Ludwig Meyer

What Ludwig Meyer does

Ludwig Meyer GmbH & Co. KG is a German, third-generation family-owned temperature-controlled logistics provider headquartered in Friedrichsdorf and operating since 1949. The company runs approximately 2,000 employees, a fleet of around 1,300 vehicles (1,200+ in daily operation), and more than 100 locations across Germany, executing roughly 6,000 store deliveries per day to 5,000 supermarkets while covering approximately 300,000 km per day. The core business serves German food retail under long-term contracts with major customers including PENNY and EDEKA Foodservice, supported by dedicated crossdocking and fulfillment operations that move around 84,000 roll containers daily.

The service portfolio is structured around three lines: food logistics (the dominant business), medical logistics (collecting 6,000 medical samples per day for clients including the Hygiene Institute Gelsenkirchen), and crossdocking and fulfillment. The company is also an early mover in low-emission commercial vehicles, having deployed E-FORCE One electric trucks since 2015 and Hyundai Xcient Fuel Cell hydrogen trucks for PENNY in March 2023, supplemented by a 'Future Lab' alternative propulsion program. These initiatives target both ESG mandates from large retail customers and tightening EU emissions regulations.

The business model is B2B contract logistics, monetized through long-term, embedded supply contracts with German and European retailers, foodservice operators, and healthcare providers. Revenue is driven by route density, fleet utilization, and store-delivery volumes, with high operational leverage from asset intensity (fleet and depots) and concentrated customer relationships. Geographic footprint has expanded beyond Germany to a corridor spanning Sweden to Romania, including a Swedish subsidiary, positioning the company to extend its temperature-controlled capability across European cold-chain markets.

Name

Ludwig Meyer

Legal name

Ludwig Meyer GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://meyer-logistik.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Temperature-Controlled Logistics Services

NAICS

Transportation and Warehousing (48-49), Refrigerated Warehousing and Storage (493120)

SIC

Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537)

akta.pro primary industry

Food & Beverage Cold Chain Logistics (Fresh, Chilled, Frozen) (TLAIAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Temperature-Controlled Food & Grocery Delivery (Chilled/Frozen) (TLAAAHAL), Medical Specimens & Diagnostics Cold Delivery (TLAAAJAF)

Keywords

• Temperature-controlled logistics
• Food distribution services
• Medical sample transport
• Cold chain logistics
• Cross-docking fulfillment

Headquarters

HQ city

Friedrichsdorf

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Food Logistics Services: Temperature-controlled logistics services for food distribution from fresh food warehouses to supermarkets throughout Germany and Europe
2. Medical Logistics Services: Transport of medical samples and supplies between doctors' practices, clinics, and laboratories with temperature control
3. Cross-docking and Fulfillment: Supply chain coverage with flexible and scalable services adapted to customer requirements

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ludwig Meyer provides temperature-controlled logistics services for the distribution of fresh food to supermarket chains and the transport of medical samples between doctors' practices, clinics, and laboratories across Germany and Europe. The company operates one of the youngest fresh food fleets in Germany (~1,300 vehicles, 100% EURO6) and supplements its core food and medical logistics with cross-docking and fulfillment services, supported by modern telematics and pioneering alternative propulsion technologies.

Product overview

Ludwig Meyer GmbH & Co. KG operates as a temperature-controlled logistics provider with three core service offerings: Food Logistics, Medical Logistics, and Crossdocking and Fulfillment. The company runs one of Germany's youngest fresh food fleets with approximately 1,300 trucks meeting EURO6 standards. The Food Logistics division handles distribution of foodstuffs from warehouses to supermarkets across Germany and Europe. Medical Logistics provides transport of medical samples using telematics-equipped vehicles. Crossdocking and Fulfillment covers the complete supply chain. The company also operates an innovation division (Future Lab) pioneering alternative propulsion including electric, hydrogen, and trolley trucks.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Logistics Temperature-controlled logistics services for food distribution covering nearly any temperature range within the transport chain. Operates over 1,200 distribution vehicles daily to transport foodstuffs from fresh food warehouses to supermarkets throughout Germany and Europe with a fully documented cold chain guarantee.
• Medical Logistics Temperature-controlled medical sample transport and delivery services. With a fleet of more than 40 vehicles (some electrically driven), the company collects approximately 6,000 medical samples daily from doctors' practices and clinics throughout the Ruhr region and delivers them to laboratory locations for analysis.
• Crossdocking and Fulfillment End-to-end supply chain management services covering the entire logistics process, with flexible and scalable adaptation to customer requirements including 84,000 roll containers moved daily.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,000 store deliveries per day to approximately 5,000 supermarkets
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• transmed Transport GmbH: German specialist in temperature-controlled pharmaceutical and medical sample logistics. Comparable niche focus to Meyer's medical logistics division, though primarily DACH-region focused.
• LCI Logistikcenter International: German temperature-controlled food logistics provider serving supermarket chains and food producers. Closely comparable in business model, customer segment, and German market positioning to Ludwig Meyer.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Supply Chain: Deutsche Post DHL's contract logistics division, with cold-chain capabilities serving food retailers and life sciences customers across Germany and Europe. Competes with Meyer on large enterprise grocery and medical logistics RFPs.
• GEODIS: Global French-headquartered 3PL with dedicated temperature-controlled solutions for food and healthcare across Europe. Larger and broader portfolio, but directly competes for the same German retail and pharma cold-chain contracts.
• Kühne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with a significant KN PharmaChain and temperature-controlled food logistics business. Competes with Meyer in European food retail cold chain and medical specimen transport, but at much greater global scale.
• DSV (incl. Schenker): Global transport and logistics group that acquired DB Schenker, expanding European road and contract logistics capacity including temperature-controlled services. A scaled incumbent competing for the same German food retail logistics market.

Direct peers

• Eurotranspharma: European specialist in temperature-controlled pharmaceutical logistics, including medical sample transport and pharma distribution. Direct overlap with Meyer's Medical Logistics division and similar customer profile (clinics, labs).
• HAVI Logistics: Global supply chain partner to McDonald's and major foodservice operators, with temperature-controlled distribution in Europe including Germany. Comparable to Meyer's EDEKA Foodservice relationship in serving restaurants and canteen kitchens.
• Nagel-Group: Germany's largest family-owned temperature-controlled logistics provider, offering food and pharma cold-chain distribution across Europe. Directly comparable to Ludwig Meyer in customer mix (food retail), fleet-led model, and family ownership.
• Dachser: German family-owned logistics group with a dedicated Food Logistics business line covering temperature-controlled distribution for European food retailers. Comparable in vertical focus, fleet-based model, and B2B retail customer base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ludwig.meyer.logistik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ludwig-meyer-gmbh-und-co-kg

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Ludwig Meyer