From family heritage to future-oriented vehicle logistics

This year, ARS Altmann celebrates five decades in vehicle logistics, a milestone that CEO Dr Maximilian Altmann sees less as a point of reflection and more as a launchpad for the next chapter. Founded in 1975 by his father, Helmut Altmann, the German company has grown from a one-man operation into one of Europe’s largest independent providers of vehicle logistics services, with an extensive network of terminals and a specialised fleet of 850 trucks and 4,000 rail wagons. Its network now extends across Germany, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania, with 23 automotive hubs, including two marshalling yards and two port terminals.

Fifty years and numerous expansions later, the founder’s ethos of professionalism, efficiency and focus on the railway sector is still the cornerstone of the company, according to Dr Altmann in his interview with Automotive Logistics.

Automotive Logistics: How have the principles from Helmut Altmann’s founding vision influenced the way ARS Altmann operates today? 

Dr Maximilian Altmann: In how we operate, how we work with customers and suppliers, and in exactly where to aim with our strategy. My father came from a world where basically any car was transported by rail in the 1950s and 60s in Continental Europe because there were no capacity and no infrastructure allowing mass road transport of cars. His vision was to transport as many cars as possible by truck, which, in hindsight, sounds ironic given the company’s developments in the rail sector.

I think he was well aware that he didn’t have any major innovations at the beginning. He was simply convinced that he could do better. And this “doing better” had two levels for him. First, we must take care of our customers at every stage of their experience with us, responding to and anticipating their needs. There are no friends in business, just correctness. This has certainly been a guideline for us over the years. 

ARS Altmann expands vehicle logistics capacity with Ravenna and Civitavecchia port terminals

ARS Altmann is enhancing multimodal vehicle logistics across Europe with port and terminal expansion in Italy, and vertical integration with its rail network.

Automotive Logistics

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And the other thing is really to do it better than the others. And this means to work more, to be more committed and innovative. He always said, ‘fortes fortuna adiuvat,’ encouraging a proactive and fearless attitude towards new challenges as a corporate mindset.One thing that has a big influence is that he started from nothing, he was self-made, and his attitude was that of a professional, and we want to continue to market that towards our customers, we want to be professional and efficient.

AL: Where is the company going in terms of expansion and growth?

Altmann: We want to expand. We need to make rail transport even more attractive than we do today, make it more efficient, and use larger terminals at the departure and arrival points of our European corridors. This means investing in infrastructure and consolidating our rail transport activities, i.e. wagon and locomotive maintenance and management of our railway companies, in our terminals. We have a major development plan in this regard, and a key point is the use of the right IT solution.

AL: What investments are you planning over the next decade?

Altmann: There will be investments in the expansion or construction of new terminals along our corridors. One major development is the operation of our own rail traction company, Altmann Rail Traction (ART). We started in Italy in November 2024. We currently have around 25 local drivers and are working in the southern part of the corridor, already carrying out a large part of the traction activity for our traffic via the Brenner Pass. And we will soon start operating on all European corridors. Our overall goal is not to absorb 100% of our traffic with ART, but to manage a share of it directly, to preserve and improve the performance of our rail network even in the face of the countless renovations and extensions of the European rail network. This will be a considerable investment, and will include further expansion and renewal of our rail wagon fleet, which is already underway, and the gradual electrification of our truck fleet.

AL: What do you want your successors in the future to think when they look back at this important transitional time at the company, during a period of disruption, where you’re building for the future? 

Altmann: I hope nobody will ask about our legacy in the next 50 years. The development will be so successful that we will gradually forget the first 50. This is my expectation. 

For more on ARS Altmann, visit their website here.