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Tag: management

DSV announces changes to its executive management

Posted on by David Priestman

After obtaining all regulatory clearances for DSV’s acquisition of Schenker, DSV announces the first executive leadership appointments to maintain momentum and further strengthen the commercial approach and integration efforts.

DSV adds new members to its Group Executive Committee and renames the Solutions Division to Contract Logistics. The changes will become effective after completion of the acquisition which is expected on 30 April.

While DSV’s Executive Board remains unchanged, several new members will be welcomed to the Group Executive Committee:

Helmut Schweighofer will become the new CEO of the Road Division. Schweighofer currently holds a position as CEO of Schenker’s Region Europe with 40,000 employees and a leading role within road freight; a role he has held since 2018. He succeeds Søren Schmidt, who has decided to continue his career outside DSV after three decades of dedicated service.

Vishal Sharma, currently CEO of Schenker’s Region Asia Pacific, will become the new Group CCO. Sharma brings more than 30 years of industry and global executive leadership experience to this role.He replaces Morten Landry, who will continue in DSV as CCO of DSV’s largest division, Air & Sea, from Q1 2026. Until then, Landry will remain part of DSV’s Group Commercial executive team to ensure a smooth transition.

Saskia Blochberger will join the DSV Group Executive Committee as Group Chief People Officer (CPO). Blochberger joins from her position as CPO in Schenker’s Region Europe and brings significant P&O and business strategy experience from a variety of leadership roles. After a long-standing tenure with DSV, Helle Bach, current Head of Group HR, has decided to step down and pursue new opportunities outside DSV.

Jens H. Lund, Group CEO of DSV said “I am very pleased with the strong executive team we will have in place for the next important stage in our journey as the global leader in transport and logistics. A warm welcome to Helmut Schweighofer, Vishal Sharma and Saskia Blochberger, who join our Group Executive Committee from Schenker. They all bring extensive experience and excellent leadership capabilities to drive our business forward. At the same time, I wish to thank Søren Schmidt and Helle Bach for their dedicated and long-standing contributions to DSV. And I am glad that Morten Landry will continue to drive the commercial efforts in our Air & Sea Division.”

With the acquisition of Schenker, DSV is doubling its size, creating a transport and logistics powerhouse. Based on the financials for the full-year 2024, the combined company had a pro forma revenue of approximately DKK 310 billion (£35.6 billion) and close to 160,000 employees. DSV aims to use its strengthened market position to continue to grow through enhanced service offerings and economies of scale, achieving industry-leading margins.

Completion of the transaction is expected on 30 April 2025, when DSV will also present its interim results for the first quarter of 2025 and announce further details and preliminary financial information related to the acquisition of Schenker.

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All-in-one electric fleet management platform

Posted on by David Priestman

 Hitachi ZeroCarbon today unveils a holistic suite of EV fleet solutions designed to simplify every step of fleet electrification, from planning and strategy support, facilitating EV financing, through to a technology platform delivering charging management and battery optimisation – driving decarbonisation across the fleet ecosystem.

With various legal directives across Europe mandating that all new vehicles must be zero-emission by 2035, fleet managers have only a decade to decarbonise. Recognising that many fleets are at different stages of their electrification journey, from building the business case, to looking for affordable financing, to trialling EVs, Hitachi now provides a one-stop-shop service that supports all aspects of the EV fleet ecosystem. The comprehensive solution suite empowers fleet operators to accelerate the runway to electrified transport.

New solutions that are now available include:

• ZeroCarbon Fleet: The combination of Hitachi’s charging and battery management capabilities, Fleet ensures vehicles are safely charged to meet daily operations, manages batteries to protect their long-term performance, and enables organisations to unlock new energy revenue streams from EV fleets.

• ZeroCarbon Charge: Charge is a 24/7 managed service and technology platform, providing real-time alerts, live vehicle monitoring, load balancing and advanced tariff optimisation for reliable charging operations and lower electricity costs.

• ZeroCarbon BatteryManager: The battery is the most valuable component of an electric vehicle. BatteryManager provides a managed service and advanced asset analytics technology platform to help protect performance, extend battery life and maximise its residual value.

• ZeroCarbon Strategy: Hitachi’s energy expertise supports fleet managers through every step of the electrification process, through designing bespoke decarbonisation strategies, conducting site assessments, calculating total cost of ownership, facilitating access to financing through its partners and identifying new energy and asset utilisation revenue opportunities.

These solutions were born out of Hitachi ZeroCarbon’s involvement in Optimise Prime, the world’s largest commercial trial of over 8000 EVs. Hitachi worked closely with major UK fleets, leading technology providers and local distribution network operators to develop and test impactful EV fleet solutions.

