What Rottbeck Spedition does

Rottbeck Spedition GmbH is a family-owned, Bottrop-based freight forwarding and contract logistics company founded in 1939 in Heiden/Westfalen and relocated to its current Ruhr-area headquarters in 2000. Under managing director Frank Rottbeck (in role since 1997), the company operates four warehouse locations — Bottrop (24,500 sqm), Bochum (33,000 sqm), Essen (28,000 sqm), and the new Schermbeck logistics park (30,000 sqm under construction) — providing consolidated freight, full and partial load transport, international sea and air freight with own Asian branches, procurement and distribution warehousing, e-commerce fulfillment, and multi-carrier B2C delivery across Germany and 36 European countries.

The technology backbone is a cloud-based Integrated Warehouse Management System (IWMS) that handles goods receipt, slotting, picking, packing, and dispatch, paired with the WebKomalog online tracking portal (powered by Ecovium) for customer-facing shipment visibility. Operations are certified to DIN EN ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and HACCP, and the company has been recognized as 'Top Arbeitgeber Speditionswesen 2022' (DtGV) and 'Starker Partner 2023' (Reviermanager). The most recent disclosed revenue figure is approximately €21 million (2019) with 130+ employees; current headcount sits in the 101-250 range with a planned expansion to 200+ as the Schermbeck facility ramps.

Revenue is generated through transaction-fee freight forwarding (per shipment/tonnage), managed services for warehousing and e-fulfillment (storage fees, per-item processing, and service charges), and B2C delivery fees. Pricing is custom-negotiated per customer, shipment type, and contract term, with no public rate cards. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales supplemented by referral flow from membership in four freight alliance networks (CTL, OSL, Online Systemlogistik, System Alliance). Customer mix is diversified across e-commerce retailers, importers, industrial manufacturers, and retail trade — with one named case-study customer, Kaiser + Kraft (Takkt AG subsidiary).

Name

Rottbeck Spedition

Legal name

Rottbeck Spedition GmbH

Website

https://rottbeck.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Rottbeck Spedition GmbH is a family-owned German freight forwarder and 3PL based in Bottrop, offering e-commerce fulfillment, national and European road transport, sea/air freight with own Asian branches, and multi-carrier B2C delivery from four Ruhr-area warehouse locations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Less Than Truckload (484122), General Freight Trucking (4841)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Freight, Linehaul & Middle-Mile Transportation for E-commerce (CRAFAMAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Home Goods, Furniture & Bulky Item Returns (White-Glove Reverse) (TLAAALAE), White-Glove & Inside Delivery Expedited Freight (TLADANAM), Retail Store Replenishment & Inter-Store Transfer (B2B) (TLAAAEAF)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• E-fulfillment services
• Contract logistics
• Sea and air freight
• Warehouse management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bottrop

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding (Sammelgutverkehre): Traditional freight forwarding services including consolidated cargo (Stückgut), full and partial truck loads, and express freight. Revenue generated through per-shipment/per-tonnage fees for domestic and international cargo transportation. Operates 42 direct lines in Germany and daily EU departures.
2. E-Fulfillment & Warehousing: Order processing services for online shops including storage, order management, picking, packing, shipping, and returns handling. Revenue generated through warehousing fees, per-item processing fees, and fulfillment service charges.
3. Sea and Air Freight: International freight forwarding including weekly own consolidated container services from the Far East, worldwide import/export LCL/FCL services, Ro/Ro, project cargo, with own branches in Asia. Revenue through freight charges per container or weight.
4. Procurement Logistics: Nationwide pickup in Germany, sea freight pickup, fiscal customs clearance, and operation of procurement warehouses. Revenue generated through service fees for procurement logistics management.
5. B2C Deliveries: Last-mile and B2C delivery services integrating with all parcel service providers (DPD, DHL, GLS, Dachser, Hermes). Revenue through delivery fees per shipment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Rottbeck Spedition operates as a B2B freight forwarding and contract logistics company providing end-to-end supply chain services. Its core offering covers e-fulfillment for online retailers (storage, picking, packing, shipping, returns), national and European consolidated freight (Sammelgut) with 42 direct lines in Germany and daily EU departures, full and partial truckload transport, international sea and air freight with own Asian branch network, procurement and distribution warehousing, and B2C last-mile delivery integrated with all major German parcel carriers.

Product overview

Rottbeck Spedition operates as a freight forwarding and logistics company offering an integrated suite of services across transport and warehouse operations. The core offering consists of E-Fulfillment (end-to-end online shop logistics), Sea Freight Services, and traditional freight forwarding through Consolidated Freight Services and Full/Partial Loads. The company operates an IWMS-based warehouse management system supporting multiple warehouse types including Procurement, Distribution, and B2C Fulfillment warehouses. Additional services include B2C Deliveries and the WebKomalog tracking platform. The company also participates in network collaborations (CTL, Online Systemlogistik) for expanded European coverage and is developing the LOUISE e-commerce platform initiative in partnership with the city of Bottrop.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WebKomalog: Online shipment tracking and tracing system for customers to monitor transport processes and delivery status.

