sennder, Mercitalia and Poste Italiane Announce New Cooperation

With a shared vision of a sustainable and efficient transport network, the European transport companies sennder Technologies GmbH (“sennder”), a digital road freight forwarder in Europe, Mercitalia Logistics (“Mercitalia”), the freight unit of the Italian railway, FS Italiane Group (“FS”), and Poste Italiane S.p.A. (“Poste Italiane”) today announce their collaboration to develop intermodal transport solutions.

(Berlin/Rome) The goal of the planned partnership is to develop proprietary technologies for sustainable road freight and cargo transport. By seamlessly integrating rail and road transport, the partnership aims to optimize efficiency in the transport sector, reduce CO2 emissions, and improve service delivery across Europe to make the transport of imports and exports more sustainable. With this partnership, sennder will expand its green logistics offerings in Europe and reinforce its commitment to green transport solutions.

Combination of Expertise

By combining sennder’s expertise in road freight logistics and technology with Mercitalia’s know-how in rail freight transport, the collaboration will introduce sustainable intermodal logistics solutions for European shippers. These solutions optimize costs, transport flows, and routes while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. sennder will handle the first and last mile of intermodal transport, utilizing environmentally friendly transport solutions such as hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and battery electric vehicles (BEV) to further contribute to the decarbonization of transport. Through advanced technologies and the seamless integration of various transport modes, this joint initiative will significantly advance the establishment of an efficient and sustainable transport network in Europe and accelerate the transition to low-emission transport.

David Nothacker, founder and CEO of sennder, comments: “Intermodal logistics is crucial to keep Europe moving, and the demand for efficient and sustainable transport is continuously growing. Realizing sustainability in transport is driven by strong partnerships and innovative technologies, especially in the area of seamless integration of solutions for truck and rail transport.

After the success of our partnership with Poste Italiane, we are excited to further expand our leading position in the market. We are proud to collaborate with Mercitalia, a pioneer in rail freight transport. Together, we will introduce a new intermodal green offering in Europe.”

Digitalization, Innovation, and Sustainability

Digitalization, innovation, and sustainability are central components of Mercitalia’s corporate strategy. Through the partnership, Mercitalia’s expertise will be combined with sennder’s advanced technology to effectively seize market opportunities. The partnership underscores Mercitalia’s commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2040.

Sabrina De Filippis, CEO of Mercitalia Logistics, explains: “The leading digital freight forwarder in Europe and the logistics unit of the FS Group are working together on an innovative project to optimize import/export transport flows with lower environmental impacts. This cooperation will enable more efficient and sustainable logistics through advanced technologies, cargo monitoring, and digital management, thereby reducing CO2 emissions.”

Every year, Mercitalia Logistics and sennder transport over 53 million tons of goods in total. Of this, 41 million tons are transported by 100,000 trains operated by Mercitalia and 12 million tons by 1 million truck loads transported via sennder’s extensive road network.

In 2023, sennder has advanced its initiatives for environmentally friendly transport through two joint ventures. The joint venture Juna, established with Scania, focuses on commercializing e-trucks with a pay-per-use model and will support the new partnership with Mercitalia by transporting trailers to and from rail terminals. Additionally, the joint venture with Poste Italiane, which was further expanded in 2023, is set to provide end-to-end logistics solutions with warehousing.

Establishing a Joint Company

sennder and Mercitalia have signed a letter of intent to jointly establish a NewCo. The goal is to build a leading European operator for future intermodal logistics solutions. The establishment of the NewCo is subject to the completion of a feasibility study, competition law and regulatory approvals, as well as the successful conclusion of long-term legal agreements.

Photo: © sennder