourselves in operating transport services. However, a culture of flexibility and focus on the changing needs of our partners has helped us maintain the highest possible standards of service. I am delighted that this award from Zebra recognises our people’s dedication.”

ENDS

ABOUT DACHSER UK

Dachser UK is part of the Dachser group, a major international logistics provider which on 31 December 2019 generated total sales worth EUR 5.7 billion. 31,000 staff working in 393 locations worldwide handled 80.6 million consignments comprising 41.0 million metric tonnes. Dachser has been established in the UK since 1975, and now has four locations which include a new logistics centre in Northampton as well as branch offices in Rochdale, Dartford and Bristol. 

Dachser aims to be the supplier of choice for European logistics and value-added services. A fully-integrated European distribution network provides a comprehensive, high-quality service of total freight solutions supported by the latest technology. Core services in the United Kingdom comprise European export, import and UK pallet distribution, as well as contract logistics, value-added services and international sea and air freight forwarding.  

For more information, please visit   www.dachser.co.uk 

The family-owned company is investing some EUR 25 million in the construction of a new logistics location

Kassel/Kempten, July 13, 2020. Logistics provider Dachser has started construction on a new branch in Kassel, the economic centre of northern Hesse. Located in the Lohfelden commercial zone, the new transit terminal for industrial goods with adjacent offices is due for completion by summer 2021. In the medium term, the new branch will create roughly 200 jobs. 

The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony took place today, attended by Dr Alexander Friedrich Wachter, Vice President of the Kassel district government, Norbert Thielen, deputy mayor of Lohfelden, Michael Schilling COO Road Logistics Dachser, and Alexander Tonn, Managing Director European Logistics Germany, who is responsible for Dachser’s transport and storage business for industrial goods in Germany.

“Thanks to Dachser’s closely integrated logistics network, transports departing from the new Kassel branch will reach all economic centres across Europe within 24 to 48 hours. Dachser customers throughout Europe will benefit from fast delivery times and our consistently high service quality,” says Andreas Fritsch, General Manager of Dachser’s Ostwestfalen-Lippe logistics centre in Bad Salzuflen, explaining the strategic relevance of the new location. Fritsch will assume responsibility for the new Lohfelden facility in Kassel, which falls under the Bad Salzuflen group; Mathias Oetter will be the local branch manager. A large share of the new branch’s customers will come from the region’s robust industrial production companies, Fritsch explains. 

Dachser’s new facility in central Germany is conveniently located at the interchange of the A7, A44, and A49 highways. Construction work on the approximately 78,000 m2 lot in the Lohfelden commercial zone began this April. The transit terminal will have approximately 6,400 m2 of floor space and 78 gates for loading and unloading trucks. A 2,500 m2 office building will be built adjacent to the terminal as well. 

The new facility in Kassel rounds off Dachser’s own groupage network for industrial goods in Germany and will replace the company’s long-standing regional partner Schmelz Transport und Logistik. Dachser will continue working with its trusted partner until building work on the new Dachser branch is completed next year. 

About Dachser

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organisations represent Dachser in 44 countries.  

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com

Effective January 1, 2021, 54-year-old Swiss citizen Robert Erni will take over as CFO from Burkhard Eling, who will become CEO of the family-owned company.

Kempten, June 23, 2020 – Dachser is appointing experienced logistics CFO Robert Erni to succeed Burkhard Eling. Erni will begin his onboarding phase at Dachser as Deputy Director on September 1, 2020.

Most recently, the 54-year-old was CFO at listed logistics provider Panalpina, where he headed the merger with Danish logistics group DSV. During his time at Panalpina, he successfully managed various acquisition projects in addition to two substantial SAP rollouts and the organisational changes these required, thus supporting the company’s global growth strategy. Erni began his career at logistics company Kühne+Nagel, where he held posts in Hong Kong, India, Argentina, and the US before returning to his home country of Switzerland, where he was in charge of global controlling at company headquarters.

“Robert Erni is an extremely experienced CFO who has spent over 30 years working in the logistics sector,” explains Dachser’s current CFO Burkhard Eling, who will become CEO as of January 1, 2021. “We are delighted to have him on our new Executive Board and look forward to working with him to address future challenges in a way that creates value and growth.”

