EDITION 3/2014

THE WORLD OF INTELLIGENT LOGISTICSmagazine

THE CHAINFORMULA

FOR LOGISTICS

SPECIAL

EDITION

Supply Chain

Management

participants formed the longest bucket brigade in the world on July 23, 2011 in Pfullingen, Germany. The individuals

in this human chain transported 869.2 liters of water over a distance of 4.5 kilometers. The residents of Pfullingen

organized this event to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their Youth Fire Brigade.

5,239

50

CHAINSWhether they are made of metal, people, or restaurants: human beings have been using the principle of the chain in the most varied ways for millennia. A foray into the world of chains.

02 DACHSER magazine

NUMBERS THAT COUNT

was the year that the Englishman Philip White received a patent for the first iron

anchor chain. Chains as well as ropes and belts used as pulling devices are some of

the oldest known machine components.

1634

million euros (or 11.5 million US dollars) was the value of the ornaments on a Christmas tree

in Abu Dhabi in 2011. The tree decorations, which included a precious necklace—a chain

of diamonds—worth more than 700,000 euros, were on loan from a jeweler. The tree itself was

an artifical one.

8.7

4 corners to each mini burger: this

trademark menu item is a speciality

of the U.S. fast food chain White

Castle. The first restaurant with the logo

that sports a white castle was founded in 1921 in Kansas.

This makes White Castle the oldest fast food chain in the country.

dollars was what the drug-addicted musician and composer

Bobby Sharp received for his song “Unchain my Heart” when

he sold it to jazz musician Teddy Powell back in the 1960s.

The song was recorded by famous musicians like Ray Charles

and Joe Cocker and became a worldwide hit.

DACHSER magazine 03

TABLE OF CONTENTS

04

16

26

28

TITLE STORY

Value-added logistics: Managing supply chains for well-wrapped packaging 04

FORUM

People and Markets: 10Putting aerodynamic swap bodies to the test;Communicating under water—wirelesslyand bridging the BosporusEssay: Grappling with chaos 14

EXPERTISE

Sustainability: Prof. Julia Hartmann shares insights on intelligent logistics using systems 16Profile: New Head of Contract Logistics:An interview with Alexander Tonn 20Value-added services: Extras for the customers 22

NETWORK

Network Expertise: News from the Dachser World 24IT Systems: Keeping data flowing 26Dachser France: Champagne-class beverage logistics 28

BUSINESS LOUNGE

Getting things moving—Bernhard Simon meets logistics mastermind Prof. Michael ten Hompel 32

GOOD NEWS

Truckercast: An ear to the street 35

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

in-Chief: Anne Reiter, tel.: +49 831 5916-1423, fax: +49 831 596-8-1423, e-mail: anne.reiter@dachser.com, Martin Neft, tel.: +49 831 5916-1420, e-mail: martin.neft@dachser.com

Editors: Theresia Gläser, Christian Weber Editorial Assistant: Andrea Reiter, tel.: +49 831 5916-1424, e-mail: andrea.reiter@dachser.com Publisher: Burda Creative Group GmbH,

Arabellastr. 23, 81925 Munich, tel.: +49 89 9250-1320, fax: +49 89 9250-1680 Managing Directors: Gregor Vogelsang, Dr.-Ing. Christian Fill Project Manager Burda Creative Group:

Marcus Schick Design: Ralph Zimmermann, Kerstin Spörer Photos: all photography Dachser except: thinkstockfotos.de (pp. 2, 3, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27), Südpack (p. 9),

Marcus Vetter (pp. 1, 3–8, 20, 21), Solarroadways.com (p. 13), François Dabouron (pp. 3, 28–31), Ute Schmidt/Bildfolio (pp. 3, 16–19), Detlef Majer (p. 35) Illustration: Ralph Zimmermann

(pp. 22, 23, 32–34) Printer: Holzer Druck und Medien Druckerei und Zeitungsverlag GmbH, 88171 Weiler im Allgäu Print run: 41,500/55th volume Publication: 4 x per year Languages:

German, English, French, Spanish. DACHSER magazine is printed on NovaTech paper certified in accordance with the FSC® mix for sustainable forestry.

F Further information can be found in our DACHSER eLetter.

To ensure that the food on the dinner table is in fresh and hygienic condition, Südpack relies on complex global procurement and delivery chains.Contract logistics from Dachser is integral to the packaging specialist’s success.

CHAINREACTION

hOra et labora: pray and work! It’s

impossible to miss this clarion call

from Benedikt of Nursia if you’re driving the

B312 autobahn westbound from Memmin-

gen to Ochsenhausen. St. Georg, a former

Benedictine monastery, towers majestically

over this town in the heart of Upper Swabia.

The magnificently preserved monastery,

founded in the 11th century, is one of the most

important examples of baroque architec -

ture, and its “ora et labora” principle is like a

beacon that guides this city of 9,000 souls as

well as its economy and its international

orientation.

For 50 years now, the Südpack Packaging

Group has called Ochsenhausen home. Es-

tablished by Alfred Remmele in 1964, this

family-owned company of approximately

1,000 employees and revenues in excess of

EUR 330 million (2013) is considered a ‡

TITLE STORY

04 DACHSER magazine

Heading Contract Logistics in Memmingen: Heidemarie Schödl

DACHSER magazine 05

TITLE STORY

TITLE STORY

06 DACHSER magazine

market and technology leader in the food

packaging film segment. In addition to the

production site and corporate headquarters

in Ochsenhausen, Südpack operates produc-

tion facilities in Switzerland and France

and maintains sales offices and representa-

tives in over 30 nations throughout the

globe. “All signs are pointing to growth,” says

Johannes Remmele, who, together with his

sister Carolin Grimbacher, represents the

second generation to run the company as its

Managing Partners.

Making continuous growth possible “Our customers from the food products in-

dustry in Europe keep getting bigger and

more professional,” Remmele explains. “In

the process, they are seeking partners who

can map out their needs and their workflows

with exacting precision.” For instance, when

it comes to manufacturing flexible films,

for example for mozzarella. Südpack manu-

factures this kind of packaging at one of

the most modern facilities in the world,

using a “cast film process” that can involve

up to ten layers. Then there are the printed

rigid and flexible films made of polyester,

polypropylene, and polystyrene, films that

are pro duced in the “blown film process” as

well as the resealable film packages for

sausages and cheese, cheese maturing bags,

and the canned food packaging solutions

made of plastic.

“This variety makes it possible to create an

ideal solution for each product and each

application,” says Remmele. That’s on the

one hand. “On the other hand, there is the

cost pressure that characterizes the industry.

So to meet this challenge, we need stable

processes and structures, as well as a high

degree of professionalism along the entire

supply chain—and that would be impossible

to accomplish without contract logistics.”

Südpack and Dachser have been collaborat-

ing ever since 1999. At its Allgäu Logistics

Center in Memmingen, about 20 kilometers

from Ochsenhausen, the partners imple-

mented an integrated logistics concept for

raw materials and finished products that is

designed for continuous volume growth.

“We are assuming responsibility for hand -

ling the bulk of the supply chain. That

chain begins with pre-carriage and collection

of raw materials and extends to just-in-

time delivery to production, the complete

take-over of finished products from produc-

tion, and the shipment of finished goods to

the recipients from our international distri-

bution center,” says Heidemarie Schödl, de-

scribing the path down the logistics process

chain. The 30 year-old economist took over

management of contract logistics at the

Allgäu Logistics Center in Memmingen,

, ,

The Allgäu LogisticsCenter in Memmingen,which is staffed by approximately 800 employees, comprisesan operational space ofapproximately 150,000square meters with130,000 pallet spaces,of which 43,000 arecooled for non-frozenproducts. At its distribution centers, the logistics providercurrently offers cus-tomers from the pack-aging industry 80,000pallet spaces for rawmaterials and finishedgoods processing of high-end packagedfoods. The first con-tract logistics projectswere launched herejust under 20 years ago.

Raw materials are delivered directly to the warehouse, partially repacked …

… warehoused there, ready for retrieval for production ...

DACHSER magazine 07

TITLE STORY

succeeding Alexander Tonn, who now han-

dles corporate-wide contract logistics out

of Dachser’s Head Office in Kempten (see

Interview, p. 20).

Wireless networking of IT systems“We would define contract logistics as indi-

vidually configured product processes across

all logistical functions, based on integrated

and tightly interwoven systems in procure-

ment and distribution,” explains Schödl.

“Contract logistics is based on a solid,

trusting relationship between the customer

and the service provider.” And, of course, a

comprehensive flow of information through

wirelessly networked IT systems.

Here’s an example of how it works: Südpack

requests raw materials from its suppliers

throughout the world—and Asia in particu-

lar—via its ERP system. These raw materials

are sent to the Allgäu Logistics Center. At

that point, Südpack’s SAP system connects

to Mikado (Dachser's proprietary warehouse

software program) via electronic data inter-

change—enabling it to direct raw materials

from the warehouse to production, entirely

according to need. A designated shuttle

system was set up for this. Dachser employ-

ees take a sample beforehand for Südpack’s

quality management system—this, too, is

guided and assisted by the IT systems.

“Shuttle traffic starts up at 6:00 in the morn-

ing in a two-shift system,” notes Heidemarie

Schödl as she explains the process. Up to

1,250 pallets are moved that way via the in-

coming and outgoing goods departments;

at peak periods, this could take up to 50 trips

per day between Memmingen and Ochsen-

hausen. In order to reach such shipment

frequencies, Dachser and Südpack imple-

mented an automated loading concept. The

company has set up an entirely automated

loading and unloading system for loading

semi-trailer trucks. Once the driver has

docked at the bay, a push of a button loads

the vehicle that has been specially prepared

for this purpose—in just three minutes.

