As the personally liable general partner of BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG (BLG KG), the listed company BREMER LAGERHAUS-GESELLSCHAFT -Aktiengesellschaft von 1877- (BLG AG) has assumed the management of the BLG Group. These two companies, which are closely linked in legal, commercial and organizational respects, have prepared the combined financial statements as joint parents.
BLG AG does not hold any share capital in BLG KG and is also not entitled to participate in the company’s profits. It receives remuneration for the liability it has assumed and for its business management activities. All limited partnership shares of BLG KG are held by the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (municipality). The business of BLG KG is managed by the Board of Management of BLG AG as a governing body of the general partner. The Board of Management is fully accountable for managing the business in accordance with Section 76 (1) of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) and is not subject to instructions from the shareholders.
Legal structure of the group as of December 31, 2023
Business model and organizational structure
The BLG Group operates externally under the brand BLG LOGISTICS. BLG LOGISTICS is a seaport-oriented logistics service provider with an international network. With almost 100 companies and offices, we are present in Europe, America, Africa and Asia and in all the world’s growth markets. We offer our customers in industry and retailing complex logistics system services.
As a strategic management holding company, BLG KG focuses on strategic developments at Group level. As a result, the holding company’s influence on the operating business is greater than that of a pure financial holding company, but it is also significantly less than in the case of an operational management holding company. The Board of Management members responsible for the three divisions AUTOMOBILE, CONTRACT and CONTAINER play a special role as an interface to the operating units. The Board of Management determines the Group strategy by creating strategic guidelines at Group level; together with the operations managers, the relevant Board of Management member determines the strategy at division level within the framework of the Group strategy and is responsible for the strategic management of the division. Fulfillment of the respective strategies is supported by the central departments.
In accordance with its defined mission, BLG LOGISTICS aims to make logistics simpler for its customers, so that they can focus on being successful in the market.
BLG LOGISTICS operates in three divisions. The reporting also follows this structure.
The AUTOMOBILE and CONTRACT Divisions are subdivided into business areas and/or regions. Responsibility for the operational management of the business areas/regions, including earnings responsibility, lies with the relevant business area/regional managers. The Group management of the EUROGATE GmbH & Co. KGaA, KG subgroup is responsible for the CONTAINER Division.
AUTOMOBILE Division
The AUTOMOBILE Division is a leading technical and logistics service provider for the international automotive industry. In the 2023 financial year, our worldwide AUTOMOBILE network handled, transported or technically processed 5.0 million vehicles.
In this division, BLG LOGISTICS offers multimodal transport concepts with global logistics reach and dovetails customized and innovative technical service packages. Distribution takes place by road, rail and inland waterway. In addition to the seaport terminals in Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven, Hamburg (all Germany) and in Gdansk (Poland), we also operate several inland terminals on the Rhine and Danube rivers. Our truck fleet bases extend right across Europe.
BLG AutoRail is a specialist provider of vehicle transport services by rail, with its own fleet of 1,500 open double-deck railroad cars including 200 flat wagons. This means that the logistics supply chain from the vehicle manufacturers to the end customer is fully covered.
Our wheels never stop turning: BLG’s AUTOMOBILE Division consistently supplements its logistics network with smart digital solutions and sustainable concepts for climate-friendly transport.
CONTRACT Division
The CONTRACT Division manages complex projects and offers our customers reliable logistics solutions. The focus of our know-how and experience lies in procurement, production and distribution logistics as well as in reverse and spare parts logistics. We offer storage, transport, packing and unpacking services, handle conventional orders, e-commerce issues and also a variety of value-added services.
As logistics architects, we specialize in designing, configuring, implementing and managing customized logistics solutions, ranging from highly automated logistics centers to manual in-house processes. Project management is our core competence, with sustainability and dependable quality being our top priorities.
Our customers are strong brands from industry and retailing, medium-sized companies and the major German and international car manufacturers. We work at our logistics centers and our customers’ production facilities and plants at over 40 locations in Europe and overseas. Be it automotive parts, railroad components, sportswear, printers, fashion, furniture, foodstuffs, sanitary fixtures and fittings or frozen products – our teams of experts put together customized service packages for a wide variety of goods.
