For two decades, the company has advised international businesses on warehousing, freight and logistics – now, as it celebrates its anniversary, founder Jens Peter Hartung welcomes his son, Nikolaj Hartung, into the management team.
By Joan Rask
Twenty years of growth – twenty years of positive financial results and a customer base established across Europe. Founder Jens Peter Hartung has every reason to be satisfied with the company he established in 2005. From the outset, his ambition was to create a trustworthy and loyal advisory partner for businesses with complex international transport needs.
“We make it our business to understand every detail of each client’s operations, and we always go the extra mile. Loyalty and honest advice have always been our key values – and they will continue to be,” says Jens Peter Hartung.
LogistikPartner advises European companies of all types on how to reduce freight and logistics costs – from internal process optimisation to selecting the right freight forwarders and transport providers.
“In most projects, the savings in freight costs are over 15 per cent – and sometimes our customers save up to 40 per cent. We spend a great deal of time analysing existing solutions and identifying the best specialists in the market our client operates in,” he explains.
In practice, LogistikPartner screens the European and overseas markets for relevant freight providers, prepares tender documents and helps clients negotiate new agreements with transport and logistics companies.
Jens Peter Hartung often compares their role to that of a lawyer or an auditor – professionals who must be deeply involved in a company’s core operations in order to give qualified advice.
“When we work with a client, we meet everyone – the forklift drivers, the warehouse staff, the office employees and the CEO. We must be able to navigate at all levels – otherwise we won’t find the best solution.”
Deep knowledge of the European transport market
In its early years, LogistikPartner operated exclusively in Germany. Within a few years, the customer base expanded to include Danish and other European clients. Today, around 70 per cent of revenue still comes from Europe – with Germany as the largest single market. The company employs 12 specialists, all with practical backgrounds in trade or industrial businesses.
Jens Peter Hartung grew up near the Danish-German border, is bilingual and his family roots are both Danish and German. Now 61 years old, he has built an extensive European network among freight forwarders, logistics companies and industrial clients.
“Our strength lies in our deep understanding of the European transport market and our operations across almost every European country. Whatever challenge we encounter with a client, I always know someone we can draw on for insight,” he says.
Modernisation – without losing the roots
Nikolaj Peter Hartung, the founder’s son, is a trained freight forwarder and has built up solid international experience during his time at DSV in both Nuremberg and Hamburg. Most recently, he served as a team leader responsible for both national and international traffic for DSV’s customers and fleet. In addition, he has worked in Denmark in a company where he handled a wide range of freight and supply chain-related tasks.
Since 1 January 2025, he has been Project Manager at LogistikPartner, leading various projects and working closely with both clients and colleagues.
“We must constantly challenge the status quo – also digitally. Right now, we are testing AI to see where technology can automate internal processes and strengthen our data analysis – making it faster and even more precise,” says Nikolaj Peter Hartung.
Years ago, Jens Peter Hartung himself was an IT entrepreneur when he initiated the development of the software that today forms an integral part of LogistikPartner’s success.
“I think it’s a real strength that Nikolaj is taking the lead in moving us forward digitally. The technological transformation many companies are going through is something LogistikPartner must embrace, and I’m confident that with his expertise and curiosity, Nikolaj can tackle the challenge alongside me better than anyone else could,” says Jens Peter Hartung.
European at its core
Nikolaj Peter Hartung emphasises that cultural understanding has always played – and
continues to play – a major role.
“We see that Danish companies are very focused on efficiency and lean processes,
whereas many German companies are more inclined to maintain long-term suppliers,
established routines and a relationship-driven way of working. We need to understand that
difference and be part of it,” says Nikolaj Hartung.
Living and working in an international German environment has given him valuable insight into clients’ everyday operations and work culture.
“Everything is generally more formal south of Denmark, and I’m convinced that part of our international success comes from bringing clients greater efficiency and demonstrating tangible cost savings. But it only works because we can communicate in German throughout every stage of the process – and because our values align with those of our clients,” he says.
Both Jens Peter Hartung and Nikolaj Peter Hartung see it as a major advantage that LogistikPartner remains family-owned, and that the son is entering into what they describe as a kind of professional apprenticeship. They both stress that the company’s existing values – and its loyalty to customers – will remain unchanged.
“I’m truly looking forward to it – it’s a huge honour, but also a big responsibility. It’s not just a job – it’s a family’s lifelong work,” says Nikolaj Hartung.
“A generational shift has quietly begun. Nikolaj will work more – and I will work a little less,”
says Jens Peter Hartung with a smile.
“When we work at a customer’s site, we meet the people driving the trucks, the staff in the warehouse, the office employees and the managing director. We can and must operate at all levels – otherwise we won’t find the best solutions.”
