dachser

What dachser does

DACHSER is a family-owned global logistics provider founded in 1930 and headquartered in Kempten, Germany. In 2024 the company generated EUR 8.0 billion in consolidated revenue and operated 433 locations across 43 countries with 37,300 employees, handling roughly 82–83 million shipments and 44.1 million metric tons of freight annually. The company is structured around two business fields: Air & Sea Logistics and Road Logistics, with the latter split into European Logistics and Food Logistics. It also operates industry-specific solutions for Automotive, Chemical, DIY, and Fashion customers.

The business model is asset-heavy and contract-based, combining line-haul transport, warehousing, and contract logistics with proprietary IT platforms — Domino, Mikado, Othello, eLogistics, and ActiveReport — that integrate EDI and API connections into customer systems. DACHSER monetizes through direct enterprise sales, multi-year contracts with periodic pricing reviews, and consolidation services that aggregate smaller shipments into dense line-haul flows. Verticals such as Automotive benefit from TISAX and ISO credentials, while Chemical flows rely on SQAS compliance and the VCI exclusive partnership. The DIY vertical serves roughly 18,000 stores daily, and humanitarian clients such as the World Food Programme represent anchor demand in Food Logistics.

Recent strategic activity has emphasized European consolidation (Fercam Italia majority acquisition, full integration of DACHSER Hungary), North American entry via a minority stake in Synergie Canada, and capacity expansion (Freiburg refrigerated transit terminal). TISAX Level 2 certification in July 2024 deepened automotive vertical access. The ownership structure — family-controlled with a long-term investment horizon — supports steady M&A and capacity build-outs rather than rapid scaling.

Name

dachser

Legal name

DACHSER SE

Website

https://dachser.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

1930

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

DACHSER is a family-owned German freight and contract logistics provider operating 433 sites in 43 countries, serving Automotive, Chemical, DIY, Fashion, and Food customers via proprietary TMS/WMS platforms and direct enterprise contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Warehousing and Storage (493), General Warehousing and Storage (49311), Support Activities for Transportation (488), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111), Rail Transportation (48211)

SIC

Public Warehousing & Storage (4220), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro primary industry

Contract Warehousing / Dedicated Warehousing (Dry) (TLALAAAB)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Contract logistics warehousing
• Supply chain management
• Air and sea freight
• Road transport logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Kempten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Air & Sea Logistics: International air freight and ocean freight transport services including LCL (Less-than-Container-Load) consolidation, FCL (Full-Container-Load), and charter services
2. Road Logistics: European road transport services including groupage, FTL (Full Truck Load), and specialized transport under European Logistics and Food Logistics business lines
3. Contract Logistics / Warehousing: Customized warehousing solutions including storage, value-added services, and contract logistics for various industries
4. Rail Services: Intermodal rail transport solutions connecting European markets
5. Information Logistics: IT-based logistics services including track-and-trace, shipment monitoring, and EDI connectivity

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

DACHSER is a global logistics provider that transports freight by air, sea, road, and rail, and operates contract logistics and warehousing services. Its portfolio combines physical transport operations across 433 locations in 43 countries with industry-specific solutions (automotive, chemical, DIY, fashion, food) and an integrated digital stack (eLogistics portal, ActiveReport, Domino, Mikado, EDI Center, API) that gives customers end-to-end supply chain visibility.

Product overview

DACHSER is a global logistics company offering integrated logistics services across two business fields: DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics (air freight, ocean freight, LCL/FCL services) and DACHSER Road Logistics (comprising DACHSER European Logistics and DACHSER Food Logistics). The company operates fully integrated IT systems including Domino and Othello (Transport Management Systems), Mikado (Warehouse Management System), eLogistics (customer portal), ActiveReport (Supply Chain Event Management), and EDI Center (electronic data interchange). Industry-specific solutions include DACHSER Automotive Logistics, DACHSER Chem Logistics, DACHSER DIY Logistics, and DACHSER Fashion Logistics, each offering tailored services with specialized product lines like Retail Box, ProFashional Box, and the targo family (targospeed, targofix, targoflex). Comprehensive contract logistics services with 174+ warehouse locations and 4.0 million pallet spaces round out the offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics: Air freight and ocean freight logistics services
• DACHSER Road Logistics
• DACHSER Automotive Logistics
• DACHSER Chem Logistics
• DACHSER DIY Logistics
• DACHSER Fashion Logistics
• DACHSER Food Logistics
• eLogistics
• ActiveReport
• DACHSER Academy