CONTAINER Division
The CONTAINER Division is represented by the EUROGATE joint venture. The EUROGATE Group, in which BLG LOGISTICS holds a 50 percent stake, is a shipping line-independent container terminal group with operations predominantly in Europe. Together with the Italian terminal operator CONTSHIP Italia, the company operates a network of 11 container terminals from the North Sea to the Mediterranean. The range of services is complemented by intermodal and other container-related services.
Changes in group of consolidated companies
CONTRACT Division
As a consequence of the withdrawal from the Indian market, BLG Industrielogistik GmbH & Co. KG sold its shares in BLG Parekh Logistics Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India, with sale and purchase agreement of February 1, 2023.
Under a sale and purchase agreement dated January 30, 2023, BLG Industrielogistik GmbH & Co. KG, Bremen, sold its shares in BLG SWIFT LOGISTICS Sdn. Bhd., Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Research and development
In order to optimize the logistics processes at our locations in Germany, we focus in particular on the use of technical solutions. The goal is to increase the level of automation and digitalization at the BLG locations by means of viable technical solutions.
To this end, the Technology department was established in the CONTRACT Division at the end of 2022, which consolidates the technical expertise of BLG LOGISTICS and provides support for technical projects from the preparation of quotations to rollout and ongoing operations. The department is made up of six experts for market-ready technology and digitalization solutions in logistics processes. Ideas for technical implementations are put through their paces by the team: The solution must fit the processes and be technically and economically feasible.
The use of the following technologies, among others, is being examined:
- Automated guided vehicles (AGV)
- Automated warehousing and order picking systems
- Robotics
- Automated identification systems
- Electromobility and alternative drive systems
- Autonomous driving
- Ergonomics
- Logistics process planning and management tools (e.g. material flow simulations, digital twin)
We are also continuing to collaborate in research and development projects with partners from science and industry on brand new, particularly complex concepts. Five such projects were undertaken in the Technology department in 2023.
Building on the positive results of the predecessor “Isabella” project, the “Isabella 2.0” project launched on July 1, 2020 was successfully completed in the current reporting year. In addition to integrating the loading and unloading processes of trucks, rail cars and ships into the previously developed intelligent management approach, an AI-based (AI = artificial intelligence) approach designed to expediate the complex calculation processes was developed and tested. To ensure seamless process integration, the project pinpointed digitization needs and developed suitable mobile apps, such as a digital loading plan, including a loading sequence management system. The implementation of prototype solution components from the project is currently being tested and prepared.
The “Mobility2Grid” project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and was launched on March 1, 2022. In collaboration with many other research and industry partners, the goal through to February 28, 2027 is to develop efficient and networked systems for a climate-neutral city. In this context, BLG LOGISTICS is developing concepts for the full electrification of a logistics site. In addition to technical framework parameters, such as the available connected load, BLG LOGISTICS is examining the logistical effectiveness of the concepts using simulation studies. The aim is to ensure that delivery schedules are adhered to and that vehicles have sufficient battery capacity. One of BLG LOGISTICS’ main project objectives is to demonstrate the feasibility of electrification in continuous operation. Its use is being trialed with the plant supplies for a customer based at the supplier logistics center in Falkensee.
The “HyBit” joint research project has also been running since 2022. The central research question is how local hydrogen hubs can contribute to a sustainable and climate-neutral Europe. BLG LOGISTICS project activities mainly focus on the “Mobility and Logistics” project cluster, which is concerned with designing methodologies for analyzing and assessing various possible uses for hydrogen. BLG LOGISTICS is contributing to both the development of these methodologies and their subsequent testing under real world conditions. A further project goal for BLG LOGISTICS is to identify and roughly map out possible pilot applications for the use of hydrogen. HyBit involves a consortium of 18 partners and will run for 4.5 years.
