DB on track to become a profitable quality leader

Article: DB on track to become a profitable quality leader

By enhancing the DB2020+ strategy, DB is bringing the economic, social and environmental dimensions into harmony, but now with an emphasis on customer focus and quality.

DB is tackling tomorrow's challenges and capitalizing on their potential with its DB2020+ strategy. To achieve these goals, it has set ambitious targets for itself in all three dimensions: it wants to be a profitable market leader, a top employer and an eco-pioneer by 2020. DB intends to offer its customers top-class, eco-friendly mobility and logistics solutions made possible by dedicated employees and digital expertise.

Economic dimension: profitable quality leader

Quality is the key to customers and thus to economic success. The objective of becoming a profitable quality leader, which has now been enhanced as part of DB2020+, focuses on quality and the financial stability of our company. We are relying on three related aspects to improve quality:

Culture of quality: consistent focus on customers and operational excellence
Digital expertise: for innovative solutions in our core business and to generate new business
Increasing performance and output: we are taking responsibility and increasing our output

These aspects serve as the thread that connects our four new strategic Group programs.In addition to Zukunft Bahn, these programs include:

Fully automatic driving on rail
Autonomous driving on the road
New business model

Social dimension: top employer

By 2020, DB wants to be one of the ten best employers in Germany and rank among the top places to work internationally, making it a top employer. This will enable DB to attract and retain qualified staff who are enthusiastic about working for the company and its customers. To achieve this goal, the Group will keep working to bring about a change in corporate culture. It aims to greatly improve employee satisfaction and employer appeal.

Ecology - eco-pioneer

DB aims to become an eco-pioneer by 2020 in particular by reducing CO₂ emissions and noise pollution generated by rail transport. As an eco-pioneer, DB sets standards in the efficient use of available resources. Environmental friendliness is part of DB's brand promise and mission statement. Rail is already substantially eco-friendlier than other modes of transportation.

DB's primary goal as part of this strategic direction is to reduce the company's global specific CO₂ emissions: By 2020, Deutsche Bahn aims to reduce these emissions from rail, road, air and ocean transportation by 30 percent compared to 2006. The previous target, reducing emissions by 20 percent until 2020, was reached in 2015 with 24.5 percent less specific CO₂ emissions.

DB also intends to increase the share of renewable energy sources in the traction current mix: Until 2020 DB wants to raise the share of renewable energy up to 45 percent - based on the DB's own transporters. As of the end of 2015, renewables accounted for 42 percent of the entire traction current mix. One of the main reasons for this success was the additional green electricity, which the DB purchases specifically for its environmentally friendly long-distance products and services. By 2050, DB has set a goal of achieving rail transport that is completely CO₂-free.

DB has attracted additional customers and helped to reduce CO₂ emissions with its green products, its "Umwelt-Plus" passenger services and Eco Solutions in the field of transportation and logistics. It plans to step up its marketing of green products to further establish them and actively generate demand.

DB is working hard to reduce noise pollution with a wide range of measures. It aims to halve the amount of noise associated with rail transport by 2020, as compared with 2000.