People and companies often benefit when they complement each other in their respective competencies: DHL Group and DHL Freight are pioneers when it comes to achieving common goals through strong partnerships. One example of this is our success story with Parker Hannifin, a global leader in motion and control technologies, which is now being continued sustainably with the use of a Volvo electric tractor-trailer.
Moving more together
For many years, DHL Freight, together with our logistics partner Wahl & Co. have been transporting hydraulic components and general cargo nationally and across Europe for Parker. We have significantly expanded our joint business during this time and now move more than 50,000 shipments annually for Parker within Germany and to and from France, Italy, Romania, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
DHL Freight and Wahl & Co. work closely and successfully together for Parker and other customers. With its locations in Bielefeld and Magdeburg, Wahl & Co. covers two regions within the German DHL general cargo network with forwarding services.
Company portrait Parker Hannifin
Parker was founded in 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio. Today, Parker is one of the world's leading companies in the field of motion and control technology, with over 60,000 team members globally. The company's portfolio includes aerospace, refrigeration and air conditioning technology, electromechanics, filtration, fluid and gas handling, hydraulics, pneumatics, process control, as well as sealing and shielding technology. Parker's technology was involved in both the first transatlantic flight in 1927 and the first manned moon landing in 1969.
Parker is present in 44 countries worldwide and has a global sales network with thousands of locations. Since acquiring the Cologne hydraulic cylinder factory in 1962 - its first European production site - Parker has also been operating in Germany. The German sales headquarters of Parker is located in Kaarst, and its European Distribution Center (EDC) is in Bielefeld.
Volvo e-truck rolls for DHL Freight and Parker
In early 2024, DHL Freight and Wahl & Co. achieved another milestone in their partnership with Parker. Since then, we have been using an electric tractor-trailer from Volvo for shuttle and pre-carriage of consolidated cargo. The new e-truck is in daily operation on a circular route between the Wahl & Co. terminal and the Parker EDC in Bielefeld.
The initiative for this sustainable transport solution came jointly from DHL Freight and Wahl & Co. Both DHL Freight and our transport service provider have been committed to green transport and energy concepts for many years.
We have been intensively dealing with the topic of sustainability for many years. In 2008, for example, we installed a large photovoltaic system on our terminal, which covers the majority of our own electricity needs. Therefore, the introduction of an e-truck was a logical next step for us.
Dr. Thorsten Steinmann, Managing Director of Wahl & Co.
DHL Freight employs various options to offer sustainable logistics services. Additionally, DHL Freight and DHL Group aim to reduce all logistics-related emissions to net zero by 2050. As an interim target, our sustainability strategy aims to reduce the CO2 footprint by 30% by 2030 compared to 2019. To achieve this, we rely on demand-oriented sustainable drive solutions - such as e-mobility in operational cycles for Parker.
E-mobility as part of GoGreen Plus
Critical to DHL Freight's sustainability strategy is the GoGreen Plus service for our customers. The service includes, for example, our commitment to carbon insetting: we invest in green technologies and avoid emissions directly within our network. As part of GoGreen Plus, DHL Freight proactively approached Parker. As the company is also committed to environmentally friendly solutions worldwide and our offer has a direct impact on the carbon footprint of Parker's products, which is connected to our sustainable logistics services, the implementation soon followed our proposal.
I am really proud to see the great collaboration of both teams realizing this project and I am happy to have partners like Parker Hannifin at our side who share our vision and join us on the journey towards a sustainable future.
Maximilian Safarian, Global MNC Manager DHL Freight
We are excited about our collaboration with DHL Freight, enabling us to deliver sustainable initiatives for our supply chain. Optimized freight drives sustainability, and this is a great example of what we can achieve together as business partners.
Christophe Godinou, Parker Transportation & Logistics Manager EMEA
So far, the use of the e-truck has been running smoothly. At DHL Freight, we plan further applications and pilot projects with electric vehicles. We hope that the political framework will support our sustainability efforts so that our customers' shipments not only reach their destination quickly and safely but also in a more sustainable manner.
