ACL Airshop
ACL Airshop is a technology-enabled global provider of Unit Load Device leasing, sales, repair, fleet management and digital tracking services to 200+ passenger and cargo airlines across 55+ airport hubs on six continents.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1983
- HeadquartersGreenville, Canada
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ACL Airshop does
ACL Airshop is a technology-enabled provider of Unit Load Device (ULD) and air cargo logistics solutions, serving more than 200 passenger airlines, dedicated cargo carriers and ground handlers globally. Founded in 1983 as Airline Container Leasing and merged with Amsterdam-based Airshop Holdings in 2007, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Ranger Airshop Holdings — a Ranger Aerospace platform backed by Argosy Private Equity and three other institutional co-investors following a 2016 recapitalization that won M&A Advisor's Deal of the Year. ACL operates from a US headquarters in Greenville, South Carolina, an international headquarters near Amsterdam Schiphol, and a global network of 55+ airport hub locations on six continents with three gateway Operations Centers covering all time zones.
The company runs five complementary business segments — ULD Leasing, ULD Sales, ULD Repair, ULD Control, and Cargo Products Manufacturing — supported by an in-house Greenville manufacturing facility and certified FAA/EASA Part 145 repair stations at strategic hubs including Narita, Schiphol, Hong Kong and Bogota. Its technology platform comprises the proprietary ULD Control logistics management system, the FindMyULD™ mobile tracking application, the COREInsight Bluetooth Low Energy ULD tracking technology (exclusively licensed worldwide from CORE Transport Technologies, now part of Descartes), and the Star Flow repair management application (via Yellowstar). ACL owns, maintains and leases over 60,000 ULDs — described as the largest independent inventory of lease-ready ULD assets in the industry — and claims its digital tooling can deliver 6–10% life-cycle cost savings to a typical airline customer.
Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring multi-year ULD leasing and fleet management contracts (including ULD Control programs), one-time sales of new and used ULDs, professional services revenue from certified repair, managed-services contracts, hardware sales of cargo pallets, nets, straps and animal-transport containers, and subscription revenue from Bluetooth tracking services. The FindMyULD app is offered free as a customer-engagement channel. ACL markets through direct enterprise field sales backed by an active presence at industry conferences (IATA, TIACA, ULD Care), and delivers services through airport-hub physical presence with no intermediary channels. Named enterprise customers include Silk Way West Airlines, Air Premia, VRR, and Sonoco ThermoSafe, and the company was recognized with the 2020 Air Cargo News Innovation Award for the FindMyULD app.
ACL Airshop firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ACL Airshop
- Legal name
- ACL Airshop LLC
- Website
- https://aclairshop.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1983
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- ACL Airshop is a technology-enabled global provider of Unit Load Device leasing, sales, repair, fleet management and digital tracking services to 200+ passenger and cargo airlines across 55+ airport hubs on six continents.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where ACL Airshop is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Greenville
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices10 records
Markets served
ACL Airshop business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- ULD Leasing: Short-term and long-term ULD leasing including one-way, round trip, and customized options. Flexible term lengths available. Provides advantages in capital expenditure and tax deductibility for customers.
- ULD Sales: Sale of new and used ULD containers and pallets. Stocks equipment at airports around the globe across all brands available in marketplace.
- ULD Repair Services: FAA and EASA Part 145 certified repair of all types of containers, pallets and nets. Operates certified repair stations at multiple global locations including Narita.
- ULD Control/Fleet Management: Long-term multi-year ULD management and logistics contracts. Reduces overall ULD costs and enhances operational efficiency for customers. Includes ULD Control logistics programs.
- Cargo Control Products Manufacturing: Manufacturing and sale of cargo pallets, containers, straps, nets, hardware and other cargo-specific control products. Includes air cargo nets on computer-controlled automated equipment, straps, horse/animal transport containers, VRA car racks.
- Bluetooth Tracking Technology: COREInsight Bluetooth tracking technology implementation for ULD real-time tracking. First-to-market innovation for air cargo segment with 100% tracking reliability in field tests.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | FindMyULD App - Free ULD Tracking |
| Subscription | Multi-year contract | ULD Leasing - Flexible Term Options |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
ACL Airshop product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACL Airshop supplies, leases, and manages Unit Load Devices (ULDs) — the specialized containers and pallets used to load cargo into aircraft — for airlines, cargo carriers, and ground handlers. The company complements its ULD leasing business with container fleet management, repair and maintenance services, and round-the-clock customer support delivered through its owned network of more than 50 service stations across 40+ countries.
Product overview
ACL Airshop is a technology-enabled provider of Unit Load Device (ULD) solutions for the aviation industry. The company operates five complementary business segments: ULD Leasing, ULD Sales, ULD Repair, ULD Control, and Cargo Products Manufacturing. The core offering is Custom ULD Solutions, which combines physical ULD assets (pallets, containers, nets, straps) with digital services including the proprietary ULD Control logistics program, COREInsight Bluetooth ULD Tracking technology, and the FindMyULD mobile app. The ULD Digital Suite represents the company's technology platform that unifies these digital capabilities for fleet management, real-time tracking, and operational optimization. Physical products are available for sale, lease, or repair across a global network spanning over 55 locations on 6 continents serving over 200 airline customers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- ULD Leasing and Rental
Quantifiable outcome
- 6% to 10% savings on overall Life Cycle Cost of ULD fleet over 3-5 year period through technology tools
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use ACL Airshop
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
ACL Airshop technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature4 records
ACL Airshop partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- Silk Way West AirlinescoreMulti-year ULD agreement extension encompassing comprehensive ULD supply and management. Includes introduction of Bluetooth innovation for real-time ULD tracking. Partnership valued at well into 7 figures in fleet-wide efficiencies. ACL has been service partner with Silk Way for over 10 years including multiple airline units.
