Suttons Group

What Suttons Group does

Suttons Group is a UK-headquartered, family-founded logistics operator (est. 1926, Widnes, Cheshire) specializing in the bulk transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals, gases, fuels, and foodstuffs. The business operates two principal divisions: Suttons International, which runs a global ISO tank container logistics network using a fleet of more than 14,000 tanks across 48 international locations spanning Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia, and the Middle East; and Suttons Tankers, which provides UK road tanker services for chemicals, fuels, gases, powders, and liquid waste. Revenue is generated through multi-year contract logistics, dedicated fleet leasing, spot logistics for ad-hoc demand, supply chain optimization (claiming up to 10% annual customer savings), and ancillary tank maintenance, repair, and cleaning services. Pricing is quote-based and structured around contract, usage-based, and savings-share models rather than published rates.

The company's technical platform centers on its Tankmiles telematics system providing real-time GPS tracking, temperature monitoring, and shock detection on every tank, supported by a Business Intelligence layer with daily KPI updates and a customer-facing visibility portal in development. Customer segments are primarily enterprise chemical, gas, fuel, and food manufacturers served through dedicated key account managers across regional offices. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales with agent networks in emerging markets. As of 2026, Suttons operates as a subsidiary of Stolt-Nielsen Limited following completion of the acquisition of Suttons International Holdings Limited.

Name

Suttons Group

Legal name

Thomas Cradley Group Holdings Limited

Website

https://suttonsgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1926

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Suttons Group is a UK-based bulk logistics operator specializing in ISO tank container and road tanker transport of chemicals, gases, fuels, and foodstuffs for global enterprise customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bulk Liquid Chemical Logistics

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Other Warehousing and Storage (49319)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking (No Local) (4213), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)

akta.pro primary industry

Tank Container (ISO Tank) Liquid Intermodal Transport (TLADALAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Liquid Bulk / Tanker Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAL), Bulk & Industrial Storage (Tank, Silo, Drum, IBC) (TLAIACAH), Hazmat Bulk Tank, ISO Tank & Tank Container Transport (TLACANAJ), Tanker Vehicles (Fuel/Chemical/Food-Grade) Leasing & Rental (TLABAEAB)

Keywords

• Bulk chemical logistics
• Tank container transport
• Hazardous goods haulage
• Road tanker services
• ISO tank leasing

Headquarters

HQ city

Widnes

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Tank Container Logistics Services: International tank container logistics for hazardous and non-hazardous chemicals, including supply chain management, contract logistics, spot logistics, and lined tank services. Revenue generated through leasing and operating ISO tank containers for global multimodal transportation.
2. UK Road Tanker Logistics: Road tanker operations within the UK covering chemicals, fuel, gas, powder, and liquid waste transport. Revenue generated through dedicated contract services and haulage fleet management.
3. Tank Maintenance and Repair: Tank container maintenance, repair, testing (pneumatic at 2.5 years, hydraulic at 5 years), cleaning, and modification services. Includes bespoke tank manufacturing and fleet management.
4. Fleet Management Services: Testing, servicing, and modifying containers including IBCs and full-size tank containers. Includes depot facilities for tank storage and cleaning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Suttons Group provides international ISO tank container logistics and UK road tanker haulage for hazardous and non-hazardous bulk liquids including chemicals, gases, fuels, and foodstuffs. Its services span supply chain management, contract and spot logistics, lined tank transport, tank maintenance and repair, and proprietary telematics-based visibility through the Tankmiles and SAVVY tracking platforms.