The same system provides assistance in

Ochsenhausen for swift unloading.

Better with logistics pros“At the right time, in the right place, with

the right product: that is the job of our Sup-

ply Chain Management.” explains Thomas

Degenhardt, Head of Logistics at Südpack.

“The more stable the processes and supply

chains, the less we have to contend with

costly inventories at our own company prem-

ises. No buyer is out there paying for stock

that is stuck in buffer or finished products

in storage.” Four years ago, Degenhardt’s

department was set up as an independent

unit. “That way, we could adapt ourselves

to the increasing challenges of supply chain

management,” explains Managing Director‡

hh In today’s markets, logistics can

no longer be a downstream task in the purchasing

process. Instead, logistics professionals with a high level

of systems expertise are in demand here

Johannes Remmele, Managing Partner,

Südpack Group

, ,… and made shipment-ready on the automated loading and unloading system

Collecting samples is part of quality management

Johannes Remmele. For good reason. He is

convinced that “in today’s markets, logistics

can no longer be a downstream task of the

purchasing department. Instead, logistics

professionals with a heightened degree of

systems expertise are in demand.” For a few

years now, Remmele continued, Südpack

has used lean management techniques to

put its own procurement and supply chains

to the test, to identify deficiencies, and to

pursue a targeted continuous improvement

process (CIP). In this case, the markets set

the pace. “Our customers from the meat,

cheese, and fish industries have to cater to

changed consumer behavior,” the Südpack

owner explains. “Households are getting

smaller, situational purchases are increas -

ingly replacing weekly shopping trips—

in other words, the individual packaging

units and quantities are getting smaller.

Everybody has to become more flexible.”

To put it in perspective: whereas once the

company had to package only one brand of

Emmentaler cheese, today there are dozens

of varieties—with caraway, maybe, or wild

garlic or green pepper.

Moreover, seasonality causes major fluctua-

tions in volume. “During asparagus season,

the customer expects a corresponding selec-

tion of hams in the refrigerated shelf, or

greater availability of mozzarella when

tomatoes are ripe,” Remmele notes. Season-

ality and increasing product variety require

great logistics expertise. Thomas Degenhardt

is well aware of this. “The total volume of

packaged food is not changing dramatically,

but it is getting increasingly diversified,

demand fluctuates, and the individual batch

sizes are smaller. Customers expect more

flexibility from us at a lower cost. We have

to respond to this challenge. In this regard,

while Südpack customers’ own private labels

can still be planned, relatively speaking,

the average discount retailer expects a high

degree of flexibility from the packaging

supplier. “Relatively short-term purchase

orders are coming to our customers from that

segment—and so the chain keeps getting

shorter,” asserts Degenhardt.

Films for Europe and the worldGiven such time restraints and cost pressures,

corporations like Südpack, with global

operations, are placing particular focus on

the supply chain and highly efficient pro -

cesses structured according to needs. Dachser

IT manages all processesalong the supply chains

TITLE STORY

08 DACHSER magazine

has stepped in to take care of Südpack’s

finished goods logistics, from receipt of raw

materials to moving them to production.

“The customer requests goods at the dis -

tribution center in Memmingen, based on

the end customer’s preferences,” explains

Dachser Head of Logistics Heidemarie

Schödl. Delivery orders are transmitted via

EDI. The Allgäu Logistics Center works

like one of Südpack’s own branches. “The

rolls located at the warehouse are prepared

for shipment to national and internation -

al recipients in a process documented via

SSCC scans. For reasons related to materials

and food safety, they must be stored at an

ambient temperature of at least 15 degrees

Celsius. And, of course, in a reliable and

verifiable manner.

To Johannes Remmele, this close inter action

between industry and logistics provider has

long since become a self-evident aspect of

business management. “We are not only

film manufacturers, but service providers to

our customers as well,” he concludes. “For

this reason, we need a service provider con-

cept and trustworthy partners who know

and have mastered the com plexity of our

functions and with whom it is possible to

implement all of this under one roof.”

Identical processes in the UKUniform and transparent systems and

processes are both companions on our

logistics trails and trailblazers of future

logistics growth. With this thought as its

inspiration, Südpack shifted its distri -

bution center in Great Britain to Dachser

back in February 2013. Dachser’s logistics

facility in Northampton, which launched

operations in the early summer of 2014,

became practically a mirror-image of the

company’s warehouse operations in Mem-

mingen. “Identical systems and interfaces,

integrated processes, and a general under-

standing of precisely what we are doing in

this market and what processes we need

for this purpose have collectively made this

shift easy for us,” says Thomas Degenhardt.

“By virtually copying and pasting our sys-

tems from there, we were able to start up

immediately. Mikado, the warehouse man-

agement software, and Domino, the shipping

software program, operate exactly the same

way they do at our facility,” explains the

Südpack Logistics Manager. “It is easier to

implement identical processes that have

already been proven to run successfully at

Dachser.” To John Goodman, General

Manager of Midlands & North for Dachser

UK, doing contract logistics with Südpack

is a verita ble “best case scenario” acting as

a template for other customers from Great

Britain with similar requirements. “Our

multi-user contract logistics system is

designed to meet the very tough food ware-

housing standards required by Südpack.

Therefore, customers with similar needs to

Südpack fit into our portfolio superbly.”

Back to Ochsenhausen: even if a high degree

of cost efficiency has already been achieved at

this time, thanks to comprehensive IT and

process management, opti mization of supply

chain management continues to remain a

particular focus of the packaging industry.

Johannes Remmele is firmly convinced of

this: “Weight and volume are the predomi-

nant drivers of cost. Through material inno-

vations, we are working on making films

thinner and thus lighter, with consistently

better performance,” he indicates, outlining

Südpack’s main task. But that is just on the

technological side. For process chains as well,

the family-owned company pursues its basic

principles, which are marked through and

through by typically Swabian tenacity and

precision as Remmele states: “As we design

our supply chain, it is crucial that we con -

tinue to optimize procedures and processes

with fewer interfaces—this is precisely why

we need system partners like Dachser, who

continu ally provide valuable impetus in the

collaboration process.” M. Schick

Südpack PackagingGroup

with roughly 1,000 employees

and annual revenues in excess of

EUR 330 million (2013), is one of

the leading manufacturers of co-

extruded flexible and rigid films,

flexible plastic composites, and

vacuum bags. Managing Partners

Carolin Grimbacher and Johannes

Remmele are the second genera -

tion of family members to lead

the family-owned company from

the Upper Swabian town of Ochsen-

hausen. Südpack manufactures

its special films at its head office

and at production sites in Switzer-

land and France. Sales offices

and representatives can be found

in over 30 nations worldwide.

www.suedpack.com

INFO

hhOur multi-user contract logistics system

is designed for the very exacting food warehousing

standards required by Südpack

John Goodman, General Manager, Midlands & North

at Dachser UK

F

DACHSER magazine 09

TITLE STORY

FORUM

To save fuel and reduce CO2 in road traffic, Dachser is testing a new generation of aerodynamicswap bodies.

hSwap bodies: when it comes to ship-

ping goods on roads, they are amazing

space savers. Load capacity, however, is not

the sole indicator of their intrinsic value.

With appropriate aerodynamic characteris-

tics, they can also help reduce fuel consump-

tion and CO2 emissions by a significant

degree. Dachser has been using aerodynami-

cally optimized swap bodies and semi-trailers

for years. After all, aerodynamic drag, which

increases in proportion to the square of the

speed, is responsible for about 40 percent of

the force expended by a truck (see graphic).

About 95 percent of the swap bodies in

the fleet therefore already have smooth side-

walls, which generate less air turbulence than

the ridges and furrows of “corrugated” sur-

faces. In addition, there is the van body of

optimal height, which reduces the space

between the frame and the body, and also

the purposely short distance between the two

swap bodies of an articulated vehicle. That

is good for the environment as well as for

the financial balance sheet. Because each liter

of diesel fuel saved reduces CO2 emissions

by 2.64 kilograms.

Proving itself in practiceBut Dachser is aiming for even more. A

new generation of aerodynamic swap bodies

TR

AFF

IC &

EN

VIR

ON

ME

NT

Aerodynamics

TOTAL SUCCESS

The surface structure ... …makes the difference

10 DACHSER magazine

DACHSER magazine 11

FORUM

is currently in the testing phase. They are

characterized by markedly slanted corner

stanchions on the bulkhead and smooth

construction of the roof panels and walls.

Before general series production, the new

swap bodies will have to prove themselves

through extensive road testing in the punish-

ing daily routine of freight forwarding. The

object of these tests is to confirm, under ac-

tual conditions, the aerodynamic effects that

are theoretically possible in the wind tunnel

and in computer simulations. However, there

are limits to aerodynamics, according to

Jens Müller, Head of Network Management

Organization at Dachser. “Available load

space may not be reduced by an aerodyna -

mic design; after all, fully loaded transports

still have the best cost and environmental

effect. While taking measurements, we struck

an optimal balance.”

Aerodynamic drag is a key factor in fuel consumption and thus for the carbon footprintof a truck. Aerodynamic improvement will open up great savings potentials.

Source: Cash&Eco 1/2009

“Continually improving”

What do the new aerodynamically optimized swap bodies

have to offer? Answers from Elmar Fünfer, Department Head

Technics/Technical Purchase at Dachser.