Alongside its ability to support fleets through a variety of funding solutions, from providing access to low-cost finance, co-invested equity and debt-based finance, Hitachi ZeroCarbon now has a market-leading end-to-end proposition for fleets. Solutions can all be tailored to the specific needs of public transport operators, utilities and facilities fleets, hauliers and last mile delivery businesses.

Commenting on the launch, Mike Nugent, Chief Revenue Officer, Hitachi ZeroCarbon said: “We understand that every business is unique, and has its own set of decarbonisation challenges, so we’re proud to have curated a service that threads the entire process together in one seamless offering. Our customers are telling us they don’t know where to start, and need support through every step of the journey. That’s why we combine bespoke strategies with a people-first approach to transformation, showing how close management of charge infrastructure and battery assets can deliver real business value. We are experts at taking the complexity out of electrification, and removing capital constraints, so operators can enjoy greater benefits, sooner.”

Stig Tvergrov at Posten Bring, one of Hitachi ZeroCarbon’s key customers, added: “We operate in a challenging environment where the conditions can change dramatically based on season. We needed a resilient and proven electrification partner that had the solutions to anticipate challenges and address them before they materialised.

“Hitachi’s ZeroCarbon’s end-to-end service ticked a lot of boxes, and through our deployment of ZeroCarbon Charge, we achieved complete visibility into the health and performance of our key battery assets, so we can optimise our vehicles based on route, journey, or condition. The service plugged seamlessly into our existing site hardware and software too, which meant no disruption during installation. It led to us having complete visibility over both vehicles and chargers, allowing us to rely on new technology and help us towards achieving our climate goals early.”

Hitachi ZeroCarbon already manages over a thousand electric vehicle assets across Europe, North America and Asia, supporting the global shift to electrified transport. Across its portfolio, Hitachi provides an around-the-clock managed service, with swift incident resolution and expert support to prevent operational risk or disruption. Its services are technology agnostic, so can integrate with any existing fleet hardware or software systems, while its expertise in data science provides market-leading charging and battery optimisation to maximise the value from electric vehicle fleets. 

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DHL eCommerce Announces New Management

Posted on by David Priestman

DHL eCommerce UK has made two new appointments to its management team, drawing on experience from the retail industry to further align DHL’s services to the evolving eCommerce market.

Julian Harrison joins as CIO, to deliver a technology and data-first strategy to support growth across all areas of the business. Julian has spent 12 years in retail and FMCG businesses including senior tech roles at ASOS and Marks and Spencer. He also held the role of Head of Technology, Fulfilment and Enterprise at Lovehoney where he was responsible for all core operational technology systems.

Working in close collaboration with the IT function, Laurence Sugars takes on the role of VP of Product and Strategy. Laurence joins from Marks and Spencer where he was Senior Head of Product for Food, and prior to that held senior roles at FarFetch and Tesco. He will be responsible for expanding the services DHL offers to consumers and retailers including features within the DHL eCommerce app as well as the Out of Home network.

Both will report to Stuart Hill, CEO, DHL eCommerce, who said “We’ve got significant growth plans so I’m delighted to expand an already strong management team with people who share our ambition and vision for the business and who bring deep retail expertise. Julian and Laurence give us real balance as a board and will enable us to evolve the eCommerce proposition in line with the changing needs of both retailers and shoppers.” 

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UPS and FedEx Deliverability Rates Drop Significantly

Research: Customer relationships grow stronger despite challenges

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Most Board-level executives believe that customer relationships have grown stronger during the pandemic, despite significant supply chain disruption, according to research* conducted by management consultancy, Vendigital.

54% of the C-Suite executives surveyed at UK-based businesses said that their customer relationships are stronger now than they were before Brexit and the onset of the pandemic, despite the significant disruption that these events have caused. Most believe that this positive change is due to their focus on continuous improvement and their agile response in adapting their operating models to meet unexpected shifts in customer demand and behaviour.

Jeff Kennelly, a director and industrial engineering sector specialist at management consultancy, Vendigital, said: “When consumer and/or customer behaviours changed at the start of the pandemic, businesses had little choice but to stop what they were doing and rethink ways to adjust to meet new areas of demand. Those that responded quickly have been able to strengthen customer relationships as a result.

“Not all businesses were able to do this however, and when supply backlogs accumulated as demand levels bounced back earlier this year, some customer relationships felt the strain. Despite the positive outcome for most businesses, one in five (21%) of C-Suite executives believe their customer relationships have suffered during the pandemic due to the knock-on effect of missed deadlines and demand unpredictability.”

Against a backdrop of rising energy costs and ongoing supply shortages, which are affecting a host of vital components and raw materials, most Board-level executives are aware that the year ahead will test their customer relationships further. 84% of C-Suite executives said managing customer relationships, while keeping a close eye on costs, will be key to the survival of their business in the year ahead. To nurture their customer relationships, 71% of C-Suite executives are intending to invest in customer relationship management and most see this as a long-term investment.