Product overview

Suttons Group operates two main divisions: Suttons International (global tank container logistics with 14,000+ ISO tanks) and Suttons Tankers (UK road tanker operations). The product portfolio centers on bulk liquid chemical, gas, and fuel transportation with specialized offerings including ISO Tank Container Logistics as the core platform, supplemented by International Supply Chain Management, Contract Logistics, Spot Logistics, and Lined Tank Logistics services. Technology modules include Tankmiles/Telematics Tracking for real-time GPS monitoring, Logistics Business Intelligence for data analytics, and ISO Tank Specs for specialized container configurations. UK operations include Road Tanker Logistics and Short Sea services. The offering is modular, allowing customers to combine core logistics services with specialized tank types (baffle, heated, gas, swapbody, bespoke) and technology add-ons based on their specific transportation requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ISO Tank Container Logistics Global multimodal transportation of hazardous and non-hazardous bulk chemicals in ISO tank containers, using a fleet of 14,000+ units with comprehensive routing, leasing, and management for chemical industry customers worldwide.
• International Supply Chain Management Service End-to-end supply chain management service with a global procurement team and dedicated systems control platform that streamlines operations and delivers reported up to 10% annual savings for enterprise chemical shippers.
• International Contract Logistics Multi-year contract tank container service offering dedicated fleet leasing, round-trip transport, and operation of customer-owned tanks for enterprise customers with volume commitments.
• International Spot Logistics Ad-hoc spot market pricing and short-term transportation of bulk liquid and gas products, allowing dynamic response to volatile demand, smaller shippers, or backup logistics needs.
• Lined Tank Logistics Services Specialist tank container logistics using custom-lined containers (PTFE, rubber, phenolic resin, silicone, polyglass) to transport corrosive or sensitive chemicals safely with enhanced chemical compatibility.
• UK Road Tanker Logistics Flexible nationwide UK road tanker transport for hazardous and non-hazardous bulk liquids including chemicals, fuels, gases, powders, and liquid waste, tailored per customer requirements.
• UK Short Sea Logistics European Short Sea service operating 400 baffle tanks between the UK and Europe, handling about 150 loads per week for import-export loops and intra-European shipments.
• Tankmiles Tracking Cloud-based telematics portal providing real-time GPS location, temperature conditions, shock detection, task management, and business analytics for customers managing Suttons tank containers.
• Logistics Business Intelligence Data analytics and visualization platform providing instant KPI reporting, operational efficiency analysis, and customer portal account visibility across the logistics network.
• Tank Container Maintenance and Repair Maintenance, repair, periodic testing (pneumatic at 2.5 years, hydraulic at 5 years), cleaning, modification, and bespoke tank manufacturing services at depot facilities including Widnes, Hull, Stockton, and Jinshan.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50,000+ multimodal shipments per year
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Arabia Chemical TerminalscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Joint venture formed in 2012 to create Suttons Arabia, expanding presence in Middle East market for chemical logistics services.
• Hapag-LloydcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShipping line partnership providing reliable shipping schedules and container space allocation for Brazil operations, ensuring punctual departures and arrivals for customers.
• ZimcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShipping line partnership for Brazil operations providing container space and reliable shipping schedules for trans-Pacific, trans-Atlantic, and intra-Latin America trade lanes.
• MaerskcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerShipping line partnership for Brazil operations ensuring consistent shipping schedules and cargo space availability across major trade routes.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bertschi Group: Swiss-headquartered global tank container and bulk liquid logistics specialist focused on chemical and petrochemical supply chains. Directly comparable to Suttons on asset-heavy ISO tank fleet, hazardous/non-hazardous chemicals, and global multimodal operations.
• Hoyer Group: Germany-based family-run bulk liquid logistics company operating a large ISO tank container fleet for chemical, food, gas and fuel customers. Closely comparable business model to Suttons with similar specialization on global tank logistics and lined/heated tank types.
• Den Hartogh Logistics: Dutch bulk liquid logistics provider specializing in chemical, gas, food and industrial bulk transport with multimodal tank container operations across Europe and globally. Overlapping customer base and capabilities with Suttons' chemicals and gases vertical.
• BULK Liquid Solutions (VTG): European chemical logistics specialist (part of VTG) operating ISO tank containers and bulk liquid rail/road services across Europe. Comparable to Suttons on multimodality and chemical-sector customer focus.
• Linden Group: German family-owned chemicals logistics and tank container operator. Similar size and specialization profile to Suttons, including hazardous/non-hazardous chemical transport.

Broad incumbents

• Stolt-Nielsen Limited: Now Suttons' parent company, Stolt-Nielsen is a larger, publicly-listed global player in iso tank container logistics, tank terminal storage, and bulk liquid chemicals transport. Most direct incumbent peer at much greater scale.
• Eurotainer: One of the world's largest ISO tank container lessors with global depot network. Overlaps with Suttons' tank leasing, depot storage, and containerized liquid bulk logistics.
• DHL Supply Chain: Global contract logistics giant that divested its UK bulk chemical business to Suttons in 2019. Broader incumbent competing in adjacent chemical and contract logistics segments.
• Kuehne + Nagel: Global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with established chemical logistics practice. Competes with Suttons on international freight arrangement, supply chain management and multimodal shipments for chemical customers.

Emerging players

• Rietveld Forwarding & Logistics: Independent Dutch chemical logistics firm with road, rail and tank container services across Europe. Comparable to Suttons' regional chemicals vertical and contract logistics offering.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SuttonsGroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/suttons-transport-group

Compliance18 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Suttons Group