TOP 100 in European Transport and Logistics Services (original) (raw)
When the first edition of our »TOP100« logistics market studies was published in 1996, valid quantitative information about the economic relevance of the logistics sector in European economies was not available. There was no coherent, publicly accessible analysis and documentation about the logistics sector's size and growth developments-not at the national levels, not at the level of the most important logistics market segments, and not about Europe's top providers of logistics services. Up to this day logistics is not explicitly covered in the European Union's NACE system for the classification of economic activities. Data about the logistics of materials and goods are mixed and reported with people transportation data, or hidden in the statistics of various other sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing industries, retail, etc. Since more than 25 years the TOP100 in Logistics studies make an effort to fill this gap of missing statistics to show the high relevance of the logistics sector for the wealth of modern economies. This 2021/2022 issue is the 9th edition covering the broader European logistics market (alternating with a German language edition, which focuses on the German market only). Today the understanding of logistics as one of the largest and most dynamic sectors of the European economy-a trillion-Euro industry-is widely accepted. We believe that our work contributed to this achievement. This is not to understate the fact that there never will be one perfect set of figures to describe logistics and its segments. The diversity of definitions in use for logistics, Europe's variety of national logistics industry structures and statistical reporting practices, and differing expectations by users of logistics services vs. providers vs. external stakeholders, do not allow for that. But with every new TOP100 edition we try to come closer to offering an up-to-date, competent overview on European logistics through a selection of quantitative and qualitative facts about the sector and its top providers of logistics services. This report and the TOP100 methods applied within give analytical proof and facts about the development of the logistics industry in Europe in an ongoing crisis. From the methodological approach we learn that logistics was not as severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 as other economic sectors in terms of growth and development of key performance indicators like tons moved or sales generated. However, apart from a whole series of analytical reasons, it is also true that 1. ... logistics is important for our prosperity 2. … logistics contributes significantly to value creation and 3. ... logistics businesses and people did a lot right during this crisis, and hopefully go on doing things right during the further time. The European logistics sector shrunk by around-3.5% to a size of € 1,115 bn. for the total expenditure on logistics activities carried out in 2020. Hopefully, it can recover to former years' strength in a year or a year and a half. Preface 1. ... logistics is important for our prosperity 2. ... logistics contributes significantly to value creation and We hope you find this edition of the »Top100 in European Transport and Logistics Services« useful and we look forward to your comments and suggestions for future improvements. The TOP100 are aimed at deciders in logistics service providers as well as logistics units in industry and trade, and also at shippers. It is also aimed at suppliers of logistics, consulting, politics and business journalists. Our thanks go out to all the experts, companies and institutions, which supported us by providing data and assessments. Special thanks go to DVV Media Group, Hamburg, and the German Logistics Association (BVL), for their continuing support for this project as publishers. We also would like to thank the head of the Fraunhofer Center for Supply Chain Services at Fraunhofer IIS, Prof. Alexander Pflaum, for assuming the editorship of the TOP100 studies. Special thanks go to the Nuremberg TOP100 team of the Fraunhofer Center for Applied Research on Supply Chain Services, where this study is prepared: