Apex Logistics International

What Apex Logistics International does

Apex Logistics International is a private global freight forwarder founded in 2001, majority-owned by Kuehne+Nagel Group with Partners Group holding a 24.9% minority stake acquired in July 2021. Headquartered in Shanghai with regional headquarters in Amsterdam and Los Angeles, the company operates 71 self-managed offices across 6 continents and serves 20,000+ customers in 70+ countries through a 4,000+ employee workforce. Its core business is cross-border logistics, delivering integrated multi-modal supply chain solutions across air freight (470,000 tons annually), sea freight (260,000 TEUs annually), cross-border railway, cross-border trucking, contract logistics (4.25 million sq ft of warehouse), customs brokerage, and supply chain management services.

The company's service portfolio is delivered through four core transportation products — Air Freight, Sea Freight, Cross-border Railway, and Cross-border Trucking — supported by value-adding modules including in-house customs clearance (operating since 2013), warehousing/last-mile delivery, PO management, cargo insurance, and digitalization services. Its proprietary ApexOne platform provides shipment tracking, customs inquiry, and supply chain visibility, integrated with customer ERP systems via AS2 X12 EDI and APIs. Apex has invested in dedicated trans-Pacific air capacity, operating up to 4,000 charter flights per year through partnerships with over 50 global airlines and joint aircraft acquisition with Kuehne+Nagel and Atlas Air (Boeing 747-8F). It has been ranked No. 1 Airfreight Forwarder in China in both 2022 and 2025.

Apex serves eight primary verticals — cross-border e-commerce, high-tech electronics, semiconductor equipment, automotive/EV/new energy, fashion/retail, perishables/cold chain, chemicals, and aerospace — plus newer computer hardware, communication equipment, and computing equipment segments. Pricing is quote-based per shipment; revenue is generated through transactional freight fees, managed warehousing services, and professional customs/trade compliance services. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise field sales through global offices with self-service digital channels (ApexOne portal, website quote requests) and a global agent network in 70+ countries. Most recently, Apex completed the May 2026 acquisition of Andes Integración Logística, extending its footprint into seven Latin American markets under the 'Andes by Apex' brand and adding perishables/cold-chain density.

Name

Apex Logistics International

Legal name

Apex Logistics International

Website

https://apexglobe.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Apex Logistics International is a private global freight forwarder majority-owned by Kuehne+Nagel that provides integrated air, sea, rail, and truck cross-border logistics, contract warehousing, customs brokerage, and supply chain management services to 20,000+ enterprise customers across 70+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Contract Logistics

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212), Deep Sea Freight Transportation (483111)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Air Courier Services (4513), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYCRAFAJAE

International Fulfillment, Forwarding & Consolidation Services

Consumer Products & Retail/E-commerce & Marketplaces/Cross-border & International E-commerce

Keywords

• Air freight forwarding
• Sea freight services
• Contract logistics
• Customs brokerage
• Cross-border logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Rancho Dominguez

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices20 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Air Freight Services: International air freight transportation including charter services and commercial flights. Apex operates up to 4,000 charter flights annually and maintains partnerships with over 50 global airlines.
2. Sea Freight Services: Global ocean freight including FCL, LCL, and charter services with NVOCC operations. Annual volume of 260,000 TEUs.
3. Charter Flight Services: Dedicated charter operations on trans-Pacific routes with Boeing 747-8 Freighters and other aircraft types
4. Contract Logistics: Warehousing, cold chain, and last-mile delivery services with 4.25 million sq ft of global warehouse space
5. Customs Services: In-house customs clearance since 2013, providing licensed customs brokerage and trade compliance services
6. Supply Chain Management: Comprehensive SCM solutions including PO management, insurance services, and buyer consolidation
7. Cross-border Railway and Trucking: China-Europe Railway Express and TIR trucking services for cross-border land transportation

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Apex Logistics International is a global cross-border logistics provider integrating air freight, sea freight, cross-border railway, and cross-border trucking with contract logistics (warehousing and last-mile delivery), in-house customs brokerage, supply chain management, insurance, and digitalization services. The company serves 20,000+ enterprise customers across 70+ countries via 71 self-operated offices, operating up to 4,000 charter flights annually and 260,000 TEUs of ocean freight per year.

Product overview

Apex Logistics International is a global integrated logistics provider founded in 2001, operating as a Kuehne+Nagel company. The company offers a unified portfolio of intermodal logistics services centered on air and sea freight transportation as core products, supported by contract logistics (warehousing and last-mile delivery), customs services, supply chain management, and digitalization services. Transportation is delivered via four core product lines: Air Freight (up to 4,000 annual charter flights), Sea Freight (260,000 TEU annual volume), Cross-border Railway (China-Europe rail routes), and Cross-border Trucking (TIR system). These are complemented by value-adding modules including customs clearance, supply chain management solutions (PO Management, Insurance), and Digitalization Services (data analytics, EDI/API integration). Apex also operates the ApexOne web portal for shipment tracking. Following its 2025–2026 acquisition, the company expanded into Latin America under the Andes by Apex brand, specializing in perishables and cold-chain logistics. The company ranked No.1 Airfreight Forwarder in China for 2022.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ApexOne: Logistics tracking and shipment management platform for customers
• Andes by Apex
• ApexCares

Products and services

• Air Freight International air freight transportation services including scheduled charter and commercial flight combinations at multiple gateways, operating up to 4,000 charter flights per year across routes including China-America, Asia Pacific-America, and other trans-Pacific corridors.
• Sea Freight Global sea freight services offering reliable international cargo transportation for large-sized and long lead-time goods via chartering, FCL (Full Container Load), and LCL (Less than Container Load) shipping options. Annual sea freight volume of 260,000 TEUs.
• Cross-border Railway Cross-border railway transportation leveraging China-Europe Railway Express resources, providing door-to-door multimodal transportation including rail-rail, rail-sea, and rail-road connections across the Eurasian continent with transit time of 25-30 days to destination.
• Cross-border Trucking Cross-border trucking services operating within the TIR (Transport International Router) system with fixed weekly departures, controlled timing, and one-stop border customs clearance. Services include cold chain transportation and coverage for hazardous goods including lithium batteries and chemicals.
• Contract Logistics (Warehousing & Last Mile Delivery) Contract logistics services encompassing warehousing (over 4,250,000 sq ft of global warehouse space) and last-mile delivery. Includes temperature-controlled/cold chain facilities, FTL/LTL transportation, trans-loading, route planning, and visualized tracking. Warehouses located across China Hong Kong (142,000 sq ft), Chinese Mainland (2,110,000 sq ft), USA (1,000,000 sq ft), South Korea, Vietnam, India, Thailand, and Netherlands.
• Customs Services In-house customs clearance services provided by licensed customs brokers, covering customs declarations, trade compliance, import/export consulting, and cross-border e-commerce customs clearance. Apex operates its own port-of-destination customs declaration service.
• Supply Chain Management Comprehensive supply chain management solutions covering PLAN (supply chain analysis, consolidation analysis, center of gravity analysis), SOURCE (order management, vendor management, lead time analysis), TRANSPORT (transport management), and BACKFLOW (reverse logistics). Includes Buyer's Consolidation, Global Network, SKU Visualization, and PO Management capabilities.
• Insurance Services Comprehensive cargo insurance services covering general commodities against any risk of physical loss or damage caused by external causes. Insurance is based on cargo value, applied door-to-door, with competitive rates available on a transactional or annual policy basis.
• Digitalization Services IT services covering the entire logistics lifecycle including Data Analysis and Visualization (Test Reports, PO Reports, Exception Reports, Other Reports), IT Infrastructure and Data Security, and System Integration via APIs, EDI (AS2 X12 standard), and other communication protocols.
• ApexOne Web-based logistics tracking portal enabling customers to track shipments, perform advanced search, conduct customs inquiries, and manage customer inquiries in real time across the entire logistics lifecycle.
• Andes by Apex Latin American logistics brand formerly Andes Integración Logística, providing international air and sea freight, land transportation, warehousing, and distribution across Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, USA, and China. Specializes in perishables and cold-chain logistics with over 90,000 TEUs and 40,000 tons of airfreight annually.

