DACHSER celebrates 50 years in the United States

Exactly half a century ago, the family-owned logistics operator from Germany had opened a location in New York, expanding its logistics services to an overseas region for the first time. Over the decades that followed, DACHSER USA has strategically expanded its footprint across the country to meet local customer requirements. A presence on the US West Coast followed in 1998, with the opening of an office in Los Angeles, California. Further branches came shortly after, with an office in Chicago in 1999, and, among other locations, Charlotte, Boston and Atlanta in 2005. Detroit is the newest addition to DACHSER’s branch network in the United States, with an office added in 2018.

In alignment with the constant growth and evolution of this network, the branches themselves are also undergoing constant review and development according to customer and market needs. In the past two years alone, five US branches have relocated to other facilities within their home region, to accommodate their growth or to have a presence even closer to customers or to logistics infrastructure like airports and ports. Furthermore, in 2023, the branch in Atlanta has opened a dedicated Contract Logistics warehouse, the largest Contract Logistics facility of DACHSER in the United States so far in terms of pallet spaces and overall surface.

“Reaching the milestone of our 50th anniversary is a testament to our dedicated team, loyal customers, and the strong values that have guided us throughout the history of our company,” says Ralph Riehl, Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics Americas. “As DACHSER, we are proud to be a family business that values integrity, innovation, and sustainability on so many levels while simultaneously acting as a global leader in logistics solutions.”

Throughout the years, DACHSER has continued its expansion in the Americas beyond the US, with own branches in Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Peru. As of 2023, around 650 employees across 23 locations in the Americas have moved 98,500 shipments and a tonnage of 281,400 tons.

Looking back with a holistic approach towards the future

With the future in sight, DACHSER USA is not only looking into continuing to expand its local network in the region. Furthermore, DACHSER’s international air and sea freight transportation in and out of the Americas region will profit from even better integration into the DACHSER European Logistics road network. Thanks to seamless interconnection into the high-performance overland transport network that is spanning across the European continent and beyond, customers will profit from door-to-door solutions from one single source. By continuing to combine many individual solutions and by linking DACHSER’s European groupage business and the global air and sea freight network even further, an ever more consistent and holistic value proposition will be created for DACHSER’s customers in the Americas and in Europe alike.

Last but not least, the core values of DACHSER’s history as a family business will continue to form our guiding principles for the future. Ralph Riehl adds: “The physical expansion of our network and services is only possible by looking at our business in its entirety. In other words, this is the network around us that does not only consist of our assets, but also of people, information, technologies, and the macro-environment. In order to be well equipped for the future, we will invest in all these fields in equal measure. People – our customers, employees and partners – are the backbone of our operations and the key to our success. Next, being at the forefront of digitalization will be crucial to live up to the requirements of our customers and the market. Finally, we are investing heavily into sustainability, with the long-term goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in mind. At DACHSER, all these fields of action are a key priority both on corporate and on local level, which includes us in the United States. With this in our focus, we see ourselves well equipped for the upcoming years and decades to come.”