DF Young

What DF Young does

DF Young (legal: Daniel F. Young, Inc., d/b/a dfYOUNG) is a privately held, family-owned international freight forwarder and licensed U.S. customs house broker founded in 1903 in Philadelphia and headquartered in Berwyn, PA. The company provides multimodal logistics services across air, ocean, ground, and rail; licensed customs brokerage; warehousing and distribution; temperature-controlled cold-chain storage and transportation; white-glove home delivery; project logistics for oversized and time-sensitive cargo; and security/defense cargo handling for Foreign Military Sales and government programs. It serves enterprise customers across six dedicated verticals: Automotive, Life Sciences, Food & Beverage, Aerospace & Defense, Government, and Project & Custom Logistics, with named accounts including General Motors (Fortune 10), a global bio-pharmaceuticals manufacturer, an industry leader in mobility devices, a global chocolate manufacturer, and an international construction firm (customer since 2004).

Name

DF Young

Legal name

Daniel F. Young, Inc.

Website

https://dfyoung.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1903

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

DF Young (Daniel F. Young, Inc.) is a privately held, family-owned international freight forwarder and U.S. customs house broker serving enterprise customers across Automotive, Life Sciences, Defense, Government, Food & Beverage, and Project Logistics through proprietary technology and an 85-country agent network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berwyn

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Air Freight Services: Global air cargo shipments through subsidiary Young Air Cargo Corporation. Services include air freight forwarding, consolidation and charter services, handling shipments from one-pound emergency parts to chartered entire aircraft for project cargoes. Operates bonded container freight station at JFK International Airport with 24-hour service.
2. Ocean Freight Services: Complete import and export ocean freight forwarding services. Includes consolidation and warehousing, NVOCC/OTI service, and expertise in charter, hazardous, perishable and project cargo.
3. Ground Transportation: Domestic and international ground shipping including Full-Truck Load (FTL), Less-Than-Truck Load (LTL), door-to-door service, ISO tank and oversized/project cargo loads, ocean container and air cargo drayage, inter-coastal barge transportation, and intermodal through transportation.
4. Rail Services: Rail transportation solutions including various wagon types and containers for piece (including oversized and heavyweight) and bulk cargo, dangerous goods, automobiles and equipment, refrigerated transport, and intermodal container shipments combining ocean, rail, and road transport.
5. Security Management Services: Security services for military cargo including participation in C-TPAT Program, handling of FMS materials, and hazardous materials shipping. Certified for shipment of explosives, munitions, hazardous and dangerous goods, oversized equipment, and specialty cargo.
6. Customs Brokerage: Licensed customs house broker services including ABI certification, Remote Location Filing (RLF), Automated Clearing House (ACH) processing, duty drawback and protest processing, Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) processing, customs bond facilitation, and electronic data interchange (EDI).
7. Warehousing and Distribution: Logistics support from purchase order inception to final delivery. Includes secured facilities in major distribution centers, warehouse management system, inventory control, consolidation, assembly, packing, crating, distribution and breakbulk services.
8. Home Delivery: Direct-to-consumer delivery service with multiple service levels (curbside, threshold, white glove), online appointment scheduling, automated email alerts, and reverse logistics. Covers all U.S. ZIP codes.
9. Temperature Controlled Storage & Transportation: Cold chain logistics including food-grade freezers and coolers, temperature-controlled packing solutions using dry and wet ice, pharmaceutical grade refrigerant capabilities, and final mile delivery for temperature-sensitive products.
10. White Glove Services: Specialized freight distribution programs including 4-hour appointment window deliveries, 30-minute pre-call, light assembly, removal of packaging materials, and dedicated customer service for medical and life sciences/pharmaceutical applications.
11. Project Logistics: Custom solutions for unique and challenging logistics problems with dedicated project management. Specialization in oversized and heavyweight needs, complex transportation requirements, and out-of-the-box solutions for various industries.
12. Custom Technology Solutions: Customer-driven customized logistics technology solutions leveraging information technology to create efficient ways of doing business. Integration capabilities with supply chain partners and evolving solutions as customer requirements change.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

DF Young is a full-service international freight forwarder and customs house broker providing multi-modal logistics solutions (air, ocean, ground, rail) plus warehousing, customs brokerage, temperature-controlled storage, white glove delivery, and project logistics for enterprise customers. The company serves vertical-specific needs in automotive, life sciences, food & beverage, aerospace & defense, government, and project/custom logistics, supported by proprietary tracking platforms and a global agent network spanning 85+ countries.

