Schenker counts on global marketing and IT
In spite of the current economic downturn, Schenker presented excellent halfyear results for the first six months of 2001. What do you think is the reason for the growth in earnings?
Above all it is due to our high productivity and very efficient cost management. as market conditions changed very little in the first half of the year.
What developments do you foresee for the second half of this year and what are your forecasts for 2002?
Our surplus will be higher this year than last. I am quite optimistic in this regard.
As far as 2002 is concerned, I am less certain. Against the background of recent events in America, it is difficult to sensibly forecast economic developnient over the next months.
Internally we were already implementing a restructuring programme. We have upgraded our central marketing management in recent months and introduced key account management, which should energise our sales operations. In future when selling our overland, air and sea freight products, we intend to emphasise the fact that they come from a common source more strongly. And we intend to continuously create innovative, efficient logistics solutions for individual sectors of the industry and to market them aggressively.
Schenker is one of the five largest providers of overland transport services in Europe, although your overall market share is relatively small. How do you intend to improve Schenker’s position?
As a company that specialises in European road and rail transport transport we have a dense network of scheduled liner services connecting the key eco
nomic centres in all European countries, We intend to consolidate our market position by integrating our networks, by standardising operational processes and by niaking full use of internet solutions such as IQ-online (instant quote online, see ITJ 38/2001, page 37) and of our track & trace system. which we have now introduced in 32 countries, Europe-wide.
I am convinced that we offer the most efficient and comprehensive overland transport network in Europe. Although our market share is below 5% in Germany, it is between 35-40% in Sweden. The more large corporations get into the business of awarding transport contracts, the more important it will become to provide a pan-European distribution network and the greater the likelihood that the market share of big players such as Schenker will grow.
Does Schenker intend to focus more on rail than on road haulage in future?
Our joint venture offers a platform for dialogue with rail transport operators. We see great opportunities in rail traffic and want to significantly increase the volumes that we move by rail in the near future. We are already one of the largest shippers in the intermodal transport sector. But Schenker is of course continuing to expand its truck services too. Our services adapt to our customers’ changing req uirements. and our large customers are increasingly demanding a rail option.
Contract logistics is still a very small part of overall turnover.
That is ultimately a question of definition. A large proportion of our business in our European and international networks is logistics-based, even if we don’t report it under this heading. As far as complex logistics projects and SCM contracts are concerned, we are in the process of. extending our logistics centres located where global good flows converge and of building up our client-base in this segment. We perceive exciting potentials in the automobile, the consumer goods and the electronics industries.
Do you intend to increase your investment in storage space? How asset-light will Schenker be in future?
As asset-light as possible. We are currently reassessing our real estate portfolio. Our integrated logistics centres continue to form the cornerstone of our strategy — the financing of these centres too will be ‘asset-Iight’. In future directly-owned trucks will constitute 10—15% of our total fleet — so that we have a certain inhouse capaci
