With pharmaceutical companies putting out a greater number of products than ever, each with their own complex requirements; it is essential that third party logistics providers are set to meet these needs.
Based on the SJ Consulting Group Inc. list of the top leaders in the logistics sector, Pharma Logistics IQ takes a deep dive into DB Schenker who ranked No. 3 in the Top 25 list. Click here to see the whole list.
Key Information
Country: Germany
Revenue: $17.7 billion
Growth: 10%
Background
DB Schenker is a division of the German rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG, focusing on logistics. The company was created following the reorganization and rebranding of Deutsche Bahn subsidiaries.
With over 140 years of logistics experience, 72,000 employees and 2,000 locations, the logistics division tackles air, land, sea and rail from a global perspective.
DB Schenker aims to provide innovative logistics solutions for all modes of transport.
Solutions
DB Schenker offers a wide range of solutions for the health and pharmaceuticals market.
Air Freight: their entworks covers 700 locations in 130 countries. So far they have a track record of more than a million tons of successful air cargo deliveries each year.
Contract Logistics: their network covers 750 locations in over 50 countries with a total warehouse space of more than 8.0 million square meters.
Ocean Freight, Full Container Load: they offer a customized ocean freight solution for all parts of the supply chain.
Land Transport, Part & Full Loads: their flexible solution provides haulage for major shipments without reloading or terminal handling. They believe the size of the shipping should not be a factor, offering direct delivery for all cargo.
eSchenker Tracking: their full solution portal offers tracking from scheduling to booking to reporting. The platform gives real time information about the location, status and delivery of items.
Recent News for DB Schenker
DB Schenker are “working at full speed on sustainable and innovative logistics”. In recent months, they have had a number of developments in these fields.
Recently, DB Schenker committed itself to stricter CO2 reduction targets for commercial vehicles over 7.5 tons. They believe that their ambitious CO2 reduction targets for commercial vehicles of 20% by 2025 and 35% by 2030 are feasible. Having joined the global climate initiative EV 100, DB Schenker also decided to gradually convert its fleet of distribution vehicles to electromobility.
"[DB Schenker is] working at full speed on sustainable and innovative logistics"
To aid these efforts, DB Schenker and Einride launched the first commercial installation of a T-pod, an all electric, autonomous truck at a DB Schenker facility in Jönköping, central Sweden. The T-pod travels continuously to and from a warehouse, paving the way for a sustainable transition to road freight transportation. A fleet of T-pods can be co-ordinated by an intelligent routing system, optimizing delivery time, battery life and energy consumption. This could make road freight transportation as efficient as possible. Jochen Thewes, CEO of DB Schenker said “we want to bring the first autonomous, fully electric truck onto public roads in the near future and thus set new standards for tomorrow’s logistics”.
An intelligently routed fleet of T-pods could make road freight transformation as efficient as possible
DB Schenker is also innovating on the precise delivery front. In October, they announced the integration of ‘what3words’ location technology to their eSchenker portal. They are aiming to improve operational efficiencies by allowing deliveries to made to any precise three by three meter squares. This would allow clients further optimization abilities for their supply chains by specifying pick up and drop off points using a 3 word address.