Dachser CEO Bernhard Simon, who will head the company’s Supervisory Board as of 2021, adds: “Being CFO of a family-owned company like Dachser is about much more than mastering the figures: our CFO maintains close relations with our shareholders, shapes the strategy process, and in so doing also plays a major role in the operational business. In Robert Erni, we have found a CFO who can fully meet these requirements from January 1, 2021, onward”.    

About Dachser

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organisations represent Dachser in 44 countries.

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com.

43,000 pallet spaces for chemical industry products

Kempten, June 17, 2020 – Dachser has begun operations at a new hazardous materials warehouse with 21,800 square meters of floor space in Malsch, near Karlsruhe, Germany. The specially equipped facility can safely store chemical products and hazardous materials such as paints, coatings, and adhesives in a total of 43,000 pallet spaces. Dachser invested more than 20 million euros in the warehouse.

Baden-Württemberg is one of the top five German states for chemical industry revenue. As such, there is strong demand there for logistics companies that can serve as a reliable transportation partner while also offering safe storage of chemical products and hazardous materials. Dachser’s Karlsruhe logistics centre has grown along with its customers to become a pivotal logistics hub for chemical products in the global logistics provider’s European network. A further advantage of the location is its excellent connections to France—the number one destination for German chemical exports. “Constantly growing demand from the chemical industry made building the new facility an absolute must,” said Bernd Großmann, Branch Manager Dachser Malsch. 

Construction work for the new hazardous materials warehouse began in spring 2018, and the first customers began to move in during February 2019. With the official launch a few weeks ago, all work is now complete. All the hazardous materials warehouse’s transportation, storage, and logistics services are now up and running, with direct daily routes connecting it into Dachser’s close-knit European network.

Expertise for the chemical industry

The new hazardous materials warehouse can accommodate 43,000 pallets on 21,800 square meters of floor space. It is divided into nine sections separated by firewalls. Each section has an automatic fire extinguishing system with both ceiling and in-rack sprinkler systems. The depressed floors are specially designed to retain product leakage and firewater, while barriers at the wastewater outlets provide increased groundwater protection.

Dachser has experience in handling hazardous materials and offers a global industry solution, DACHSER Chem-Logistics, that is tailored to the particular logistics needs of the chemical industry and applies the highest safety standards. For instance, the company has a central dangerous goods management team and 226 regional dangerous goods safety officers. 

About Dachser

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organizations represent Dachser in 44 countries.  

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com.

Kempten/Nuremberg, June 3, 2020. The logistics provider is investing in its location in Nuremberg, including expansion of transit terminals for industrial goods and food by over 5,200 m². In addition to enlarging the office building by 1,200 m², Dachser is creating extra parking spaces for trucks and employee vehicles. The company is investing EUR 22.5 million in the project, the construction phase of which was completed at the end of May.

“Over the past ten years, our location in Nuremberg has seen positive development in the areas of industrial goods and food, as well as in warehousing. So much so that we have now reached the limits of our capacity with the existing facility,” says Bernhard Engel, Branch Manager European Logistics at Dachser’s Nuremberg logistics center.

The number of gates at the transit terminals and warehouse, which are the centerpiece of the facility, will be increased from 188 to 251. Alongside the expansion of the transit terminals, Dachser is creating 1,100 m² of additional space for customized services in contract logistics. In this way, the logistics center serves for instance as a central warehouse for a well-known customer in the premium segment for wines and spirits. Dachser provides this customer with a wide range of supplementary services in addition to storage, picking, and transport services. “We handle individual gift packaging, display-builds, and excise taxes for this customer,” says Michael Scheid, Branch Manager Dachser Food Logistics in Nuremberg. “From here we deliver to every one of its recipients in Germany—not only retailers, hotels, and catering companies, but also bars, clubs, shipping companies, and events.”

A presence in the Nuremberg metropolitan area

The waiting area for trucks has also been enlarged and a parking lot for subcontractor trucks created, which brings the parking capacity up to 130 trucks. A new parking garage adds an additional 135 spaces for employees and visitors.

Dachser began operations at the existing facility in the Nuremberg-Feucht-Wendelstein business park at the beginning of 2009. The logistics center has excellent access to the A3, A6, A9, and A73 highways, which means efficiency in reaching customers and a seamless and fast supply of goods to the Nuremberg metropolitan area.

About Dachser:

Dachser, a family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, provides transport logistics, warehousing, and customized services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter is divided into two business lines, Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s offerings. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems provide for intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organizations represent Dachser in 44 countries.

