Schienengüterverkehr in Deutschland – eine Analyse und Bewertung von Logistikanbietern auf dem Verkehrsträger Schiene

Abstract

OMV transports liquid petrochemical products, which are classified as dangerous goods, by rail in Germany. The company wants to expand its supplier base in rail freight transport, because the demand is currently rising and there are risks due to structural changes and poor quality from some existing suppliers. The challenge is to identify potential new suppliers and define criteria for a supplier evaluation, to make sure that the supply is secured. Therefore, the market situation in German rail freight transport will be analyzed in depth. Transport performance in rail freight transport has increased by about 50% in the last decades. There are now around 250 rail freight transport companies in Germany with DB AG having the largest market share of approximately 44%. However, in the last few years, the transport performance of other rail freight transport companies such as SBB Cargo, TX Logistik, and Rail Cargo Group has risen, although the remaining market share is still divided among a few large companies. There are challenges like outdated rail infrastructure and the resulting capacity bottlenecks or low punctuality rates, which have a negative impact on the competitiveness of rail transport in Germany. Countermeasures should be taken urgently. The current macroeconomic situation makes it necessary for OMV to conduct a thorough market research and analysis of potential new suppliers in the rail transport sector. Therefore, this thesis explains the supplier selection process and various evaluation methods such as utility value analyses, portfolios, and balance sheet analyses. The selection of relevant evaluation criteria for a company, such as delivery reliability, focus on sustainability, high quality, or response time to messages and inquiries, is important for a meaningful, objective supplier evaluation. In the practical example of OMV, the first step was defining these relevant criteria, and they serve as the basis for the following evaluation. Through market research, suitable suppliers were identified and surveyed using a questionnaire on relevant criteria such as punctuality, sustainability, and planning time. The companies were compared with each other using a utility analysis and the weighting of the criteria, in order to be able to make a recommendation for or against cooperation. Seven companies responded to the questionnaire, four of which are recommended for collaboration. According to the evaluation, companies 5, 1, 6, and 4 are suitable, with company 5 receiving a particularly good rating. The result is a shortlist of suppliers that OMV can use as a basis for taking the next steps toward a possible contract conclusion

Date of Award	2025
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Hans-Christian Graf (Supervisor)