2/2012

EDITION 2/2012 

magazine 

SUSTAINABILITY 

BUSINESS PERFORMANCE 

WITH BRIGHT PROSPECTS 

THE WORLD OF INTELLIGENT LOGISTICS 

THE FUTURE 

ON THE AGENDA 

BUSINESS MODELS 

FOR TOMORROW’S LOGISTICS 

MEXICO 

FULL POWER 

FROM CENTRAL AMERICA

NUMBERS THAT COUNT 

What fits into a standard swap body: 

02 DACHSER magazine 

1,000 gold bars 

weighing 1 kg each: 

Volume per 0.05 cubic metres 

(where weight/density = 1/19.32) 

Value (for 999 quality): 40.5 million euros!!! 

(At March 2012) 

50.3 m 3 = 

Volume of a 

standard swap body 

4,695 footballs: 

The “bare” adidas “Tango” ball (without 

packaging, etc.) has a diameter of approx. 22 cm. 

Thus one ball has a volume of 

V = length x width x height = 

0.22 m x 0.22 m x 0.22 m = 0.010648 m 3 ; 

50 m 3 ÷ 0.010648 m 3 = 4,695 balls

COVER STORY 

Strategy: How Dachser is planning 

for tomorrow’s challenges 04 

FORUM 

People and markets: 10 

Growth in figures; 50 years of commitment; 

full power in the warehouse and charged up 

sustainable vehicles 

COMPETENCE 

Everything from a single source: 

Dachser’s new B2C solution 14 

Sustainability: A research report 

by Professor Julia Wolf 16 

Air & Sea Logistcs: A biomass power plant 

for Chilean salmon 18 

European Logistics: Hand in hand 20 

Media review: International press review 21 

France: Chem-Logistics solutions 

for clean water 22 

NETWORK 

Network competence: 

News from the Dachser world 26 

Mexico: The power from America’s centre 28 

BUSINESS LOUNGE 

Dachser face-to-face: Learning from nature 

Bernhard Simon meets Dr Rainer Erb 32 

GOOD NEWS 

Do-it-yourself! 35 

F Our DACHSER 

eLetter is packed with even 

more information. 

To find out more, visit: 

www.dachser.com/eletter-en 

Imprint 

Published by: Dachser GmbH & Co. KG, Memminger Str. 140, 87439 Kempten, Germany, Internet: www.dachser.com Overall responsibility: Dr Andreas Froschmayer Editorin-chief: 

Jörn Erdmann, Tel.: +49 831 5916-1421, Fax: +49 831 5916-8-1421, e-mail: joern.erdmann@dachser.com Editors: Martin Neft, Aljoscha Kertesz, Christian Weber Publisher: 

Burda Creative Group GmbH, Konrad-Zuse-Platz 11, 81829 Munich, Germany, Tel.: +49 89 30620-0, Fax: -100 Managing director: Gregor Vogelsang, Dr-Ing. Christian Fill Project 

manager Burda Creative Group: Marcus Schick Design: Ralph Zimmermann Photos: all photos Dachser except HH/M.Lindner (pp. 1, 8), Robert Auerbacher (p.10), Thorsten Jochim 

(pp. 3, 4–7), Detlef Majer (p. 35), Robert Martin (pp. 3, 14, 15), Ute Schmidt (p. 17), BWT (p. 25), Fraport (p. 8), iStockphoto (pp. 3, 12, 13, 16, 18–24, 26–31), Illy (p. 27), Jungheinrich 

(p. 13), VW (p. 17), Illustration: Ralph Zimmermann (pp. 32–34) Printer: AZ Druck und Datentechnik GmbH, 87437 Kempten, Germany Circulation: 38,000/53rd volume Publication: 

4 x per year Languages: German, English, French. The DACHSER magazine is printed on NovaTech paper certified in accordance with the FSC ® mix for sustainable forestry. 

04 

14 

22 

28 

CONTENTS 

DACHSER magazine 03

COVER STORY 

Today is the time to think and plan for tomorrow: modelling the reality of 

logistics companies helps us to understand the significance and development 

of networks, a key ingredient in successful planning for the future. 


MODELLING THE 

FUTURE

hWelcome to “Logistopolis”. It is the 

year 2050. In this scenario of a possible 

future the difficult years of 2010 to 2030 

with their fierce global battles over energy 

and water resources lie behind us. Large 

companies like Dachser have created dynamic 

and self-organizing logistics networks 

that span the globe. Their terminals are now 

much more than mere nodal points in a 

network providing comprehensive services; 

for many years they have also been generating 

power and now act as suppliers, feeding 

zero-emissions energy into decentralized 

power networks. Mobility has long since 

been emissions-free, with private and freight 

transport using separate infrastructure. 

While underground distribution systems 

supply the megacities, gigantic container 

ships and aircraft keep worldwide goods 

flows moving. Manufacturers and retail 

have outsourced almost all their supply 

chain planning and management. No wonder 

that logistics is the most popular profession 

the world over... 

“Logistopolis” might appear whimsical, but 

using it as a business model for a distant 

future is more than just looking into a 

“crystal ball”. Scenarios such as these can 

help to provide tangible pictures of a possible 

tomorrow. “Only if you study the future 

can you shape it for the better,” explains Dr 

Andreas Froschmayer, head of corporate 

development at Dachser. He believes that 

if you want to build up and extend ‡ 

People always have to eat: 

Food Logistics connects retail 

and customers 

COVER STORY 

DACHSER magazine 05

COVER STORY 

Bernhard Simon, 

head of Dachser’s 

management board 

existing business models you also have to 

create scenarios to open up possible worlds 

and develop concepts of the new contexts 

in which you will be operating. Bernhard 

Simon, head of Dachser’s management 

board: “Fundamentally, Dachser always 

seeks to identify challenges in good time 

and produce innovations, rather than waiting 

to see what happens. With its major 

business fields – European Logistics, Food 

Logistics and Air & Sea Logistics – Dachser 

has a responsibility to play an active role 

in strategic developments.” 

At the centre of the business model is 

the maturity of the logistics network. “We 

develop the intelligent management of 

integrated networks and the customers’ goods 

flows embedded within them,” is how 

Michael Schilling, managing director for 

European Network Management & Logistics 

Systems, describes the concept. The 

pillars supporting this endeavour are the 

transport and warehousing networks to - 

gether with the industry solutions developed 

in-house for industrial and consumer goods. 

In order to meet the different demands on 

logistics for industrial goods and foodstuffs, 

Dachser also operates two separate overland 

Eurohub: intelligent nodal points 

are the lifeblood of the Dachser network 


We create the world’s most intelligent combination 

hh and integration of logistical network services. 

We optimize the logistics balance sheet of our customers 

networks. “Individualizing our standards to 

take account of various industry structures 

optimizes logistics processes with respect 

to enhanced quality, transparency and cost 

efficiency,” explains Alfred Miller, managing 

director Dachser Food Logistics. Michael 

Schilling adds: “To create value chains using 

internationalized collaborative networks the 

transport and IT networks need to work in 

perfect harmony.” And there is a good reason 

for this: in a globalized world, characterized 

by increasing complexity, a world in which 

it is difficult to distinguish between market 

risks and market opportunities, outsourcing 

and, increasingly, contract logistics, are seen 

as the ideal way to create future-proof value 

chains. The key to success is the maturity of 

the network. 

Globally networked 

In the logistics industry there are only a 

handful of network operators that are able to 

implement their business model truly comprehensively 

and reliably, across the globe, on 

this basis. Dachser’s high degree of network 

maturity is evident, amongst other things, 

from the way in which the customers and 

our proprietary IT systems are involved in 

INFO 

Core components 

of Dachser’s 

business model 

Network maturity 

Proprietary IT systems 

Integration of global supply 

chains 

Continual optimization of 

contract logistics solutions 

Independence and financial 

strength as a family-owned 

company 

Decentralized, entrepreneurial 

organization 

Tracking & Tracing through Dachser’s 

IT solutions, “Domino” and “Mikado”. This 

enables us to tailor consignment planning 

and tracing, as well as the entire warehousing 

operation, to our customers’ needs. Even 

greater integration and standardization is the 

objective of Dachser’s “Othello” software, 

which is currently under development and 

will then be implemented in the Air & Sea 

Logistics branch offices. “This will enable 

us to give our customers even more transparency 

about their logistics processes,” explains 

Thomas Reuter, managing director of 

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics. He believes 

that true integration improves, accelerates 

and simplifies logistics processes, thus creating 

more added value for customers. 

