Introducing DACHSER Brazil

Following a stable and progressive growth path since 2009, the family-owned company currently employs approximately 200 people in its 9 branches. Throughout this period, the company made 350,000 shipments, handling approximately 70,000 tons and 140,000 TEUs, resulting in a revenue increase of more than 50% since it started its activity in the country. The international company which carries out air and sea transportation services in Brazil has acquired experience in the automotive, chemical and food industries locally, and sees Brazil as a market of the future.

"What makes the Brazilian market so exciting is the vast potential for growth. There is no doubt that economically Brazil is a dominant country in South America", says Bernhard Simon, DACHSER´s CEO. “After the worsening economic situation in Brazil after years of growth, current prognostics show that things are beginning to improve visibly. The forecasts for 2019 already expect an increase of approximately 1.5%.”

Dynamic growth market

DACHSER is present in a market that has experienced a dynamic development in recent years. Between 2009 and 2018, the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by an average of 1.5% and the country moved from a place full of debts and crises to an economic heavyweight that gained worldwide attention, especially when it hosted the FIFA World Cup in 2014 and the Olympic Games 2016. At the time, Brazil had to invest heavily in its logistics structure developed especially for these big events.

"In our case, we use our local staff to handle the customs clearance for our customers in the main ports and airports of the South of Brazil, which has made us one of the main drivers of this market", explains João Caldana, Managing Director Air & Sea Logistics DACHSER Brazil. "To be successful in the country - which has enormous dimensions - it is important to have a sufficient number of offices spread around the territory, which we do, since the interest for international logistics companies is spread across the different states."

In fact, it is common in Brazil for logistics companies to be invited to participate in bids issued by global corporations only if they have their own subsidiaries in all relevant countries for the customer and that the contract is carried out through contacts at the local level, as is the case of DACHSER.

For Caldana, the presence of the company in different Brazilian States and around the world not only strengthens the business, but also the relationship with the local community. Since 2015, the company has assumed social responsibility through a partnership with CEDECA (Center for the Defense of Children and Adolescents) in Limeira city, countryside of São Paulo state, assisting more than 400 young people in the development of projects to raise awareness of the human rights, as well as the process of insertion in the professional world. The collaboration between DACHSER and CEDECA is just one of many facets of the company's international partnership with the Terre des Hommes children´s aid organization, which works to help children in danger of poverty, exploitation or violence in 31 countries.

“Logistics brings people, markets and productive worlds together. For DACHSER, global growth also means taking on social responsibility and working actively to improve the living conditions of those who do not enjoy the same benefits of globalization as others and who - on the contrary - have their home and living conditions threatened by it”, explains CEO Bernhard Simon about the company´s Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives.