How Hellmann drives measurable innovation by unlocking the ecosystem power
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, a global logistics provider with over 12,000 employees in 61 countries, is reshaping the future of logistics through innovation, digitalization, and sustainability. As part of its Strategic Roadmap 2030, Hellmann launched the Hellmann Innovation Hub (HIH) in late 2023 to unify and accelerate innovation efforts across the organization.
- Sector
- Logistics
- Teams
- Innovation, Investment & BUs
- Employees
- 12,000
- Headquarters
- Osnabrueck, Germany
10+
qualified pilots in the first 12 months
<40 days
from use case identified to pilot
400+
solution providers evaluated
100+
employees onboarded
The Challenge
Before the Innovation Hub, Hellmann's innovation efforts were fragmented across regions and functions. Local teams developed promising solutions, but without a global framework, scaling was difficult and knowledge from executed pilots often remained siloed.
"We strongly believe in ecosystem instead of egosystem – there is no better way to drive innovation and digitalization than to collaborate and interact with like-minded pioneers in the industry," says Stefan Borggreve, Chief Digital Officer and Board Member of Hellmann. "To further accelerate in our digitalization, sustainability, and innovation efforts, we launched the Hellmann Innovation Hub to systematically collaborate with startups and tech players following a structured innovation methodology."
This ecosystem-first mindset is reflected in Hellmann's strategic partnerships with Digital Hub Logistics Hamburg, Maschinenraum, and Rethink Ventures, each playing a vital role in connecting Hellmann to emerging technologies, industry trends, and startup networks.
"Innovation was happening, but not always in a way that could be measured, scaled, or sustained. Isolated scouting for partners, limited visibility on available solutions or initiatives, and lack of structured tooling made it hard to prioritize our efforts, track progress, and retain learnings across the organization. We needed transparency, speed, and the ability to steer our innovation agenda globally while empowering local execution."
Dominik Schindler
Head of Innovation at Hellmann
The Solution
Hellmann's Innovation Hub was designed to deliver speed and impact, the two pillars of its innovation strategy. The team believes in combining the best of venture clienting and venture networking to address today's business needs while exploring tomorrow's opportunities.
To support this, Hellmann implemented a centralized innovation platform that enables two core use cases. First, an Employee-Facing Engagement Platform democratizes innovation across Hellmann, enabling all employees to explore strategic innovation search fields, submit ideas, and engage in challenges. Second, an Innovation Portfolio Management module allows Hellmann to manage its innovation portfolio with structure and clarity, supporting the entire innovation lifecycle from identifying use cases and piloting solutions to scaling and productizing them, while enabling structured partner scouting and impact tracking.
To enable these use cases, Hellmann selected Bloomflow as its innovation platform partner, building Hellmann's digital backbone for innovation, not just for tooling, but for enabling collaboration, transparency, and governance. The decision was driven by three key factors: Customizability (the flexibility to tailor the platform to Hellmann's processes without compromising usability), Fast Time-to-Value (implemented and live in less than one month), and Collaborative Partnership (a strong commitment to joint development and continuous improvement).
"We wanted to make our innovation efforts, whether in projects or ecosystem building, measurable. This is about building a culture of accountability and learning and ensuring from an early stage on that every initiative interlocks with our strategy and delivers measurable business value."
Michel Heck
Innovation Lead at Hellmann
The Results
From identifying a use case to launching a pilot, Hellmann reduced the timeline to under 40 days, accelerating innovation cycles across the business.
Within 12 months, the Innovation Hub screened 400+ solution providers and launched 10+ qualified pilots, ensuring a strong funnel of validated opportunities.
Over 100 employees were onboarded to the platform, fostering cross-functional collaboration and embedding innovation into daily operations. With centralized tracking and reporting, Hellmann now steers its innovation portfolio with clarity, aligning every initiative to business priorities and measuring impact in real time.
