IAA Voices Conference Special: Interview Einride

At Einride, Robert Ziegler drives the expansion of European markets with a focus on strategic key accounts and regional key accounts. Before joining Einride, Robert Ziegler gained over 25 years of leadership experience in the transport and logistics industry. Most recently, he led the Solutions30 Group as Chief Transformation Officer and CEO of Germany. Prior to that, he held C-level positions at DHL Freight and Waberer's International and spent over 17 years at the global consulting firm Kearney, where he specialised in transportation.

Imagine you are in a time machine and on your way "back to the future". In which year would you like to get off and why?

The past serves to teach us how to shape our future. I don't feel the need to travel into the past, I'm content with knowing that everything I do every day has the potential to change the future.

If you had one superpower that would help you professionally, what would it be?

Patience.

What trend are you currently following with great interest professionally?

The trend towards data-driven decision-making processes in real time, which is also the next big challenge in the transport system. Even when we electrify and automate infrastructures and means of transport, they are still planned with old methods. At the same time, we see how the relevant technologies continue to evolve. We have enormous potential here because we are working with a very information-intensive industry that nevertheless still relies on fax, paper and telephone in many cases. Analogue working methods have long been embedded in the DNA of the industry and change is very slow. We want to change that.

What is/was the biggest gamechanger for you in the logistics or transport industry over the past ten years?

Technologies that allow shippers to work directly with freight forwarders. Intransparency about available loads and free capacities create enormous inefficiencies in the market. Freely accessible market platforms increase the chance to reduce empty runs and thus save costs and CO2.

What innovation do you currently see internationally as a blueprint on the path to climate neutrality?

We are facing major climate challenges, and the conversion of heavy goods traffic in particular will contribute significantly to reducing emissions. There are a number of options for this, such as electrification, HVO and hydrogen. They all have different potentials, but we see electrification as the best option when we look at all aspects such as availability, climate and environmental impact, as well as the big impact on efficiency, which ultimately affects the price for the customer.

For us at Einride, it is therefore obvious to invest in the electrification of freight transport, as it not only offers the highest efficiency, but is also available here and now. We already operate one of the largest fleets of electric trucks, which has led to significant savings in our customers' carbon footprint.

What are your hopes for IAA TRANSPORTATION?

We are looking forward to marking our entry into the German market at the IAA TRANSPORTATION, thereby reaching out to a new audience and potential customers. After successful market entries in Sweden and the USA, we now want to demonstrate in this country too that sustainable, electric transport is already economical and scalable today. There is no longer any reason to wait for technological miracles, the future is already here and ready to go.

What are you particularly looking forward to at the IAA Conference?

I'm looking forward to our team coming together on site from different cities and having the opportunity to exchange ideas with other market participants, industry experts and potential customers. The challenges of the future can only be overcome together, which is why we see the IAA Conference as an excellent opportunity to create networks.