Dachser remains on course

Dachser reports strong, organic growth for fiscal year 2015. Consolidated revenue increased by 6.5 percent to EUR 5.64 billion. Shipments rose by 4.0 percent to 78.1 million, while tonnage increased by 5.2 percent to 37.3 million metric tons. The primary contributors for the positive performance were the overland freight services for food and industrial goods in Europe.
“We reaped the rewards of our long-term investment policy and growth strategies, which we are consistently implementing throughout the company,” explains Dachser CEO Bernhard Simon. “European exports remain our growth engine, in addition to solutions that intelligently combine overland, air, and sea freight. But mostly, our customers respect the fact that we consistently focus on quality.”
Business trends in detail
Within the Road Logistics business field, which makes up 72 percent of Dachser’s revenue, Dachser European Logistics (EL) continues to benefit from export as an engine of growth. Dachser generated revenue of EUR 3.433 billion (+ 5.5 percent) in 2015 from transporting and storing industrial goods. Shipments and tonnage rose 3.8 percent and 4.2 percent, respectively. “Thanks to extremely expert and flexible maneuvering in the marketplace, which was difficult this year for Europe, we were able to grow in all regional business units for overland freight,” says Bernhard Simon.
In addition to strong, export-driven performance in Germany and France, there were also two-digit growth rates in the EL North Central Europe and EL Iberia business units. “Reorienting Azkar to European operations has produced successful outcomes,” says Bernhard Simon. “We were able to gain the confidence of major customers and also invest in new markets. In the past year, we upgraded 48 Iberian branches for the transport of hazardous materials, and in so doing, gained access to the Spanish chemical industry, which is both robust and export-oriented.”
With revenue growing 8.1 percent to EUR 741 million, Dachser Food Logistics advanced to become the growth leader. At a national level, food logistics mostly owes this success to a strong showing in consumer goods in Germany. But the European Food Network also developed for cross-border food shipments. With 13 partners, eight correspondents, and regular line hauls between 29 countries, it’s the food network with the greatest coverage in Europe. “We are contributing to the company’s success by investing in the network. We have opened up a new branch office In Erlensee, near Frankfurt, that will also serve as the central hub for food transports in Europe,” says Bernhard Simon.
Dachser Air & Sea Logistics generated revenue growth of 8.0 percent and contributed a total of EUR 1.599 billion to consolidated revenue in 2015.
“We’re already established in the world’s most important economic centers, either directly or through partners, so last year we didn’t significantly expand our network geographically,” explains Simon. “Instead, we are focusing on standardized processes, integrated IT systems, and close connections with the European overland network. We want to offer our customers global logistics solutions for distribution and procurement from a single source, what we call Dachser Interlocking.”
Simon announced greater investments for the current year: “Having invested EUR 81 million last year, we will be investing around EUR 125 million in 2016. Some of this money will go toward information technology and technical equipment. But as in previous years, the lion’s share will be put into our European Road Logistics network where we will be building or expanding logistics facilities in Austria, France, Germany, and Poland.”