Products and services

• E-Fulfillment End-to-end order processing service for online shops including inventory storage and management, order processing, picking, packing, shipping, and returns handling. Targeted at e-commerce retailers that need to outsource fulfillment operations.
• Sammelgutverkehre (Consolidated Freight Services) Nationwide and EU consolidated less-than-truckload (LTL) freight services with 42 direct lines in Germany, daily EU departures, and certified handling per DIN EN ISO 9001. For shippers needing reliable scheduled consolidated transport across Germany and Europe.
• Ladungs- und Teilverkehre (Full and Partial Loads) Full truckload (FTL) and partial load transport with fleet outsourcing, maximum one transshipment, and daily departures to all European economic areas. For shippers with larger shipment volumes needing direct point-to-point service.
• Sea Freight Services International sea freight services including weekly own consolidated container services from the Far East, LCL/FCL shipments, Ro/Ro and conventional loading, and project cargo with own branches in Asia. For importers and exporters needing reliable global container transport.
• Procurement Logistics (Beschaffungslager) Procurement logistics including Europe-wide pickup, sea and air freight organization, container unloading, consolidated just-in-time delivery, and continuous status information. For industrial and trading customers managing inbound supply chains.
• Distribution Logistics (Distributionslager)
• B2C Deliveries (B2C Auslieferungen) Business-to-consumer last-mile delivery service integrating all major parcel services (DPD, DHL, GLS, Dachser, Hermes, In Time, UPS) with ETA calculations and recipient tracking links. For B2C shippers and online retailers needing multi-carrier parcel delivery.

Quantifiable outcome

• Transit time: 24-48 hours within Germany; 48-72 hours across Europe
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Online Systemlogistik Verbund (OSL)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 March 2022Rottbeck Spedition GmbH became a new partner in the Online-Systemlogistik network in March 2022, as part of a new system expansion focusing on geographic optimization of the Online network.
• CTL (Cargo Trans Logistik)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCTL is a freight alliance network providing nationwide and Europe-wide freight distribution. Rottbeck participates in the CTL network, which includes CTL Classic, CTL Express, CTL XXL, CTL Fixtermin, CTL Partial Load, CTL Retail, and CTL Collect services.
• UPS (United Parcel Service)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUPS is a global parcel service provider. Rottbeck integrates with UPS for parcel delivery services as part of its multi-carrier e-fulfillment and B2C delivery solutions.
• System AllianceminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSystem Alliance is a freight partnership network. Rottbeck is connected to the System Alliance network, which is part of its broader alliance system for European freight distribution.
• OSL (Online Systemlogistik)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOnline Systemlogistik (OSL) is a logistics network for e-commerce and system freight. Rottbeck's partnership focuses on e-commerce fulfillment, online retail logistics, and system transport services.
• GoldbeckminorOthersGoldbeck is a construction company engaged by Rottbeck to build the new logistics park in Schermbeck. Construction photos credit Goldbeck as the builder of the new facility.
• L.I.T.-GruppeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerL.I.T.-Gruppe in Brake is a training partner where Max Rottbeck (family member) completed an apprenticeship as a freight forwarding and logistics specialist. The partnership relates to vocational training in logistics.
• 25+ European Transport PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRottbeck maintains a network of 25+ European transport and logistics partners across Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, and Slovakia for international freight distribution.
• Parcel Service Integrations (DPD, DHL, GLS, Dachser, Hermes, In Time)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRottbeck integrates with all major parcel service providers (DPD, DHL, GLS, Dachser, Hermes, In Time) for last-mile B2C delivery and e-fulfillment operations. This multi-carrier approach enables flexible delivery options for online retailers.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Global transport and logistics company with strong road, air and sea forwarding plus growing contract logistics. Comparable freight forwarding service set to Rottbeck, operating at significantly larger scale post-Schenker acquisition.
• DB Schenker: One of Europe's largest freight forwarders and contract logistics providers, owned by Deutsche Bahn. Comparable in air/sea/road forwarding and warehousing, but operates at massively broader scale and global network.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-headquartered global freight forwarder with leading air, sea and road forwarding plus contract logistics. Overlaps with Rottbeck's sea/air freight procurement and contract logistics offerings but at vastly larger scale.
• Dachser: German family-owned global logistics provider with strong European groupage (Stückgut) network and contract logistics. Directly competes with Rottbeck in Stückgut distribution and B2B road freight, and is already a parcel integration partner.
• Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics operator with freight forwarding, contract logistics and e-fulfillment capabilities. Comparable e-commerce fulfillment and multi-mode forwarding focus to Rottbeck, at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Rhenus Logistics: European freight forwarding and contract logistics specialist offering warehousing, multi-modal transport and supply chain solutions. Comparable scope of freight forwarding + warehousing + e-fulfillment across European geographies.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered global forwarder with road, air and sea freight plus contract logistics and e-commerce fulfillment. Closely matches Rottbeck's combined forwarding + e-fulfillment + multi-mode offering, at considerably larger scale.
• FIEGE Logistik: German family-owned logistics provider with strong e-fulfillment, contract logistics and multi-carrier capabilities. Comparable to Rottbeck in warehousing-led model and DACH/Europe footprint, though materially larger.
• Emons Spedition: Mid-sized German Spedition with multi-modal freight forwarding, warehousing and e-commerce fulfillment. Closely comparable in scale and service mix to Rottbeck, also family-influenced and operating regional German hubs.
• Spedition Queck: German family-run Spedition focused on road freight forwarding, consolidated cargo and warehousing in western Germany. Strong direct comparability on family ownership, Ruhr-area presence and Stückgut network business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xxing.com/companies/rottbeckspeditiongmbh
• Facebookfacebook.com/Rottbeck-Spedition-GmbH-154235124691616
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rottbeck-spedition
• Instagraminstagram.com/rottbeckspedition/?hl=de

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rottbeck Spedition