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The story of TIMOCOM begins early in the morning in the parking lot of a German grocery discounter in Düsseldorf. In this week of 1997, desktop PCs are on sale, and freight forwarder Jens Thiermann can make good use of them for his planned IT startup. By 2030, the company aims to invest around 100 million in research and development.
(Erkrath) Jens Thiermann has set himself the goal of developing a Europe-wide procurement platform for transport orders, enabling freight forwarders and carriers to quickly find loads, reduce empty kilometers, and achieve better utilization of their vehicles.
“It all started with my search for a Europe-wide procurement platform for transport orders to reduce the empty trips of my forwarding company. But I couldn’t find one that met my standards,” says Thiermann. Together with business partners, Thiermann spent months working on the software for his own freight exchange. And finally, the moment arrived: the founder of Timocom Soft- und Hardware GmbH pressed the start button and watched as the newly launched freight and cargo exchange Truck & Cargo filled with offers.
Now it was time to expand the network of the new freight exchange and enable logistics for digitalization, as even modems were still uncharted territory at that time. “It was a feeling of absolute joy, relief, and at the same time the announcement of great responsibility – even though we had no idea how everything would develop back then,” recalls Jens Thiermann when he looks back today.
Measurable Benefits Boost Freight Exchange
The freight exchange was what road freight transport in Europe had been waiting for since the invention of the fax. Because it brought concrete benefits. TIMOCOM’s applications save his company 80 percent in time at the process level, says Wilhelm Dallmann, who is a customer from the very beginning with Dallmaco Speditionsges. mbH. Just a few years later, the young company TIMOCOM opened locations in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary to better serve the core markets of Eastern Europe and surpassed the mark of 10,000 customers.
TIMOCOM’s freight exchange at its market launch in 1997 (left)
and the resulting Smart Logistics System today (© TIMOCOM)
Today over 50,000 Customers
Today, the company counts more than 50,000 customers with over 147,000 system users in 46 European countries. Each year, they conduct an incredible 1.5 billion freight searches in the system. And TIMOCOM is no longer just focused on business initiation but is working on the digitalization of the entire transport process.
“Our vision is a world without logistical challenges,” says Tim Thiermann. The eldest son of the founder took over the management in 2019 together with Sebastian Lehnen. Thus, the IT company is now being run in its second generation. The new company leaders have set themselves the goal of not only continuing the family business and the freight exchange but also making it the largest and safest marketplace in the FreightTech sector. “To achieve this, we are investing around 100 million euros in research and development alone by 2030,” says Tim Thiermann.
20 Percent CO2 Savings Through Digital Applications
One area of investment is sustainability, which has gained importance in all areas in recent years. Digital applications and freight exchanges play a special role in reducing CO2 emissions in logistics. More than 20 percent of CO2 emissions per kilometer driven can be saved through the use of TIMOCOM applications, as a study found – while simultaneously increasing fleet utilization by 30 percent.
Soon, TIMOCOM customers will be able to calculate their own CO2 footprint through the marketplace. “Together with an innovative young company, we are helping our customers make CO2 savings in their fleet visible,” says Tim Thiermann.
The potential in road freight transport is enormous. The transport sector is the largest CO2 emitter in Europe, with a quarter of that coming from road freight transport. At the same time, one in five trucks is empty. Thus, the need for efficient resource use is as relevant today as it was in 1997.
Photo: © TIMOCOM / Photo Caption: The TIMOCOM founder and the management of the IT company today (from right to left): Jens Thiermann, Tim Thiermann, and Sebastian Lehnen look back at 25 years of freight exchange and the future of logistics at TIMOCOM’s headquarters. / Free for editorial use