These initiatives are consistent with 

Dachser’s long- and medium-term strategies 

for the European Logistics, Food Logistics 

and Air & Sea Logistics business fields. 

The concept for air and sea freight is, 

for example, known as “Global 2.0”. “In the 

growth area of Air & Sea Logistics we want

European Logistics is the centrepiece 

of Dachser’s business model 

to double revenue from 1.1 billion euros in 

2011 to 2.2 billion euros in 2017,” explains 

Thomas Reuter. To achieve this objective, 

the number of employees is set to increase 

from 3,200 to 5,000 and the network is set 

to grow from the present 28 countries to 

49, with 220 branch offices instead of the 

present 141. “The air and sea freight business 

remains an important growth driver. Air 

& Sea Logistics will undoubtedly continue 

to grow as a proportion of the business as 

a whole up until 2017,” confirms the head 

of Dachser’s management board, Bernhard 

Simon. 

Simon believes that intercontinental supply 

chain solutions will be a particular source of 

momentum for Dachser’s future strategy: 

“Globally standardized and closely integrated 

transport management systems offer 

customers a seamless and transparent flow 

of information with high-quality data. And 

that is true regardless of the location or 

the means of transport.” A vision becomes 

reality: Processes, systems and – most im - 

portantly of all – people can offer global 

services at all of our locations around the 

world in a homogeneous network for industry 

and retail. 

People at the heart 

A critical factor in all strategies for the future 

and opportunities on the market is demographic 

change. In the industrialized nations, 

the ageing of the population and the decline 

in the birth rate are already causing a 

skills shortage. And not just amongst highly 

qualified staff. “In the Nordic countries the 

proportion of high school graduates is now 

75%. In such a context drivers and warehouse 

specialists become the bottleneck,” says 

Bernhard Simon. To counter the shortage 

of drivers and skilled workers, which is set to 

become even more acute in the future, 

Dachser is implementing a targeted training 

initiative. “The only way to tackle the skills 

shortage is to invest in our own training 

and continuing professional development 

programmes.” 

This is why, for example, Dachser has worked 

together with its transport subcontractors 

to set up its own training programme for 

professional drivers. In addition, the logis - 

tics provider is introducing the successful 

German model of dual training at various 

European locations. “Our own continuing 

professional development institute, the 

Dachser Academy in Cologne, is also being 

given more of an international face, enabling 

us to pass our know-how on to our employees 

more intensively, wherever they work 

in the world,” adds Bernhard Simon. 

“Successful, globally active companies,” 

advises Professor Göbl, chair in Logistics ‡ 

COVER STORY 

The markets have 

become much more 

volatile. For Dachser 

this means even 

higher quality management 

of the network 

and the processes. 

DACHSER magazine 07

COVER STORY 

Air & Sea Logistics is a growth driver 

at Dachser... 


...along global supply chains

Dr Andreas Froschmayer, 

head of Dachser’s Corporate 

Development & PR division 

and Business Management at Kempten 

University, “adapt to developments in the 

global economy at their individual locations, 

know what their core competences are and 

combine their forces, whether it is in the 

country of origin or in new markets.” Those 

who are setting the pace in the globalization 

process are therefore companies with an 

international presence, who understand the 

value of a local presence, while creating 

synergies between countries. Dr Andreas 

Froschmayer, Dachser’s head of corporate 

development, believes that, “decentrally 

organized companies, who regard themselves 

as learning organizations and have 

established themselves as such, are the ones 

best placed to generate valuable growth in 

these market conditions and to continue to 

grow sustainably.” 

You cannot assess companies’ future 

prospects solely on the basis of how likely 

they are to grow. “Supplies of raw materials 

like oil and water may run out in the foreseeable 

future,” says Professor Göbl. “The fight 

for scarce resources will probably intensify 

further between 2020 and 2030.” Is the outlook 

for logistics just as bad? Dr Andreas 

Froschmayer, who together with Professor 

Göbl recently published the well-regarded 

study “The Power of Logistics” (Gabler- 

Verlag, 2011), looks to the future with con - 

fidence: “I believe that, thanks to techno - 

logical progress, solutions for alternative 

technologies, such as energy-saving and 

low-emission powertrains, will be on the 

market by 2030.” 

At home in the family 

Whether a business model is fit for the future 

also always depends on the type of company 

and the ownership structure. Family-owned 

companies usually pursue long-term objectives, 

rather than being driven by a hectic 

cycle of quarterly figures and shareholders’ 

expectations. Dachser’s considered response 

to the consequences of the financial and economic 

crisis of 2008/09 is a good example 

Only if you study 

hh the future can you 

shape it for the better 

of this. Despite the backdrop of economic 

collapse and falling revenue in the individual 

business fields, the company remained on 

track, both in the crisis year and in sub - 

sequent years, and continued to invest (as 

appropriate) both in extending the network 

and in retaining staff. As a result, when he 

presented the company’s figures for 2011, 

Bernhard Simon was able to report robust 

growth (see also p. 10). “Ten percent plus X 

across all divisions: this is the growth corridor 

that we have identified as ideal for sustainable, 

organic growth,” explains Simon. 

According to the head of Dachser’s management 

board, the family-owned company 

has firm financial foundations and is therefore 

fit for the future. “We are in a position 

to keep pace with market growth and the 

evolving requirements of our customers.” 

The company’s equity ratio is around 41%, 

meaning that “we have sufficient liquidity 

to finance growth in the coming years for 

the benefit of our customers,” Simon points 

out. Reinvesting company profits is an 

essential part of the growth strategy. This 

will enable Dachser to invest around 1.3 

billion euros over the next five years, mostly 

in the European overland network, but also 

in the growth of air and sea freight activities. 

Professor Martin Göbl is also convinced that 

this is money well spent. “Logistics has huge 

potential,” the business administration expert 

believes. “It is becoming an increasingly important 

link between participants in the 

goods chain in the individual countries and 

therefore a decisive factor in the worldwide 

division of labour.” 

Constantly reinventing itself 

But which compass should growth follow? 

“Growth is not an end in itself,” stresses 

Bernhard Simon. “Like the markets and 

market conditions we are constantly reinventing 

ourselves. It is this dynamic process that 

transforms growth into quality and sustainable 

prospects for the future.” This makes it 

all the more important for all of the employ- 

Dachser in figures 2011 

Revenue in euros 

2.6 

bn 

Proportion of the group 

COVER STORY 

European Logistics 

Food Logistics 

Air & Sea Logistics 

+ 8,3% 

Increase on 2010 

+ 16% + 17% 

26% 

Air & Sea Logistics 

555 

m 

61% 

European Logistics 

13% 

1.1 

bn 

Food Logistics 

ees to understand what makes Dachser 

unique. “Ultimately our customers benefit, 

because they gain first-hand experience of us 

as highly performing and reliable partners.” 

According to the head of the management 

board, working together with customers and 

coordinating the individual processes makes 

it possible to speed up the supply chain, 

reduce stocks and therefore cut capital tieup 

costs. “The result is increased logistics 

quality.” The scenario does not seem so 

very far away after all: “Logistopolis” is 

approaching. M. Schick 

DACHSER magazine 09

FORUM: PEOPLE & MARKETS 

Press conference in Munich: 

Bernhard Simon 

Key figures 

Revenue: € 4.3 bn 

(+ 13%) 

Staff: 21,000 

(+ 1,750) 

Performance figures 

Tonnage: 37.1 million t 

(+ 4.5%) 

Consignments: 49.3 million 

(+ 6.7%) 

Global 2.0 

Number of country organizations 

28 

2011 


49 

2017 

Revenue growth 

10 PLUS X 

Logistics is in greater demand worldwide than ever before. 

Intercontinental trade in particular is stimulating growth. Bernhard Simon, 

head of the Dachser management board, in an interview about efficient 

networks, targets and new strategies at Dachser. 

