DSV has marked a milestone with the successful go-live of its integration with Schenker in South Africa.
The celebration, held across offices nationwide, symbolised a new chapter for the business and its people, defined by shared purpose, collaboration and an enhanced service offering for customers.
This comes after DSV completed its acquisition of Schenker, integrating the two companies into a single, larger logistics and transport powerhouse on April 30. The new combined company has a global network of approximately 160 000 employees across more than 90 countries.
At DSV’s head office in South Africa, employees celebrated with a tree-planting ceremony and an address by the country’s senior leadership team, which was live-streamed to all facilities.
“Today is more than just a date on the calendar, it’s a defining moment in our journey together.” said Freda Venter, DSV vice president for Finance in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
“We’re not just aligning systems and processes, we’re bringing together the incredible talent, energy, and commitment of our people. Our people have embraced change, supported one another, and shown what’s possible when we move forward together.
Over the past six months, the company’s air and sea teams in South Africa and Mozambique have prepared for the official go-live integration. Commercial and customer-facing teams strengthened customer confidence, while operational teams implemented a buddy system, partnering with new colleagues transitioning to CargoWise to provide training and support.
The forwarder’s vice president for Air and Sea (SSA), Melanie Smit, said: “As we integrate these two strong organisations in sub-Saharan Africa, we are consolidating their successes to create greater value and an enhanced service experience for our customers.”
Integration in the Contract Logistics division continues to progress across teams with uniform rollouts and proactive client communications.
DSV and Schenker Warehouse Management Systems are operating in parallel to maintain uninterrupted service. Following successful integration in East London, planning is under way for the next site integrations in Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth) and Cape Town.
The company said all Schenker customers had been onboarded on to the DSV system and all legal reviews had been finalised.
“The true work begins now. It is essential that we capitalise on our position as the world's leading global logistics company. Our focus must be on delivering our customers premier service and exceptional quality. Together, we have the opportunity to redefine industry standards and set a benchmark for excellence,” said DSV road cluster head for SSA, Ralton Moses.
