National and international activities
We continue to focus our procurement activities in Germany. For competition reasons and to ensure reliability of supply, we also work together with international suppliers. Outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland, our focus is on Asia.
Since it opened, our International Procurement Office Asia (IPO) in Shanghai has identified over 700 suppliers for us and supported their development and participation in tenders in accordance with the applicable processes. It is also responsible for identifying innovative products and technologies for DB Group in the Asian market, for example in the areas of digitalization and electric mobility. In 2021, we added the first battery-electric buses from Asia to our fleet.
Following the supply of car transport wagons in the last two years, we have requested additional car transport wagons from the existing supply contract with our Chinese suppliers. DB quality assurance employees monitor production on-site. The reliable supply of spare vehicle parts from our international suppliers despite the difficult logistical conditions played an important role in maintaining the stable operation of our fleet.