Mr Simon, Dachser recorded renewed 

growth in 2011. How do you assess the 

development of revenue? 

Dachser generated consolidated revenue of 

4.3 billion euros in 2011, which is a plus of 

13 percent over the previous year. After 

the dip in 2009 as a result of the global 

economic crisis, we again recorded doubledigit 

growth for the second year running. 

However, following the 19 percent rise in 

2010, we are now returning to the corridor 

that we believe to be ideal for our business 

model. 10+X is Dachser’s formula for our 

targeted revenue development. 

What are your expectations for the current 

business year? 

Dachser is also targeting new records in 2012. 

Our investment volume for the next five 

years will remain at 1.3 billion euros. This 

money will be used to make our networks 

even more efficient. 

What does that imply for employee figures? 

With 21,000 employees at the end of 2011 

this figure reached a historical high. In 2011 

we created over 1,000 jobs in Germany and 

trained 1,200 young people. Outside Germany 

we generated an additional 700 jobs. 

Global 2.0 is the name of a new strategy 

at Dachser. What is behind it? 

This is another milestone on 

our way towards creating the 

world’s most intelligent combination 

and integration of logistical 

network services. Global 

2.0 stands for the expansion of our 

Air & Sea Logistics. However, this in 

no way implies a restruc turing of the 

group. We continue to place importance 

on the stable development of all three of 

Dachser’s business fields. 

What targets are you setting for Dachser 

Air & Sea Logistics? 

In the coming five years we are aiming to 

double the current annual revenue in the Air 

& Sea Logistics business field of 1.1 billion 

euros to 2.2 billion euros. It is planned to raise 

the number of employees from 3,200 to 

around 5,000. We want to expand our 

network from 28 countries today to 49 and 

operate 220 branch offices instead of the 

present 141. Air and sea freight will therefore 

continue to be our main engine of growth 

in the coming years.

GROWTH 

JUBILEE 

50 years in the family 


Not an everyday event: in March Josef Baier from the Memmingen branch 

office celebrated his 50-year jubilee at Dachser. On 12 March 1962, the 

then 22-year-old from the Allgäu region joined the company as a driver of tow 

vehicles. In those days a 60-hour week was normal. Much has changed in 

the interim. For Dachser, the branch offices, the fleet, the staff... But one 

thing has always remained the same: the close association between Josef 

Baier and the Dachser family enterprise. Congratulations! 

The Dachser fleet also reflects 

the company’s history 

Discovering the Dachser world: 

Josef Baier on the move 

DACHSER magazine 11


E-mobile 

CHARGED UP 

SPRINTERS 

Green is the colour of joy: at least in an electric car. Because when the lights 

turn green the charged up sprinters leave even the most powerful sportscars 

behind. The reason: while a combustion engine first has to rev up, an electric 

engine delivers its maximum torque and maximum power from standstill. 

It is also much more efficient. The German Association of the Automotive 

Industry (VDA) calculates that good combustion engines today convert up 

to 50 percent of the chemical energy consumed into mechanical energy. 

Electric engines on the other hand achieve almost 100 percent. And can 

even convert kinetic energy into reusable electrical energy. This way, every 

set of traffic lights becomes a reason to celebrate. 


IN BRIEF 

From January 2013, all Dachser 

locations in Germany will be exclusively 

supplied with certified green electricity 

from hydropower. With an eye to its 

sustainability targets and CO 2 footprint, 

Dachser has signed a corresponding 

agreement to this effect with RWE. 

Traffic accounted for 

70% 

of the world’s oil consumption 

in 2011. As things currently 

stand, our oil reserves will only 

last for another 40 years. 

Traffic experts from McKinsey 

see the future of mobility 

in a mix of different 

engine concepts. For trucks, 

combustion engines and 

hybrids remain in demand. 

Drive systems 2030: 

36% Combustion engine 

35% Hybrid drive 

27% Electric drive 

2% Fuel cell

Lift trucks 

FULL POWER 

Developers of lift trucks are 

increasingly focusing on innovative 

concepts. Dachser has recently tested a battery 

prototype based on lithium-ion technology. 

André Bilz from Technical Purchasing/Technology & Movables 

at Dachser in Kempten describes his experiences. 

Lift trucks set the pace in the warehouse. 

Standstills are practically out of the question. 

Especially when it comes to more powerful 

and efficient drive technology, ergonomics, 

vehicle handling or innovative concepts such 

as regenerative braking. However, so far little 

attention has been given to battery technology, 

with most vehicles still using leadacid 

batteries. They have a high dead weight 

and long charging cycles. What’s more, 

they also contain large amounts of lead – 

a toxic heavy metal. For environmental 

reasons alone an alternative solution is called 

for. That’s why Dachser‘s Technology/ 

Movables department in Kempten, together 

with the Hof branch office, has field tested 

a battery prototype based on lithium-ion 

technology in a standard vehicle. The results 

so far are excellent: operating times of almost 

two shifts with a single battery charge are 

LITHIUM 

realistic. The charging time for a full battery 

charge is reduced from seven hours (leadacid 

battery) to around 2.5 to three hours. 

This means shorter downtimes and opportunity 

charges within shorter time slots are 

possible. The stated aim is to achieve 2-shift 

operation with a single battery charge in 

future. Vehicle handlers also praised the 

energy output, which remained constant 

until the battery was empty. For Dachser 

this would mean that the number of existing 

battery pools could be significantly reduced, 

resulting in lower maintenance outlay. 

Conclusion: lithium-ion batteries in 

industrial applications are still too expensive. 

Due to their significant advantages and 

ongoing intensive research into this technology, 

an affordable serial concept could 

however be possible in as little as one to 

two years. 

is a chemical element with the symbol Li. The 

name is derived from the Ancient Greek “líthos” 

(stone), because unlike sodium and potassium 

the element was discovered in stone. Lithium is a 

light metal and has the lowest density of the solid 

elements under standard conditions. 

INFO 


Why lithium-ion 

batteries? 

The advantages: 

higher battery life, less frequent 

battery changing 

significantly lower charging 

times to partly or fully charge the 

battery 

full amount of energy until 

empty, i.e. constant driving and 

operating speed throughout 

the entire discharge cycle 

small space requirement – 

opportunity to produce smaller 

and more versatile vehicles 

DACHSER magazine 13

COMPETENCE: DACHSER B2C LOGISTICS 

GOING THE 

FINAL MILE FOR 

QUALITY 

Special requirements demand special solutions: 

with the B2C solution, Dachser offers business 

customers ways to meet additional requirements 

in the future, such as deliveries to private customers 

or assembly. An interview with Jens Müller, division 

manager Network Management/Organization 

at Dachser, and Johannes Neumann, managing 

director Dachser & Kolb, about a promising concept. 

Dachser’s strong 

European transport 

network builds 

the foundation for 

successful B2C 

solutions 


Mr Müller, what prompted Dachser to 

tackle the topic “B2C solution”? 

Jens Müller: Buying patterns in our so ciety 

are changing and with them so are customers’ 

demands on logistics. This starts with 

manufacturers who previously mainly supplied 

retailers, but who are now exploiting 

direct sales channels, for example via ecommerce 

or stationary retail facilities. 

The Dachser B2C Logistics solution takes 

account of this development. 

What precisely is behind the new concept? 

J. Müller: The project contract was to 

optimally combine our core competence in 

groupage with the new additional requirements 

of our customers for supplementary 

services. The objective was to leverage the 

strengths of our network with its high 

quality standards, regulations and IT possibilities 

to meet customer requirements, and 

in particular offer existing customers a solution 

for the “final” mile. 

What will the workflow look like? 

J. Müller: Collection from customers, transshipment 

and main transport take place in 

the usual manner via our network. However, 

the goods are not delivered direct to the 

final customer, but to the network partners 

of Dachser & Kolb, who assume last-mile 

delivery with all necessary notifications and 

of course the desired supplementary services. 

Mr Neumann: Who is Dachser & Kolb? 

Johannes Neumann: Dachser & Kolb is 

a removals and furniture shipping company 

that was founded in Wangen as a joint 

venture by Thomas Dachser and Georg 

Kolb over 50 years ago (1959). Via our six 

branch offices in Germany and additional 

22 partner depots, we are able to meet the 

highest demands in furniture logistics and 

2-man delivery throughout the whole of 

Germany and Austria. The above-mentioned 

supplementary services such as packaging 

and assembly services are part of our core 

competences.

