A digital linchpin
by Frank Zscheile I 7 minute read
29/08/2025
With DACHSER platform, DACHSER offers a central, digital solution for all issues concerning customer orders. The company is constantly expanding the platform’s range of functions, and with the rollout in full swing, more and more customers are getting on board.
In view of unstable supply chains and an increasingly complex geopolitical situation, there’s a growing premium on cross-modal and company-wide information. When organizations have access to that information at any time, they can be flexible in how they handle changes and can make their supply chains more agile. This makes it easier for them to mitigate risks and strengthen their resilience for the long term.
Services with reliable quality and excellent logistics processes help create this resilience in the first place. DACHSER platform is the digital tool that makes this possible—a central ecosystem for handling all customer-specific transports and, in the future, warehousing processes as well. DACHSER combines the services of its individual business fields in this tool, which features a standardized and intuitive user interface. Data helps create a real-time map of operational processes. Lars Relitz, Head of Corporate Digital Innovation & Development, says: “People are used to having plenty of information and transparency in the private digital sphere; say, in e-commerce. They now expect this in the business environment as well. Our answer to this is DACHSER platform. It offers new dimensions in customer communication and transparency, a new level of speed, and a new degree of end-to-end integration.”
People are used to having plenty of information and transparency in the private digital sphere; say, in e-commerce. They now expect this in the business environment as well. Our answer to this is DACHSER platform.
Transparency in accessing information
One of the DACHSER platform services that customers use on a daily basis is the price-inquiry function for quickly obtaining quotes for various means of transport. The platform provides customers with a clear overview of all possible transport options and products so that they can select the right one for their needs. Once the desired options have been found and the price is right, the customer can book the order directly on DACHSER platform. Its shipment tracking function (track & trace) offers full transparency and displays all Road Logistics as well as Air and Sea Logistics shipments worldwide. Users can customize the overview of all their orders or obtain a detailed view of a specific shipment.
In the booking process, prices and product options (e.g., targo on-site, targofix, targospeed) are listed when the order is placed. This makes it easier for customers to make a selection and book quickly. In the future, customers will also be able to view stock levels and various business reports at any time. All shipment documents can be uploaded, downloaded, and edited for an optimal shipment overview. This ensures that documents are kept up to date along the entire supply chain.
One particularly crucial feature of the platform is that it pools data across all carriers and integrates core systems; this leads to consistent and thus reliable data. As a result, DACHSER is better able to assess the needs of its customers and make targeted decisions based on that; for example, regarding how to better predict and reduce deviations in processes or how to lower process costs.
Tangible added value in day-to-day business
Swiss laboratory equipment manufacturer Adolf Kühner AG has been working with DACHSER for more than 14 years in the field of air freight, later adding sea and road transport. Exports by plane and truck play a particularly key role today. The customer’s contact is Robert Widmer, Air Freight Manager Air & Sea Logistics Switzerland at DACHSER. He says, “Adolf Kühner AG is an excellent example of how we offer integrated services across all modes of transportation. Our new DACHSER platform provides a complete overview at all times.”
In 2024, Adolf Kühner AG was one of the first customers to use the new platform in day-to-day logistics. It started with air and sea freight, and now uses it for all order processing, including road logistics, digitally via the central user interface. This includes all three core functions: price inquiries, subsequent booking, and shipment tracking via track & trace.
According to the Swiss manufacturer, the value that the platform adds in day-to-day business is plain to see. Employees praise the easily navigable interface, short loading times, and overall ease of use, all of which make their daily work considerably easier. “The price-inquiry function is particularly important for us, as it allows us to put together quotes online and fast, so we can serve our customers quickly,” says Meike Kämpf, Administrator & Logistics Manager at Adolf Kühner. “Shipment tracking via track & trace also plays a major role for us and is something we use regularly.” Getting employees familiar with the new system went smoothly: DACHSER platform is self-explanatory, intuitive to use, and can be put into operation rapidly and without extensive training.
If we want to further develop our digital offering in a customer-oriented way, it’s immensely important to continuously integrate customer feedback like this.
As an early adopter, Adolf Kühner AG also passed on helpful suggestions for improvement to the project team at DACHSER. One of these was optimizing the line length of address entries, as recipient addresses in China or India are often significantly longer than in Europe. “If we want to further develop our digital offering in a customer-oriented way, it’s immensely important to continuously integrate customer feedback like this,” Relitz says.
In this process, DACHSER no longer uses traditional development methods. “The classic waterfall method isn’t expedient for projects of this size,” Relitz explains. Instead, DACHSER has opted for the agile scrum approach and iterative development with regular customer feedback: you listen to the customer and respond to their needs. After all, the ultimate measure of a product’s success is nothing other than customer acceptance. Over 50 team members work on the project in four parallel scrum groups.
Current eLogistics system about to be replaced
DACHSER platform was launched with the air freight segment at the end of 2023, and the first sea freight customers in the LCL segment were added shortly afterward. For the Air & Sea Logistics business field, the platform has now become an integral part of customer communication and is used for day-to-day business in 32 countries. With the exception of Brazil, the global rollout has been completed.
The first Road Logistics customers have been connected since fall 2024, and more than 7,000 companies are now registered. Relitz says: “We’re supporting this development with weekly training courses for further branches throughout Europe. These put colleagues in the branches in a position to support our customers during the onboarding process.” DACHSER aims to migrate 13,000 existing customers to the platform by the end of this year. As of January 2026, no new customers will be added to the current eLogistics system.
13.000
existing customers should be migrate to the platform by the end of this year.
A comprehensive digital experience
At the same time, the development team is constantly expanding the platform’s range of functions; new options such as in-app service, data analysis, GHG Emission Report, invoice retrieval, additional languages, and communication features have been or are being added. The result is a set of tools that brings together smooth and simple workflows in a digital, centralized solution. Every day, DACHSER is getting closer to its goal of becoming the most digitalized logistics provider.
