Duvenbeck now provides diesel-free logistics services for ZF Saarbrücken

• Duvenbeck Group has transitioned its entire fleet for ZF Saarbrücken to alternative emission-free drive systems, eliminating the use of conventional diesel fuel.

• The transition began with LNG in 2020, followed by biomethane, and now includes battery-powered electric trucks for local services.

• Currently, Duvenbeck operates 54 vehicles for ZF Saarbrücken, with plans to add 10 more electric tractor units and additional charging stations next year.

• Helmut Gruber, Managing Director of Duvenbeck, emphasizes aligning their fleet strategy with ZF’s sustainability goals.

• Peter Bedow of ZF highlights the importance of Duvenbeck’s role in achieving ZF’s climate-neutral business goals by 2040.

• ZF Saarbrücken, a major production site for automatic gearboxes and electric drive systems, has partnered with Duvenbeck since 2015 for full-load haulage and internal factory traffic.

The logistics specialist is supporting the technology group’s sustainability goals

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The Duvenbeck Group has completed the switch to alternative emission-free drive systems for its entire fleet of vehicles that operate for ZF Saarbrücken. This means that none of the vehicles, which Duvenbeck uses for the automobile supplier on short or long-distance routes, consume conventional diesel fuel any longer.

The switch marks the provisional final stage of a programme, which started with the introduction of liquid natural gas (LNG) as the fuel in 2020. Renewable and climate-friendly biomethane (biogas) replaced the liquid gas during the second stage. The first five battery-powered electric trucks started operating the shuttle services between factory 1 and the external warehouse 15 kilometres away at the end of 2023. Two charging stations right next to the factory provide the electricity. As from today, only battery-powered electric tractor units are being used for the local services – 16 in all. Biogas is the only fuel found in the vehicles’ tanks on the long-distance routes. Duvenbeck is currently utilising 54 of its vehicles for ZF Saarbrücken. Ten more completely electric tractor units and more charging stations are due to be added to the system next year.

“Our fleet strategy has consistently followed ZF’s sustainability goals. It confirms to us that joint growth with industry and emission-free transport logistics are closely related to each other,” says Helmut Gruber, who is the Managing Director of Duvenbeck Logistics GmbH, Duvenbeck Kraftverkehr GmbH & Co. Spedition, explaining the situation. “Both sides are pursuing the game goals, that is to say, to create a transport chain that creates as few emissions as possible,” Gruber adds.

“Along our journey to reach our goal of doing business in a climate-neutral manner by 2040, the transport services upstream and downstream play a crucial role. Thanks to Duvenbeck, we have a partner at our side that can keep pace with us technologically and can measurably enable us to make progress in implementing our climate goals,” says Peter Bedow, the Director Global Freight Network and Purchasing at the ZF Group, explaining the latest development.

The technology group, ZF, manufactures automatic gearboxes and electric drive systems for cars at its factory in Saarbrücken, which is one of ZF’s largest production sites. Duvenbeck has been operating as a full-load haulage company for ZF since 2015. The scope of the services was expanded to include ZF’s internal factory traffic for part of its just-in-time production supplies with series gearboxes and components four years later. The logistics specialist set up its own branch locally for this purpose.