We are FIEGE.

Joan Joseph Fiege founds his haulage business in Greven in Westphalia, Germany in 1873. Initially, the transport business is a genuine sideline for the farmer. He uses a horse-drawn cart to bring coal to his customers and make deliveries. Later, he adds running errands for Greven’s retailers and industrial enterprises to his services.

A new era begins after purchasing a goods vehicle in 1924. A revolutionary purchase at the time, Josef Fiege jun. asserts himself against his father’s initial scepticism. The motorised power considerably increases not just transport capacities but also the range of operation – and marks the start of the second decisive development phase in the company’s history.

In 1928, the company receives its first long-distance transport contracts. With this growth comes the need to expand the business premises in Greven-Wentrup. Four years later, the division is separated from the traditional forwarding operations and, together with the repair workshop, accessories and the warehouse, is passed to Josef Fiege junior.

After the death of his father in May 1938, Josef Fiege jun. takes over as sole owner and shifts the focus to lucrative long-haul transport operations. But World War II changes everything. From August 1939 onwards, the haulage business becomes part of the Münster-Land Motor Pool. Most of the 18 trucks in the fleet are requisitioned to supply war-time productions and essential services. As a result, the agricultural business has to secure the family’s livelihood.

Despite the many difficulties, Josef Fiege jun. manages to steer the enterprise through the recession. After the war, the high demand for heavy transport vehicles accelerates its turnaround. By 1948, the pool of trucks has increased to 41 vehicles. The existing compound no longer suffices, which is why Josef Fiege jun. purchases additional plots of land in 1950.

Practice makes perfect: Based on its broad practical knowledge of product handling, FIEGE starts to build its own special solutions for the transport segment.

In 1959, Josef Fiege jun. dies as the result of a tragic accident. Karl Fischbach and his wife Änne (née Fiege) take charge of management. A branch already under construction in Bremen is completed. Fischbach gradually shifts the primary focus of the company’s business activities to freight forwarding.

Heinz Fiege (1967) and Dr. Hugo Fiege (1973) both join the company within a few years of each other. The sons of Josef Fiege jun. push the business concept even further towards forwarding. 1970 sees the inauguration of branches in Hamburg, Frankfurt am Main and Berlin, which serve as a base from that point on for the company’s international haulage to neighbouring European countries.

The first Germany-wide logistics concept is devised for international tyres maker Bridgestone. The Fiege brothers thus shift their focus towards becoming a contract logistics provider. The final breakthrough comes after relocating the company to Greven-Reckenfeld. The head office and the administration are built on compound covering 100,000 square metres – the striking hexagonal goods distribution centre will later become recognised beyond the region.

Bundesvereinigung Logistik e.V. (BVL), Germany’s logistics association, presents the prestigious logistics award to FIEGE for its pioneering achievement of combining economics with ecology within logistics. In the same year, the Ibbenbüren/Osnabrück goods distribution centre opens. Today’s Mega Center Ibbenbüren is an example of the company’s resource-preserving concept, which will go down in history under the term eco-logistics. Four years later, Heinz and Dr. Hugo Fiege receive the Eco-manager of the Year award for their pro-environment corporate management.

Digitalisation and automation are progressing. In 1996, FIEGE ships out its first eCommerce shipment. The unit grows continuously in the following years.

Heinz and Dr. Hugo Fiege form the Josef Fiege Stiftung in memory of their father. It is their goal to donate funds to facilities and projects that are committed to the well-being of man and nature.

Around the turn of the millennium, internationalisation is clearly on the horizon. New branches are set up in Europe’s west and south, and FIEGE expands into Eastern Europe. Even in Asia, where Fiege has been active in freight forwarding for over 20 years, new branches are set up in the most important economic regions of China, Hong Kong, and Taipeh.

FIEGE fundamentally restructures its organisation. The company changes from a generalist into a vertical organisation comprised of decentralised Business Units. The strategic reorientation makes FIEGE a leading European provider of omnichannel fulfilment services.

Jens Fiege, son of Heinz Fiege, and Felix Fiege, son of Dr. Hugo Fiege, assume the company’s leadership. This concludes the next change of generation. Together with Alfred Messink and Peter Scherbel, they form the Executive Board of the FIEGE Group.

The launch of robotics sees FIEGE set the course for digital transformation. The nine mobile picking robots by Magazino GmbH work side-by-side with their human colleagues and help optimise material flows.

Innovation has always been engrained in the company’s DNA. To promote future-proof business models, FIEGE looks also beyond the core organisation. Co-operation with start-ups becomes a crucial pillar in the company’s corporate strategy.

Investments in new business models take a more professional form with the founding of company builder XPRESS Ventures and venture capital fund F-LOG Ventures. FIEGE actively invests in young enterprises besides supporting tech-driven and innovative ideas through co-operation and funding – to build and invest in the next big things.

FIEGE is strengthening its digital service offering for e-commerce customers with the new ‘FIEGE E-Commerce Suite’. FIEGE enables online retailers to seamlessly scale their own D2C business with modular, integrated and AI-based solutions along the entire value chain.