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DSV has specialized in complex transportation logistics for
business-to-business customers but now wants to expand its
e-commerce services where it sees great potential due to rapid
growth in internet sales, CEO Jens Bjorn Andersen said in an
interview.
Expansion would include hosting web pages, supplying storerooms
and handling returns for companies that wish to sell their
products online.
"We can't just transport pallets from one warehouse to another,"
Andersen said.
He was commenting as shares in DSV, whose main rivals include
Kuehne & Nagel and Panalpina, rose more than 3 percent to a new
record high after it posted forecast-beating profit and lifted
its forecasts for the year.
Increased use of online services by major players in world trade
is seen as posing risks to traditional freight forwarders, as
the likes of online retailer Amazon and container shipper Maersk
Line move in on their patch.
Shippers traditionally go through freight forwarders to book
space for goods for example on container vessels, but some are
now allowing cargo owners to book directly via the internet.
"We are following it extremely closely and have sped up our
digital strategy and are investing quite a lot in new products,"
he said, declining to say how much.
While the industry is undergoing a transformation due to the new
players, Andersen did not see anything besides initiatives from
Amazon as a real threat yet.
Amazon is handling more shipping in-house, so it can deliver
packages to customers faster, as well as cut costs and
uncertainty associated with relying on third parties.
(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen; Editing by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen/Keith
Weir)
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