Johannes Neumann (left) 

and Jens Müller outside Dachser’s 

head office in Kempten 

What were the particular challenges of the 

new solution? 

J. Müller: The decisive factor was to lead 

the concept to success in our customers’ 

interests without compromising on the 

need for network-compatible processes. The 

basis for the solution therefore lies in our 

standard network workflows. The final mile 

is provided by Dachser & Kolb because it 

already offers a broad range of supplementary 

services. 

J. Neumann: We are targeting all customers 

requiring such additional services. 

For example, customers entrust us with 

deliveries of a wide range of groupage 

products, and make particular demands on 

the deliv ery process. As well as 2-man 

delivery and on-site assembly, this also 

encompasses the management of returns, 

including packaging. 

J. Müller: The close collaboration with 

Dachser & Kolb creates ideal prerequisites 

for this, especially when B2B customers 

request supplementary services on delivery. 

For example when a workshop requires 

shelf units to be built up on the spot or an 

insurance company takes delivery of new 

office chairs on the top floor and needs 

presentation boards and TV flatscreens 

screwed to the wall. 

What implications does entering the B2C 

sector have for Dachser? Does this mean 

a move in the direction of parcel deliveries? 

J. Müller: No, definitely not. Dachser B2C 

Logistics is really just an extension of our 

COMPETENCE: DACHSER B2C LOGISTICS 

range of services. Although today we have 

interfaces to almost all parcel service operators, 

the groupage network is still the backbone 

of our business. We are not looking to 

start delivering parcels to private customers. 

What can both companies do better 

together than alone? 

J. Müller: Dachser has a strong network 

with standardized processes and services. 

This robust platform provides the foundation 

for our integrated deliveries to private customers, 

together with Dachser & Kolb. 

J. Neumann: Our last-mile service allows 

us to ideally meet our consignee customers’ 

special requirements and in this way make a 

small contribution to occupying this niche 

for the benefit of Dachser customers. 

DACHSER magazine 15

COMPETENCE: RESEARCH & TEACHING 

Sustainability delivers. At least this is the case when companies develop 

sustainable products and processes simultaneously. Insights into the research 

of Professor Julia Wolf from the Dachser Chair of Sustainable Logistics. 

For Dachser one 

of the most important 

aspects in promoting 

the professorship is 

to bring young people 

into contact with 

sustainability at an 

early stage. 


SIMULTANEOUSLY 

DOING 

GOOD 

hThe best way to persuade companies 

to do something good for the environment 

is to explain to them how sustain - 

ability can help them increase their revenues 

and boost profits. Naturally, the academic 

world is therefore also concerned with 

precisely the question: What does sustainability 

actually deliver? Unfortunately, recent 

research findings are rather sobering: consumers 

are only to a limited extent prepared 

to pay more for sustainable products or 

services and there is little evidence that 

they produce strategic competitive advan- 

tages. So, what next? Together with academics 

from Russia and the USA, in particular 

Professor Richard Germain, we at the 

Dachser Chair of Sustainable Logistics and 

Supply Chain Management in Wiesbaden 

have examined this question in more detail. 

In doing so, we differentiated between 

different kinds of sustainability and corporate 

success. Sustainability can on the one 

hand be anchored in production processes. 

Examples of this are saving water or energy 

and the prevention of waste during product 

manufacturing.

hh Sustainable 

products improve 

a company’s production 

output, but not its market 

success Prof. Dr Julia Wolf 

Evaluating costs 

On the other hand, companies can devise 

totally new products that have less or even no 

adverse effect on the environment – either 

during manufacture or use. One (desirable) 

example of this would be an emission-free car 

that can be one-hundred percent recycled 

when it reaches the end of its product life 

cycle. Sustainable processes would there - 

fore appear to lower costs, but sustainable 

products presumably increase costs because 

they require investments in research and 

development. It makes sense therefore to 

examine the two concepts separately. Our 

academic team analysed data from nearly 

Thinking out of the box: 

series production 

of “domestic power 

plants” at Volkswagen 

Motorenwerk Salzgitter 

PERSONAL FILE 

800 companies and looked at how these 

two kinds of sustainability impact production 

and market success. The results show that 

eco-friendly process improvements positively 

influence production output. Costs are 

lowered and quality further enhanced. However, 

this does not have any impact on the 

market. Interestingly, the results also prove 

the same for the development of sustainable 

products: they improve a company’s production 

output, but not its market success. 

COMPETENCE: RESEARCH & TEACHING 

Professor Dr Julia Wolf is junior professor 

at the Dachser Chair of Sustainable Logistics 

and Supply Chain Management at the Department 

for Strategy, Organization & Leadership 

of the EBS Business School in Wiesbaden. 

Her latest research goal is to assess the 

sustainability performance of logistics providers 

and examine ethical aspects of international 

supplier integration. 

So is this as far as it goes with environmental 

protection? No! The most interesting outcome 

of the study is that companies that 

simultaneously develop sustainable processes 

and products apparently build very companyspecific, 

unique competences which allow 

them to differentiate from their competitors. 

Consequently, a company that strives to 

develop both competences simultaneously 

increases its own success in the market. So 

sustainability delivers after all! 

DACHSER magazine 17

COMPETENCE: AIR & SEA LOGISTICS 

ENERGY 

BOOST 

FOR SALMON 


Eco-friendly production 

of feed for salmon farming 

in Chile: in an ambitious 

transport project, Dachser 

organized the special transport 

of a state-of-the-art biomass 

power plant from Denmark.

Sergio Matamala, 

sea coordinator 

at Dachser Chile 

hA new biomass plant for the pro - 

duction of fish feed for the Chilean 

salmon farming industry is intended in future 

to enhance the growth of this popular breed 

of fish. With this aim in mind, fish feed 

producers Salmofood Chile specially commissioned 

a state-of-the-art plant from the 

Danish manufacturer Justsen Energiteknik 

A/S. In an environmentally sound manner 

the plant will generate steam needed for 

the manufacture of industrially engineered 

feeds containing vegetable proteins, which 

even the otherwise carniverous predator fish 

find palatable. 

The highly efficient plant runs without 

fossil fuels such as oil or coal and can be fired 

with waste products such as wood shavings, 

wood dust and pellets as well as branches 

and brushwood. As well as having positive 

effects for the environment, the Chilean fish 

feed producers are hoping the plant will 

allow them to cut the amount of energy 

needed for production by up to 80 percent 

and as a result significantly reduce costs. 

Plenty of good reasons, therefore, to undertake 

shipping of the 60.5-tonne consignment 

comprising a pressure tank, the furnace for 

the biomass as well as accessories and replacement 

parts. 

Intercontinental coordination 

Dachser Chile and Dachser Denmark 

jointly carried out this ambitious transport 

project in early February. The division of 

tasks between Europe and South America 

functioned without a hitch. Lisa Damlund, 

sea export manager at Dachser, coordinated 

the carriage by sea from Denmark. The 

journey started in the small Danish town of 

Brabrand. From here the route went via the 

port of Århus by ship to San Vicente in 

Chile and finally overland to Salmofood’s 

headquarters on the island of Chiloé in the 

southern part of the Andean country. Sergio 

Matamala, sea coordinator at Dachser Chile, 

assumed responsibility for onward transport 

We were waiting 

hh at the port 

to take delivery of the freight 

and accompanied the heavy goods load to 

its destination on the island of Chiloé. “We 

were waiting at the port to take delivery of 

the freight and expediently and efficiently 

handle all customs and import formalities,” 

Matamala says. “We were supported in this 

by our dedicated logistics management, 

which is absolutely decisive in the case of 

such oversized special consignments.” 

For Sebastian Solter from the manufacturing 

company EcalSur the job was not finished 

upon delivery. “Assembly and installation will 

take another five months before the plant is 

ready to go into operation,” he said following 

delivery. Good prospects. For the environment. 

And for the hungry salmon. 

