Watch: Dr Rainer Kiefer discusses cost pressures, supply chain resilience, and the future of global automotive logistics

DB Schenker, a premier sponsor of the Automotive Logistics and Supply Chain Europe 2025 conference, is playing a key role in shaping industry discussions on resilience, cost pressures, and transformation. In an exclusive pre-event interview, Dr Rainer Kiefer, executive vice-president global head of sales at DB Schenker discusses the critical pressures shaping the automotive supply chain and how DB Schenker is innovating to keep the industry moving efficiently and help customers navigate these complexities.

Dr Kiefer highlights that while cost efficiency has always been a priority, the current pressures are unprecedented. DB Schenker is mitigating these challenges through quality service, competitive pricing, and innovative supply chain solutions, such as air-to-ocean conversions and optimised groupage networks.

As uncertainty remains a defining factor in global supply chains, DB Schenker is leveraging exclusive joint ventures to enhance order management and provide unparalleled supply chain visibility. And as the industry shifts to electrification, the logistics firm is working closely with customers to optimise spare parts distribution and supply chain setups for EV components.

”It’s an ever ongoing transformation,” Kiefer said. He said that geopolitics and tariffs are changing the industry, causing a strong push towards nearshoring in Mexico and Morocco. “So we are constantly expanding our network. It won’t be boring for the next years. The second thing is that e-mobility is here to stay and we are catering to that industry. Now the latest big thing is more intense discussions on the aftermarket supply chain in e-mobility. It’s not an easy problem to solve. And thirdly, there is the never ending shift to tech.”

Kiefer explained that DB Schenker can connect the dots between the semiconductor and tech world, and the automotive world. “The automotive industry has never been more exciting than now,” he added.

ALSC Europe is back in its 22nd edition in Bonn, Germany from 18th-20th March, 2025! DB Schenker will be taking part in the keynote panel ’Pushing the limits - Re-imagining Europe’s automotive supply chain to be lean and resilient’ on day one of the conference, to discuss the technology, data layers and processes that help manufacturers and logistics providers be more proactive and continuously engineer supply chains for efficiency, including digital control towers, artificial intelligence and new partnership models.

Find out more and register here