Balancing customers’ needs and cost constraints is going to be more difficult for some businesses than others. The research revealed that businesses that had reported a dip in revenues during the pandemic were more likely to be prioritising cost control, whereas those that reported an increase in revenues were more likely to be focused on investing in innovation to meet customers’ current and future demands.

Kennelly said: “During times of uncertainty, businesses know how important it is to stay close to their customers and suppliers. This will involve staying agile and continuing to innovate to meet customers’ demands, but managing costs remains a critical part of this process.

“Balancing customer demands and cost constraints will be easier to achieve if there are strong relationships in place, allowing accurate availability and demand data to be shared openly across the supply chain. Accurate real-time customer data is now a Boardroom essential.”

To support businesses in balancing customer needs and costs on the road to recovery, Vendigital has produced guidance for Board-level decision makers, which has been published in a report, entitled Redefining Customer Relationships in a Changing Market. The guidance covers 15 critical questions designed to help businesses review each stage of their operating model through a customer-focused lens.

CLICK HERE to download a copy of Vendigital’s report about redefining customer relationships.

* Vendigital’s research has been conducted with 151 C-Suite executives at UK-based businesses. 

 

Dachser Logistics Reorganise Regional Management

Posted on by David Priestman

Dachser Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) has reorganised management within its business units in Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Americas regions.

The position of Managing Director, ASL EMEA has been assumed by Dr Tobias Burger, who is already responsible for the strategic development of the business field Air & Sea Logistics as Deputy Director ASL. Before moving to the air and sea freight business, the 43-year-old was head of Corporate Governance & CEO Office at Dachser. Dr Burger succeeds Thomas Krüger, who has led the air and sea freight business in the EMEA region since 2016.

With immediate effect, Dachser Air & Sea Logistics has assigned responsibility for the ASL Americas business unit to Ralph Riehl. Before joining Dachser, the experienced manager worked for the logistics group Panalpina, now DSV Panalpina, for over 30 years, holding management positions in France, Singapore, and the United States. Most recently, Riehl was Senior Vice President of Sales, responsible for all DSV Panalpina sales in North and Latin America. Riehl assumes the position of Managing Director ASL Americas from Guido Gries, who has led Dachser’s business in the region since 2012.

“We would like to thank Thomas Krüger and Guido Gries for their many years of dedicated work in the business development and integration of our air and sea freight network, and we wish them all the best for their professional and personal future,” says Edoardo Podestà, COO Air & Sea Logistics at Dachser.

“Dr Tobias Burger and Ralph Riehl will provide new impetus for the sustainable and profitable development of Dachser Air & Sea Logistics in their regions through their optimal combination of in-house and external expertise. As a result, they will consistently drive the development of globally integrated, value-added solutions for our customers.”

Knapp Announces US Management Changes

Posted on by David Priestman

Effective April 1st KNAPP is announcing an initial round of promotions and restructuring at its Atlanta-based, North American subsidiary.

“Over the last five years the KNAPP North American subsidiary has experienced significant growth. Our growth has driven the need for change, which in many cases has been informed by, and a direct result of, your suggestions and feedback. Our initial investments have focused on infrastructure, including the investment in a new facility, expansion of our campus at the North American headquarters, and a new training center that is planned to be operational later this year. Investments have also included upgrades to our networks and subsystems – to address the need for added capacity, response and reliability. And lastly, the need for a more comprehensive training infrastructure was of critical importance, both internally, for added staff, and to better serve our customers.

What operations changes have we made?

Through these last several years, Gernot Rupp our SVP of Service and Procurement has done outstanding work; growing both the KNAPP North America service and support organization – and scaling procurement to meet the needs of a rapidly expanding business unit, while keeping pace with the physical changes we have made here in Kennesaw. The extent of our growth however necessitates additional changes and an expansion of our management structure. Effective April 1st, we are separating the service and procurement roles into separate full-time positions within the company. Gernot Rupp will lead the procurement organization here at KNAPP, as SVP Procurement.

Wes Goode joined the KNAPP team just as we entered 2020 – and working closely with Mr. Rupp over the last year, rapidly shifted much of our focus to Covid related challenges that have faced our industry. Coincidentally, many of the impacts also drove new business growth at KNAPP, specifically in grocery, retail, healthcare – and eCommerce.

Having built a substantial and successful customer service group in his previous position, focused on implementation, service and support dedicated to meeting the daily needs of customers, Wes was the obvious choice to assume responsibility for our customer service organization. Effective April 1st, Wes Goode will lead this group as VP Customer Service. The investment in customer service and lifetime support has become of increased importance to the KNAPP organization as we also expand our Resident Maintenance Program – and expand a partnering program designed to focus on shared outcomes and best-in-class performance. As such, this position will now report directly to the Board.