Pellets for a sustainable 

biomass concept 

COMPETENCE: AIR & SEA LOGISTICS 

With production of 

65 million tonnes of 

farmed seafood a year 

worth 60 billion euros, 

aquaculture is one 

of the fastest-growing 

food segments. 

DACHSER magazine 19

COMPETENCE: EUROPEAN LOGISTICS 

HAND IN HAND 

Building on construction sites: since early last year, 

Dachser has transported bonding and sealing 

agents, among other products, for Sika Germany. 

Some 73,000 orders a year. 

hThat’s not something you 

see every day. To mark the 

beginning of the new partner - 

ship, three Sika representatives 

visited the Dachser branch office 

and greeted every single staff 

member individually with a handshake: 170 

in Rottenburg and 300 in Kornwestheim. 

They brought along small gifts and cele - 

brated the kick-off of the new collaboration 

with the logistics provider together with 

staff from Dachser. “The fact that a member 

of our management team came along also 

went down well,” notes Gordon Kamuf, purchasing 

manager at Sika Germany, based 

in Stuttgart-Stammheim. Germany’s largest 

Sika plant produces floor coatings and 

products for corrosion protection. Architects, 

builders and tradespeople the world over 

know the Swiss enterprise as a manufacturer 

of innovative, high-quality speciality chemicals 

for the building and construction indus- 

Gordon Kamuf, 

purchasing manager 

at Sika Germany 


try. For the past year, Dachser 

has been collecting Sika products 

from the company’s production 

plants in Sarnen, Switzerland, 

and Illertissen, Bavaria, as well 

as the facilities in Cologne and 

Stuttgart and delivering them to construction 

sites across Germany. “We bring together 

the goods flows from Sarnen and 

Illertissen at our 5,400-square-metre cross 

docking platform in Rottenburg am Neckar. 

Here we consolidate the products for customized 

dispatch to the construction sites,” 

explains sales manager Andreas Mayntz 

from Dachser’s branch office in Kornwestheim. 

In Rottenburg alone this adds up to 

some 5,000 orders annually that are delivered 

on time to the construction sites. 

A dedicated network 

In total, Dachser handles around 73,000 

orders a year for Sika Germany. In addition 

We wanted 

hh to be independent of 

the fluctuating volumes 

of available freight capacity 

to the 5,000 orders in Rottenburg, around 

53,000 shipments are processed in Korn - 

westheim near Stuttgart. The partly flamm - 

able liquids in ADR dangerous goods class 3 

are delivered to the construction sites via 

the Dachser network within the shortest 

possible time. “In individual cases also at 

specified times, for example if a crane or 

assembly operators are waiting on site,” 

says Mayntz. 

Around 15,000 additional orders for roof 

sealing products from Sika Roofing are 

handled by Dachser’s Cologne branch office. 

Dachser is in the meantime also responsible 

for deliveries within France for Sika France 

from its location in Gournay-en-Bray. 

“During the tendering procedure over a 

year ago, which initially only concerned the 

production facility in Stuttgart-Stammheim 

and the central distribution warehouse in 

Stuttgart-Weilimdorf, network performance 

and quality were important considerations,” 

comments Andreas Mayntz. “Yes, we were 

looking for a partner that did not belong to 

a freight forwarding association, but that 

works with a dedicated network and branch 

offices of its own,” Gordon Kamuf adds. “We 

wanted to be independent of the fluctuating 

volumes of available freight capacity.”All 

parties involved at both Dachser and Sika are 

highly satisfied with the present solution: 

“It has been a collaboration based on partnership 

from the word go,” says Gordon Kamuf. 

It is simply good chemistry. S. Machens 

INFO 

Sika AG, Switzerland, is a globally 

leading manufacturer of speciality 

chemicals as well as industrial 

processing materials used in 

sealing and bonding. The Sika 

Deutschland GmbH subsidiary 

based in Stuttgart has six production 

facilities across Germany 

as well as centres of excellence 

for research and development. 

It generates annual revenue 

of approximately EUR 550 million 

with a staff of around 1,200. 

F 

www.sika.de

INTERNATIONAL 

PRESS 

REVIEW 

CP Monitor, March 2012 

Communicating at eye level 

MEDIA REVIEW 

The Corporate Publishing journal comments on the new look of the Dachser magazine 

and quotes Dr Christian Fill, managing director of Burda Creative Group and the logistics 

provider’s publishing partner: “With Dachser we are pursuing the ambitious goal – 

motivated by the history of the company and the magazine – to communicate with the 

very heterogeneous target groups at eye level and keep them up to date with developments 

and trends in the industry and within the family-owned company.” 

Deutsche Verkehrszeitung, April 2012 

Dynamism at the foot of the Sugar Loaf 

The DVZ confirms the successful development of Dachser Brazil in a difficult economic 

climate. “Based in Campinas near São Paulo, the company recorded revenue growth of 

13 percent in 2011, whereas the gross domestic product of Brazil as a whole only 

grew by a meagre 2.7 percent.” Dachser country manager Joachim Kohl is targeting 

growth of 20 percent for 2012: “If the exchange rate remains stable, imports – our biggest 

segment – will continue to boom,” the trade journal quotes him as saying. 

Handelsblatt, April 2012 

Soundly financed company 

Following presentation of its 2011 business figures, the biggest German-language economic 

and financial daily sees Dachser on a continued course of expansion. “Dachser’s 

steadfastness and the perseverance with which it enters new markets are the company’s 

hallmarks. With an equity ratio of 41 percent, the company has a sound financial base.” 

Frankfurter Allgemeine, April 2012 

Well-positioned for ambitious plans 

The FAZ also believes Dachser’s operating figures are testimony to the company’s strong 

position. “The ambitious plans in the field of international operations are exposing the 

family-owned company from Kempten to more intensified competition with globally 

operating listed logistics groups such as DHL, Kühne + Nagel or Panalpina. Dachser has 

so far performed very well.” 

Financial Times Deutschland, April 2012 

Expansion instead of restructuring 

The FTD writes about the expansion of Air & Sea Logistics at Dachser: “However, 

these plans do not herald a fundamental restructuring of the company. The lion’s share of 

the investments planned up until 2017 is earmarked for the traditional, capital-intensive 

pillars overland transport and food logistics.” 

Eurotransport, April 2012 

Air and sea freight are driving force 

With a view to the targeted double-digit revenue growth, the portal considers air and 

sea freight to be the “driving force” of growth at Dachser. “This segment has thus become 

the second mainstay of business alongside the company’s core activity, overland goods 

transport within Europe.” 

DACHSER magazine 21

COMPETENCE: DACHSER CHEM-LOGISTICS 


PURE 

WATER 

The chemical industry places very high demands on logistics. 

That’s why from January this year Best Water Technology (BWT), 

Europe’s leading water technology company, became 

a customer of Dachser France.

hWater is the elixir of life and a finite 

precious resource. Of the world’s water 

reserves on our blue planet, 97.6 percent is 

salt water and 1.5 percent is frozen as glaciers, 

ice caps and snow. Even freshwater reserves 

cannot be unconditionally used as drinking 

water. Merely 0.6 percent of all water supplies 

can be used for this purpose. Consequently, 

the demand for water treatment systems 

will continue to rise in future along with the 

world’s growing population. Drinking water 

and mineral water is already treated and 

processed in many places, as is special pharmaceutical 

and process water, heating, boiler, 

cooling and air conditioning water as well as 

water for swimming pools. Europe’s market 

leader is the Best Water Technology group 

(BWT), headquartered in Mondsee, Austria. 

The company employs a staff of 2,800 at 

70 international subsidiaries and holdings. 

“Today the Best Water Technology Group 

is Europe’s leading water technology company 

offering products for the point of entry 

and the point of use,” says Bruno Guillard, 

Dachser Chem-Logistics product manager 

in France. 

The headquarters of BWT France is located 

in Saint Denis near Paris. As well as an 

administrative building, the complex includes 

a production and logistics plant with 

research and development facilities. “At one 

plant we manufacture turnkey water treatment 

systems tailored to our customers’ 

technical specifications,” explains François ‡ 


Water is the elixir of life – 

and one of the most important 

raw materials of the future 

DACHSER magazine 23


Global water reserves 

Merely 0.6% of all water supplies can be used as drinking water! 

