Dachser Expands Research Partnership with Fraunhofer

The globally active logistics service provider Dachser has expanded its research partnership with the Fraunhofer Society as of February 1, 2025. As part of the DACHSER Enterprise Lab, which has been bringing together science and logistics practice in mixed innovation teams since 2017, the family-owned company will now also cooperate with the Fraunhofer Institute for Intelligent Analysis and Information Systems IAIS from Sankt Augustin near Bonn, in addition to the Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics IML in Dortmund.

(Kempten/Dortmund/St. Augustin) The Fraunhofer IAIS is one of the leading research institutes in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning, and Big Data in Germany and Europe. Around 380 employees support companies in optimizing products, services, and processes, as well as in developing new digital business models.

“A central potential for the use of Artificial Intelligence in logistics lies in the processing of unstructured or differently formatted data. The industry offers many application possibilities for optimizing and automating complex processes in goods flows and supply chains or in customer communication. Looking to the future, AI solutions will become increasingly effective tools for humans. Therefore, we are very pleased to advance the use of AI in logistics and at Dachser together with Dachser and our colleagues from Fraunhofer IML in Dortmund,” says Prof. Dr. Stefan Wrobel, Director of the Fraunhofer IAIS.

The Fraunhofer IML and the Fraunhofer IAIS, together with the universities in Bonn and Dortmund, are part of the Lamarr Institute for Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, founded in 2022. The institute is one of five university excellence centers for AI that are financially supported by the federal government.

“Anyone in logistics who does not engage with AI today will not be able to survive in the market in the medium and long term. The demands of customers and the complexity of the framework conditions will not decrease – and this against the backdrop of the increasing shortage of skilled workers,” explains Stefan Hohm, Chief Development Officer and member of the Board at Dachser. “Whether in the warehouse, in the transshipment center, or in the office – we are already relying on AI applications today to best support our employees in decision-making or to relieve them of monotonous tasks. With the expansion of the DACHSER Enterprise Lab, we are strengthening our competencies in the field of artificial intelligence.” Since 2017, the family-owned company from Kempten has been operating the DACHSER Enterprise Lab at Fraunhofer IML in Dortmund, where Fraunhofer scientists research various digital innovations together with Dachser experts. In 2023, Dachser and Fraunhofer IML were awarded the German Logistics Prize for the joint development of the digital twin @ILO.

German Logistics Prize 2023 was a Knightly Honor

“Our long-standing collaboration in the DACHSER Enterprise Lab impressively demonstrates how effectively the integration of science and industry can produce innovations for practice. Winning the German Logistics Prize 2023 was also a knightly honor for our successful Enterprise Lab format,” says Prof. Alice Kirchheim, Director of the Fraunhofer IML.

Photo: © Fraunhofer IML, Frederic Eynck / Image Caption (l. to r.): Burkhard Eling (CEO Dachser SE), Alexander Tonn (COO Road Logistics Dachser SE), Stefan Hohm (CDO Dachser SE), Prof. Alice Kirchheim (Director Fraunhofer IML), Prof. Stefan Wrobel (Director Fraunhofer IAIS)