DHL 2013 Annual Report Download - page 32

GLOBAL FORWARDING, FREIGHT DIVISION
The air, ocean and road freight forwarder
e Global Forwarding and Freight business units are responsible within the Group
for air, ocean and road freight transport. Our freight forwarding services not only
include standardised transports but also multimodal and sector- specic solutions as
well as individualised industrial projects.
Our business model is very asset-light, as it is based on the brokerage of trans-
port services between our customers and freight carriers. is allows us to consolidate
shipments and purchase cargo space at better conditions. Our global presence ensures
network optimisation and the ability to meet the increasing demand for ecient routing
and multimodal transports.
The leader in a stagnating air freight market
e air freight market stagnated in  despite a slight volume increase in the sec-
ond half of the year compared with the rst half. According to , the global airline
industry association, worldwide freight tonne kilometres own during the reporting
year increased only slightly by . . Capacities remained largely stable, whereby the
airlines shied them from cargo planes to wide-body passenger planes as in the prior
year. Freight volumes were lower overall due to the decline in output in some industry
sectors. Moreover, customers throughout the industry increasingly chose other trans-
port modes. Aer transporting . million export freight tonnes in the previous year,
we remained the air freight market leader in .
Ocean freight market experiences surplus capacities and weak demand
Although demand in the ocean freight market remained comparatively weak,
carriers still increased their capacities in the second half of . Ocean carriers are
responding to supply and demand by putting new vessels into operation, limiting the
capacity on oer and adjusting travel speed. e actual freight rates on key trade lanes
remained volatile. Trade on the traditional lanes between Asia and Europe was soer
than expected, whilst north-south trade increased slightly. Aer transporting . mil-
lion twenty-foot equivalent units in the previous year, we remained the second-largest
provider of ocean freight services in .
Growth remains slow in European road freight market
In the European road freight market, growth remained slow at an estimated –  to
  (previous year:   to  ). e primary reasons for this were the macroeconomic
environment in Europe and intense competition in this sector. Nevertheless, ’s
Freight business unit was able to maintain its market share.
. Air freight market, : top 
Thousand tonnes
1
1 Data based solely on export freight tonnes.
Source: annual reports, publications
and company estimates.
1,095  Schenker
1,093 Kuehne + Nagel
801 Panalpina
2,327 
. Ocean freight market, : top 
Thousand  s 1
1 Twenty-foot equivalent units.
Source: annual reports, publications
and company estimates.
2,840 
1,905  Schenker
1,388 Panalpina
3,473 Kuehne + Nagel
. European road transport
market, : top 
Market volume:  billion
1, 2
1 Country base: total for  European countries,
excluding bulk and specialities transport.
2  and  figures have been adjusted with
respect to the  study  using current
price information.
Source:  Study   (based on Eurostat,
financial publications,  Global Insight).
1.8 % 
2.4 % 
1.5 % Dachser
1.2 % Kuehne + Nagel
3.4 %  Schenker
28 Deutsche Post DHL 2013 Annual Report
General Information
Business units and market positions
Group Management Report