Word has it DB Schenker is up for sale – could DSV create a real logistics giant?

Global logistics operator DSV Panalpina is in talks to acquire another logistics giant in the shape of DB Schenker, TSL sources report.

The acquisition of the state-owned German operator would make Denmark’s DSV the biggest player in the global logistics market.

Last week, Manager Magazin reported that Deutsche Bahn is considering selling its logistics arm after Germany’s general election in September. According to the magazine, DB Schenker could be worth between €8-10bn.

Analysts say such a situation is so rare that other players will have no choice but to enter into acquisition talks.

“If DB Schenker really is for sale, will DSV be watching from the sidelines? This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. So even if there is a big risk, Jens Bjoern Andersen (DSV CEO – ed.) cannot afford to miss out on such an opportunity. But it is not an easy situation at all,” Morten Holm Enggaard, an analyst at Jyske Bank, told Shipping Watch.

DSV has been very active in the acquisition market in recent years. This year, the Group signed an agreement to acquire Global Integrated Logistics from Kuwait-based logistics Group Agility.

The deal was valued at $4.2bn. Two years ago, DSV merged with Panalpina from Switzerland. That merger was worth $4.6bn. Back in 2015, DSV acquired the US company Uti Worldwide.