Products and services

• DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics International air and ocean freight services including LCL (Less-than-Container-Load) consolidation, FCL (Full-Container-Load), direct services, and charter services for global shippers.
• DACHSER Road Logistics European road transport services combining DACHSER European Logistics (groupage, FTL, and the targospeed, targofix, and targoflex product families) with DACHSER Food Logistics (temperature-controlled transport under the vivengo product family).
• DACHSER Automotive Logistics Tailored automotive supply chain services including procurement logistics, Buyer Consolidation, the Automotive Coordination Tower for planning and monitoring sea freight shipments, customs clearance, and alternative transport routes via air or rail.
• DACHSER Chem Logistics Transport and warehousing of packaged chemical products including hazardous goods, with standardized safety policies, SQAS-compliant transport and warehousing, and exclusive cooperation with the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).
• DACHSER DIY Logistics Procurement and distribution logistics, warehousing, value-added merchandising services, B2C logistics, and point-of-sale delivery for DIY stores, garden centers, and specialty retail across Europe.
• DACHSER Fashion Logistics Fashion-specific logistics including hanging garment transport via the proprietary Retail Box and ProFashional Box load carriers, air freight, warehousing, and point-of-sale delivery.
• DACHSER Food Logistics (vivengo) Temperature-controlled road transport and storage for food products under the vivengo product family, with IFS Logistics, BIO, and QS quality certification.
• DACHSER Contract Logistics Comprehensive contract logistics services including warehousing across 174+ global locations with 4.0 million pallet storage spaces, controlled by the Mikado warehouse management system.
• Value Added Services (VAS) Additional warehouse and distribution services including Assorted-Packs, Display Assembly, Labeling, Multi-Packs, On-Packs, Product Assembly, Sampling, and Special Packaging.
• eLogistics Online Portal Online customer portal for calculating freight charges, issuing transport orders, tracking shipments via track-and-trace, and accessing warehouse data in real time.
• ActiveReport Supply Chain Event Management Proactive SCEM tool that monitors shipment history and automatically reports irregularities so customers can take timely corrective action.
• DACHSER API Platform API portal for simplified real-time connection of customer business systems to DACHSER services, supporting direct integration of transport and warehouse data.
• EDI Center Central platform for electronic data interchange that converts and transmits data between all connected systems, with standardized and customer-specific interfaces for fast process integration.
• DACHSER Rail Services Intermodal rail transport solutions connecting European markets as an alternative transport mode alongside road, air, and sea services.
• DACHSER Customs Services Customs clearance and foreign trade compliance services, including air freight security and customs security, supported by Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) status in multiple jurisdictions.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Former Liegl & DACHSER (now DACHSER Hungary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024Former joint venture company Liegl & DACHSER renamed to DACHSER Hungary effective June 1, 2024, following the acquisition of the remaining 50% stake in December 2022.
• DACHSER & Fercam ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 March 2024DACHSER acquired 80% of shares in the joint venture DACHSER & Fercam Italia effective March 28, 2024, completing its acquisition of the majority of the groupage and contract logistics divisions of the Italian logistics company Fercam.
• Synergie CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership involving acquisition of a 10-percent-minority-share in Canadian logistics provider Synergie Canada.
• German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerExclusive cooperation partner for forwarding services as well as air and ocean freight of the German Chemical Industry Association. DACHSER works closely with VCI members to identify future requirements of the chemical industry and incorporate them into Chem Logistics solutions.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-based global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with similar air/sea/road offerings and broadly comparable scale (~CHF 25B revenue). Competes head-to-head with DACHSER across European road and global air/ocean freight, and has a similar customer-segment focus on industrial verticals.
• DSV: Danish global freight forwarder with an aggressive M&A-led expansion strategy that recently acquired DB Schenker for ~EUR 14B. Competes directly with DACHSER across European road logistics and global air/sea forwarding, and is the closest comparable in terms of growth-via-acquisition playbook.
• DB Schenker: German-based global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with very similar European road and air/sea forwarding capabilities. Historically a direct competitor to DACHSER in European groupage and contract logistics; now owned by DSV following 2024 acquisition.
• Geodis: French global logistics provider offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and supply chain optimization. Competes with DACHSER in European road logistics and contract logistics, with a comparable revenue scale (around EUR 8B) and similar industrial-vertical orientation.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German family-owned global logistics company offering air/sea freight, road transport, and contract logistics. Closely comparable to DACHSER in ownership structure (family-owned), German heritage, and end-to-end service portfolio, though smaller in scale.
• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider owned by CMA CGM, specializing in contract logistics, freight management, and finished vehicle logistics. Overlaps with DACHSER's contract logistics and automotive/fashion industry-specific solutions.
• Yusen Logistics: Japanese global logistics provider offering air/sea forwarding, contract logistics, and supply chain solutions across automotive, retail, and industrial verticals. Comparable to DACHSER in industry-specific solutions model and global footprint approach.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Group (Deutsche Post DHL): World's largest logistics company with integrated express, freight forwarding, supply chain, and e-commerce solutions. DACHSER competes with DHL Global Forwarding and DHL Supply Chain across most of its service lines, though DHL operates at materially larger scale.
• GXO Logistics: Pure-play contract logistics specialist (spun off from XPO in 2021) with a significant European warehousing footprint. Competes with DACHSER's contract logistics business across retail and industrial supply chain solutions.
• UPS Supply Chain Solutions: Integrated logistics arm of UPS offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, customs brokerage, and supply chain management. Competes with DACHSER in global forwarding and contract logistics for large enterprise customers, particularly in the Americas.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/dachser
• Facebookfacebook.com/dachser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dachser

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 dachser