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com

While transport and distribution businesses across the UK are doing all they can to support those working on the medical frontline during the crisis, Dachser is proving its flexibility of service in partnership with one supplier in particular.

Dachser’s Dartford branch has provided Alsico, a leading manufacturer and distributor of workplace clothing, with regular transportation between its factories in North Africa and its main UK distribution centre in Preston since 2013. Alisco, which equips the UK market with over 3.5 million garments a year, is a specialist in healthcare supplies and is one of the largest uniform providers for the NHS.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on demand and government restrictions in various countries necessitated Alsico to find new manufacturers of its products based in Europe. Added to this logistical challenge was the urgency inherent in the knowledge that the product was for thousands of front line medical and care workers.

Dachser rose to the challenge and utilising its extensive operational network across Europe quickly adjusted to the requirements of Alsico’s altered supply chain to ensure swift delivery of the essential supplies.

Dachser Dartford’s General Manager, Patrice Ollivier comments, “We are proud to have demonstrated significant flexibility in our operation.  This has involved loading trailers on weekends and bank holidays and ensuring accurate documentation flows to provide a fast, cross-border delivery service into Preston from various European locations within a matter of days. Working closely with Alsico, we remain committed and determined to do everything we can to play our part in this national effort”.

ENDS

ABOUT DACHSER UK

Dachser UK is part of the Dachser group, a major international logistics provider which on 31 December 2019 generated total sales worth EUR 5.7 billion. 31,000 staff working in 393 locations worldwide handled 80.6 million consignments comprising 41.0 million metric tonnes. Dachser has been established in the UK since 1975, and now has four locations which include a new logistics centre in Northampton as well as branch offices in Rochdale, Dartford and Bristol.

Dachser aims to be the supplier of choice for European logistics and value-added services. A fully-integrated European distribution network provides a comprehensive, high quality service of total freight solutions supported by the latest technology. Core services in the United Kingdom comprise European export, import and UK pallet distribution, as well as contract logistics, value added services and international sea and air freight forwarding. 

For more information, please visit   www.dachser.co.uk

Amt Wachsenburg/Kempten, May 7, 2020 – Logistics provider Dachser is setting the course for its future growth in the German state of Thuringia, where it is investing in its logistics centre in the city of Erfurt. In addition to a new 20,000 m² warehouse with office space, the company also plans to construct a waiting zone and parking spaces for trucks. The groundbreaking ceremony took place yesterday in a lot off of Am Lützer Feld in Arnstadt, an Erfurt suburb.

Due to the coronavirus, only a few people attended the groundbreaking. “We’ve been working here in Erfurt for many years in structures that have been built up across multiple sites,” says Dr Rimbert J. Kelber, General Manager of Dachser’s Erfurt logistics centre. “We are consolidating them into this new warehouse so that we can offer our customers contract logistics services—in other words, storage, and value-added services—all from a single source at a state-of-the-art location. This enables us to tap into opportunities for further growth in the region, as we want to get things going again once the coronavirus crisis is past.”

Dachser will move into the new warehouse as a tenant. It is not far from the current transit terminal on Industriestrasse on a lot measuring 28,000 m², with two warehouses offering 10,000 m² of storage space each. Combined, both buildings contain 20,300 pallet spaces and 8,500 m² of block stacking space. After the new facility is finished in the first quarter of the coming year, Dachser will use it to handle contract logistics activities for various customers in the consumer goods sector.

“Even in times of crisis, we keep looking toward the future, and we are confident we will be able to continue our success at the Erfurt location after the corona crisis is over,” says Alexander Tonn, Managing Director European Logistics Germany, who is responsible for Dachser’s industrial goods business in Germany. Dachser opened its first location in Thuringia in 2004 and provides logistics services for customers from the industrial and food sectors.

ENDS

About Dachser:

A family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, Dachser offers transport logistics, warehousing, and customer-specific services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s range. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organisations represent Dachser in 44 countries. 

For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com

Revenue up by a solid 1.6 percent in 2019; European overland transport grows 2.9 percent; EUR 151 million invested in logistics facilities and IT systems

Kempten, April 7, 2020. Even as the global economy becomes increasingly weaker, Dachser was able to continue growing in 2019. The logistics provider increased its consolidated net revenue by a solid 1.6 percent to EUR 5.66 billion. Driving this growth was again the Road Logistics business field, net revenue rose by 2.9 percent to EUR 4.60 billion. In contrast, the Air & Sea Logistics business field saw a decline of 4.1 percent, mainly attributable to weaker demand for air freight services for automotive customers.

