European logistics: Iberia on the upswing
DACHSER has begun a new chapter in its history on the Iberian Peninsula: opening a new location in Lisbon, beginning construction on a new branch in Alicante, completing the rollout of the standardized European Logistics product family for customers in Spain and Portugal, and starting emission-free deliveries to central Porto and Madrid.
May 9, 2017: at the transport logistic trade fair in Munich, history is being made. At the DACHSER booth, a small celebration is underway, attended by the members of the Executive Board and the Managing Director of the EL Iberia business unit. The announcement was big news within the industry: “Azkar is now part of DACHSER — the company integrated its Iberian subsidiary Azkar Group into its European Road Logistics network in just four years.” Since then, the overland organizations have operated under the names DACHSER European Logistics Spain and DACHSER European Logistics Portugal. This was an important step toward fully integrating the Iberian Peninsula into one of Europe’s most comprehensive groupage logistics networks.
Moreover, DACHSER is present in both Spain and Portugal with its Air & Sea Logistics organization, which connects Europe to markets in Asia Pacific and the Americas.
What began as a partnership with the transportation company Azkar in 2007, and led to the rebranding in 2017, is today a success story in the history of DACHSER Iberia that unfolds through a series of impressive numbers. In 2021, the logistics provider employed more than 2,900 people across 66 locations in Portugal and Spain, and generated some EUR 758 million in revenue. This involved transporting more than 17.1 million shipments, which represents a total volume weighing approximately 3.2 million metric tons.
Dawn of a new era
Now a new chapter in company history has begun. In the course of expanding its network on the Iberian Peninsula, DACHSER has completed the national rollout of its entargo product family in both Spain and Portugal. These standardized transport services comprise the four product lines targospeed, targoflex, targofix, and targo on-site, which combine clearly defined logistics services with a transparent cost structure and consistent performance standards.
"Now that all of DACHSER’s Iberian branches have fully rolled out the standardized European Logistics product family, customers can enjoy significant network benefits", says Celestino Silva, Managing Director European Logistics Iberia at DACHSER.
“Following complete operational restructuring—including implementing new processes at transit terminals and for short- and long-distance transport, and optimizing in-house quality management by introducing a new monitoring system—all Iberian branches have now fully implemented the same DACHSER process standards that apply all over Europe,” says Celestino Silva, Managing Director European Logistics Iberia at DACHSER. “This paved the way for launching entargo, our Europe-wide standardized transport products with fixed transit times and quality standards. Such a setup is possible only within a seamless network underpinned by uniform logistics processes and means significant network benefits for customers.”
Investing in the future
This modernization was accompanied by investment in the existing infrastructure and the creation of increased capacity. At the end of May, DACHSER opened a new logistics center near Lisbon, part of a EUR 13 million investment in the region of the Portuguese capital. Following the groundbreaking ceremony at the beginning of this year, the EUR 14 million investment in Alicante in southeastern Spain is currently taking shape. Occupying a total area of approximately 51,200 m² in the city’s port, the new facility will provide some 11,300 m² of logistics space and is scheduled to open at the beginning of 2023. “We are equipping our new branch in Alicante with the latest and most innovative technologies for handling freight,” Silva says. “Our aim here is to enhance the quality of our services, optimize transit times, and expand the ranges of possibilities for future growth.”
New developments are also happening in Porto and Madrid, where the DACHSER Emission-Free Delivery concept is now being rolled out. Since the spring, all shipments destined for a defined delivery area in the two city centers have been delivered emission-free using an all-electric 7.5-ton FUSO eCanter truck. The plan is to roll out DACHSER Emission-Free Delivery in a total of eleven major European cities by the end of 2022.
DACHSER Iberia is also now operating two duo-trailer combinations for its daily scheduled services between Madrid and Barcelona. With a total length of just over 30 meters and pulled by a single tractor unit, each of these can transport up to 134 pallets of goods at a time. “Thanks to this transport combination, we can optimize daily transport operations between these two Spanish economic centers, while also reducing the number of journeys needed and the vehicles it takes to complete them,” Silva says. This has reduced the greenhouse gas emissions per transported kilogram. “By the end of this year, we want to be operating an additional four duo-trailer combinations as well as more than 100 mega trailers, which offer more load capacity compared to stand-ard trailers,” he says.
Silva sees these developments as important signals in these turbulent times: “DACHSER is committed to doing its part for the environment, actively pursuing a strategy for increasing efficiency as regards energy consumption and production and logistics processes, but one that also addresses innovation and inclusive responsibility."