The Innovative Port Technologies (IHATEC) research project “MEXOT” was launched on January 1, 2022 and is being carried out at BLG AutoTec GmbH & Co. KG as a practice partner. The aim is to ensure the holistic ergonomic design of technical workstations and upstream picking activities. For this purpose, passive exoskeletons are being fitted with measuring sensors and coupled with customizable driverless transport vehicles (DTV), for example to enable (semi-)automated materials allocation. The ergonomics data will be used to develop an incentive platform that gives employees direct personal feedback and integrates gamification approaches to increase motivation.
In the “Resource Development in Service Work – RessourceE” research project, technical solutions and concepts for health-promoting work design and diversity-oriented skills and qualification development in unskilled jobs are being tested and examined with regard to their generalizability. BLG LOGISTICS is represented with the Logistics Center (LZ) Bremen as application partner and is testing innovative ergonomic solutions in practice. Studies accompanying the tests examine the implications of the introduction of assistance technologies with regard to process-related and human-centered factors. Based on the findings, software tools are also being developed to aid the systematic selection of assistance technologies and sensory-enhanced assistance technologies. In addition to the concrete ergonomic design of selected operational workplaces at the Bremen logistics center, RessourcE also aims to initiate innovations for good work design, leadership and further development in the field of unskilled work by creating sustainable transfer structures between work research and practice. The project is supported by the Karlsruhe Project Management Agency of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and began on July 1, 2023 with a duration of five years.
In 2023, BLG LOGISTICS thus participated in a total of five cooperation projects with a total project volume (excluding BLG participation) of EUR 62.9 million. In addition, the “KITE” and “PortSkill 4.0” projects described in the previous year were also continued in 2023.
Relevant legal and economic factors
BLG LOGISTICS has to observe a wide range of national and international legislation. In addition to regulations under public law, capital market law, employment law including occupational health and safety legislation, transport and customs laws and competition law are particularly relevant to us.
Collective pay agreements in Germany are one of the most important economic factors for BLG LOGISTICS, as a large proportion of the workforce is employed in Germany and personnel expenses for our own as well as external staff represent a major cost item. Because our business model is capital-intensive in all divisions, the cost of capital also plays a significant role.
Combined Group management
Management indicators
The key management indicators of BLG LOGISTICS that we apply throughout the Group form the basis for our operational and strategic management decisions. We use them to set targets, measure the company’s performance and determine the variable compensation of managerial staff and non-tariff employees – among other factors.
The core management indicator metrics are:
Revenue
Combined Group revenue is derived from the combined statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income and does not include the revenue of the CONTAINER Division.
EBIT
On account of the significant contribution of the CONTAINER Division to earnings, income from equity investments is also included in EBIT.
Earnings before income and taxes (EBIT) is calculated at BLG LOGISTICS as follows:
- Revenue
- Other income
- Cost of materials
- Personnel expenses
- Depreciation, amortization and impairment
- Other expenses
- Net investment income
EBT
Earnings before taxes (EBT) is the basis for determining profitability, independently of tax effects that cannot be influenced.
This is also suitable for measuring profitability in an international comparison.
EBT margin
Dividing EBT by revenue produces the EBT margin. This is an indicator of a company’s efficiency and profitability.
RoCE
Return on capital employed (RoCE) is a key indicator that measures how efficiently and profitably a company uses its capital. It is calculated by dividing EBIT by the capital employed. Capital employed at BLG LOGISTICS includes the following components:
- Non-current assets incl. financial assets)
- Inventories
- Trade receivables
- Trade payables
The key performance indicators revenue, EBIT, EBT and EBT margin are also determined within the scope of internal monthly reporting as well as within the scope of corporate planning and forecasts. RoCE is only reported on a Group-wide basis and will only in the future be included in monthly reporting.
In addition to the above-mentioned indicators, the variable remuneration of the Board of Management and, from the 2023 financial year, also of non-tariff employees, is also measured against the targets for CO2 emissions, the 1,000 employee rate based on work-related accidents and the proportion of trainees in the total workforce. The other financial and non-financial key performance indicators are individual management variables depending on the operating business unit. This includes measurement variables such as vehicle handling, processed quantities, energy consumption or container handling. In order to assess future developments, we rely on a continuous dialog with customers and closely monitor overall economic developments to enable us to react to changes in a timely manner.