Reducing fuel costs and CO2 emissions is at the very top

of the agenda in logistics. What is Dachser’s approach?

We are relying on a whole series of innovations in our fleet that are aimed at reduc-

ing greenhouse emissions. We are making various modifications for this purpose,

ranging from the body to the paneling on the sides of the vehicle, stable side

tarpaulins, and fixed sidewalls. The planned use of the new swap bodies is another

building block.

What will make the new swap bodies especially streamlined?

Various aerodynamic characteristics play a role here. The new swap bodies also

have markedly slanted corner stanchions on their bulkheads. But most importantly,

the roof panels—like the walls—have a smooth, rather than corrugated finish. This

results in flat—and therefore turbulence-free—surfaces that significantly improve

the aerodynamics.

What do you expect from this?

We are going on the assumption that this additional measure will probably result in

an additional half percent in fuel savings. An optimized body alone, however, is just

half the battle. The space between the truck and the trailer plays the most important

role in aerodynamics. That’s why, at Dachser, it is designed to be as small as

possible. All in all, we are already achieving fuel savings of between one and one-

and-a-half percent from this measure.

FACE-TO-FACE

Rolling resistanceAncillary units

Aerodynamicdrag

Losses in the power train

Resistances of a semi

8%

45%

40%

7%

Research

LONG UNDERWATER CABLEWireless data networks—under

water? Nothing less than an

impossibility. Unless you’re a dolphin.

The progress of submarine communications

seems move down the proverbial pipeline at a

glacial pace. Submarines, for instance, have

to drag wires measuring several hundreds of

meters in length just to receive basic mes-

sages. “It is rather curious that, despite our

highly evolved state of technology, under

water we maintain silence—literally.” That

observation did not sit well with biologist and

evolutionary engineer Dr. Rudolf Bannasch

of the Technical University of Berlin. Then

the scientist struck a veritable gold mine in

the Black Sea. That was where Bannasch

realized that dolphins use acoustic signals to

coordinate their movements perfectly, even in

basins which generate countless echoes.

“Communications among dolphins do not

involve continuous tones—instead, they war-

ble, whistle, and tweet. That is the most im-

portant difference,” Bannasch determined.

The power of harmonicsBy constantly modulating the audio frequen-

cy of their vocalizations, the scientist avers,

dolphins prevent signals and echoes from

jamming each other. Other dolphins can

separate and decrypt these signals. “The

sounds generated by these animals have

harmonics with frequencies that are whole-

number multiples of the underlying tone,”

Bannasch explains. The same holds true for

digitally modulated signals, which make it

possible to transmit massive volumes of data.

Based on these insights, Bannasch and his

company, EvoLogics, developed an under-

water modem that takes its cues from the

delphine model. The modem can transmit

data under water at the rate of about 2,560

bytes per second—just about one-third as

much an ISDN line. And at a distance of two

kilometers! As a result, a wide range of appli-

cations are now possible, and not only for

submarines. This modem can reliably control

probes, submarine robots, and various other

devices and equipment for marine research,

environmental monitoring, and off-shore

industries (like the oil extraction industry and

wind farms)—even when contending with

powerful noise interference. In addition, it

is now possible to build entire underwater

data networks. That system is currently being

tested in the Indian Ocean.

OUTSTANDING CORPORATE IMAGE FILM

The “song of the dolphin” capturesresearcher’s attention

Cut!, the five-and-a-half minute corporate image film that portrays Dachser’s

global portfolio of services with a wink and a smile, earned the “Intermedia Gold

Award” at the WorldMediaFestival in Hamburg. The short is thus one of the top 14

from among the over 700 entrants submitted internationally. The deciding factors

included artistic creativity, technical quality, image and sound design, lucidness

of presentation, plausibility, and overall impression. “This prize represents a true team accomplishment,” explains

Birgit Kastner-Simon, Corporate Director, Corporate Marketing at Dachser. “Our film makes logistics both a tangible

and accessible experience for the audience. I am absolutely thrilled that the Festival jury acknowledged this

approach with a Gold Award.”

FORUM: PEOPLE AND MARKETS

12 DACHSER magazine

ROAD POWER

Solar panels made of bullet-proof glass heat the road sys-

tem, turning it into a gigantic solar power plant: Is this

some kind of crackpot idea? Not in the least: Juli and

Scott Brusaw of Sagle, Idaho (USA) stand firmly behind

the concept. Their start-up—"Solar Roadways”—seeks

to have highly durable, hexagonal, honeycombed glass

slabs replace the dreaded asphalt that has been in use

for decades. LEDS also integrated into the multifunctional,

interactive pavement can light up—as needed—appearing

as street markings for pedestrians, bike routes, cross -

walk, or even parking spaces. According to the inven -

tors’ computations, one kilometer of the solar pavement

sur face would suffice to supply up to 1,000 households

with power. Because a portion of that energy could also

be used to heat roadways and sidewalks, rendering snow-

and black ice-related accidents things of the past! The

big question, though: who’s going to underwrite all this?

Simple: through the Internet, by anyone who warms up to

the vision of this “road work.” In June 2014, more than

USD 2.2 million had already been collected for the project

via Indiegogo, the crowd-funding platform.

Infrastructure

BOSPORUS SUPERLATIVESFaster, higher, farther: in the Turkish metropolis

of Istanbul, all signs are pointing to growth and record

levels. In transportation networks as well.

There’s a name associated with the superlatives: Istanbul Yeni

Havalimani. A new international airport is arising on the landscape

north of the metropolis. By the end of 2018, up to 150 million pas-

sengers are expected to pass through here every year. By comparison:

last year, Frankfurt International Airport hosted a mere 58 million

airline passengers. It’s no wonder that the Turkish media are already

touting the “biggest airport in the world.” In Turkey, growth is the

name of the game. If the government has its way, the country will

be among the ten largest national economies in the world by 2023. The

development of aviation underscores this aspiration. For example,

Minister of Transportation Lütfi Elvan recently estimated that back

in 2002, only 60 foreign destinations were serviced from Turkey;

today, that figure is already at 234. But the upward trend is not just

in the sky. Following nine years of construction, the “Marmaray” rail

tunnel opened up last year beneath the Bosporus Straits—becoming

the world’s first transcontinental tunnel. And Istanbul continues to

set new standards by commencing with an equally impressive encore:

its third bridge across the Bosporus. The 59-meter-wide, 1,408-

meter-long suspension bridge is slated to commence operations next

year and will connect Asia with Europe via two railway tracks and

eight lanes of vehicular traffic. At 322 meters, the bridge piers will be

among the tallest in the world. But even that’s not enough: an alter-

nate shipping route to the Bosporus Strait is also in the planning

phase. The Istanbul Canal—a canal roughly 50 kilometers long, 150

meter wide, and 25 meters deep—should help ease some of the traffic

in the Bosporus Straits starting in 2023. Just in time for the Republic’s

centennial anniversary. Feasibility studies are already underway,

according to media reports.

“power street” can also work as a gigantic display

Istanbul wants to keep on growing

DACHSER magazine 13

FORUM: PEOPLE AND MARKETS

FORUM: ESSAY

14 DACHSER magazine

Armed with their formulas and theories, human beings thought for centuries that they had the world well under control. But today, many things no longer seem to fit into the classic logic chains, and this is precisely where the opportunities—as well as the risks—lie.

GRAPPLINGWITH CHAOS

Greek word “theory” can be translated as

both “observation” and “reflection.” Both

have a fundamental importance in cultural

history. From their observations and keen

reflections, human beings figured out how

individual things are connected. They un der-

stood that friction can generate fire and

that round stones can be used as wheels.

Step by step, the theoretical concepts became

ever more sophisticated, ultimately leading

to developments that range from the print -

ing press to space travel and cracking the

genetic code.

Technical progress then created the expec -

tation that everything could be explained in

formulas, enabling even the most highly

complex ideas to be easily understood.

People hoped that once complete know -

ledge of natural law was attained, it would

one day be possible to even predict the

future once the exact initial conditions have

been set. Until then, it should be possible to

start small—for example, with the weather.

Back in the 60s at MIT, the American mete-

orologist Edward Lorenz fed a model for

weather forecasts into a—back in those days

rare—mainframe computer and realized

that the computer spit out widely divergent

forecasts if even the slightest deviation was

slipped into the input data. Later on, Lorenz

illustrated this using the metaphor that

the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil could

set off a tornado in Texas. Applying the

“Butterfly Effect” to the sciences, this meansMinor causes, major effects: everything is interconnected

hWhen recalcitrant schoolchildren are

struggling through algebra or the peri-

odic tables, we like to drum the adage into

their heads that they are learning for life. But

the truth is, secretly, we would really often

rather play Goethe’s Mephistopheles, who

in Faust declares to a perplexed student:

“All theory, dear friend, is gray.” How-

ever: don’t things run very differ-

ently in real life than how the

models cooked up in the ivory

towers predict? The fact re-

mains that—whether in

one’s professional or one’s

personal life—everything

seems increasingly mud-

dled, and many things

are simply incomprehensi-

ble though hardly one bit

of information is more than a

couple of mouse clicks away.

And what is science doing? Detached from

reality, it is drifting and dreaming of elemen-

tary particles and sending robots to Mars.

What it is not doing is finding clear answers

to urgent questions like economic crises or

climate change.

Even inventing the wheel required abstract theoryAlthough these days, the situation some -

times seems pretty confused, but for a long

time, the theoreticians guided us through

the diversities of this world quite ably. The

DACHSER magazine 15

FORUM: ESSAY

He is considered to beone of the greatest geniuses who everlived: Albert Einstein(1879 – 1955). Duringhis entire career in science, he wassearching for a “theoryof everything.” TheNobel prize winner wasconvinced that theremust be an ultimateunifying theory ofeverything, a “worldformula” that wouldserve as the universalfoundation for physics.But he never found it.His theory of relativityand quantum mechan-ics just could not be squeezed into thesame box. But one realization by Einsteinis still valid today:“Pure logical thinkingcannot yield anyknowledge of the em-pirical world; all knowl-edge of reality startsfrom experience andends in it.”

hhEconomics

is the only science,

in which two people

can share a Nobel Prize

because their theories

disprove each other

Joseph E. Stiglitz, economist and Nobel laureate

Traffic researchers can

quote probabilities, but

they find it impossible to pinpoint ex-

actly when a vehicle changing lanes creates a

chain reaction that brings heavy traffic to a

standstill. By the same token, the economy

could also be deemed “chaotic”: in these

times of global supply chains, the ability of

economists to predict crises is hit-or-miss at

best. This same applies to Web 2.0, where an

impru dent tweet or Facebook post is some-

times ignored and sometimes unleashes a

torrent of indignation without any obvious

causali ty. Blaming scientists for not being

able to solve this complex issue is a con-

tentious exercise. But it would be absolutely

devastating to demonize the entire educa-

tional system. After all, it’s in the classrooms

and lecture halls where we at least become

aware of the theories that have mapped out

an abundance of interconnections. Exploring

them intensively is absolutely essential for

progress to occur. And it is just as important

to get used to the idea that there isn’t always

a simple solution. We should look at his real-

ization as an opportunity because complex -

ity also means there is still room for inno -

vation. S. Ermisch

that even if world events are nothing but a

sequence of cause-and-effect chains, it will

never be possible to map them completely

in a model. After all, not even the initial

conditions can be identified with adequate

precision.

Impenetrable chain reactionsAs a result of this discovery by Lorenz,

when things remain impenetrable because of

the wealth of potential reciprocal effects,

scientists also speak of “chaos.” In the day-

to-day logistics routine, for example, this

can be reflected on the autobahn—some-

times, a traffic jam happens “out of nowhere.”

Professor Julia Hartmann is a globally recognized authority and innovative thinker on sustainability in logistics

EXPERTISE: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

16 DACHSER magazine

When globalization and increasing division of labor set the pace for both the economy and society, sustainable practices become a necessity—particularly in logistics. Professor Julia Hartmann, faculty member of the Department of Strategy,Organization, & Leadership at the EBS Business School who teaches Sustainable Logistics & Supply Chain Management, speaks out on this topic.

h “Of course, I'm interested in the future,

for this is where I expect to spend

the rest of my life,” said Mark Twain, thus

encapsulating perhaps the most fundamental

of human concerns. What the American

author found so self-evident is all too often a

hurdle to the modern homo oeconomicus,

one he persistently fails to surmount—both

intellectually and strategically. Anyone who

still thinks sustainability is just a greenwash

on the corporate façade, writing it off as a

“deadweight loss,” is doomed to fall through

the gaps of an increasingly complex global-

ized society—a fact that becomes virtually

indisputable when we cast our view at supply

chains.

The complex supply and value chains range

from production to logistics to retail busi -

ness, and they are literally boundless, cross -

ing borders and leaping continents. Products

and services are directly connected to people’s

everyday lives, and, at the same time, produc-

tion, distribution, and consumption of these

choices have a major impact on misguided

SUSTAINABILITY:CREATING A ROADMAP FOR THE

FUTURE

developments on a global scale—particularly

with regard to climate-damaging greenhouse

gases. Considering the situation, the chal-

lenge lies in reorienting the entire value chain

and integrating sustainability into all of an

enterprise’s processes.

We see sustainability as three non-rigid sys-

tems that overlap and dovetail into each other:

the enterprise (economy), nature (ecology),

and human beings (society). Nature provides

the basic resources, such as water, air to

breathe, a livable climate, food, and raw ma-

terials. Human beings are actors who shape

their environment and who are, ultimately,

the core of every market—as part of produc-

tion and as consumers. Enterprises need all

of these elements in order to begin pursuing

their activities in the first place. In a complex

universe like this, only nature could manage

on its own. The two other parts—human

beings and enterprises—are inextricably

bound to a functioning triad and are there-

fore more or less forced to rely on sustained

collaboration among all three points. ‡

Sustainability isdoable—if everyonewants it. This is thefinding of a sustain -ability study by GS1 Germany: “Companiesactively foster sustain-able consumption bypromoting sustainableproduct properties in the manufacturingprocess, in applica-tions, and in consump-tion so that theirproduct offerings pro-vide the consumer with decision options.”

DACHSER magazine 17

EXPERTISE: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

EXPERTISE: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

18 DACHSER magazine

Transparency for the chain of custody Sustainable supply chain management re-

quires a particularly high degree of trans-

parency. In order to have a sustainable prod-

uct or service, you must ensure that non-

sustainable products or services are not in-

troduced into the supply and value chains.

This is where the chain of custody comes

in: it helps with certifying any point along

the supply chain where non-permitted com-

mingling might otherwise occur. For exam-

ple, this ensures that a sustainably produced

food product, such as organic chocolate,

may only contain palm oil derived from

established farmland, and not from farms

tainted by destruction of the rainforest.

Today, with its highly developed IT systems,

logistics can make a significant contribution

to transparency along the entire delivery

chain and facilitate document traceability

across the individual links of the chain. We

see time and again how logistics providers of-

ten bring more expertise to the table when it

comes to highly integrated logistics process-

es than even they realize, for example, when

their process and systems architecture en-

ables them to identify steps that do not add

value and shorten supply chains that have be-

come too long to gain economic, operational,

and ecological efficiency. Major global logis-

tics providers, such as Dachser, have designed

their services to be sustainable both in their

own interest and that of their customers. This

includes an entire bundle of tools and meas-

ures with extensive location and IT networks,

route optimization, efficient deployment of

means of transport, testing alternative drive

technologies, and broad-based knowledge

transfer among their employees.

Prof. Hartmann challenges companies:“Be open to new approaches”

Acting with Darwinian “logic” The misconception that sustainability and

growth are mutually exclusive is, regrett a-

bly, still widespread. So at this juncture,

it behooves us to take another look at

nature, which serves as an exemplary model

here—and for good reason. Indeed, evolu -

tion is ultimately the never-ending pursuit

of optimization. All natural systems are

designed to deliver constant improvement

and growth. Anything that is detrimental

to the eco-system is winnowed out. As

far as the bottom line is concerned, this

Darwinian “logic” works for enterprises as

well, except that non-sustainable business

practices can easily cause permanent ecolog-

ical and social harm. In a world that is based

ever more strongly on a division of labor,

I view logistics as having a special responsi-

bility because it serves a prominent inter -

face function along supply chains. As the

manufacturing enterprises retreat to their

core competencies and outsource perform-

ance in the delivery and value chain, it is

the logistics experts who are ultimately

in most immediate contact with all the

stakeholders and who can most directly

recognize the systemic effects—and any

misguided developments.

Prof. Dr. Julia Hartmann(née Wolf)

is Assistant Professor teaching

Sustainable Logistics & Supply

Chain Management in the Depart-

ment of Strategy, Organization

& Leadership at the EBS Business

School in Wiesbaden. Her research

focuses on the implementation

of sustainability strategies along

global value chains and in logistics.

PERSONAL FILE

DACHSER magazine 19

EXPERTISE: SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Numbers that really countWhat really matters when designing sustain-

able services is to work with the right key

figures. For Dachser and its customers, for

example, the figures that are of greater

informative value are not the total CO2 or

nitrogen oxide emissions that the transna-

tional company produces worldwide, but

rather the emissions per shipment.

Thanks to this practice—which is customary

at Dachser—the logistics provider makes its

services to each of its customers and the

sustainability profile of its products both

traceable and measurable. Key figures and

certifications provide good, sound support in

the achievement of sustainability objectives,

however, only then if the findings also lead to

the correct conclusions. Certifications place

an especially singular focus on the processes

in the supply chain. So restricting yourself to

the question “where can something be done

better” will always lead you to a dead end if

the foundation of the process was flawed in

the first place. To optimize something that is

fundamentally flawed is not the solution. In-

stead, what matters is to confront a systemic

development gone wrong with an approach

that is fundamentally different. In this sce-

nario, certifications are not the be-all and

end-all, but “only” tools to be used in sustain-

able supply chain management.

A question of courage On the path to sustainability, therefore,

honesty is an essential, fundamental virtue.

Businesses that wish only to bask in the ap-

pearance of sustainability without doing any-

thing themselves to achieve it are doomed to

failure. Rather, they must be open to new

approaches, perhaps even a fundamentally

different perspective. Sustainable supply

chain management is therefore also a question

of having the courage to deliberately do

something completely different. In this re-

spect, an important part of sustainability is

proper risk management and the ability to

deal openly with possible weaknesses. What I

like at Dachser is precisely this honesty and

the concomitant responsible handling of the

value chain. The company goes public with its

sustainable innovations only once the solution

has been thought through 100 percent and its

implementation is reliably in place. This puts

the family-owned company in a position to

really take the next steps toward a future in

which you would want to spend a lifetime.

hhSustainable

supply chain

management requires

a particularly high degree

of transparency

Prof. Dr. Julia Hartmann,member of the faculty of the

Department of Strategy, Organization & Leadership at

the EBS Business School

Acting holistically

Sustainability is at the top of Dachser’s agenda.

