DB Schenker launches bulky B2C deliveries across Europe

Freight logistics giant DB Schenker has launched a new standardised B2C shipping solution across Europe, expanding its delivery network to 195 million private households and greatly strengthening its presence across the continent.

The new solution, called DB SCHENKERsystem home, has been designed to meet increased demand for B2C deliveries. It will expand the company’s groupage system freight network and will deliver goods such as garden furniture, home appliances and home décor to households.

DB SCHENKERsystem home offers the same “reliable and flexible quality” for B2C shipments as the company’s system freight products, it noted. B2C shipments can easily be booked online with the private recipient able to select the preferred delivery date. They also receive advanced delivery notice via text message or email.

DB Schenker is one of the world’s leading global logistics providers. It transports goods via land transport, worldwide air, and ocean freight, and offers contract logistics and supply chain management services. The company has around 2,100 locations across the world and as part of its contract logistics services it operates more than 8.79 million sqm of warehouse space across 765 warehouses worldwide.

The product expansion comes amid recent media speculation that the German government is gearing up to sell the Deutsche Bahn logistics subsidiary for a potentially massive €15 - €20 billion to reduce the state-owned rail group’s heavy debts. Financial investors and acquisitive Danish freight giant DSV are seen as potential buyers if a sale goes ahead.

Growth in Europe

According to Helmut Schweighofer, CEO of DB Schenker in Europe, the launch of DB SCHENKERsystem home has enabled the firm to expand its delivery offering “from 22 million companies to 195 million private households” and take the next step in leveraging the full potential of its European groupage network.

“The introduction of our new home delivery service can be viewed in the wider context of our strong growth in Europe, which is being accompanied by frequent openings of new, super-sustainable terminals across the continent, thereby further increasing the strength of our European network,” Schweighofer said.

Cyrille Bonjean, Executive Vice-President and Head of Land Transport Europe at DB Schenker, added: “Now even more companies can go global from day one and reach markets all over Europe with our B2C curbside delivery. This service will open new and exciting business opportunities for many of our customers. As of today, none of our competitors can offer the type of pan-European coverage for delivery to private households that we do.”

Green city logistics

As part of DB SCHENKERsystem home, customers are also able to select the company’s Econeutral delivery option, which enables them to offset their carbon footprint through CDM-certified climate protection projects.

DB Schenker is working hard to reduce its impact on the environment, especially in congested urban areas through its green city logistics approach, which sees it offer CO2-free general cargo deliveries in more than 60 locations across Europe.

Helping it achieve this is a fleet of 40 FUSO eCanter trucks, which the firm has been using for more than a year in normal daily operations in 11 European countries, including Germany, France, Finland, Italy, and Spain. In February the company also became the first customer worldwide to take delivery of a battery-electric Mercedes-Benz eActros as a series-production vehicle.

The 19-ton truck, which has a range of 200km, will be used for general cargo deliveries in urban logistics operations. DB Schenker has been testing the eActros concept for the past couple of years in Leipzig, Germany, and according to DB, it “did a great job by successfully completing all of its daily assignments without having to stop to recharge.”

Late last year, the company also announced a new partnership with Volta Trucks to further accelerate its transition to an all-electric urban vehicle fleet. As part of the partnership, DB Schenker will use the first prototype of Volta Zero Trucks in real distribution conditions in spring and summer of 2022. The findings from these tests will be incorporated into the serial production of 1,470 vehicles built at Volta Trucks’ new contract manufacturing facility in Steyr, Austria.

The partnership will also jointly develop specifications for the previously announced 12-ton Volta Zero variant, conducting site testing to accelerate vehicle deployment of vehicles, and train drivers.

In other news, in March DB Schenker implemented AutoStore, an automated goods-to-person system, to improve logistics for MQ Marqet, a leading retailer for high-quality fashion in Sweden. The automated online order fulfilment and returns handling solution uses warehouse robots to deliver and retrieve bins for operators. It runs on intelligent software that is linked to DB Schenker’s warehouse management system.