Financially solid - operationally dynamic: BLG LOGISTICS presents figures for the 2024 financial year 

The Board of Management of BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG. From the left: Michael Blach, Member of the Board of Management for the CONTAINER Division; Christine Hein, Member of the Board of Management & Chief Financial Officer (CFO); Matthias Magnor, Chairman of the Board of Management; Ulrike Riedel, Chief Human Resources Officer & Labour Director and Axel Krichel, Member of the Board of Management & Chief Operating Officer (COO).

- Group sales stable at 1.2 billion euros
- Solid earnings performance in the CONTAINER and AUTOMOBILE Divisions, difficult overall economic situation in the CONTRACT Division
- Group EBT at 91.8 million euros 
- One-off effects compensate for volume declines

Bremen, 29 April 2025 - The Board of Management of BLG LOGISTICS GROUP AG & Co. KG presented the results for the 2024 financial year at today's annual press conference. Despite economic uncertainties, geopolitical crises and structural upheavals, the BLG Group was able to close the year with a higher result than in the previous year. Group turnover remained stable at EUR 1.2 billion.
 
Matthias Magnor, CEO of the BLG Group, commented at the start of the annual press conference in Bremen: ‘Thanks in particular to the positive earnings performance in the CONTAINER and AUTOMOBILE Divisions, we were able to achieve an overall pre-tax result of 91.8 million euros. That is a solid result.’ 

The BLG Group's three operating divisions - AUTOMOBILE, CONTRACT and CONTAINER - performed very differently in the 2024 financial year. Despite declining vehicle volumes, Automotive Logistics was once again able to increase its earnings. In addition to a good performance in technical services, unexpected special projects and prior-period income contributed to the result. The CONTAINER Division benefited from special effects and an increase in handling volumes. Contract Logistics, on the other hand, fell well short of expectations, as the consequences of the crisis in the German automotive industry and the challenging overall economic situation made themselves felt.

AUTOMOBILE: improved result and investment in new domestic terminal

The AUTOMOBILE Division improved its result in 2024 compared to the previous year. Turnover increased by 7.1 per cent to 687.5 million euros (previous year: 641.8 million euros). At the same time, volumes in vehicle handling and transport were below expectations and below the previous year's level. This was due to the economic situation and the challenges faced by car manufacturers. In total, the BLG Group handled, transported or technically processed 4.4 million vehicles in its global AUTOMOBILE network in the reporting year. 
 
At 1.3 million vehicles, BLG AutoTerminal Bremerhaven handled almost 15 per cent fewer units than in the previous year. The reduced volumes were offset by higher transport revenue, increased demand for technical services and various special effects, among other things. BLG's inland terminals exceeded their earnings target thanks to continued high capacity utilisation and a high degree of vertical integration in technical services. 
 
Against this backdrop, the decision to build another inland terminal in Ahlhorn in 2024 was a strategic milestone. A site with capacity for around 15,000 vehicles - including handling and technical services - is currently being built on an area of around 355,000 square metres. ‘Car manufacturers are increasingly transferring further activities to us as a service provider. This has already had a positive effect in the reporting year. We see an opportunity to further expand this business at our terminals,’ said Axel Krichel, Member of the Executive Board & Chief Operating Officer (COO).

CONTRACT: Difficult business environment and gloomy outlook

The overall economic situation and the decline in vehicle parts and industrial logistics had an impact on sales and earnings in the CONTRACT Division in the reporting year. These fell by 33.5 million euros compared to the previous year to 535.6 million euros (previous year: 569.1 million euros). A short-term recovery of the market is currently not foreseeable. 
 
Nevertheless, even in these challenging times, new customers were acquired and existing business relationships strengthened. In addition, a contract was concluded with a major German cosmetics manufacturer.

CONTAINER: Strong investment result and positive outlook

The CONTAINER Division made a significant contribution to the BLG Group's successful overall result in 2024. The equity-accounted investment in EUROGATE contributed EUR 61.2 million to the Group result. This is an increase of 12 per cent compared to the previous year. 
 