Questions for Jens Müller, Head of Network

Management Organization.

Mr. Müller, sustainability is in. How important

is it at Dachser?

Our customers are increasingly interested in sustainable logistics. At Dachser,

however, sustainability is not just the “topic of the day,” but it has been an integral

part of its practices for many years and is firmly embedded in the values of this

family-owned company.

What does this mean for the company’s product portfolio?

Dachser does not offer any specific “green products,” but it takes a holistic

approach to sustainability that rests on three pillars: economy, ecology, and soci-

ety. Consolidation of various topics dealing with ecology is one of the focal points

of my division. At the operational level, the reduction of CO2 emissions, particu-

late matter, and noise pollution is crucially important. We achieve this by optimum

utilization of our line-haul services and management of flows of goods via Euro-

hubs, platforms, and combinations of direct lines as well as through IT-supported

planning of pick-up and delivery areas and a high rate of capacity utilization.

Where do you see additional technical potential, and what are you

currently working on?

Where sustainability is concerned, we’re not interested in spectacular stand-

alone measures and short-lived applause from the public, but in comprehensive

solutions. For example, in 2013, we developed a new tool for the calculation of

greenhouse gases. Thanks to our uniform IT system and the excellent data

provided by Domino, our transport management system, we are able to calculate

very precisely—and automatically—the actual greenhouse gases emitted by the

shipments we transport. Other examples are research that we are conducting

jointly with our suppliers related to mega-trucks, solar trailers, electrically

powered terminal tractors, hybrid technologies, and improved energy efficiency

in our real estate properties. This is all very exciting.

FACE-TO-FACE

EXPERTISE: CONTRACT LOGISTICS

Alexander Tonn has been the new Head of Contract Logistics at Dachser since July.He and his team develop custom solutions for customers and optimize their supplychains. In this interview, he shares his insights into volatile markets, interlinked offers,and a special relationship between the customer and the service provider.

Mr. Tonn, for your new assignment as Head

of the Contract Logistics Division at

Dachser, you bring extensive operational

experience to the table from your tenure as

Head of Contract Logistics and Freight

Forwarding in Memmigen. How will this

impact your transition to headquarters?

Alexander Tonn: I think all that experience

that I gathered in my many years of opera-

tional work in various capacities will be a

big advantage in my new cross-divisional

work in Contract Logistics. Especially be-

cause of the associated understanding of the

process. Hopefully, this understanding will

allow me to change my perspective in one

way or another, which in turn, ideally, could

stimulate new ideas for Contract Logistics.

Your responsibilities are multi-dimension-

al: markets are changing in ever shorter

cycles, and high volatility is demanding

ever more flexibility from market partici-

pants. What does that mean for logistics

service providers and what they offer?

Globalization and market volatility are in-

creasing, steadily and inexorably. In this cli-

mate, logistics always has to be guided by

customer needs. And in view of market

dynamics, this requires a great deal of flexi-

bility—in regard to staffing as well as avail-

ability of shipping and warehouse capacity.

Suitably high-performance IT systems are

needed as well. The challenge we face as

contract logistics providers is providing our

customers with custom-tailored solutions

THE KEY TO SUCCESS:

MUTUAL TRUST

One world, one com-pany, one network: further expansion andinternationalization of Contract Logisticsare an integral part ofDachser’s strategy. Accordingly, once solu-tions are developed,they are implementedin various countriesthroughout the world—using technology, systems, and inter-faces that are alwaysthe same.

20 DACHSER magazine

EXPERTISE: CONTRACT LOGISTICS

that are flexible and robust enough to re-

spond appropriately to market challenges.

Is there anything at all that Contract

Logistics can accomplish in this area?

It combines packages of services for opti-

mized added value along the supply chains—

for example, warehousing + shipping and

warehousing + value-added services.

That sounds like interlinked services ...

The network concept is key. Let’s take, for

example, warehousing combined with ship-

ping services. In Contract Logistics, we can

exploit the advantages of our overland

shipping network in Europe or our world-

wide air and sea freight network and can

contribute significantly to added value by

optimizing logistics processes in this way.

All this depends on IT systems, which have

to be interlinked on both the customer side

and the service provider side.

What does this IT interlinkage look like

in practice?

Electronic Data Interchange—EDI for

short—is the key to success. When it comes

to Electronic Data Interchange, Dachser

has always been in the vanguard, and EDI

has meanwhile become state-of-the-art at

customers’ businesses, too. This affects the

design of the overall business process land-

scape and the integration of service providers.

Above and beyond that, we can create appro-

priate interfaces with our customers and their

ERP systems through our own Dachser soft-

ware for warehouse management (Mikado),

transport management (Domino), and air &

sea freight management (Othello). These

management systems can clearly and effi-

ciently manage processes ranging from pro-

curement shipping, to warehousing, pro -

duction supply shipping and warehousing of

finished goods, down to the logistics of

distribution to the end customer.

In order to take on ever more varied tasks

along the supply chains, however, logistics

providers also have to be deeply integrated

in the processes of their customers. How

does this impact the customer-service

provider relationship?

Mutual trust is very important in contract

logistics, and a shared understanding of

processes is a basic requirement. It all comes

down to how open the customer is in regard

to its own processes. In our experience, this

openness grows with time and with the jobs

performed. We usually start on a certain basis

and then successively refine the collaboration

in the course of optimizing processes. This

way, the quality of contract logistics continu-

ally increases over time.

The integration of Contract Logistics into

the customers’ processes creates a special

kind of closeness. What does that mean

for Dachser employees?

Our employees in Contract Logistics always

have an especially intense emotional bond

with our customers and their products. We

notice that even in multi-user facilities where

several customers are served in parallel. Our

people are often as committed as if they

were the customer’s employees. That’s ex -

actly what we want: our goal is to provide

optimal service for the customer and to put

the customer’s interest first.

How do the customers respond?

Our customers perceive this intense relation-

ship in a positive way. Often, as time goes by,

this kind of intense collaboration stimu -

lates effective improvement processes. Once

again: the prerequisite for this is trust and

openness—on both sides. Then many things

can move right along.

hhMutual trust is very important in

contract logistics, and a shared understanding

of processes is a basic requirement

Alexander Tonn, Head of Contract Logistics

at Dachser

Alexander Tonn

is a native of Kempten, married

with two children. A business ad-

ministration graduate, Tonn started

at Dachser in 1999, initially in

Controlling. In 2003, he became the

Contract Logistics Manager for Eu-

ropean Logistics in Memmingen

and then in 2005, also took over

management of Freight Forwarding

there. Alexander Tonn has been

the Contract Logistics Manager at

the Head Office in Kempten since

July. In his spare time, the 41-year-

old likes to keep on the move—in

sports such as running and skiing,

for instance.

PERSONAL FILE

DACHSER magazine 21

EXPERTISE: VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

22 DACHSER magazine

Warehousing and shipping are not everything. Contract logistics also offers product and process-oriented services in all phases of the supply chain.These vary according to the needs of the individual customers.

VALUE- ADDED

SERVICES

DIY SHELF SERVICE Dachser offers the do-it-yourself industry all services needed at the point of sale.These services include restocking of goods,shelf maintenance, shelf reorganization, and promotional placements.

ASSORTMENT BOXES Greater variety on the same shelf space: Order-pickingof mixed boxes is a traditionally popular value-addedservice at warehouses. The mixed boxes are individually filled and shipped according to retail business specifications.

DACHSER magazine 23

EXPERTISE: VALUE-ADDED SERVICES

MANAGEMENT OF RETURNSSeamless in reverse direction, too: In the case of returns, Dachser also handles the entire process from the return shipment to inspection, processing, and restocking in the customer’s inventory.

SAMPLING Dachser employees draw random samples for quality assurance analyses. The number and frequency can be managed via the Warehouse Management Systembased on customer specifications.

ON-PACKS/MULTI-PACKS Value-added services for the end customer include, for example, picking liquor bottleswith a sleeving process to create double packs and furnishing liquor bottles with additional products.

ASSEMBLY OF DISPLAYSJust in time for the start of summer vacation:A cosmetics producer has stand-up displaysfor sun lotion built and stocked with productsat Dachser.

IN-HOUSE LOGISTICS Profit from the experience of professionals: If needed, Dachser organizes customers’ logistics in their own warehouses. The goal: better processes, greater efficiency.

The new facility is taking shape on a 70,000-

square-meter section of a former airbase.

The total investment is about EUR 25 mil-

lion. This site, which is conveniently situated

in close proximity to the A66 autobahn, will

replace the Offenbach facility in fall 2015.

“We’re pleased that a majority of our 160

employees in Offenbach will be following

us to Erlensee, 19 kilometers away. In the

medium term, we will be creating 40 new

positions,” says Branch Manager Mathias

Food Logistics

EUROPEAN HUB FOR FOODPRODUCTS IN ERLENSEE In the Hessian city of Erlensee (Main-

Kinzig District), Dachser is building

a European hub for food shipments

for its Food Logistics Division.

Oetter. The new construction includes a

two-bay, 8,500-square-meter transit terminal

refrigerated at +2 to +7 degrees Celsius. In a

second stage of expansion, the usable floor

space can be enlarged by an additional 3,000

square meters.

“With this new facility, we’re upgrading the

existing hub for German branches into a

European hub for cross-border food ship-

ments of all European Food Network part-

ners,” says Alfred Miller, Managing Director

of Dachser Food Logistics. In the future,

the new branch will serve not only as an

important hub for Dachser’s European Food

Logistics sites, but also as a core element

of the European Food Network, which was

founded by twelve partners in 2013.

In December of last year,

Dachser acquired the remaining

50 percent share of the joint

venture, MGI & Dachser, Inc.

Thomas Reuter, COO of Dachser Air & Sea

Logistics, explains the reasons for this step:

“This country of 50 million inhabitants,

with its highly productive economy and

high level of technological expertise, is one

of Germany’s most important economic

partners in East Asia.” Coinciding with the

change of name, Dachser Korea, headed by

Air & Sea Logistics

WHOLLY-OWNED SUBSIDIARYIN SOUTH KOREA

Dachser has been

operating in South Korea

as “Dachser Korea Inc.”

since July.

Managing Director Roman Müller, moved

into a new office in Seoul. Another office is

located in Busan, where Dachser handles sea

freight activities. At Incheon Airport in

Seoul, South Korea’s most important airport,

Dachser operates a warehouse for processing

air freight. A specialized team is also avail -

able there for physical handling of the air

freight. In addition, the logistics provider

also offers professional, specialized loading

(consolidation) of air freight pallets in a

separate warehouse on the airport grounds.

“We specifically want to expand our activities

in the Korean market, exploiting the logistics

connection with Greater China, the USA,

and Europe for the benefit of our customers,”

says Roman Müller, emphasizing the impor-

tance of South Korea as a business location.

Close relations with the EU: Seoul, the economic center of South Korea

24 DACHSER magazine

NETWORKEXPERTISE

NETWORK

+++ VCI EXTENDS COOPERATION AGREEMENT WITH

DACHSER +++ The German Chemical Industry Associa-

tion VCI has extended its purchasing cooperation agree-

ment with Dachser for two more years. The successful

partnership dates back to 2009. Since then, small to

medium-sized association members have been the

primary beneficiaries of groupage logistics services,

which are specially tailored to the requirements of their

branches of industry and also cover all of Europe.

“The chemical industry in Germany is characterized by

a dynamic small to medium-sized segment, which is

increasingly finding sales and procurement markets out-

side of Germany,” explains Michael Kriegel, Department

Head Dachser Chem-Logistics. “Thanks to our closely

interlinked network of 256 Dachser sites in 22 European

countries and our years of experience in the shipping

and warehousing of chemical products, we ensure that

logistics is providing seamless support to this inter -

nationalization process.” +++

+++ NEW FOOD LOGISTICS FACILITIES IN HUNGARY +++ Dachser

beefs up its European Food Logistics network. At the end of June, the family-

run company integrated Szerviz Sped, the Hungarian service provider, and launched operations

at the first of three Szerviz Sped branches. The other sites, Miskolc and Debrecen, will be included in the network in the

second half of the year. The two companies have been business partners since 2011. In the intervening period, it became

apparent that Szerviz Sped’s extensive network of branch offices in eastern Hungary and the network’s customer base—

which includes well-known names such as Pick and Sole Mizo (Bonafarm Group)—are an excellent fit with Dachser’s

strategic orientation. The goal of this integration is to safeguard and continue the growth trend of both companies and

to offer Hungarian customers better opportunities for network logistics in Europe. In addition, the intention is to upgrade

national performance characteristics—to a 24-hour transit time within Hungary, for example. +++

+++ MORE WAREHOUSE CAPACITY IN KOŠICE +++ Dachser Slovakia has doubled its warehouse capacity in Košice.

“This is our response to the increased demand for contract logistics solutions,” says Roman Stolicný, Managing Director

and member of the Managing Board of Dachser Slovakia. Košice has access to 30 direct truck routes that go from the

Lozorno Eurohub near Bratislava to 15 countries every day. The branch itself recently specialized in value-added services

such as assembly, labeling, co-packing, and much more. +++

+++ NEW OFFICE IN ST. LOUIS +++ Dachser

USA keeps growing in the Midwest. To assist

this growth, the logistics provider opened an

office at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.

This site works closely with Dachser’s newly

opened office and warehouse in Chicago. This

should especially benefit customers in southern

Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. +++

Gateway Arch: St. Louis landmark

Safe handling of dangerous goods

DACHSER magazine 25

NETWORK: THE ROLE OF IT IN CONTRACT LOGISTICS

26 DACHSER magazine

EVERYTHING

IN FLUX

hNever before have so many goods been

transported from point A to point B.

The reason: the global economy—and there-

fore global trade—keeps growing and grow-

ing. The authors of the Oxford Economics

Global Connections Report put the global

gross domestic product at USD 78 trillion

in 2013 and trade volume at almost USD 19

trillion. Given the rapid pace of develop -

ment in Asia and the dire need for improved

infrastructure, they expect worldwide trade

in goods to quadruple by 2030. In Germany

alone, the Oxford Economics authors expect

exports to grow by four percent or more start-

ing in 2016. This also presents a challenge

for logistics: goods travel thousands of

kilometers along global supply and procure-

ment chains before they reach their destina-

tion—with different carriers for ocean, air,

and road transport and within a very narrow

window of time. The pace is set by just-

in-time or just-in-sequence deliveries, based

entirely on the customer’s needs.

“Logistics as practiced these days would be

unthinkable without intelligent IT. The

complexity and speed of supply chains ne-

cessitate high-performance systems,” says

Martin Poost, Department Head Contract

Logistics Operations at Dachser. For that

reason, Poost and his 18-person team work

closely with the experts from the IT Division.

In the preliminary stages, they make sure

they understand exactly what the customer

needs in the way of information chains, inter -

faces, and systems.

One system, many solutions A modular system of proprietary programs

allows customized solutions. For example,

in a case where a manufacturer stores its

production materials at a Dachser warehouse,

moves them to its own production facility

“just in time,” and then uses the Dachser

network to bring the finished product to

market all over the world. And Dachser’s

system does all that with dependable supe -

rior quality, maximum transparency, and

process reliability at each individual step of

the way. Mikado, the warehouse manage-

ment software, assists and manages all

Logistics without IT? Almost unimaginable these days!For its customers, Dachser relies on proprietary softwaresystems and design concepts geared to specific industries. This ensures process management solutionsthat are custom-tailored and always up to date.

Playing it safe withnumbers: in the flow ofdata, a high degree ofsecurity and availabilityare absolutely essen-tial. IT processes that are standardizedthroughout the com-pany and special parallel data process-ing centers take careof this at Dachser. IT employees—520 incentral and peripheraloffices—serve asDachser’s own compe-tence center for devel-opment and support.Beyond that, Dachser’sIT security team maintains state-of-the-art data security.

DACHSER magazine 27

NETWORK: THE ROLE OF IT IN CONTRACT LOGISTICS

processes in the warehouses. In addition, it

transmits all essential data regarding the

order, movement, and inventory to the EDI

Center for conversion and transmission to

the customer’s IT system. Domino, the ship-

ping software, is used for handling shipping

sequences on the road. In the area of air

and sea freight, Dachser is making increasing

use of Othello, shipping software that was

also developed in-house.

“Our programs have been refined over many

years. That’s why there’s such a high degree

of correlation between specific customer

needs and what our systems offer,” Poost

notes. “They are updated on a weekly basis so

that the closely interconnected systems are

state-of-the-art at all times and in all places

they’re used.” This makes it possible to ac-

commodate even very exacting customer

requests.

Industry-specific designs Since the logistics needs of an electronics

firm differ from those of a company in the

chemical industry for example, Poost and his

team work out customized contract logistics

plans in each case. Dachser’s IT specialists

organize the data flow with the utmost

precision and, where needed, also program

en tirely new solutions. Sometimes the IT

systems used by the customer need to be

adapted to the interfaces and programs of

the logistics service provider. “Our ideas have

to be capable of being smoothly integrated

into the customer’s existing IT infrastruc-

ture,” Martin Poost says, describing the chal-

lenge. “The first and last consideration

here,” states Poost, “is employees with the

best possible training. That’s the only way

we can continually upgrade our IT systems.”

“Because Dachser always uses the same

systems, we speak virtually one language

throughout the world. That makes the work

easier for companies and employees, because

they know the processes,” Poost explains.

The IT specialists are also especially focused

on the senders. Customers are directly con-

nected with the transport and warehouse

systems via web-based eLogistics applica-

tions so that they can conveniently manage

all interactive processes over the Internet.

For Martin Poost, the advantages are obvi-

ous: “This way, for example, they can deter-

mine freight costs online, place orders, and

use Tracking & Tracing to track shipments

everywhere in Europe and throughout the

world.” T. Strauss

hhThe complexity

and speed

of supply chains necessitate

high-performance systems

Martin Poost, Department Head Contract

Logistics Operations at Dachser

On-Packs: support for promotional campaigns in retail

NETWORK: FRANCE

28 DACHSER magazine

hLogistics is like a fine champagne:

awaiting you at the end of a “refined

and fully controlled course” is superb quality.

This encapsulates the sentiment at Louis

Roederer of Vezenay, a grand cru area in

the heart of the Champagne region. Among

premium wine growers, champagne revolves

around these things: choosing just the right

spot; cultivating and nurturing suitable grape

varieties; ensuring that experienced hands

administer a patient fermentation and aging

process; securing professional shipment to

dealers and restaurants; and, finally, serving

with supreme finesse for the utmost enjoy-

ment. Established in 1776, the family-owned

Roederer vineyards decided to distribute the

king of sparkling wines via the royal road of

logistics: Contract Logistics. Dachser France

and Louis Roederer have been closely colla-

borating since 2003 in regard to warehousing

and European supply chains for these excep-

tionally exquisite wines.

