Latest update: Current loading restrictions in Europe due to Covid-19

Women leading in logistics at DACHSER South Africa

Three dynamic women in the Cape Town office of DACHSER South Africa, part of global logistics leader Dachser, are navigating their way through a successful career in the traditionally male-dominated field of logistics.

Portia Dryden, Adenisha Jeftha and Sasha-Lee Juter all joined the company through DACHSER’s well-established learnership programme and progressed to become permanent employees. The women share several traits, including enthusiasm for their role in logistics, a capacity to build strong relationships, delight in keeping things running smoothly, and an enjoyment of the diverse challenges logistics brings.

Dryden, now an Air & Sea Import Controller, says that what excites her about her role knowing how essential logistics is in the global supply chain. “It puts a smile on my face when I walk into a clothing store where they are launching their new range for the season, and I know that I had a hand in making sure the imported garments reached the stores in time. This industry opens your world to see how many different sectors work, and in many cases, you gain a deep insight into what happens behind the scenes. The freight industry is multi-dimensional and always growing. With advances in technology, there is always something new to be learnt and that keeps me interested and excited.”

Dryden says although great strides have been made in the last decade, working in a male-dominated field can be intimidating on different levels, from dealing with service providers to liaising with customers, as gender-based barriers have been there for a long time.  “I learned that I had to walk the walk and forget about old, outdated expectations of how one should behave based on gender. Instead, I grew my confidence by learning the trade and gaining the experience. I focused on what I, as an individual, can bring to the table. This does not mean that the road to professional and personal success is challenge-free, but rather that I am both willing and resilient enough to face them.”

The highlight of sea freight controller Adenisha Jeftha’s career was handling her first big client independently after several months of permanent employment.  She then became the key accounts controller on that account and her portfolio has extended to a range of clients across different industries. She thrives on the variety and meeting deadlines. “The constant change in my day excites me - this is not just a A-Z job. I am really motivated by making sure that shipments arrive on time.”

Jeftha says her colleagues and clients inspire her daily. “The relationships we build with our clients and colleagues are a key reason why most staff want to stay at Dachser. We’re more than just colleagues, we’re a family.”

 Airfreight Exports Supervisor Sasha-Lee Juter agrees. “Each new day holds different challenges, different difficulties, but it’s the relationships you build over the years that makes all of that worth it.  Juter is determined to show that logistics no longer needs to be a male dominated industry. “Times have changed so much and I believe the industry has very quickly developed and is allowing more women to steer the ship. To keep attracting women to logistics, companies need to create a culture of equality where we can thrive.”

“I would recommend this career to any individual that likes working under pressure and in a fast-paced environment,” Jeftha concludes. “This is genuinely a great industry to work in.”

About DACHSER:

A family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, DACHSER is a leading supplier of logistics services worldwide. DACHSER offers comprehensive transport logistics, warehousing, and customer-specific services in two business fields: DACHSER Air & Sea Logistics and DACHSER Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: DACHSER European Logistics and DACHSER Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract-logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s offerings. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 30,800 employees at 376 locations all over the globe, DACHSER generated revenue of 7.1 billion euros in 2021.  Country organisations represent DACHSER in 42 countries, including South Africa. 

For a sustainable society: More and more NGOs are taking action around the world

In the course of globalization, internationally networked non-governmental organizations or NGOs are playing an increasingly important role. DACHSER’s partnership with children’s aid organization terre des hommes demonstrates how a company can support an NGO over the long term.

Environmental protection, human rights, joint development projects, migration, anti‑discrimination: the importance of non-governmental organizations, or NGOs, for society is great. Independent of states and governments, they advocate for social, socio-political, or environmental issues. The coronavirus crisis is making the work of NGOs more urgent, as humanitarian aid in developing countries is now more important than ever. This is a challenge for many such organizations, as their work is often hampered by travel bans as well as difficult working conditions and hygiene measures on site. In addition, many of those who donate are less willing to do so in times of crisis. Yet this is exactly what NGOs depend on, because in addition to membership fees, donations are their main source of financing. Transparency with regard to an organization’s cash flow and what it achieves with those funds is now all the more critical for strengthening donor confidence. Many NGOs inform their donors regularly via press releases, newsletters, or on their website about individual projects and the use of funds. NGOs are also monitored by auditing companies and the relevant tax authorities to ensure that they are using donations correctly. A “donation seal” from the German Central Institute for Social Issues (DZI), headquartered in Berlin, helps engender even greater trust on the part of the donors. The seal guarantees that the respective NGO is trustworthy and that the work they do is respectable.

DACHSER supports terre des hommes

According to estimates, there are currently tens of thousands of NGOs worldwide, providing medical care in crisis areas, looking after refugees, supporting micro-enterprises in the start-up phase, and more. One of the leading children’s aid organizations is terre des hommes. Founded in Germany in 1967, the organization protects children from slavery and exploitation, cares for the victims of war, violence, and abuse, and provides education and training for children. The German arm of terre des hommes currently supports 386 projects around the globe. International logistics provider DACHSER has been supporting the work of terre des hommes in South Asia, southern Africa, and Latin America since 2005. In keeping with the principle of “helping people to help themselves,” terre des hommes implements local aid projects to permanently improve the lives of children and the others in their villages. “As a global logistics company, we have operations around the world that bring people, markets, and manufacturing closer together. Yet not everyone is experiencing the benefits of globalization. It is our responsibility to stand up for these people and improve their living conditions,” explains Bernhard Simon, CEO at DACHSER.

By extending its contract with terre des hommes through 2025, DACHSER will be supporting the North Indian state of Bihar as well as projects in New Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Taking a look at the latter, Ingrid Mendonca is coordinating an aid project there for terre des hommes Germany and is enthusiastic about the commitment of the locals, especially now during the coronavirus pandemic. “Not only do the youth groups support their own communities, sew masks, and procure food, but they are also getting in touch with young people in other villages, districts, even states and getting organized,” Ingrid Mendonca says. “Their commitment to improving the situation is inspiring.”

DACHSER employees also benefit from their employer’s commitment to social responsibility and can support terre des hommes projects on site. For example: Melanie Diem, Team Leader Project Management at DACHSER, coordinated a sustainability project by terre des hommes and DACHSER in Livingstone, Zambia. DACHSER Young Professionals and students from the terre des hommes network took part in the project. “The participants’ commitment to the cause was very impressive. DACHSER employees have the opportunity to immerse themselves in the work of an NGO, an area with which they might otherwise never come into contact,” Melanie Diem explains.

A special kind of commitment

The partnership between DACHSER and terre des hommes shows that together, a commercial company and an NGO can achieve amazing things. “Our collaboration with DACHSER is particularly valuable and important to us because it involves a huge personal commitment and open and honest dialogue,” says Stephan Stolze, head of the fundraising department at terre des hommes. “DACHSER’s employees and CEO Bernhard Simon in particular are deeply involved in the terre des hommes projects funded by DACHSER. They want to know how the people on the ground are doing and to what extent DACHSER’s support succeeds in helping to improve the living conditions of the local people.” In 2018, DACHSER’s commitment was recognized with the German CSR Award in the “Social Engagement” category. Partnering with an NGO makes DACHSER a pioneer, as only a few companies in Germany support internationally active NGOs. “Larger, international companies in particular should seriously consider the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals and support projects in these areas for as long as they can,” Stephan Stolze says.

Corporate Compliance - Integrity is a question of attitude

"Integrity in Logistics" is the self-imposed moral commitment of the major family-led company DACHSER. It is based upon respect for society, its citizens and their norms, which must be respected, followed and upheld. This is done both as part of our daily work as well as in our interactions with others.

DACHSER Compliance Management covers both the internal company Code of Conduct as well as the DACHSER conduct guidelines. These mandatory rules and guidelines clearly specify that all DACHSER employees are to act ethically and legally in carrying out their tasks and services and consistently adhere to national laws. This also applies to the customs, traditions and societal values of each state and society.

If you would like to play an active part in supporting the DACHSER Compliance Management System or report potential misconduct, you are welcome to use our compliance reporting system supportDACHSER.

Compliance Statement of the Executive Board of DACHSER Group SE & Co. KG

A resilient compliance management system is an important pillar for maintaining integrity, also and especially in times of global challenges.

Once again, people are being shown that they do not always have everything one hundred percent under control. The worldwide exceptional situation of the pandemic can only be influenced to a limited extent by political or economic interests. International supply chains seem to be out of control. Especially in such a situation, it is important to give people the necessary confidence that their basic supplies will be maintained. Global supply chains are under enormous pressure because they form the backbone of any supply.

DACHSER is facing up to all these developments. With our global logistics network and our sophisticated systems, we are excellently equipped to meet the challenges ahead.  In times of reinventing delivery strategies and the general fear of further escalation in the market, we at DACHSER never lose sight of the most important piece of the mosaic: the people. Each of us has it in our hands to make our individual contribution in the interest of all. At the same time, especially in times like these, people long for a sense of trust and security. A shared understanding of values certainly makes a significant contribution to fulfilling this longing.   

Our compliance motto "Integrity in Logistics" not only provides our own employees with guidance for acting in accordance with our DACHSER values. Rather, our business partners can also align themselves with this strong foundation. Together, we thus form the basis for trusting cooperation in line with the traditional ideals of the honorable businessman. 

In addition, we are sending out another signal to express our value-based actions: DACHSER has used the past year intensively to expand the options it previously made available for reporting compliance violations. With supportDACHSER all persons now have a technically supported option for reporting in addition to the analog contact channels. The highly secure system offers full anonymity and complies with all relevant data protection requirements. In this way, both internal employees and external third parties are enabled to report potential integrity violations to the DACHSER Compliance Office without fear of reprisals.

Even in times of great challenges Compliance does not take a break. With "Integrity in Logistics" we are always at the side of our business partners as a reliable partner.

DACHSER South Africa perfects the art of picking and packing

As a fundamental part of the supply chain, picking and packing is fast growing into a sophisticated, intelligent process. This is due to client demands that necessitate logistics companies in having detailed understanding of complex product specificities and requirements when storing and moving these goods across geographical distances.