Rotterdam: a location for three worlds
By Marcus Schick I 6 minute read
11/12/2025
Everything under one roof: with its logistics center in Rotterdam, DACHSER is focusing on a highly networked location for all business areas. Modern warehouses, multimodal connections, and a central location in close proximity to major metropolitan areas make the branch a hub for efficient goods flows in the Benelux countries and beyond.
It is an important milestone for DACHSER in the Netherlands when Stefan Behrendt, Managing Director Food Logistics, together with local management, ceremoniously cuts the ribbon in front of the new extension to the Rotterdam logistics center. The food logistics site, which opened at the beginning of October, has a cross-docking terminal and around 17,000 pallet spaces distributed across three temperature zones: room temperature, refrigerated, and frozen. For the first time outside Germany, all three DACHSER business lines are now united at one location in the Rotterdam logistics center: European Logistics, Food Logistics, and Air & Sea Logistics. A total of 72,000 pallet spaces are available there for industrial goods and food. “The integration of food logistics into the Rotterdam logistics center is much more than just a new building for DACHSER. It is a fundamental investment in the future of our logistics services,” said Alexander Tonn, COO Road Logistics at DACHSER.
The central location near the port of Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam makes the site particularly attractive for medium-sized and international customers. From Waddinxveen, shipments can reach almost every corner of the Benelux countries in less than 24 hours – and are also seamlessly connected to European markets via the DACHSER network. DACHSER board member Alexander Tonn emphasizes not only the geographical but also the strategic importance of the region: “The teams in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg not only combine professionalism, but also embody the culture of DACHSER as a family-owned company. This positive spirit within the network ensures that we can serve our customers at the highest level in all business areas – whether in air freight, sea freight, land transport, or contract logistics.”
The integration of food logistics into the Rotterdam logistics center is much more than just a new building for DACHSER. It is a fundamental investment in the future of our logistics services.
A hub with history
There are historical reasons why such a hub has developed here, in the heart of the western Netherlands. Fifty years ago, DACHSER laid the foundation for a strong regional network by establishing new branches in Zevenaar (Netherlands), near the German border, and in Kuurne (Belgium), near the French border. The geographical location of both sites quickly proved to be a major advantage, as the branches rapidly developed into important strategic hubs in DACHSER’s ever-growing pan-European network.
In 2007, another branch was opened in Waddinxveen, Netherlands–conveniently located near major highways and not far from the port of Rotterdam and Schiphol Airport. “This expansion marked the beginning of an integrated model that combines land, air, and sea freight in the region and formed the basis for further growth,” recalls Aat van der Meer, Managing Director of DACHSER Benelux. At the same time, the branch in Mouscron, Belgium, moved to new premises and took on a central transshipment function in the European DACHSER network with a strong focus on groupage transport. In 2011, the logistics service provider opened a branch in Luxembourg.
“The proximity to major ports and the enormous density of economic activity make the region a key logistical factor,” notes Aat van der Meer. This was also helped by the fact that DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics set up a container freight station in Waddinxveen in 2024–a central consolidation point for sea freight exports from customers in the Benelux countries, large parts of France and Germany, Switzerland, and, to some extent, Austria and Eastern Europe. DACHSER consolidates the general cargo shipments in its own contract logistics warehouse and ships them in bundles by sea freight via the port of Rotterdam. This port acts as an export gateway in DACHSER’s sea freight network.
With a Container Freight Station (CFS) in Waddinxveen, DACHSER has established a central location for export shipments in the LCL (Less than Container Load) sector.
Combination of operational proximity to customers and integrated network logistics
The latest expansion for food products is a direct result of the acquisition of Müller Fresh Food Logistics in early 2023 – and the resulting realignment of DACHSER in food logistics in Benelux. “With the integration of Müller into the global DACHSER organization, we are opening up exciting new horizons for our customers at this special hub in the European and global network,” says Aat van der Meer.
For Alexander Tonn and Aat van der Meer, the latest expansion in Waddinxveen is a “logical step” from a customer and network perspective: “Now all DACHSER business lines are working together here, which ensures short distances and a fast flow of goods, regardless of the type of transport, destination, or type of goods involved. This combination of operational proximity to customers and integrated network logistics makes DACHSER Benelux a strong pillar in the company’s overall European strategy today.” This shows, as if under a magnifying glass, what integration means at DACHSER: “the optimal interaction of international goods flow, local market knowledge, and the special advantages of our network.”
pallet spaces are now available at the Rotterdam logistics center.
The proximity to major ports and the enormous density of economic activity make the region a key logistical factor.
Focus on people
DACHSER Benelux employs around 1,500 people. With the expansion of the Rotterdam logistics center, the demand for qualified specialists is growing – from dispatching and warehouse logistics to customer service, IT, and management. The new food logistics facility alone will create around 50 new jobs.