“To keep customers satisfied with such so-

phisticated products, the logistics provider

must offer the highest quality,” stressed

Vincent Hahn, Head of Sales and Contract

Logistics European Logistics Dachser

France. To guarantee this quality, Dachser

recently expanded its warehouse in Reims

(Marne department in the Champagne-

Ardenne region) specifically for the needs

of customers from the wine and spirits in-

dustry. “The wine and spirits business has

great strategic importance in France. We still

see plenty of development potential here,

which is why we are specifically focusing on

this industry,” Hahn continues.

For example, of the total 18,000 square me-

ters of inventory space at the new ware -

house, 6,000 square meters are temperature-

controlled for optimal warehousing of sensi-

tive champagne. In addition, the multi-user

warehouse guarantees a maximum degree of

efficiency. On top of standardized processes

and standardized IT systems, Dachser also

offers—with and for its customers—custom-

tailored warehousing designs. And not just

storage and cargo handling—not by a long

shot. In addition to these services, there are a

whole series of supplemental options, such

as packaging and cartoning, labeling, display

building, and assembly of sleeves for specials

and seasonal offerings in retail.

An elaborate safety system is standard when

dealing with valuable products like cham -

pagne and other fine wines. Such a system ‡

GETTING THINGS OFF THE GROUND IN A

BIG WAY”“

In France, Dachser is setting new benchmarks for the industry with its new locations and sophisticated distribution and contract logistics. And it’s proving to be popular—in the wine and spirits industry, for instance, with its challenging supply chains.

Fine spirits for retail

DACHSER magazine 29

NETWORK: FRANCE

includes, for example, comprehensive video

monitoring of the warehouse and standard

sprinkler systems in the warehouse areas. In

addition, there is special freight protection on

the road, with continuous traceability of the

goods as well as specified, secured truck rest

stations along the transportation routes.

Bucking the market trendthrough growthSuch services are closely interlinked with the

most recent development at Dachser France.

With new locations and sophisticated distri-

bution and contract logistics, the company

has recently experienced very positive deve-

lopment—contrary to market trends—and

has set the standard in the French market.

That market’s zero growth and the conside-

rable trade deficit of a low-export economy

had a serious impact not only on the logis -

tics industry. Yet following its complete

restructuring, Dachser France was able to

leverage this crisis, turning it into an oppor-

tunity, thus enabling it to respond effectively

to the elevated demand in both the export

and the domestic business at the start of

the year.

“For Dachser France, 2013 is of historic sig-

nificance: we met and exceeded our business

plan objectives. Carried by the strong perfor-

mance of the European Logistics business

with 8.3 percent sales increase, we were able

to increase total sales to EUR 526.5 million,”

emphasizes Frédéric Dumort, Managing

Director, European Logistics France &

Maghreb. Thanks to its closely interlinked,

standardized Dachser network and its inte-

grated IT systems, Dachser today possesses

the best set-up for groupage exports in the

French market. “With Cargoplus, we are

additionally offering groupage and complete

load freight solutions for the nations of the

Maghreb, East Europe, and the CIS states.

Last but not least, we are applying the exper-

tise of the entire corporation at Dachser

and its French team to expanding a portfolio

of contract logistics services that can inte -

grate and optimize the customer’s entire flow

of goods.”

Wine and spirits corporation Pernod took

advantage of this portfolio over eight years

ago and transferred its logistics to Dachser

France. In Santeny, 20 kilometers southeast

of Paris, the logistics provider later set up a

Value-added servicesare high on the bever-age logistics agenda.These services include, for example:quality control of thegoods when they arepicked up from thesupplier’s warehouse;product enhancementmeasures; sleeving(film-wrapping); and, repacking intonew boxes at theDachser warehouseprior to delivery to the regional retail market.

Teamwork wird im Verladehafen groß geschrieben

Specialized in the logistics of alcoholic beverages: the Dachser warehouse in Sateny

Contract Logistics expertise:Vincent Hahn (left) and Donovan Depraetere, Operation Logistics Manager

Perfect shipment tracking

NETWORK: FRANCE

30 DACHSER magazine

commensurately specialized warehouse,

thus ensuring an efficient supply chain ma-

nagement. Distribution for Pernod—whose

corporate brand includes such famous labels

as Ramazotti, Chivas Regal, Absolut Vodka,

and Ballantine’s, all under its one roof—leads

well beyond France and neighboring coun-

tries. Its reach extends all the way to the

Middle East, Africa, and the USA. Within

Paris and its environs, one feature unique to

Dachser France comes to the fore: the logis-

tics provider delivers goods on a daily basis

there, even in small quantities, to coffee

shops, hotels, restaurants, and nightclubs.

“If the cognac runs out at an elegant restau-

rant, it has often been the case that we make

the run for just a single bottle and replenish

the supply,” explains Vincent Hahn. Dachser

will even deliver special accessories and

supplies, like bar equipment and barware,

upon request.

Important Eurohub in Clermont-FerrandIn order to create synergies, Dachser France

acquired other customers from the wine and

spirits segment. The capacity of the ware-

house in Santeny was tripled last year pre -

cisely for this purpose—from the original

17,000 square meters to 52,000 square me-

ters. This way, the logistics provider can offer

customers individual, specific framework

conditions that are always consistent with

statutory mandates. These include hygieni-

cally impeccable food handling, adherence

to specified temperature controls on the

goods, and traceability of the batch/lot num-

bers. To satisfy the diverse specifications of

individual industries, Dachser combines

various warehousing systems such as pallet

shelves, modular racking systems, cantilever

racks—operated manually or automati -

cally—into a coherent overall solution.

As a basic principle, Dachser contract logis-

tics facilities are not isolated locations, but

instead are always linked to existing transit

terminal systems and the shipping network.

For customers like Brown Forman, Bacardi,

and Pernod, this combined portfolio of

services, with the opportunities of a global

network, plays a critical role. They can rely

on scheduled freight services and identical

services all over the world. Dachser’s third

Eurohub, which opened in the summer of

2011 in the French region of Combronde,

essentially set the pace. The hub, with its

7,000-square-meter transit terminal, is lo -

cated about 30 kilometers from Clermont-

Ferrand and serves as a central hub to which

all branches of the French network are con-

nected. Each day, around 80 trucks arrive

at the 98 loading bays. From Combronde,

the logistics provider transports the ship-

ments directly to the destination regions.

As a result, the drivers stop at nearly every

French branch office once every 24 hours. In

addition, there are scheduled daily freight

services linking France, Germany, Belgium,

the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Spain,

and Portugal. There is also a new contract

logistics solution for the office furniture

segment: at the beginning of this year, a main

office furniture warehouse opened its gates

in Savigny-sur-Clairis, 120 kilometers south

of Paris. The 30,000 square meter space

offers enough room for roughly 35,000 pal-

lets or furniture containers (as the case may

be). Dachser’s area of responsibility extends

from picking and labeling to shipment

bundling and cross-docking.

Five million supplier orders per year“The internationalization of contract logis-

tics demands global structures along with

uniform systems and standards—in consult -

ing, training, knowledge management, and

most notably, information technology,” ex-

plains Vincent Hahn. “With Mikado, the

warehouse software system that we devel -

oped in-house, we already process in excess

of five million supplier orders worldwide,

and 30 million line items per year.” Mikado

is available in 13 languages, he added, and

is integrated into Domino—the transport

management system that was likewise devel -

oped in-house—and into Othello (Air &

Sea Logistics). According to Hahn: “This

facilitates seamless shipping and contract

logistics services that enable companies to

completely outsource the management of

their inventory and supply chain.” In the

relationship between customers and logistics

service providers, that means, “everyone does

what he or she can do best.” Vincent Hahn

is absolutely confident that Dachser can

truly accomplish great things in France

with contract logistics. And in the league of

champagne and fine wines, that is precisely

what is in demand. K. Fink

Santeny: The Story

The contract logistics facility in

Santeny (near Paris) was conceived

for Pernod, a client of Dachser

France, so that the customer could

outsource its logistics. Since 2009,

the facility has grown from 12,000

to 36,000 square meters. Today,

as part of its Contract Logistics

portfolio of services, Dachser France

is creating synergy for various

integrated commercial activities

of Pernod Ricard Europe, Pernod

Ricard USA, and Havanna Club

International.

IN BRIEF

hh International

contract logistics

demands global structures

as well as uniform systems and

standards

Vincent Hahn, Head of Sales and

Contract Logistics, European Logistics,

Dachser France

DACHSER magazine 31

NETWORK: FRANCE

BUSINESS LOUNGE: DACHSER FACE-TO-FACE

32 DACHSER magazine

Mr. Simon, if an elementary school studentwere to ask you today, “What is logistics,anyway?” what would you say to him in reply?Bernhard Simon: I would tell him that he

experiences logistics whenever he opens the

refrigerator in the morning and takes out a

pre-packaged single serving of muesli—with

yogurt and cornflakes in separate plastic

compartments, nicely sealed with a printed

aluminum cover, and cooled just right. That’s

a case of logistics doing its job well!