Dachser transports 

2.5 million dangerous 

goods consignments 

per year in compliance 

with the “European 

Agreement concerning 

the international 

Carriage of Dangerous 

Goods by Road” (ADR). 


97.6% 

0.8% 

0.1% 

1.5% 

SALTWATER 

GROUND WATER 

SURFACE WATER 

GLACIERS / 

ICE / SNOW 

Kieffer, purchasing and logistics manager at 

BWT. “At this location we also produce 

water softening units for households, industry 

and building technology as well as filter 

systems.” These products are destined for 

the French market, as well as a number of 

other European countries. The majority of 

the articles produced by BWT in France are 

temporarily stored in Saint Denis. Only 

chemical products subject to special permits 

are stored at a correspondingly equipped 

warehouse several hundred kilometres northeast 

of Paris. 

Dangerous goods in safe hands 

“We were looking for a logistics provider 

capable of reliably and safely supplying 

our 5,000 customers with both standard 

products and dangerous goods,” François 

Kieffer recalls. BWT France serves customers 

ranging from very small firms to 

DIY and garden centres such as Leroy 

Merlin, as well as major pharmaceutical 

companies and even the oil industry. “The 

collaboration with Dachser Chem-Logistics 

was launched in January in strict compliance 

with the stringent regulations governing 

the carriage of dangerous goods by road 

Drinking Water 


Mineral Water 


Process Water 

Purified and Highly 

Purified Water 

Source: BWT 

(ADR),” comments Bruno Guillard. Dachser 

collects around 18,000 consignments per 

year from the two BWT distribution centres 

near Paris and delivers them to customers. 

Exports play an important role. Apart from 

customers in France, Dachser also delivers 

to the Belgian and Dutch markets served 

by BWT’s affiliated companies, as well as 

to Luxembourg and a number of other 

European countries. 

“Although we only began networking our 

customized “Reflex” warehouse management 

system with Dachser’s “Domino” forwarding 

software at the beginning of December, 

we were nevertheless able to start operational 

activities on 2 January,” says Bruno Guillard, 

pleased at having cleared the first hurdle 

so smoothly. His contact partner at BWT 

France, François Kieffer, is extremely satisfied 

with the cooperation and says: “The 

way Dachser responds whenever a problem 

occurs, offering gap-free shipment traceability 

where necessary, also qualifies the 

company for other segments of the BWT 

group in future.” There is definitely no shortage 

of work, because global demand for 

water treatment products and systems will 

continue to rise in future. S. Machens

BWT combines research 

into water safety... 

...with innovative 

technology... 

...and treatment solutions 


INFO 

Dachser Chem-Logistics 

Dachser Chem-Logistics is a 

specialized industry solution for 

the chemical industry that combines 

the internationally operating 

logistics provider’s standardized 

core services – transport, warehousing 

and IT – with industryspecific 

know-how. This includes 

qualified specialist staff, expertise 

in dangerous goods warehousing 

and transport as well as a number 

of locations across Europe 

assessed in accordance with SQAS 

quality criteria. The sum of all 

these parts produces a solution 

specifically tailored to the requirements 

of customers in the 

chemical industry. 

IT networking: Dachser’s IT 

systems support customers in the 

chemical industry with the safe 

handling of their products. This 

includes special IT entry masks for 

dangerous goods and IT-assisted 

control of quantity limits and 

mixed storage prohibitions, as 

well as integration of external 

databases and programs for the 

administration and handling of 

dangerous goods. 

Control: This encompasses 

among other things determining 

and monitoring internal transport 

and mixed loading prohibitions 

with load clearance blocking, the 

identifiability and traceability 

of the loading containers, as well 

as regular vehicle checks and 

loading controls. 

For more information visit 

F 

www.chem-logistics.com 

DACHSER magazine 25

NETWORK 

COMPETENCE 

Combined management force at the 

start of construction in Kladno with (from 

left to right) branch manager Jan Pihar, 

head of the logistics association Martin 

Drábek, deputy mayor Miroslav Bernášek, 

Dachser managing director Michael 

Schilling and country manager Petr Kozel 


UTILIZING THE 

POWER OF THE SUN 

Maximum guaranteed reliability: the demands 

placed on telematics for the position finding of 

swap bodies and semi-trailers are high. Dachser 

Cargoplus has therefore equipped its Maghreb and ferry traffic to Europe with “Mecomo 

GPS solar” tracking systems. “A secure supply of electricity for the tracking modules is 

not always available everywhere,” says Ingo Müller, head of the Innovation and System 

Management/Network Management Organization department at Dachser. “When weak 

radio signals mean that the power packs constantly have to work at maximum reception 

levels in order to locate a network, they quickly become exhaustively discharged. 

Communication is then interrupted and the battery may sustain permanent damage.” This 

has proved to be a problem in particular in the Maghreb states of Tunisia and Morocco 

as well as with ferry traffic and trucks laid up in port. The GPS solar module from the 

Munich-based tracking system specialists utilizes the power of the sun to charge a 

powerful lithium ion battery with high energy reserves. 

MORE SPACE, MORE SERVICE 

Dachser is reinforcing its presence in the Czech Republic. In Kladno near 

Prague the existing facility is being expanded with the addition of a new transit 

terminal for industrial goods and ambient foodstuffs. Up to completion of 

the buildings in November 2012, Dachser is investing a sum in the region of 

9.1 million euros in the approximately 57,000-square-metre expansion site. 

Upon completion of the construction work 14,500 square metres of logistics 

space will be available in total. “Space is not the only decisive factor. 

Above all we are currently investing in further enhancing our service quality, 

which is the prerequisite for future growth,” says Petr Kozel, managing director Dachser 

Czech Republic. “With the expansion of the Kladno branch office, we are laying the foundation 

for sustained further growth of one of our most dynamic country organizations,” says 

Michael Schilling, managing director European Network Management & Logistics Systems 

at Dachser, commenting on the objective of the investment. 

GROWING TIGERS 

Dachser is also continuing to pursue its worldwide expansion 

course (see also p. 10) in the tiger states. At the beginning 

of May, the logistics provider established a joint venture in 

Malaysia. The services provided by Dachser Malaysia Sdn. 

Bhd. range from air and sea freight business to customs 

clearance and other logistics services. The head office and at 

the same time first branch office are located in Subang, near the capital Kuala 

Lumpur. There are also plans to open a second branch office. Preparations are also 

under way to open a country organization in Vietnam lead-managed by Dachser, 

which is expected to start operations within the next three months.

+++ TURKEY IN THE NETWORK +++ Dachser 

Cargoplus is targeting the Turkish growth market. 

This business segment offers services that extend 

beyond Dachser’s classic groupage network, thus 

enabling the company to tap into new markets. 

Dachser’s central branch office in Germany for 

pan-European full-load freight services as well as 

transports to the CIS states and the Maghreb has 

built up a dedicated team of specialists who are 

developing the German market from Memmingen. 

For Wolfgang Haase, Cargoplus division manager 

at Dachser, the benefits for customers are obvious: 

“This will permit more direct departures to customs 

offices not only in Istanbul, increase departure 

frequencies and reduce transit times.” +++ 

NETWORK 

The round has to go into the square – the same goes for Dachser’s betting game 

+++ ON THE BALL +++ When the whole football world turns its attention to the European Championship in Poland and 

the Ukraine, Dachser customers and staff can play along too. Because the Dachser network also operates with the online 

betting game, in which the worldwide community can bet on wins, results or goal differences. Bets among experts are 

possible and welcome. The most football expertise or the greatest luck will win. The top prize will be the new iPad, places 

two to five are each worth an iPod nano. You’ll find all the information at: www.dachser.com +++ 

+++ FRESH COFFEE +++ Dachser Hörsching in Austria 

now handles all warehouse and distribution logistics 

operations for international coffee suppliers illycaffé. 