BLG LOGISTICS set new sustainability targets in the reporting period. The ten quantitative targets make progress in our key areas of action measurable and controllable at an operational level and serve as a guide for forward-looking sustainability management. You will find more information in our sustainability report.
For explanations regarding the forecast key performance indicators and the degree to which they were reached in the 2023 financial year, please refer to the Report on Economic Position. The forecast for the current year is explained in the Outlook.
Non-financial performance indicators
The number of persons employed in the divisions, excluding the Board of Management as well as apprentices and trainees, is shown in the table, broken down by division, pursuant to Section 267 (5) HGB (annual average).
|
|
2023 |
|
2022 |
|
Percentage change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AUTOMOBILE Division |
|
2,922 |
|
3,235 |
|
-9.7 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
2,492 |
|
2,767 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
430 |
|
468 |
|
|
CONTRACT Division |
|
6,551 |
|
6,266 |
|
4.5 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
5,202 |
|
4,959 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
1,349 |
|
1,307 |
|
|
CONTAINER Division |
|
1,604 |
|
1,605 |
|
-0.1 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
1,137 |
|
1,149 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
467 |
|
456 |
|
|
Segment employees |
|
11,077 |
|
11,106 |
|
-0.3 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
8,831 |
|
8,875 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
2,246 |
|
2,231 |
|
|
Services |
|
410 |
|
386 |
|
6.2 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
0 |
|
0 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
410 |
|
386 |
|
|
Employees incl. CONTAINER Division |
|
11,487 |
|
11,492 |
|
-0.0 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
8,831 |
|
8,875 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
2,656 |
|
2,617 |
|
|
Less employees of the CONTAINER Division |
|
-1,604 |
|
-1,605 |
|
-0.1 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
-1,137 |
|
-1,149 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
-467 |
|
-456 |
|
|
Employees of BLG LOGISTICS |
|
9,883 |
|
9,887 |
|
-0.0 |
of which blue-collar workers |
|
7,694 |
|
7,726 |
|
|
of which white-collar workers |
|
2,189 |
|
2,161 |
|
|
As an international seaport-oriented logistics service provider, BLG LOGISTICS requires committed, motivated and skilled employees in order to be successful in the market over the long term and to meet the continuous challenges of globalization and demographic change. Since the 2019 financial year, this has been underscored by a wide range of measures and campaigns under the motto “#SuccessDependsOnEverybody” spanning all levels from temporary employees to the Board of Management and all areas and locations of BLG LOGISTICS.
In order to attract, develop and retain its employees, BLG LOGISTICS aims to consistently maintain its image as an attractive company on the labor market. That is why our personnel policies include options for maintaining a work-life balance and specific health management mechanisms, as well as performance-related pay and targeted training opportunities.
The successful implementation of a clear and forward-looking strategy largely depends on BLG LOGISTICS’ management. Our leadership principles and our corporate values support us in achieving a shared understanding of leadership at all levels.
Employees 2023
With four fewer, the average number of employees in the reporting year (excluding the CONTAINER Division) remained almost unchanged compared to the previous year. Changes arose in particular from the reassignment of BLG Cargo Logistics GmbH from the AUTOMOBILE Division to the CONTRACT Division as well as from the deconsolidation of the Russian entity in the previous year. On the other hand, new employees were hired in the 2023 financial year at new locations in BLG LOGISTICS’ retail logistics business area.
Employees by age group
Employees by gender*
Non-financial report
In accordance with the provisions of the Act to Strengthen Non-Financial Reporting by Companies in their Management Reports and Group Reports (CSR Directive Implementation Act), BLG LOGISTICS has prepared a combined non-financial statement in accordance with Section 315b HGB since the 2017 financial year. This statement is integrated into the sustainability report as a separate non-financial report, which can be downloaded from reporting.blg-logistics.com. Our 2023 sustainability report also reports in detail on other non-financial topics.