Gottfried Schenker Is Inducted into the Logistik Hall of Fame
The father of consolidated transport by rail and founder of the logistics service provider Schenker will be posthumously recognised for his achievements.
Munich, October 14th, 2010: Gottfried Schenker, founder of the logistics service provider of the same name, was today posthumously inducted into the Logistik Hall of Fame. Schenker’s greatest achievement was the introduction of consolidated transport by rail. He was the first to come up with the idea to bundle small freights into larger transport units and to move them across great distances with the help of several traffic carriers.
This developed into a fast and cost-effective transport system that made use of the strengths of rail, road and waterways. “Almost 150 years ago, Gottfried Schenker created a transport system that continues to exist even today and must be seen as one of the milestones of logistics.
With his achievements, he brought about decisive advancements in the area of logistics,” Anita Würmser, chairwoman of the independent jury of experts, explained the decision.
The Logistik Hall of Fame honours persons who have made extraordinary contributions to the continued development of logistics and supply chain management. The initiative is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung – BMVBS) as well as numerous inter-trade organisations. The award will be presented on the occasion of a gala event in Vienna.
At the dawn of the age of the railroad, the native of Switzerland saw great opportunities in the East-West transport routes and went to Vienna, where he founded the transport company Schenker & Co. with two partners in 1872. In 1873, the company dispatched the first consolidated freight cart by rail on the Paris - Vienna line.
The loaded goods included champagne, cognac, Bordeaux wines, fashion items and other luxury goods for the Viennese k.u.k. company. While the main segments of the route took place predominantly by rail, the goods were still collected from and delivered to customers’ doors by horse carriage.
Schenker also introduced a concept that was revolutionary in its time: a fixed freight tariff for piece goods, which brought light into the virtual jungle of different rates and tariffs in the transport industry. At the end of the 19th century, Schenker was the only company that could offer fully calculated tariffs from London to Istanbul.
The principle “from house to house in one hand” proved to be a great success, and the network of branch offices grew correspondingly fast. The first was founded in Budapest in 1874, followed by branch offices in Prague, Belgrade and Istanbul. In Gottfried Schenker’s lifetime, the network grew to 32 branch offices in 13 European countries.
Today the company is a subsidiary of the German national railroad (Deutsche Bahn) and offers transport and logistics services worldwide with 91,000 employees at around 2,000 locations.
Gottfried Schenker died in Vienna on November 26th, 1901, and is interred at Heiligenstädter Cemetery in Vienna.
So far, 14 accomplished logisticians have been inducted in the Logistik Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame can be visited free of charge at any time at www.logistikhalloffame.de and offers a range of information and images about logistical milestones and their creators.
Background: The Logistik Hall of Fame honours persons who have made extraordinary contributions to the continued development of logistics and supply chain management. Their achievements in the field of logistics are to be commemorated for future generations of logisticians in this eternal Hall of Fame.
The Logistik Hall of Fame was founded in 2003 and is supported by the Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development (Bundesministerium für Verkehr, Bau und Stadtentwicklung – BMVBS), the German Association for Economics, Traffic and Logistics (Bundesverband Wirtschaft Verkehr und Logistik – BWVL), the German Association for Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft Einkauf und Logistik – BME), the German Logistics Association (Bundesvereinigung Logistik – BVL), the Association of German Freight Forwarders and Logistics Operators (Deutscher Speditions- und Logistikverband – DSLV), the logistics magazine Business+Logistic and the media consulting company wuermser.communications.
| 12/11/2010 | 
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