The German Logistics Award 2021 goes to DB Cargo

DB Cargo, together with LogServ and CargoServ, the two subsidiaries of the Steel Division of voestalpine AG, wins the German Logistics Award 2021. The jury chairman Matthias Wissmann and the BVL chairman Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer presented the award last night in a festive setting at the German Logistics Congress in Berlin.

(Berlin/Bremen) The innovation: In the Bayern Shuttle, DB Cargo combines the speed of full trains with the flexibility of individual wagons. In a daily cycle, the steel shipments from voestalpine for three premium manufacturers in the Bavarian automotive industry are combined. The twist: At the three automotive production sites, high-quality steel scrap is also collected, which is transported back to the voestalpine steelworks in Linz during the night. This not only saves emissions from idling but also enables daily delivery and pickup at all locations through the clever combination of steel supply and scrap disposal – an environmentally friendly contribution to the circular economy. In total, more than half a million tons are moved annually.

Serving multiple customers with full trains

Matthias Wissmann: “The consortium around DB Cargo has acted across companies and managed to save idle runs, time, equipment, resources, and costs. Here, the railway shows what logistics can do.” Thomas Wimmer: “Linking full trains with the advantages of individual wagons is significantly more complex than it sounds. Completely new principles have been implemented for the railway here. Several end customers are served from one full train, often with fluctuating and hard-to-predict transport needs. The massive time savings in transport are particularly impressive.”

The award goes to rail for the first time

“For the first time, a logistics concept on rail wins the coveted German Logistics Award. This is a clear signal for the innovative strength of rail freight transport and proof of the good cooperation of the partners involved in this concept,” says Katja Sander, Vice President Metals at DB Cargo.

Photos: © BVL/Bublitz / Image caption: The recipients of the German Logistics Award 2021, from left: Marvin Daniels, Account Manager Rail, DB Cargo AG Jan Reuter, Head of CMR South, DB Cargo AG Pierre Timmermans, Board Member Sales of DB Cargo AG Peter Finkenzeller, DB Cargo Management Region Central Katja Sander, Head of Metals, DB Cargo AG Markus Schinko, Managing Director, Logistics Service GmbH (LogServ) and Cargo Service GmbH (CargoServ) Christian Janecek, Managing Director, Logistics Service GmbH (LogServ) Christoph Priemetshofer, Head of Department, voestalpine Raw Material Procurement GmbH Gönke Kraft, Head of European Network Service Design, DB Cargo Christoph Heibach, Head of Work Area Salzgitter voestalpine, DB Cargo AG