Supplier management

Procurement at HHLA

Organised centrally within the management holding company in Hamburg, the Procurement Department handles procurement activities on behalf of most German subsidiaries. It also provides advice to some Group affiliates abroad, such as the companies organised locally under the HHLA International GmbH umbrella. The companies in the METRANS Group have their own procurement organisation.

HHLA’s procurement activities span capital goods such as port handling equipment, consumables and services such as maintenance, logistics, construction and consultancy services. The overwhelming majority of suppliers are from Germany and other European countries. In the process, HHLA draws on strategic and cooperative collaborations with select business partners.

The supplier structure is generally highly dependent on the nature of the required supplies. Around 32 % of the management holding company’s procurement volume was placed with suppliers based directly in Hamburg. Approximately 71 % of the procurement volume is attributable to business partners in Germany. However, it must be noted that many of the company’s suppliers are the German establishments of international groups, especially in the case of IT services, capital goods and replacement parts.

The procurement activities of the METRANS Group focus, as an intermodal transport service provider, primarily on capital goods, energy and services that are essential for the provision of transport services.

As far as capital goods are concerned, a significant portion of the procurement volume is related to the expansion and operation of the terminals in the hinterland. This involves the purchase or rental of suitable land and the construction work required in this context. Other major capital purchases include wagons and locomotives, which are either purchased directly or leased, and handling equipment.

Regular transport-related purchases include energy, infrastructure charges or direct transport services (both rail and truck transport) that are purchased in the individual countries where the METRANS Group operates.

The supplier structure reflects current demand and geographical constraints.

Supplier management and sustainability at HHLA

In addition to economic stability, quality, reliability and innovative strength, HHLA attaches considerable importance to sustainable sourcing, which starts with the careful selection of suppliers. In a corresponding supplier qualification process, suppliers submit a voluntary disclosure confirming that they fulfil HHLA’s quality standards in the fields of sustainability, compliance, procurement and occupational health and safety. The criteria used as part of this process include the existence of binding ecological guidelines, the implementation of an occupational health and safety management system (certified if required) or the introduction of a compliance programme. In addition, HHLA reviews specific requirements related to environmental and social criteria on a project-by-project basis, for example, when purchasing green electricity.

As part of its aim to systematically minimise risks at all stages in the supply chain, HHLA requires suppliers and service providers with significant revenue volumes to comply with its Supplier Code of Conduct. At HHLA, the applicable annual revenue threshold for this process is € 10,000. In 2025, 96 % of HHLA’s procurement volume was transacted with business contacts that either accepted the Code of Conduct or demonstrated their own equivalent regulations.

From the start of 2026, suppliers will also be required to comply with the Supplier Code of Conduct through a new clause incorporated into the General Purchasing Conditions. HHLA has implemented the requirements specified in the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, for example, by conducting an external risk analysis and evaluating suppliers in a multi-step process. HHLA’s Supplier Code of Conduct is based on the principles of the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) and the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) core labour standards. The Code covers the topics of human rights, occupational health and safety, environmental protection and sustainability as well as appropriate conduct in a business environment. Suppliers can also opt to demonstrate that they have their own equivalent code of conduct. As global supply chains are highly complex, HHLA focuses primarily on its direct suppliers, but expects suppliers to extend their efforts to comply with the standards to their upstream suppliers as well.

The HHLA Supplier Code of Conduct was supplemented in early 2023 as a result of the requirements of the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and can be found on the HHLA website in German and English. It is requested both when onboarding new suppliers and when required on the basis of a risk analysis. A process for assessing supplier risks encompassing several stages has been established in a uniform Group standard. First, abstract risks are considered, namely product category and country-specific risks. Moreover, this process involves assessments performed by procurement staff, who have been trained in compliance issues and the Supplier Code of Conduct. Potential risks were identified for a small number of suppliers and service providers.

Further steps involve further validating the results and using additional information from sanctions list checks and business partner screening to regularly review existing and new suppliers, among other risk factors. If necessary, a supplier self-assessment is conducted.

To date, no relevant risks or violations have been identified that would have led to individual measures being taken. As well as agreeing on measures and retaining the right to conduct audits in the event of serious violations, HHLA reserves the right to terminate a business relationship.

Projects

Responding to the growing importance of sustainability and environmental responsibility in the business world is essential for both HHLA itself and its direct and indirect suppliers. In order to adequately address risks in the supply chain and take advantage of any opportunities that arise, HHLA is therefore systematically enhancing its supplier management system with regard to social, environmental and economic aspects.

The process for systematic and risk-oriented supplier evaluation is to be strengthened even further going forward. For example, there are plans to introduce a suitable software solution in 2026. This software is also to be used to incorporate sustainability ratings from service providers to allow HHLA to obtain further information for risk validation in cases involving suppliers that have been assigned higher risk factors by independent rating agencies.