Bremen, January 28, 2015 — 125 years ago, August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel founded a forwarding company in Bremen under the name Kuehne + Nagel. What started with transporting raw products such as cotton, cereals, wood, animal feed and sugar, has developed into one of the leading global logistics companies. Today, Kuehne + Nagel has a logistics network that spans the globe and offers its customers integrated and high value-added logistics solutions.
“In the history of Kuehne + Nagel, Bremen continues to have an unrivaled
significance”, said Klaus-Michael Kuehne, majority shareholder and
Honorary Chairman of Kuehne + Nagel International AG. “This is where the
company originated and even today valuable initiatives are spread from
there to the world, whether from the seafreight competence centre or the
contract logistics business unit.” Kuehne emphasised that, in addition
to a healthy growth-oriented corporate policy, it was particularly the
commitment of the many talented employees which enabled Kuehne + Nagel
to reach its current size. “It has always been one of our principles
that we motivate employees, develop them within the company and strive
for success through teamwork, which is essential for a logistics company
with its complex tasks and cross-sectional functions as a service
provider.”
Three generations at the anchor and wheel — a brief review
It
was August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel whose decisiveness, can-do
attitude and innovative services set an example and laid the foundation
for the company’s success.
In the second generation, Alfred Kuehne
shaped the organisation for six decades and not only achieved its
special positioning among the leading forwarders in Germany but also
initiated the first steps towards internationalisation.
At the start
of the 1960s a new era started for the family-run company with the
arrival of the third generation — Klaus-Michael Kuehne: He realised his
vision of establishing a global logistics network that now has around
63,000 employees at 1,000 locations in over 100 countries, and thereby
strengthened the position of Kuehne + Nagel in the age of globalisation
and international division of labour.
Over recent decades Kuehne +
Nagel has not only secured top rankings in the league of global sea and
air freight forwarders, but also developed contract logistics into a
third key division. In the same way that specialised transportation for
cotton and tailored services achieved success for the founders, today
IT-based, industry-specific logistics solutions make Kuehne + Nagel an
important partner for trade and industry. In addition, due to its
innovative overland services, Kuehne + Nagel is able to to support its
customers from the first to the last mile of their supply chains.
125+ — a look ahead
Karl
Gernandt, Chairman of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, noted in his
speech at the launch event that to date, only a few companies in the
logistics industry have been able to demonstrate such tradition and
development.
“There are specific strengths such as the
entrepreneurial spirit, innovative power, efficiency, the ability to
learn and a special company culture lived by all employees that enable
Kuehne + Nagel to achieve sustainable success.” Gernandt demonstrated
his conviction “that building on these strengths and a good mixture of
tradition and further development, the Kuehne + Nagel Group is ideally
prepared for the future and will not only master the challenges of the
coming decades but will also be able to shape them. That is what is
meant by the ‘Plus’ in our anniversary logo.”
Container Anniversary World Tour — from Bremen to the world
On
the occasion of the company’s anniversary, Kuehne + Nagel is sending
two 40-foot containers on a trip around the world — one to the east and
the other to the west. Inside, the containers hold something special: On
four multimedia stations, visitors can discover information about the
history, service portfolio, innovations and career options at the Kuehne
+ Nagel Group.
The container will be presented at 14 locations
around the world at national customer events. The tour not only
underlines the company’s leading position in global seafreight but also
the strength of its global network.
At the end of the launch event in
Bremen, Klaus-Michael Kuehne personally sealed one of the two
containers and wished it farewell as it started its “Anniversary World
Tour”.
About Kuehne + Nagel
With around 63,000 employees at around
1,000 locations in over 100 countries, Kuehne + Nagel is one of the
leading global logistics service providers. It focuses on sea and air
freight, contract logistics and land transport with a clear focus on
areas that add significant value such as IT-supported integrated
logistics offerings.
