In his biography, then CEO of Deutsche Bahn Hartmut Mehdorn justified the acquisition of international logistics companies with customer demand.

[3] Since the core operating territory had been Germany, customers were lost to competitors with a more compelling international offer.

DB Schenker combines all transport and logistic activities of Deutsche Bahn (except rail cargo), employing over 72,000 staff spread across about 2,000 locations in about 140 countries.

[14] In December 2022, the supervisory board of Deutsche Bahn instructed the company's management to prepare for the possible sale of up to 100% of DB Schenker.

Notably, DB Schenker manages large and complex supply chains for multinationals such as Apple,[21] Procter & Gamble,[22] Dell,[23] ASML.