The revenue growth at the Group level contrasts with declining shipment and tonnage figures. Although the number of shipments was down by around 3.7 percent from 83.7 to 80.6 million, tonnage fell only slightly compared to the previous year, slipping by 1.0 percent from 41.4 to 41.0 million metric tons. “When the economic wind turns, quality and reliability count more than ever,” says Bernhard Simon, CEO of Dachser. “That’s why we’re all the more committed to ensuring our employees are well-qualified and motivated and why we’re continuously investing in our network, our processes, and our IT.”

Business development in detail

Dachser’s Road Logistics business field—which comprises the transport and storage of industrial goods (European Logistics) and food (Food Logistics)—continued to provide stability while driving growth at the company. In 2019, Road Logistics increased its consolidated net revenue by 2.9 percent from EUR 4.47 to 4.60 billion. The Business Line European Logistics contributed 3.63 billion Euro (+2.4 percent) to the Road Logistics revenue. “Cross-border services remained strong and contract logistics saw positive development throughout Europe. Although the situation on the freight market relaxed in the course of 2019, the shortage of drivers and lack of qualified personnel in Germany and many other European countries continues to be our most pressing challenge,” Simon explains.

Dachser’s Food Logistics business line achieved the strongest growth in 2019, recording revenue growth of 5.1 percent from EUR 917 to 964 million. The number of shipments handled declined by 1.7 percent and tonnage saw a slight rise of 0.6 percent. “Food Logistics has been a reliable pillar of our business model for years,” Simon says. “The alliances with our partners in the European Food Network have proven to be extremely stable and fruitful.”

In the Air & Sea Logistics business field, revenue declined by 4.1 percent in 2019, from EUR 1.19 to 1.14 billion; the number of shipments was down by 5.6 percent. “In Air and Sea Logistics, we’re feeling the effects of the business climate, which is very volatile and greatly impacted by the disruptions to world trade,” Simon says. “In our air freight business, the effects of the weak demand for transport services from the German automotive industry are particularly evident.” In 2019, Dachser took steps to future-proof this business field. These included adding the life sciences/pharmaceutical and fashion & sports sectors to its customer portfolio and expanding rail services along the New Silk Road. Air and sea transports, particularly for LCL, were connected more tightly with the European overland transport network. In addition, the rollout of Dachser’s Othello transport management system, developed in-house, is now essentially complete. “By mid-2020, we will use our own transport management system to handle 99 percent of all shipments. The resultant improvements in efficiency and productivity allow us to add further value for our customers,” Simon says.

In the coronavirus crisis – An anchor of stability in difficult times

To further improve the quality of its services, last year the family-owned company invested EUR 151 million in the construction or expansion of transit terminals and warehouses and in IT systems and technical equipment. Investments of a similar amount are planned for the current year, too. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, Dachser, like many companies, will have to readjust its targets. Simon explains: “The final impact on our business is difficult to predict; all we can do is reassess the situation daily and respond accordingly, taking an agile and flexible approach.  In view of the current restrictions on business activities, we can’t avoid a downturn in volume in our industrial goods business, especially in Spain and France. However, in terms of our service portfolio and customer structure, we deliberately adopt a very broad position so that we can adapt well to new scenarios. As a logistics provider, we are a key link in the basic supply chain for the food sector, and we expect this business to remain relatively stable.”

Dachser further increased its equity ratio in 2019 to over 57 percent. With its current workforce of some 31,000, Dachser has more employees than at any other point in its history. “We’re very proud of this because our employees are the heart and backbone of the service we provide. Securing jobs is our top priority in 2020,” Simon says. “We also want to remain a stable and reliable partner for customers and subcontractors. Together, we’ll overcome the crisis surrounding the coronavirus with fair prices and fair remuneration, and lay the foundations for future growth.”

Overview of net revenue:

About Dachser:

Thanks to some 31,000 employees at 393 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated consolidated net revenue of approximately EUR 5.7 billion in 2019. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80.6 million shipments weighing 41.0 million metric tons. Country organizations represent Dachser in 44 countries. For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com