- Sonoco ThermoSafemajorGlobal agreement for handling and repair of Pegasus ULD temperature controlled bulk shippers for pharmaceutical transportation. ACL provides pre-conditioning, handling and repair services at pharma hub airports worldwide. Pegasus is world's first passive bulk temperature controlled container approved as ULD.
- VRRmajorLaunch partnership for first-ever collapsible AAY container. ACL is launch customer for container that weighs 280 kilos and can be erected/collapsed by two people in two minutes, seven times smaller than normal ULDs when folded. Container benefits from ACL's Bluetooth technology and FindMyULD application.
- PalNetcoreLong-standing manufacturing alliance for production of ULD pallets. PalNet produces pre-installed COREInsight Bluetooth tags for ACL Airshop customers. Partnership enables quality manufacturing and technology installation at source.
- CORE Transport TechnologiescoreStrategic alliance announced September 2017 at ULD Care Conference in Budapest for exclusive worldwide rights to license, sublicense, and sell COREInsight Bluetooth ULD tracking technology. First-to-market innovation for air cargo segment with 100% tracking reliability in field tests. CORE provides Bluetooth Low Energy tags and readers; ACL serves as channel partner for global air cargo industry.
Scale indicators12 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ACL Airshop competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Unilode Aviation Solutions: Unilode is the world's largest independent ULD management and pooling company, serving airlines with similar ULD leasing, repair, and digital tracking services. They compete head-to-head with ACL Airshop across global airline customers and represent the most direct comparable.
- Jettainer: A Lufthansa subsidiary providing ULD management services to airlines globally. Jettainer competes directly with ACL Airshop's ULD Control and fleet management offerings, particularly among European carriers.
- PalNet Pallet Services: Long-standing manufacturing alliance partner for ULD pallets, also a competitor in pallet pooling and management services. PalNet produces pre-installed COREInsight Bluetooth tags for ACL Airshop customers and serves as both a supplier and competing pallet provider.
- Air Logistics Group: Provides ULD management, repair, and leasing services to airlines, competing with ACL Airshop in select markets. Smaller scale than ACL but operates in similar segments of the ULD services value chain.
Broad incumbents
- Brambles (including CHEP Aerospace Solutions): Brambles' CHEP Aerospace Solutions division (now divested but historically a major ULD pooling competitor) operated aviation container pooling services. While Brambles is a broader logistics pooling company, its aerospace segment was a direct competitor to ACL Airshop's leasing business.
- Descartes Systems Group: Acquired CORE Transport Technologies in 2019, making Descartes the parent of ACL Airshop's key Bluetooth tracking technology partner. As a publicly traded logistics technology company with $275M+ revenue, Descartes provides the underlying IoT platform for ACL's tracking differentiation.
Emerging players
- DokaSch Temperature Solutions: Specializes in temperature-controlled air cargo containers (active and passive ULDs) for pharmaceutical and life sciences shipments. Competes with ACL Airshop's partnership with Sonoco ThermoSafe in the pharma ULD segment.
- VRR (Visser & Van Roon): Manufacturer of air cargo containers and ULDs, including the first-ever collapsible AAY container that ACL Airshop is launch customer for. VRR is both a supplier and partner, providing manufactured ULDs that ACL then leases and tracks.
- Sonoco ThermoSafe: Global provider of temperature-controlled packaging for pharmaceutical and life sciences, partnering with ACL Airshop for ULD handling and repair of Pegasus bulk shippers. Overlaps in the pharma cold chain ULD segment.
- DoKaSch Temperature Solutions: German manufacturer of active and passive temperature-controlled air cargo containers for pharmaceutical industry. Competes with ACL Airshop's pharma ULD offerings in the cold chain segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
ACL Airshop social profiles
Digital presenceACL Airshop compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance4 records
ACL Airshop financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ACL Airshop leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
ACL Airshop subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ACL Airshop funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ACL Airshop M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ACL Airshop
What does ACL Airshop do?
ACL Airshop supplies, leases, and manages Unit Load Devices (ULDs) — the specialized containers and pallets used to load cargo into aircraft — for airlines, cargo carriers, and ground handlers. The company complements its ULD leasing business with container fleet management, repair and maintenance services, and round-the-clock customer support delivered through its owned network of more than 50 service stations across 40+ countries.
Is ACL Airshop a public or private company?
ACL Airshop is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was ACL Airshop founded?
ACL Airshop was founded in 1983. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is ACL Airshop based?
ACL Airshop is headquartered in Greenville, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ACL Airshop make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. ULD Leasing is the primary driver. The others are ULD Sales, ULD Repair Services, ULD Control/Fleet Management, cargo Control Products Manufacturing and bluetooth Tracking Technology.
Who are ACL Airshop's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Unilode Aviation Solutions, Jettainer, PalNet Pallet Services and Air Logistics Group. Broad incumbents are Brambles (including CHEP Aerospace Solutions) and Descartes Systems Group. Emerging players are DokaSch Temperature Solutions, VRR (Visser & Van Roon), Sonoco ThermoSafe and DoKaSch Temperature Solutions.
Does ACL Airshop have an API?
No public API is recorded for ACL Airshop.