Growth was once again driven by the Road Logistics business field, which increased by 2.9% to 4.60 billion euros. This was offset by a 4.1% decline in turnover in the Air & Sea Logistics business field, which resulted in particular from the weaker air freight business for automotive customers.

The increase in turnover at Group level was offset by declining shipment and tonnage figures. While consignment figures fell by around 3.7 percent from 83.7 to 80.6 million, tonnage fell slightly by 1.0 percent year-on-year from 41.4 to 41.0 million tons. "When the economic wind turns, quality and reliability count even more than usual," says Bernhard Simon, CEO of Dachser. "That's why we are all the more committed to well-qualified and motivated employees and continuously invest in our network, our processes and our IT."

Business development in detail

The Road Logistics business field, in which Dachser combines the transportation and warehousing of industrial goods (European Logistics) and food (Food Logistics), continues to be both a stabilizing factor and a dynamic growth driver for the company. In 2019, Road Logistics increased its consolidated net revenue by 2.9 percent from EUR 4.47 billion to EUR 4.60 billion. The European Logistics business line contributed around 3.63 billion euros (+2.4 percent). "In addition to the continued strength in cross-border transportation, there is the positive development of contract logistics throughout Europe. Although the situation on the freight market eased over the course of 2019, the shortage of drivers and skilled workers in Germany and many other European countries remains the most pressing challenge," says Simon.

The Food Logistics business line achieved the strongest growth in 2019. Dachser grew revenue in the food logistics segment by 5.1 percent from EUR 917 million to EUR 964 million. Shipments declined by 1.7 percent, while tonnage increased slightly by 0.6 percent. "Food logistics has been a reliable pillar of our business model for years," says Simon. "The alliances with our partners in the European Food Network have proven to be extremely stable and fruitful."

The Air & Sea Logistics business field recorded a 4.1% decline in turnover in 2019, from EUR 1.19 billion to EUR 1.14 billion, while the number of shipments fell by 5.6%. "In air and sea freight, we are feeling the effects of the highly volatile business, which is suffering greatly from the upheavals in global trade," says Simon. "The weaker demand for transportation from the automotive industry in Germany is particularly noticeable in our air freight business." Dachser took a number of steps in 2019 to future-proof the business field. These include expanding the customer portfolio to include the life sciences/pharmaceuticals and fashion & sports sectors, as well as expanding train services via the New Silk Road. Air and sea transportation, particularly in the LCL sector, was further integrated with the European land transportation network. In addition, the Othello transport management system developed in-house has been rolled out almost completely worldwide. "By mid-2020, we will handle 99% of all shipments with our own transport management system. We will then be able to generate additional added value for our customers through corresponding efficiency and productivity gains," says Simon.

Corona crisis: Dachser as an anchor of stability in difficult times

In order to further improve the quality of its services, the family-owned company invested 151 million euros last year in the construction or expansion of handling halls and warehouses, as well as IT systems and technical equipment. Investments on a similar scale are planned for the current year. However, the current corona crisis will ensure that Dachser will also have to adjust its targets, as Simon explains: "The final impact on our business is difficult to predict, we can only assess the situation anew every day and adapt to it with agility and flexibility. Volume declines in the industrial goods business are unavoidable given the current restrictions on business life, particularly in Spain and France. However, we are deliberately diversified in terms of our service portfolio and customer structure so that we can adapt well to changing conditions. In the food sector, as a logistics provider we are a system-relevant component of the basic supply, and we expect our business to remain relatively stable here."

Dachser was able to increase its equity ratio again in 2019, to over 57 percent. With around 31,000 employees, Dachser employs more people than ever before in the company's history. "We are very proud of this, because our employees are the heart and backbone of our service. Securing jobs is our top priority in 2020," concludes Simon. "We also want to remain a stable and reliable partner for customers and transport companies. We all face the same challenges. Together, we will get through the coronavirus crisis with fair prices and fair remuneration and lay the foundations for future growth."