Today, the company is represented by 263 branches in 59 countries and has around 11,000 employees worldwide, who can rely on a global partner network with almost 500 offices in 173 countries. After the haulage company for ore and coal transportation became "Gebr. Hellmann" when it was sold to Carl Heinrich Hellmann's two sons at the beginning of the 20th century, the company continued to develop steadily. In addition to the establishment of the first warehouse in 1912 - a forerunner of today's contract logistics - the portfolio of modes of transport was also constantly expanded: initially, truck and rail transport supplemented the horse-drawn vehicles. After the Second World War, sea freight was added to the product portfolio with the establishment of a second location in Hamburg as a gateway to the world. Under the management of Heinz and Joachim Hellmann, the company was already offering international transportation services in the 1960s, primarily to Western Europe, but also to Asia - and since 1969 also by air. In 1976 and 1989, first Klaus and then Jost Hellmann took over the legacy of their fathers in the fourth generation and made Hellmann what it is today: a globally active family business that wants to stand for technical innovation, sustainability and social commitment.

150 trees for 150 years of company history
To symbolize this approach, the two partners Klaus and Jost Hellmann, together with CEO Reiner Heiken, planted a tree at the company's headquarters in Osnabrück to mark the anniversary. The company also donated another 150 trees - one for each year in Hellmann's history - to the city of Osnabrück.

"When I joined the management team at Hellmann at the age of 27, there were many great people who supported me and accompanied me on my way. Since then, I have known that the people at Hellmann make the difference. I would therefore like to thank all our employees in particular, whose commitment and consistency have made our 150th anniversary possible in the first place. At the same time, my heartfelt thanks also go to our loyal customers, many of whom we have been able to accompany for decades and with whom we have grown together. In order to position ourselves strongly for the future, we must continue to place sustainability at the heart of our business activities. This applies today - and as a logistics service provider in particular - more than ever," says Klaus Hellmann, partner at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

Further development as a constant
"The fact that we are celebrating our 150th anniversary in 2021 is largely due to our willingness to change. Because the logistics industry is always on the move. If you don't evolve, you can't hold your own in the market. In 1982 - when we opened our first international branch in Hong Kong - I would never have dreamed that we would have such a global network almost 40 years later. Innovative strength and sustainable action have always characterized us and will continue to be what people associate with Hellmann in the future. True to our guiding principle: thinking ahead - moving forward," says Jost Hellmann, partner at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

"The Hellmann family has achieved great things and I am honored to continue the company's successful history together with the entire Hellmann F.A.M.I.L.Y. Our present is characterized by far-reaching changes that affect both our industry and society as a whole. Our aim is to build on the company's successful history and continue to grow sustainably. In doing so, we want to take advantage of the opportunities presented by digitalization while at the same time adhering to our credo 'First, people first', which is enshrined in our F.A.M.I.L.Y. DNA. After all, our employees and customers will continue to be the main pillars of our company in the future," says Reiner Heiken, CEO of Hellmann Worldwide Logistics.

The article appeared in materialfluss 1-2/22.