DB Schenker has had a strong start in the Nordics as a new cluster

CEO Petteri Nurmi: DB Schenker has had a great start in Nordic countries as a new cluster

DB Schenker had a completely new start in the Nordic countries on 1^st of April, when five countries were united under one management. The first months of the year were used to prepare for the change and building the new organization. Since then, the focus has been on new practices and working towards a Nordic goal, writes Petteri Nurmi, CEO of Cluster Nordics, in his review.

All in all, it is easy to be satisfied with the start of the Nordic cluster and what we have achieved: the new organization is ready, and people have started this new adventure extremely well together. It has been a big mental change to move away from country companies and build a unified Nordic organization. So far, we have done great.

We have not made this change for ourselves as a company, but to provide better transport and logistics solutions for our customers. Their needs are more comprehensive and complex than ever before. Now we can offer flexible and easy solutions covering all the Nordic countries.

The best quality in transport for customers

Cluster Nordics is a big player in the whole DB Schenker world. We are one of the big clusters, which means there are also expectations for us. We have a strong position and market share in all Nordic countries, and we are expected to continue to deliver good performance.

We want to continue to provide the best quality on the market to our customers. In recent years, we have invested a lot in the Nordic countries. Our terminal projects – such as Lempäälä and Ylivieska in Finland, Södertälje in Sweden, Taulov in Denmark, and Bergen in Norway – are all good examples of this.

We are driving forward the DB Schenker Group's sustainability programme. We are also constantly improving our digital services. In the Nordic countries, we should be proud of how advanced we are in digitalization.

We also want to be the best employer in the market. A Nordic cluster develops internal cooperation when everyone has the same goal to play towards. It makes us a more attractive place to work. We can also offer more career opportunities and even more challenging tasks.

Scheduled transports throughout the Nordic countries

One of our strengths is that we can offer solutions that cover land, air, and sea transport as well as contract logistics services. We can build versatile logistics solutions to meet our customers' needs, integrate information systems and manage reporting.

DB Schenker has strong domestic networks in all countries of our new cluster. Together, they form a comprehensive entity that serves customers with scheduled transport in every corner of Nordics.

Sweden is an economic engine for us. That is our largest market and the logistical hub: there are many warehouses serving the other Nordic countries. This gives us good opportunities for growth in Finland, Norway, and Denmark. Iceland is a separate chapter, and we are heavily involved in air and sea freight there.

Local knowledge and common efficient processes

Even as we create a Nordic identity and culture of making, locality is our guiding star. We are constantly aware of local differences in legislation, culture, and language, for example. Even if we identify situations where we should unify the way we do things, not everything should be harmonized by force.

What sets us apart from other operators is that we can offer all transport services to every Nordic country as a single, integrated organization. This larger size speeds up decision-making and reduces internal bureaucracy.

We have always been strong in land transport. We take care of the quality on the road and domestic networks are the backbone of our operations. At the same time, our land operations support both air and sea freight and warehousing services.

Also, an important change in support of this objective is the restructuring of our sales organization. Sales have been transferred to the business units. By this we can provide support even faster with different kinds of enquiries and customers have access to the best knowledge and professionalism of our people.

From a restful summer to lively autumn

Our business is going on as usual, even though we are working for change. However, as I predicted in April, there is still a long journey of change ahead.

With my new job, I spend a lot of time in Gothenburg, Oslo, and Copenhagen. I like these cities very much, as the harbor and the sea connect them to my hometown of Turku. More importantly, each Nordic location is easy to come to because the people are warm-hearted.

I would like to wish you all a relaxing summer and holidays! Let's enjoy the summer to recharge our batteries for the autumn as there is much to do then. I would like to say a special thank you to our customers for the past six months. Thank you that we have had plenty to carry.