KUEHNE + NAGEL

Overview

Kuehne+Nagel is a global transport and logistics company that provides integrated logistics solutions across customers’ supply chains through a worldwide network.[1] Its core activities are organized around four main business segments: Sea Logistics, Air Logistics, Road Logistics and Contract Logistics, which together cover freight forwarding, transport management and warehousing-based supply chain services.[2][3] Founded in 1890 in Bremen, Germany, the company is now headquartered in Switzerland.[4]

The group operates globally across EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific, with more than 1,300 sites across all continents.[5][6] Its stated ambition is to become “the most trusted supply chain partner supporting a sustainable future,” and it also describes its purpose as delivering progress to society.[7][8] As a broad indicator of scale, Kuehne+Nagel employed more than 80,000 people at year-end 2024 and reported net turnover of CHF 24.8 billion for 2024.[9][6] [1]+8

Products & services

Kuehne + Nagel’s product and service portfolio is organized around four logistics lines: Sea Logistics, Air Logistics, Road Logistics, and Contract Logistics. Sea Logistics includes Full-Container-Load (FCL) forwarding as well as specialised services for temperature-controlled cargo in reefer containers, pharma, e-commerce, and project cargo/business.[10] Air Logistics is a global air-freight forwarding offering, with demand partly supported by e-commerce export traffic out of China.[11][12] In 2024, these service lines represented 37.4% of group net turnover for Sea Logistics, 29.5% for Air Logistics, 14.0% for Road Logistics, and 19.1% for Contract Logistics.[13]+3

Contract Logistics provides specialised end-to-end solutions for high-tech, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and e-commerce fulfilment.[17][18] The unit implemented more than 170 new logistics projects in 2024 and operated 11.2 million square metres of warehousing and logistics space.[17][16] Kuehne + Nagel also offers customs-related services: Road Logistics expanded into global customs services, and the Farrow business adds customs brokerage and customs-clearance capability in Canada.[19][20]

Named digital products include myKN, a single platform for getting freight quotes, making bookings, and tracking or controlling shipments; seaexplorer, a sea-freight visibility and ocean-shipment tracking tool; and Road Customer Visibility, which provides real-time road-shipment tracking, dynamic ETA, and milestone updates.[21]+2 Within its digital ecosystem, Max Visibility uses Chorus smart labels to provide real-time and predictive insight into the location and condition of road-freight shipments, while Logistics Control Towers are used to manage complex end-to-end supply-chain solutions.[7][24] [10]+15

Geographic presence

Kuehne + Nagel is headquartered in Schindellegi, Switzerland, and reports a global physical footprint of more than 80,000 employees at 1,300 sites across all continents.[25][6] Its disclosed subsidiary and location tables are organized across three broad geographies—EMEA, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific—and show operations in a wide range of countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland in EMEA; Canada, Mexico and the United States in the Americas; and China, India, Japan and Singapore in Asia-Pacific.[26]+3

For revenue geography, the company discloses country concentrations for markets that individually exceed 10% of group non-current assets or net turnover. In 2024, total net turnover was CHF 24,802 million, with the United States contributing CHF 4,930 million (19.9%), Germany CHF 3,569 million (14.4%), China CHF 2,043 million (8.2%), Switzerland CHF 370 million (1.5%), and all other countries CHF 13,890 million (56.0%).[30][31] In regional reporting, Kuehne + Nagel has described its worldwide business as spanning EMEA, the Americas and Asia-Pacific; in 2023, net turnover by region was CHF 12,864 million for EMEA, CHF 7,433 million for the Americas and CHF 3,552 million for Asia-Pacific, equivalent to roughly 53.9%, 31.2% and 14.9% of group net turnover, respectively.[5][32] [25]+9

Business segments

Kuehne+Nagel’s officially reported segments are Sea Logistics, Air Logistics, Road Logistics and Contract Logistics; these reflect the group’s internal management and reporting structure to the Management Board, and each is treated as a distinct business unit. The company states that the distinction between Sea, Air and Road Logistics is the use of a single main transportation mode within each segment, while Contract Logistics covers contract-based warehousing and distribution services.[33]+2

By focus area, Sea Logistics centers on full-container-load forwarding plus specialized services such as temperature-controlled reefer cargo, pharma, e-commerce and project business. Air Logistics is the group’s air freight business, with demand influenced in part by export capacity out of China for e-commerce customers. Road Logistics focuses on road freight and integrated services, with emphasis on operational excellence, global customs services and expansion in Asian markets. Contract Logistics focuses on end-to-end solutions for sectors including high-tech, consumer goods, pharmaceuticals, healthcare and e-commerce fulfillment, alongside core warehousing and distribution activities.[10]+6

Using 2024 net turnover as an approximate contribution measure, Sea Logistics contributed about 37% of group net turnover (CHF 9.3bn of CHF 24.8bn), Air Logistics about 29% (CHF 7.3bn), Contract Logistics about 19% (CHF 4.7bn), and Road Logistics about 14% (CHF 3.5bn). On a segment EBIT basis, the mix was more weighted to Sea Logistics: roughly 52% of segment EBIT, versus about 29% for Air Logistics, 14% for Contract Logistics and 6% for Road Logistics.[38]+6

The group also uses country-level reporting in management information, but business units remain the primary reporting line; in 2024, the historical regional structure was discontinued and regional disclosure was removed.[41][42] [33]+18

Company history

Kuehne+Nagel was founded in 1890 in Bremen, Germany, by August Kuehne and Friedrich Nagel as a freight forwarding company; in its early years, it handled commodities such as cotton, cereals, wood, animal feed and sugar, and over time it developed from a traditional shipping company into a broader logistics group.[43][44]

A major later chapter in the company’s history was the long leadership of Klaus-Michael Kühne, who entered the family business in 1958, served as chief executive officer from 1966 to 1975, was a delegate and member of the board from 1975 to 1992, executive chairman from 1992 to 2009, chairman from 2009 to 2011, and honorary chairman from 2011 onward.[45]+5

In 2005, the company agreed to acquire ACR Logistics, which it described as the largest acquisition in its history at that time and a step that strengthened its contract logistics business.[51] In 2021, it acquired Apex International Corporation, again calling it the largest acquisition in its history; Kuehne+Nagel later said the first-time consolidation of Apex in May 2021 accounted for around half of that year’s airfreight volume growth.[52][53] [45]+10

Sources

• KUEHNE + NAGEL — Full financial report (2024 Y)
  40 citations

  [1][2][3][6][7][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][33][34][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][45][46][47][48][49][50]
• home.kuehne-nagel.com[4]
• KUEHNE + NAGEL — Full financial report (2023 Y)
  3 citations

  [5][32][35]
• jobs.kuehne-nagel.com[8]
• home.kuehne-nagel.com[21]
• home.kuehne-nagel.com[22]
• home.kuehne-nagel.com[23]
• www.kuehne-nagel.com[43]
• newsroom.kuehne-nagel.com[44]
• newsroom.kuehne-nagel.com[51]
• newsroom.kuehne-nagel.com[52]
• KUEHNE + NAGEL — Press release (2021 Y)[53]