Can supply chain management also be defined in such easy-to-understand terms?Prof. Michael ten Hompel: Logistics

means moving things intelligently. This in-

cludes goods and commodities, of course—

but also vehicles on the road. In the case of

supply chains, we're talking about manage-

ment of all logistics processes along the

supply chains, from the supplier to the con-

sumer. And all of that with the goal of using

networks efficiently to increase the benefit

for customers.

How is the role of logistics evolving as procurement and delivery chains becomeever more complex?B. Simon: In order to get that ready-to-eat

muesli we were talking about into the con-

sumer's refrigerator, very diverse suppliers

have to interact and various materials have

to be collected beforehand. Take production

and provision of the packaging, for instance.

Today, parts of this packaging come to the

muesli producer from manufacturing facili-

ties all over Europe. The same goes for dairy

products, which have to meet extremely

high quality and safety standards in regard

to their ingredients and processing. Every-

thing must come together at the right time,

in the right quantity, and with the right

quality. Designing complex processes that

meet these specifications and that are reli -

able and can be replicated at any time, using

suitable IT: that’s what increasingly charac-

terizes logistics today.

Prof. ten Hompel: Extensive information

logistics has long since been a part of this

design process because, after all, the com-

plexity of tasks is growing in many dimen-

sions at the same time. For example, there is

increasing structural complexity in the sys-

tems and networks and also increasing data

complexity. We’re talking about a thousand-

fold increase in data each decade.

But if the tasks along the supply chains continue to grow in complexity, won’t we be facing complete automation of all pro -cesses at some point in the future? Whereis this path leading?Prof. ten Hompel: After industrialization

and automation, we’re now facing the

prospect of machines becoming autonomous.

The “Internet of Things” is creating the basis

for this. In the age of the 4th industrial revo-

lution, things are not only starting to think,

but they’re also learning to communicate

with each other and act autonomously.

However, autonomous systems have to be

at least as clever as the systems they are re-

placing. So we have to develop systems that

can be integrated into existing systems and

can go one decisive, qualitative step further

as a result. Nothing else is acceptable. If a

self-driving transport vehicle comes into a

warehouse, for example, of course it has to

be able to identify the environment in which

hhWe always need

to design IT systems

in such a way that they also

suggest sensible logistics

decisions to those involved

Prof. Dr. Michael ten Hompel

BERNHARD SIMON MEETS...PROF. MICHAEL TEN HOMPEL

Moving things intelligently: Bernhard Simon and Prof. Michael ten Hompel of the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML discuss the management of ever more complex purchasing and supply chains.

DACHSER magazine 33

BUSINESS LOUNGE: DACHSER FACE-TO-FACE

it is located and has to connect with the sys-

tems available there, such as SAP. Otherwise

our systems will be unsuccessful.

What does this mean for IT in logistics?Prof. ten Hompel: Up until now, logisti-

cians have always looked to see what’s new

in IT and how we can use such innovations

for our tasks. In the future, logistics ought

to specify what the IT systems need to look

like. In other words: the leadership position

that we occupy in the designing of supply

chains is something that we will also have

to actively pursue in information logistics.

That is an essential part of supply chain

management.

B. Simon: To integrate information logis-

tics into the process architecture, we will

need to take actions that build trust between

customers and service providers. Before a

company shares its knowledge about its

own in-house processes with its logistics

provider, this knowledge must first be col-

lected, organized, and documented, and then

established as best practice. This way, as the

logistics provider and the company approach

the supply chains together, the logistics

provider can come to understand—as it

masters the entire supply chain—where the

Warehousing as part of the supplychain: the Fraunhofer Institute is

working on the warehouse of the future

principal benefit for the customer lies. Every

project—no matter how good it is—has a

long history, during which a great deal of

knowledge has accumulated from practical

experience.

Does this result in many designs for indi-vidual customers or, instead, higher-levelsupply chain management models thatbenefit as many customers as possible? Prof. ten Hompel: There is no point in

describing highly complex supply chains in

models that are designed for some specific

case and then would have to be remodeled

for the next job. On the contrary: we need

IT systems that provide the necessary flexi-

bility in the daily routine, allowing us to

quickly provide the necessary basic logistics

functions. Even when requirements change

from one day to the next. The object is to

apply the practical knowledge of our supply

chain managers in our systems and to avoid

expensive customizing orgies.

What role does practical knowledge play in exemplary, IT-guided supply chain man-agement?Prof. ten Hompel: Many supply chains

can no be longer guided solely by human

intuition. We need the assistance of IT sys-

tems. This assistance has to be given intelli-

gently while also making practical knowledge

available in a sensible way—after all, that’s

the most valuable thing that logistics service

providers possess.

B. Simon: In supply chain management,

interfaces are needed first and foremost. But

behind every interface is a human being—

and humans can make mistakes. There -

fore, we need systems that delineate supply

chain events according to clear rules that

docu ment these events and invite alternative

courses of action. Then the stakeholders can

use their practical knowledge to opt for

alternative actions as the situation dictates.

There are definitely spheres of activity where

well-trained specialists, with all their experi-

ence, can find solutions more quickly and

more effectively than IT systems—provided

that at the same time, they consistently

maintain the basic, system-guided process,

continue to back it up, and always guide

these individual processes back to the basic

process via control loops.

Prof. ten Hompel: However, this should

not result in IT itself being called into

question. It would be just as fatal to

depend completely on individual system ‡

BUSINESS LOUNGE: DACHSER FACE-TO-FACE

34 DACHSER magazine

Prof. Dr. Michael ten Hompel

moved from electrical engineer-

ing to computer science, digital

measuring technology, and

medical technology, to the man-

agement of logistical systems,

and finally to the tenured pro-

fessorship holding the Chair

of Materials Handling and

Warehousing at the Technical

University of Dortmund. At the

same time, he is the Managing

Director of the Fraunhofer

Institute for Material Flow and

Logistics IML. In order to com-

bine logistics with software and

system technology, the 55-year-

old has most recently taken on

the job of Managing Director of

the Fraunhofer Institute for

Software and Systems Engi-

neering ISST within Fraunhofer-

Gesellschaft. Thus, he remains

true to his life motto: Nothing

good happens unless you do it!

Bernhard Simon

sees logistics as one of the most

important areas of application

for information technologies.

Through complex tasks such as

supply chain management and

contract logistics, the CEO

of Dachser always combines the

intelligence of IT systems with

the intelligence of the people

who use these systems. “That’s

the essence of brilliant logistical

service,” says Simon. “In the

future even more than today.”

PERSONAL DETAILS

parameters defined by IT experts, the Key

Performance Indicators (KPIs), and to be-

lieve that intelligent decisions could be made

that way—without taking stock of the con-

sequences. We always need to design IT

systems in such a way that they also suggest

sensible logistics decisions to those involved.

Human beings should not be completely

removed from the process. On the contrary.

Information has to be prepared for people

in such a way that they can make intelligent

decisions based on it.

B. Simon: Tasks have to be straightforward

and the results and consequences of your own

action need to be visible so that you can do a

good job and gain self-confidence. We expe-

rience this, for example, time and time again

when we launch IT systems. There would

be problems if we only trained people in the

jobs that are associated with new systems.

Because in our experience, activities are only

carried out well if we also point out which

data and which physical service has what

significance to the team.

Isn’t complexity already pre-programmedinto this? Prof. ten Hompel: In supply chain man-

agement, my name—probably more than

anyone else’s—is very closely associated with

automation and the Internet of Things.

However, I would be the last person to say

that we don’t need people anymore, or that

we ought to head in the direction of complete

automation of logistics. In the past, however,

in our search for ideal logistics, we did occa-

sionally neglect to scrutinize the role of

people. We always need to integrate people

intelligently, in their capacity as individual

human beings.

B. Simon: We get the best results when we

make the quality of our processes and their

management along the supply chains really

visible to people. But not everyone has to

master the entire system for this purpose.

That’s precisely what’s so great about logistics:

that it employs very different kinds of people.

It includes simple jobs that yield valu -

able results as well as sophisticated planning

activities that require commensurate further

education. All of these things together are

essential for corresponding achievements in

logistics. And hence for shared success.

In what direction are logistics and supplychain management heading?Prof. ten Hompel: It’s a great pleasure to

see the technological possibilities that are

available to us today and to see how we can

also employ them intelligently at reasonable

prices. When I talk with our colleagues at the

Institute about new technologies and their

application, I have the feeling that we will

also be able to implement everything that we

conceive of today. What is essential now is

to make practical use of the speed that is

possible.

B. Simon: We have so many technological

options and so many modules available. In

order to create something truly new and

shape the future of logistics, we have to

continually think outside of the box and

connect things together in a new and intelli-

gent way. Then we can also build up ex-

tremely responsive supply chains. However,

the imagination and inventiveness of creative

people is essential in order for that to happen.

hhWe get the best

results when

we make the quality of our

processes and their manage-

ment along the supply

chains really visible to people

Bernhard Simon

DACHSER magazine 35

GOOD NEWS

Because what was available on the radio got on their nerves,

even on short trips, Sebastian Mücke, Dangerous Goods Officer

at Dachser in Mannheim (right), and Simon Scheidweller, a

professional driver, decided to simply get on the air with their

own program. In their free time, they founded “Truckercast,”

Germany’s first podcast series by professional drivers for pro -

fessional drivers. “We want Truckercast to contribute to a better

understanding between passenger car drivers and truck drivers,

making the roads safer in the process,” says Mücke. It’s an

approach that is catching on: several thousand listeners tune

in to the Truckercast podcasts every two weeks.

TRUCKERCAST:TALK RADIO FOR DRIVERS