As part of the deal, some 280 illy articles occupy 500 

pallet spaces at Dachser’s warehouse in Pasching/ 

Upper Austria. The product mix ranges from individual 

espresso spoons to sugar bowls and the finest coffee 

beans. The merchandise is delivered direct to Dachser’s 

distribution centre in Hörsching by the suppliers, for 

example from Italy or Germany. +++ 

DACHSER magazine 27

NETWORK: MEXICO 


Where the action is: 

Mexico combines 

traditional and modern

THE POWER OF THE 

CENTRE 


Mexico is a central hotspot for trade with North 

and South America. Dachser links the aspiring 

emerging economy via its global network. This offers 

particular advantages for European customers. 

hChristian Speit has every reason to 

smile: “Dachser de México is developing 

excellently,” the country manager 

beams and points to a chart on his desk. 

This shows a blue shaded map and a couple 

of bright yellow bar charts. “Since 2008, our 

branch office with a staff of 14 has grown 

into a company with four locations and 46 

employees. Revenue has quadrupled over the 

same period,” says the Dachser country 

manager with pride and rolls up his shirt 

sleeves. Christian Speit, there’s no denying 

it, is highly motivated. Business is flourish - 

ing – a good basis for growth. 

Two of the Dachser offices are located in the 

capital, a third in Querétaro, around 200 ‡ 

DACHSER magazine 29


VOICES 

“The name Mexico is derived from 

‘metztlixihtlico’. ‘Metztli’ means 

moon and ‘xihtli’ hub – so together 

‘in the middle of the moon’, in the 

centre of the world!” 

Tina Claesson, internal sales, 

Dachser Stockholm, Sweden 

“Mexico suggests tacos, 

tortillas, Maya and Aztec temples 

and wonderful beaches.” 

Cindy Harris, ocean import/export specialist, 

Dachser Phoenix, Arizona, USA 

“The first word I associate with 

Mexico is ‘hot’: enthusiastic people, 

football...” 

Cathy Chen, personal assistant to the executive 

director, DACHSER Shanghai, China 

Dachser de México 

also benefits from the 

proximity to Central 

America and the 

Caribbean. In some 

countries such as the 

Dominican Republic, 

Guatemala, Costa Rica 

and Panama cooperation 

agreements with 

local agents have 

already been signed. 


The stock exchange 

in Mexico City is one of the 

largest in Latin America 

kilometres north-west of Mexico City. 

Recently, a sales office was established 500 

kilometres to the west in Guadalajar, a major 

trading centre and important industrial 

location in the west of the Mexican highlands. 

“With our steadily increasing presence 

we are seeking to participate in the growth 

of the emerging markets and new economic 

powers,” Thomas Reuter, managing director 

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics, explains the 

strategy, adding that as an Air & Sea Logistics 

location, Mexico is just as important as 

China, India and Brazil. The up-and-coming 

nation in the heart of the Americas not only 

holds enormous potential for Dachser as a 

logistics provider: with the USA to the 

north and the South American continent 

to the south, the country is geostrategically 

optimally positioned in terms 

of international trade. 

Owing to the Free 

Trade Agreement 

with the USA and 

Canada (NAFTA) established over ten years 

ago, Mexico is regarded by many international 

firms as an important stepping stone 

especially to the lucrative US market. As a 

result of this, the country has experienced a 

significant economic boom during the past 

few years. With a gross domestic product 

(GDP) of around USD 1,000 billion in 

2010, Mexico showed the second-highest 

economic performance in Latin America 

after Brazil. At the same time, the aspiring 

emerging economy is in the meantime the 

world’s second largest trading nation and is 

the seventh largest producer of oil. 

Looking ahead 

The only stumbling block for investors is the 

extreme social inequality and the resulting 

tensions in the country. Almost half of the 

population lives below the national poverty 

line. This situation is exacerbated by contin - 

uing violence, drug criminality, corruption 

and ecocide. Dachser manager Speit is only

Christian Speit, 

country manager 

Dachser de México 

too familiar with the problems. He has lived 

in Mexico since 1998 and is married to a 

Mexican. “Despite all the obstacles, the country 

is looking ahead. The Mexican economy 

is growing again and the currency is stable,” 

the logistics expert stresses. Only during the 

global economic and financial crisis in 2009 

did the economy feel the negative effects of 

the decline in consumer spending in the US. 

In 2011 economic growth had already recov 

ered to just under four percent. For 2012 

and the next few years economists are forecasting 

a plus of five percent and higher. 

The biggest drivers of growth are the automotive 

as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical 

sectors. This goes for Dachser, too: 

“These segments have gained significantly,” 

Speit stresses, “and over the past few years we 

have earned a good name in the marketplace.” 

For Dachser managing director Thomas 

Reuter this development produces exciting 

economies of scale: “Customers from the 

same industry generally have similar logistics 

requirements,” Reuter explains. The automotive 

industry for example expects extremely 

high speed, transparent transport chains, 

international networking of all countries, 

minimal damage ratios, very high delivery 

reliability and ideally active support when it 

comes to realizing potential cost reductions. 

Main buying countries 

(2010, share in percent) 

Others 

9.9 

Germany 

1.2 

Colombia 1.3 

China (PRC) 1.4 

Spain 1.3 

Brazil 1.3 

Canada 3.6 

USA 80.0 

An increasing 

hh number of local 

companies are seeking 

one-stop logistics solutions 

Utilizing synergies 

With the introduction of its industry-based 

key account management in the Air & Sea 

Logistics business field, Dachser is doing this 

in Mexico by increasingly utilizing existing 

synergies and systematically improving the 

knowledge transfer within the company. 

Like this, Dachser is well equipped to meet 

new challenges. These are likely to come in 

particular from the automotive industry, 

traditionally a mainstay of the Mexican economy. 

Car manufacturers such as Chrysler, 

Ford, General Motors, Nissan, Renault and 

Volkswagen all have production facilities in 

Mexico and with annually over two million 

vehicles have in the meantime made the 

country the world’s tenth biggest car produc 

er. The network of suppliers is correspondingly 

wide. Dachser de México offers them 

complete door-to-door services, with goods 

being transported from the manufacturer 

to the customer. All intermediate steps in - 

clusive. For example, the logistics provider 

offers in-demand value added services in 

import and export business such as customs 

clearance, local deliveries, warehousing and 

packaging. 

“In January 2012, we opened a separate sales 

office in Guadalajara,” Speit explains. The 

city is also known as the “Silicon Valley” of 

Main supplying countries 

(2010, share in percent) 

Others 

20.8 

Canada 

2.9 

Germany 3.9 

Japan 5.0 

Korea (RoK) 4.2 

USA 48.1 

China (PRC) 15.1 

Source: German Trade & Invest 

SHORTHAND 

Mexico 

Area: 1.97 million km 2 

Capital: Mexico City 


Mexico. Many foreign companies, including 

Continental Automotive, Flextronics, 

General Electric, Hewlett-Packard, Hella 

KGaA Hueck & Co., IBM, Intel, Oracle or 

Siemens have production facilities in the 

city and its environs. The city also boasts one 

of the country’s major airports after Mexico 

City and Monterrey. Other Dachser locations 

in Monterrey, San Luis Potosi and 

Puebla are planned in the medium term, the 

Dachser manager states. “Furthermore, we 

intend to significantly extend our range of 

services.” Above all he notes a high demand 

for contract logistics. “Local demand is 

continuously growing and an increasing 

number of local companies are seeking 

one-stop logistics solutions,” Speit adds. “We 

are happy to meet this challenge!” Good 

prospects for excellent development. K. Fink 

Population: 112.3 million inhabitants, 

including around 22 million in the 

Mexico City conurbation area 

National language: Spanish 

(plus approximately 62 recognized 

Indio languages) 

Currency: Mexican peso 

Commodities: cocoa, tropical fruits, 

sugar (agrarian), bismuth, lead, 

oil, cadmium, copper, molybdenum, 

silver, zinc, gold (mineral) 

Key exports: electrical machinery 

and materials, vehicles, mineral 

fuels, mechanical apparatus 

DACHSER magazine 31

BUSINESS LOUNGE: DACHSER FACE-TO-FACE 

BERNHARD SIMON MEETS... 

DR RAINER ERB 


Learning from nature: biologists and bionics technicians are allowing 

nature to be their teacher. Dr Rainer Erb, managing director 

of the Bionics Competence Network, BIOKON, talks to the head of 

the Dachser management board about extrapolating business lessons 

from optimization strategies present in living nature. 