Quantifiable outcome

• No. 1 Airfreight Forwarder in China (2022 and 2025)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Andes Integración LogísticacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025Apex Logistics signed agreement to acquire majority shares of Andes Integración Logística. Andes is a leading South American logistics provider established in 2008, handling 90,000+ TEUs and 40,000 tons of airfreight annually. The acquisition, completed in May 2026, establishes Apex operations in 7 Latin American countries: Chile, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Paraguay, Uruguay, and Bolivia. Andes will operate under 'Andes by Apex' brand.
• Atlas AircoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2023Atlas Air operates Boeing 747-8 Freighter aircraft for Apex International Logistics under a charter agreement. Apex and Kuehne+Nagel jointly took delivery of the last Boeing 747-8 Freighter from Atlas Air, with the aircraft deployed on trans-Pacific routes. Atlas is a subsidiary of Amazon.
• Over 50 Global AirlinescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerApex has established long-term partnerships with over 50 global airlines, leveraging synergies from self-operated gateways and agent networks in 70+ countries to provide flexible air transport capacity at major ports worldwide.
• Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with BSR to strengthen Apex's ESG initiative (ApexCares), working with sustainable business thought leaders to drive positive impact across operations and industry.
• Smart Freight CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Smart Freight Center for freight decarbonization and industry collaboration on environmental standards.
• SmartWayminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry collaboration for freight decarbonization and environmental standards with SmartWay program.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel International AG: Swiss-headquartered global logistics giant and Apex's majority owner; the world's largest sea and air freight forwarder. Directly comparable in core air/ocean forwarding services but operates at materially larger global scale and offers a broader portfolio.
• DHL Global Forwarding: The freight forwarding arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, one of the world's largest air and ocean forwarders. Competes with Apex across air, ocean, customs, and supply chain management for enterprise and cross-border e-commerce customers.
• DSV A/S: Danish global transport and logistics provider formed via multiple large acquisitions (UTi, Panalpina, Agility GIL). Directly comparable in multi-modal forwarding, contract logistics, and air/ocean services.
• Nippon Express: Japan's largest logistics company providing global air and ocean freight forwarding, warehousing, and moving services. Overlaps with Apex on international forwarding for high-tech and industrial customers.

Direct peers

• Sinotrans Limited: Chinese state-affiliated logistics group providing international freight forwarding, contract logistics, and shipping agency services. The most direct China-based competitor with overlapping air, sea, and customs capabilities.
• Expeditors International: US-headquartered asset-light global logistics provider specializing in air and ocean freight forwarding plus customs brokerage. Closely comparable business model and customer base in international forwarding.
• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider owned by CMA CGM offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and supply chain solutions. Competes head-to-head in air/ocean forwarding, warehousing, and end-to-end SCM.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Germany-headquartered family-owned global logistics company offering air, sea, road, and rail freight forwarding plus contract logistics. Comparable scale and service mix, particularly in European and trans-Atlantic trade lanes.

Regional players

• Kerry Logistics Network: Hong Kong-headquartered logistics company with strong Asia-Pacific presence across freight forwarding, contract logistics, and cross-border services. Closely comparable regional positioning to Apex in Asia and on Asia–Americas lanes.
• Yusen Logistics: Japanese-headquartered global logistics provider offering air/ocean forwarding, contract logistics, and automotive-focused supply chain services. Comparable multi-modal service mix with strong APAC presence.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/apex-logistics-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Apex Logistics International