Product overview

dfYOUNG offers a comprehensive suite of logistics services organized around a core transportation and supply chain management platform. The offering encompasses six primary service lines—Air, Ocean, Ground, Rail, Warehousing, and Home Delivery—augmented by specialized capabilities including Temperature Controlled Storage, White Glove delivery, Customs Brokerage, Security Management, and Project Logistics. The portfolio is distinguished by proprietary technology products including the V-Logistics IT Solution for vehicle tracking, the AutoGuard Container for specialty vehicle transport, and a Custom Visibility System for real-time shipment monitoring. The e-Logistics platform (ship.dfyoung.com) serves as the customer-facing digital interface for tracking and supply chain visibility. Integration capabilities extend to major ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft) and industry standards (EDI, XML) enabling seamless data exchange with enterprise customers. The company operates a subsidiary, Young Air Cargo Corporation, to expedite air cargo shipments globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 99% on-time delivery success rate in Life Sciences logistics
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• U.S. Military Container ManufacturersupportingOthersDF Young contracted a container manufacturer who produces containers for the U.S. Military to manufacture the custom AutoGuard airfreight container using military-grade aluminum. This partnership enabled the creation of proprietary containers providing unmatched safety and security for high-value specialty vehicles.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• C.H. Robinson: Major North American freight forwarder and 3PL with global capabilities across truck, ocean, and air. Competes for enterprise logistics contracts though oriented more toward standard freight than DF Young's specialty niches.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Global logistics market leader in air, ocean, and road freight forwarding plus customs services. John Luludis (DF Young VP IT) previously served as SVP Information Systems for DHL's logistics organization, evidencing competitive overlap in both customer base and operational complexity.
• Expeditors International: Large publicly-traded global logistics provider offering airfreight, ocean freight, and customs brokerage. Significantly larger than DF Young but competes for the same enterprise customers requiring multi-modal global freight forwarding services.
• DSV Panalpina: Global transport and logistics company offering air and sea freight forwarding, road transportation, and contract logistics. Has acquired several U.S. mid-market forwarders (Panalpina, GIL, UTi) competing directly in DF Young's addressable market.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with deep specialty logistics capabilities in perishables, pharma, and aerospace & defense—directly overlapping with DF Young's key verticals but at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Transplace / Uber Freight: Technology-driven logistics platform offering managed transportation and freight services. Represents the digitally-native competition that could pressure traditional forwarders like DF Young in standard freight categories, though less relevant for specialty regulated verticals.

Direct peers

• CEVA Logistics: Global 3PL providing freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs brokerage with similar multi-modal service offerings. Larger than DF Young but directly competitive for global account RFPs; Mike Kranzel previously held Senior Director of Global Accounts at CEVA.
• Kerry Logistics Network: Asia-headquartered global 3PL offering international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and integrated logistics with comparable service portfolio. Competitively positioned in similar mid-tier enterprise logistics market segments.
• AIT Worldwide Logistics: Mid-market global freight forwarder and customs broker offering multi-modal transportation, warehousing, and specialty logistics across similar verticals. Mike Kranzel joined DF Young from AIT, indicating strong overlap in customer base and operating model—comparable in size and service portfolio.
• Priority Solutions International: Specialty logistics provider focused on pharmaceutical distribution and time-sensitive B2B shipments. COO Chris Carpenter was previously President at PSI, suggesting deep operational overlap in pharma/cold chain verticals where DF Young competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/df-young-inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about DF Young