In the course 

hh of 3.8 billion years 

of evolution nature’s concepts 

have impressively 

demonstrated that they work 

Dr Rainer Erb 

Mr Simon, globalization is making ever 

higher demands on supply chains and the 

division of labour. What implications does 

this have for the complexity of logistics 

processes? 

Bernhard Simon: Processes are definitely 

becoming more complex. In supply chains 

multiple factors come together that are not 

always predictable. When managing complex 

international supply chains it is almost impossible 

these days to maintain an exhaustive 

overview and have all the available leverage 

at your fingertips to control everything 

down to the last detail. Here, I always find 

it impressive to see how nature copes with 

totally unforeseen events and environmental 

conditions. 

Dr Rainer Erb: This is precisely where 

bionics (or biomimetics) – as an interdisciplinary 

field combing biology and engineering 

– kicks in. We scrutinize the vast reservoir 

of biological structures, processes and 

functional solutions and transfer them into 

scientific, business and societal innovations. 

This also means analysing forms of organization 

and management, as well as processes 

within companies, and comparing them 

with those we find in nature. 

Can you give an example of such a best 

case in nature? 

R. Erb: Take leaf-cutter ants. They cultivate 

a kind of fungus as a nutritional substrate 

and use highly sophisticated strategies to 

organize transport processes and waste management. 

Bionics researchers from Hamburg 

have analysed this and together with the 

company Tchibo have launched a project 

to scrutinize the global value creation pro - 

cess for T-shirt production. The exemplary 

management of the leaf-cutter ants helped 

to save energy and reduce transport-related, 

climate-relevant emissions. 

B. Simon: Such examples from nature confirm 

what we view as the main task of intelligent 

supply chain management: namely 

not only managing individual material and 

information flows, but rather the complex 

interactions and correlations between pro - 

cesses and stakeholders. 

R. Erb: Every life form, every plant, has 

found its own optimized solution to such 

complex challenges. For example when it 

comes to the conservation and further development 

of species. We still take far too little 

advantage of this treasure of nature. And yet 

the criteria for success are the same: what 

is needed above all is flexibility and the 

capacity to learn and repeatedly adapt to 

new conditions. This is just as important 

for a plant as it is for a company. In the course 

of 3.8 billion years of evolution nature’s 

concepts have impressively demonstrated 

that they work. 

B. Simon: Dachser has had the good fortune 

to be able to gain 80 years of experience 

in highly dynamic markets. These 80-something 

years in the company’s history equate 

to thousands of years in nature. During this 

time we have developed a reliable sense of 

where opportunities present themselves, 

but also of where risks and critical limits –

which may not be apparent at first – are to be 

found. It is the knowledge gained from this 

experience that teaches us not to run after 

every potentially good idea or every trend, 

but instead to follow our own evolutionary 

development. 

R. Erb: In nature, survival is the benchmark 

for success. In this context nature views 

threats to living organisms as the rule rather 

than the exception. Organisms must be 

prepared to cope with and respond to crisis 

situations at all times. Those who focus on 

short-term successes, such as shareholder 

value, would not last long in nature. There, 

it’s a constant case of deploying strategies 

to secure future generations. Family enterprises 

generally do the same thing. 

B. Simon: Dachser builds on decentralized, 

self-organizing systems in order to achieve 

these long-term goals. We motivate our inhouse 

service providers to contribute their 

own constructive ideas in their respective 

sphere and to become networked in communication 

circles in which new ideas are born 

every day and they learn from one another. 

Incidentally, a healthy internal rivalry is also 

integral to this process because it significantly 

strengthens our participation in the marketplace 

and helps to generate direct futureoriented 

impulses for the market. 

Dr Erb, what contribution can bionics make 

to resource efficiency? 

R. Erb: A good example of this is a resourceefficient 

bionic innovation that is modelled 

on shark skin and used in shipping. Coating 

the hull of a medium-sized Panamax-class 

container vessel with a bionically developed 

non-toxic anti-fouling film relieves the 

burden on the environment and also leads 

to significant fuel savings of 40 percent. 

Because the coating stops organic substances 

from adhering to the hull and slowing the 

ship down, it has proved possible to lower the 

fuel costs for these vessels by up to 30,000 US 

dollars a day – that is the equivalent of nine 

million dollars a year for just one ship. 

Convincing enough reasons in favour of this 

economically and ecologically motivated 

form of bionics. 

B. Simon: This example demonstrates once 

more that we are only just beginning to 

recognize the full potential for sustainable 

innovations. The Dachser endowed Chair 

of Sustainable Logistics helps us to translate 

this into practice. ‡ 

Bionics specialists 

replicate nature’s innovations 

in technical products 

and processes 


DACHSER magazine 33


Dachser builds 

hhon decentralized, 

self-organizing systems in order 

to achieve long-term goals 



To what extent can evolution provide blueprints 

for innovations within companies? 

R. Erb: One optimization method that 

can be used in bionics is, for example, the 

so-called evolution strategy. This is based 

on a computer-assisted tool for simulating 

the evolution of a product or process optimization 

with a subjective or experimental 

evaluation. Like this it is possible to optimize 

the composition of coffee blends for instance. 

Where otherwise a panel of testers would 

compile the coffee blends according to 

various taste criteria, it is possible with the 

help of modern IT technologies to replicate, 

measure, test and optimize the combination 

and interaction of flavourings and ingredients 

in the laboratory. The result is a perfect 

blend of coffee beans in your cup. 

B. Simon: At Dachser we use this kind of 

algorithmic simulation method for location 

analyses when we are considering the number 

of locations or the implementation of 

a location and networking concept. On 

this basis we build competence teams that 

selectively test how such a complex system 

functions in practice. But because the theory 

is frequently overtaken by unforeseen events 

or market conditions, we also sometimes 

have to be prepared to kill projects and, 

where necessary, completely redesign them. 

That, too, is part of a company’s evolution. 

Dr Erb, the wheel – of such vital importance 

for logistics – was never invented by nature. 

Is progress also possible without bionics? 

R. Erb: The wheel is an excellent invention 

for the road, but rough terrain makes more 

complex demands than simply going round 

and round. Animals would find the wheel 

more of a hindrance than a help. Seen this 

way, it makes more sense to develop machines 

with legs. As an innovation method bionics 

can make this happen. It can’t do everything, 

but it can do some things that little 

bit better. 

q 

To find out how different partners 

learn to interact efficiently in networks 

read the full-length interview at 

www.dachser.com/discussion 

PERSONAL FILE 

Dr Rainer Erb 

completed interdisciplinary 

studies in the natural sciences 

and engineering with a 

degree in biotechnology from 

the Braunschweig Institute of 

Technology. The natural 

sciences PhD graduate is 

managing director of the Bionik 

Kompetenznetz e.V. (BIOKON) 

as well as of BIOKON international, 

the international 

umbrella organization of 

national bionics networks. The 

mission: to leverage bionics 

as a source of ideas and driver 

of technological, business and 

societal innovations. 


spoke with BIOKON’s managing 

director in mid-May. After a 

week of temperatures above 

30 °C, on the day of the 

interview nature once again 

impressively showed how 

important it is for life and 

organizational forms to be able 

to adapt to unexpected con - 

ditions with snow at Dachser’s 

head office in Kempten.

This is Thomas Leyerle’s motto. In order to further 

secure Dachser’s quality lead in Karlsruhe, 

the head of Technology and Fleet Management 

gets behind the wheel himself whenever he’s 

“a man down”. “This is the best way of doing my 

job as fleet manager,” the 57-year-old says. 

“I know all the tours of our branch office and can 

therefore help the drivers to distinguish what is 

possible from the seemingly impossible”. Thanks 

to his own enthusiasm, Thomas Leyerle is both 

a role model and a motivator for trainee drivers. 

GOOD NEWS 

DACHSER magazine 35

WE ALL PLAY BY THE SAME RULES. 

DACHSER European Logistics 

DACHSER stands for one of the most efficient transport networks in Europe and offers 

comprehensive logistics solutions with fast and flexible connections. We all play by the same rules, 

maintain the same high level of quality and work towards the same goal: delivering your shipments 

safely and quickly to their destination. 

www.dachser.com

2/2012

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