Lastly, our increase in projects and installed systems requires an expansion in US based software product development and implementation teams. Effective April 1st, Chris Brennan will assume the role of VP Project Implementation where his responsibilities will include project software development, commissioning and installation. Our goal is to continue a process of building and training our implementation, service and support teams to better serve our customers. This will take the form of continuous improvement and ongoing investment in infrastructure, personnel, training and programs – with the goal of creating a world-class customer service organization.”

New Managers join Interroll team to Strengthen Innovation

Posted on by Keith McKinley

New managers with a strategic innovation focus have recently joined the Interroll team. The company also established its Innovation Projects and Development Center (IPDC) in 2019, which sits at the heart of its innovation process.

New Interroll Head of IPDC Dr. Christopher Matheisen took over responsibility in August 2020. For more than 10 years he has worked in various research and development (R & D) roles. His professional career comprises being cofounder and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of a successful start-up in the field of sensorics, and then serving as R&D Platform Manager for autonomous driving at Saint-Gobain Sekurit (Automotive). He has proven competencies in project, resource, and budget management as well as interdisciplinary technical knowledge in electronics, mechanics, and software.

New Interroll Head of Intellectual Property (IP) Stephan Kohlhof  assumed his position in mid-August 2020. An engineer in mechatronics, he has worked for more than 10 years as a German and European patent attorney. Before his appointment at Interroll, he was Head of IP Team Elevator Technologies at the JUVE 2019 award winning in-house IP department of Thyssenkrupp.

Matheisen and Kohlhof report to Dr. Christian Ripperda, Vice President System Innovation at Interroll. Ripperda was appointed innovation lead at the beginning of 2020.

“We are pleased that with Dr. Matheisen and Mr. Kohlhof, two renowned experts will contribute to further strengthening Interroll’s ability to innovate. Our innovation capacities play a key role in enabling our customers with products and solutions that offer quality, speed, and easiness, and strengthen our position as a thought leader within our industry,” says Ripperda.

CEO Paul Zumbühl stepped down as Interroll’s CEO earlier this year.

Interroll reported improved profits in the first half of this year, despite a slow-down in the number of orders.

Logistics Management Mentoring

Posted on by Keith McKinley

UK third-party logistics provider Johnston Logistics have launched an in-house management mentoring programme to help recently upskilled supervisors get the best from formal training. As members of their team recently completed ILM qualifications in Leadership and Management, the Norfolk-based logistics experts have sought to embed their new skills in day-to-day operations with support of their experienced colleagues.

“The mentoring programme is designed to support our team leaders. Our aim is to build strong foundations and impart key management skills so we continue to lead our team to deliver the very best for our colleagues and clients” says Jane Bull, Head of Business Support at Johnston Logistics UK. We know the importance of a great working relationship between every colleague and their line manager. It’s a powerful influence on morale and our overall company culture”.

Available to all those in a supervisory role, the mentoring programme includes coaching from senior managers on a variety of management techniques, including identifying the best solutions for many situations. Amongst the first-line managers to benefit from the programme is Rob Sweet who has subsequently been promoted from Supervisor to Manager of the Operational Support Team.

Sweet Jane

Sweet said, “Jane’s mentoring has really helped me understand the importance in treating everyone equally but respecting the different ways they are motivated. It helps me get the best from others and myself. I really feel supported to become the best manager I can and build a strong team around me.”

As well as one-on-one time working through real life scenarios together, Bull also observed Sweet leading team meetings including the induction and coordination of agency workers. With some supervisors recently completing Institute of Leadership and Management qualifications supported by the firm, the programme also been designed to help apply what they have learnt. The qualification aims to deliver effective and confident first-line managers, able to build better relationships and communication in teams.

The mentoring is intended to compliment other company policies by ensuring a consistent approach throughout the business. It also includes practical guidance on areas such as managing individual development plans on the recently upgraded HR system. As part of the initiative, the logistics firm have also revised their Employee Handbook and updated Employee Contracts to support their new Good Work Plan. This was introduced following their 2019 staff survey and includes enhanced employee benefits to reward the team for their hard work.

The 2020 staff survey reported that 83% of the team felt that the business supported them well in training, support and leadership; as well as their overall well-being.

Bull concludes, “We are really encouraged by the positive response to the programme. There has been a noticeable change in the team, generating even more positivity. A company is only as good as its employees, so we will continue to identify valuable ways to invest in our great team.”

From their 700,000 square-feet operation, Johnston Logistics UK deliver warehousing, logistics and fulfilment services for businesses throughout the UK, including major retailers, leading brands and manufacturers. The management mentoring plan is one of various investments being made by the company in their team as they continue to report positive growth.

 

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