© Semisatch |
By Alex Lennane
04/02/2026
As widely anticipated by the freight tech sector, DSV has signalled that the integration of DB Schenker will require key decisions on freight forwarding technology, as it balances legacy platforms across the combined group and seeks to standardise processes.
On its earnings call, management acknowledged that both DSV’s own forwarding system and WiseTech’s CargoWise remained in use across the enlarged organisation.
With regard to Tango and WiseTech, DSV will keep “Tango running in certain areas; we’ll have to make a choice which platform to go to,” said CEO Jens Lund in an earnings call today. “And, you know, it’s very likely that we will, over time, gravitate towards our own solution.”
The remarks come at a time when large freight forwarders are reassessing the degree of control they retain over core operating systems, as transport management platforms increasingly shape commercial models, data ownership and long-term automation strategies.
DSV added that it was not treating the platforms as isolated systems, but is using a broader architecture to ensure operational continuity during the transition period.
“We also have a data platform behind the platforms, so we can keep it in sync,” said Mr Lund.
The approach suggests DSV is prioritising flexibility during the transition, allowing data, analytics and automation layers to operate independently of individual execution systems as the group works through integration.
While the group did not provide a timeline for a final decision, it suggested the longer-term direction of travel would be towards a single operating platform, and that DSV’s preference would be to use its own technology – which would be something of a financial blow to WiseTech Global, no doubt.
The comments come as DSV continues to push a broader narrative around operational integration, productivity and digitalisation across a group that has expanded significantly through acquisitions. In its annual report, DSV highlighted the scale of its IT consolidation work, noting that it has “consolidated more than 40 acquired data centres into three DSV-operated data centres”.
It added that the rationalisation programme had also removed complexity from its application landscape, saying it had “closed more than 5,000 applications”.
That consolidation suggests an approach that may jettison the parallel operation of multiple core forwarding platforms in the long-term.
DSV’s report also outlined how it is developing a broader data foundation, describing its shift towards an “Enterprise Data Platform” designed to support greater automation and analytics across operations.
Alongside this, the group said it has built an internal “AI Factory” as part of its wider digital agenda.
The annual report also referenced specific AI-enabled initiatives, including “Customs AI”, and efforts to drive “booking digitalisation” as DSV looks to streamline workflows and improve the customer experience.
For now, DSV retains its key transport management systems by division, with ‘Tango’ for Air & Sea and ‘Star’ for Road. But the scale and complexity of the integration appears to be sharpening the focus on its freight technology choices.
The challenge is not simply system compatibility, but how best to support a unified operating model across customs, booking, data and automation at scale, which brings the question of whether to run Tango or CargoWise at group level firmly onto the agenda.