The new DSLV Presidium (from left: Mathias Krage, Vice President and Treasurer; Axel Plaß, President; Dr. Johannes Offergeld, Member of the Presidium) © DSLV

The General Assembly of the German Freight Forwarding and Logistics Association (DSLV) elected Axel Plaß (52) as President for the next three years by a large majority on September 14, 2018. The Hamburg-based entrepreneur succeeds Mathias Krage, who led the association for nine years.

Plaß, who has been a member of the DSLV Executive Committee since 2016, defines his expectations of the office as follows "The freight forwarding and logistics market represented by the DSLV is part of Germany's third-largest economic sector with 580,000 employees and a turnover of over 100 billion euros. The systemic relevance of logistics must be reflected much more clearly in German and European economic policy. I therefore see it as my most important task to emphasize the importance of freight forwarding services for our economy and for Germany as a business and logistics location to political decision-makers and the public and to assert our demands for a logistics-friendly environment."

Plaß continues: "Freight forwarders promote and strengthen co-modality and the functional linking of all modes of transport. The DSLV's association policy is largely determined by the freight forwarder's cross-modal control function. I would like to uphold this." In addition to the classic bundling function, logistics will be able to contribute to coping with the expected growth in transport volumes through its own modal shift concepts to rail and inland waterways - if the quality and price conditions are right, emphasizes the new DSLV President, who, as Managing Partner of the Hamburg-based Zippel Group, will continue to maintain contact with the operational forwarding business.

Plaß believes that the federal association is well positioned for the tasks of the future. "My predecessor, Mathias Krage, set the course precisely for this. He deserves my personal thanks and the highest recognition from the entire industry for his achievements and for his many years of extraordinary commitment." Krage was elected to the association's highest office in 2009 and, together with Managing Director Frank Huster, initiated key reform steps, such as the legal and structural implementation of the merger of several forwarding associations to form the DSLV, which was decided before his term of office, and the relocation of the association's headquarters from Bonn to Berlin's government district. Krage was also instrumental in founding the successful international marketing initiative 'Logistics Alliance Germany' (LAG), which is jointly supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) and the logistics industry.

Krage will remain on the DSLV Executive Committee. The members' meeting has now elected the managing partner of Krage Spedition in Langenhagen as Vice President and Treasurer. The DSLV Executive Committee was reduced from five to three members by a resolution in the Articles of Association. Dr. Johannes Offergeld, Managing Partner of A. Offergeld Spedition, Würselen, was confirmed in office as the third member of the Executive Committee. As planned, Günther Haberland, M. Zietzschmann, Neuss, and the previous DSLV Vice President Willem van der Schalk, a.hardrodt, Hamburg, left the Executive Committee.

Plaß concludes: "This advisory structure reflects the very heterogeneous interests of our almost 3,000 member companies of different sizes. This is in line with the demands placed on the political work of a cross-modal logistics association."

In addition to the three members of the 'inner executive committee', the 'extended executive committee' includes

- Henning Dieter, Yusen Logistic, Frankfurt / Main (FA Air Freight Forwarding)
- Daniel Hensel, A. Hensel Spedition, Mainz (FA Road Freight Forwarding)
- Willem van der Schalk, a.hartrodt, Hamburg (FA Maritime and Seaport Forwarding / Committee of German Seaport Forwarders in the DSLV)
- Werner Spionkowski, Ruhmann Logistik, Duisburg (FA Inland Port Logistics)
- Gerhard Lohkemper, Kühne + Nagel, Hamburg (FA Social and Collective Bargaining Policy / Labor Law)
- Ernst Frankenbach, E. Frankenbach Spedition, Mainz (AML - Verein Automobillogistik im DSLV)

Until a successor has been found, Plaß will continue to chair the DSLV's Rail Freight Transport Committee himself.