ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH & Co. KG

What ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH & Co. KG does

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH & Co. KG is a privately held German system logistics provider headquartered in Minden (Hans-Böckler-Straße 35) and operating four locations in the Minden area. The company moves more than 1.7 million pallets annually and constructs approximately 550,000 point-of-sale displays for its customers, serving primarily consumer goods manufacturers and retailers. Its service portfolio spans pallet logistics, warehouse management, order fulfillment, display manufacturing, and storage in either fully automated (vollautomatisiert) or completely autonomous (komplett autonom) configurations.

The operational backbone is the Logstar Warehouse-Management System, which integrates SAP customer interfaces, QiD Handling, Pick by Voice, Track&Trace, and Transporeon for mobile order management, supported by georedundant data backup. Sustainability infrastructure includes hydropower-sourced electricity since 2011, a photovoltaic installation in continuous expansion since 2014, and planned battery-cell storage to enable autonomous night-time power. The company holds a 1st Star award under the Lean and Green Initiative for sustainable logistics operations.

ESM generates revenue through privately negotiated B2B service contracts with consumer goods companies and retailers in Germany, with pricing not publicly disclosed. The company employs 133 permanent staff plus 40 to 100 flexible workers depending on utilization, and is led by Managing Directors Lars Hölkemeier and Christoph Schröder as personally liable partners (persönlich haftende Gesellschafter) of the GmbH & Co. KG structure. No external investors, parent company affiliations, or public listing references were identified in the source materials.

Name

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH & Co. KG

Legal name

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik Minden GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://esm-minden.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik is a privately held German system logistics provider that moves 1.7 million pallets annually and constructs 550,000 point-of-sale displays for consumer goods companies and retailers from four Minden-area locations using its Logstar WMS platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

General Warehousing and Storage (493110), Other Warehousing and Storage (493190), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Automated / Robotics-Enabled Fulfillment Centers (AS/RS, AMRs, Goods-to-Person) (TLALADAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pallet Tracking & Pool Management (Wood/Plastic/CHEP-style) (TLAEAMAB)

Keywords

• Pallet logistics services
• Warehouse management systems
• Display construction services
• Automated warehousing solutions
• Sustainable logistics operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Minden

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Logistics Services: Pallet logistics and warehouse management services. The company moves over 1.7 million pallets annually and constructs approximately 550,000 displays for customers. Revenue is generated through service contracts with consumer goods companies and retailers requiring logistics solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik provides B2B pallet logistics services (moving more than 1.7 million pallets per year) together with display construction services (around 550,000 displays per year) at four sites in the Minden area. Operations are supported by a fully automated and partially autonomous warehouse, an in-house Logstar warehouse management system integrated with SAP, and Pick-by-Voice, Track&Trace and Transporeon-enabled transport coordination.

Product overview

ESM Ertl Systemlogistik is a system logistics provider offering a unified portfolio of logistics services centered around their Logstar Warehouse-Management System platform. The core offering comprises logistics and system logistics services including the annual movement of over 1.7 million pallets and construction of approximately 550,000 displays. Storage capabilities are available in two modes: fully automated (automated warehouse) or completely autonomous (autonomous warehouse), representing the operational tiers of their service. The Logstar WMS serves as the underlying technology platform integrating SAP customer interfaces, Pick by Voice, Track&Trace, QiD Handling, and Transporeon for mobile order management. The company operates from four locations with a workforce of 133 permanent employees plus 40-100 flexible workers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Pallet Logistics Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.7 million pallets moved annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Rhenus Logistics: German family-owned logistics group with warehousing, contract logistics and value-added services across Europe; directly comparable regional 3PL with similar mid-market positioning.
• Logwin: European contract logistics provider with warehousing, transport and value-added services; comparable in scale and customer mix to ESM, with publicly listed financials as a useful benchmark.
• FIEGE Logistik: German family-owned 3PL with a similar mid-market, contract-logistics model serving consumer goods customers with warehousing, fulfillment and value-added services — the closest direct comparable to ESM.
• Hermes Fulfilment (Otto Group): Germany-based fulfillment and contract logistics provider within the Otto Group, serving retail and consumer goods clients with warehousing and value-added services; comparable service mix though e-commerce-tilted.
• Arvato (Bertelsmann): German-headquartered supply chain solutions provider combining warehousing, fulfillment and value-added services for consumer goods and retail clients, operating at a larger but comparable service-mix level.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered family-owned 3PL with contract logistics, warehousing and value-added services across Europe; directly comparable mid-size operator with overlapping consumer goods customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Global logistics incumbent with a substantial contract logistics arm serving consumer goods customers; offers overlapping warehousing and value-added services but at a vastly larger scale.
• DHL Supply Chain: Division of Deutsche Post DHL and Europe's largest 3PL; competes for the same consumer goods and retail contracts but with global scale, broader service portfolio and materially larger technology investment.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global logistics provider (currently owned by Deutsche Bahn, in process of acquisition by DSV); competes in contract logistics with consumer goods and retail customers at significantly greater scale.

Regional players

• Schnellecke Group: German family-owned logistics provider with warehousing and value-added services for automotive and consumer goods clients; comparable regional mid-market contract logistics operator.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/esm-ertl-systemlogistik-gmbh-&-co-kg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

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 ESM Ertl Systemlogistik GmbH & Co. KG