SEKO Logistics, Hermes enter partnership to serve int’l e-commerce

Hermes Germany, the Otto Group’s Hamburg-based parcel delivery company will be taking over U.S.-based SEKO Logistics German subsidiary, SEKO Logistics GmbH, which has offices in Bremen and Frankfurt. Hermes will become the legal successor for SEKO’s German operations effective Sept. 1.

The combination of the companies’ existing pool of customers will mean “broader product portfolio[s]” in terms of access to fulfilment solutions for both companies, said Stephan Schiller, managing director, Hermes Europe. Hermes will also become a key partner in SEKO’s global network, gaining access to SEKO’s U.S.-Asia network while SEKO stands to benef from Hermes’ European network.

The union plays to the ever-rising international demand for e-commerce. Both companies bring cross-border e-commerce-focused ventures into the partnership – Hermes’ BorderGuru and SEKO’s Omni Parcel, freight management platforms for shippers.

The Hermes Group said it plans to make investments 500 million euros of investments “across all business units” by the year 2020. Hermes Germany, which serves as the consolidation “all international activities of Hermes,” was established at the beginning of 2018.