The strong result was based on a throughput increase of 10.2 per cent across the entire EUROGATE network of terminals. Warehousing and reefer income due to schedule deviations as a result of the crisis in the Red Sea had a positive impact on the result, as did one-off accounting effects. 
 
‘We achieved a very good result in 2024 - thanks to a strong network, high throughput figures and the determined implementation of our strategic measures. At the same time, we know that The market remains in flux and we must continue to work consistently on our future viability,’ says Michael Blach, Member of the Executive Board and Chairman of the CONTAINER Division. 
 
Volume growth is expected in Bremerhaven in 2025, with stable volumes in Hamburg. In Wilhelmshaven - with Hapag-Lloyd as a new co-partner - the EUROGATE Group anticipates significant growth and positive development.

Sustainability: climate target sharpened

In the reporting year, the BLG Group further developed its sustainability management in a targeted manner. The targets formulated in the previous year were more firmly anchored within the company. A new double materiality analysis confirmed the focal points that had been set. 
 
As part of the ‘Mission Climate’, the target for 2024 - a CO₂ reduction of 15 per cent compared to 2018 - was more than achieved with a value of 17.4 per cent. BLG LOGISTICS has set itself an even more ambitious target for the future: Emissions are to be reduced by a total of 50.4 per cent by 2030. This requires an annual reduction of 4.2 percentage points. ‘The exceeded CO₂ targets show that we are on the right track - now we need to maintain this pace and continue to implement our ambitious climate targets with determination,’ explained Christine Hein, Member of the Board of Management & Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

BLG LOGISTICS as an employer

On average, BLG LOGISTICS employed 9,564 people in the fully consolidated companies in the reporting year (11,119 employees with EUROGATE). At 92.2 per cent, the majority of the workforce is employed on a permanent basis. The trainee ratio increased to 2.3 per cent and was therefore already above the sustainability target of at least two per cent set for 2025. A total of 207 trainees were supervised in commercial and technical/industrial professions.

Outlook for 2025: cautious optimism

Even though the general conditions remain challenging, the Board of Management of the BLG Group is cautiously optimistic about the current year 2025. The transformation of the energy and automotive industries, new shipping consortia and international partnerships are opening up numerous new opportunities.
 
‘In a dynamic environment, we offer our customers the proverbial calm harbour. We have been living and working with many different political and economic influences for almost 150 years. We will also master the current challenges - with vigilance, agility and flexibility. And we will remain a good listener and implementer when it comes to the needs and wishes of our customers. We need to be vigilant and recognise and exploit opportunities. One opportunity is that we anticipate the pressure of change and respond consistently by adapting. This is where BLG's great strength lies,’ said Matthias Magnor, Chairman of the Board of Management, at the end of the annual results press conference. 

Further information on the annual press conference and images can be found in our digital press kit: https://www.blg-logistics.com/aktionsseiten/bilanzpressekonferenz-geschaeftsjahr-2024. 
 
The entire BLG Annual Report 2024 with the motto ‘Dynamism’ is available under this link: BLG Annual Report 2024: https://reporting.blg-logistics.com/2024/de/.

BLG LOGISTICS

BLG LOGISTICS is a seaport and logistics service provider with an international network. We are strengthened by the experience of almost 150 years of company history. Today we are present all over the world with almost 100 locations and branches. We offer our customers from industry and trade complex logistics system services. Every day, more than 11,000 employees take responsibility for the smooth logistics of high-quality products. BLG LOGISTICS aims to be carbon neutral by 2030. We are the first German logistics service provider with a scientifically recognised climate protection target. You can find more information on our website: www.blg-logistics.com

PRESS CONTACT

Press spokeswoman
Tina Allerheiligen
tina.allerheiligen@blg.de | +49 (0) 171 - 6465267
Press spokeswoman
Britt van Delden
britt.van-delden@blg.de | +49 (0) 160 - 98390368