Van den Bosch Transporten

What Van den Bosch Transporten does

Van den Bosch Transporten B.V. is a privately held Dutch intermodal bulk logistics provider founded in 1964 and headquartered in Erp, Netherlands. The company transports liquid and dry bulk goods for the food and chemical industries via combinations of rail, sea, and road, and reports that 95% of its transport is intermodal. It operates 16 branches across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, including a regional headquarters in Dubai (Van den Bosch DMCC, established 2015) and wholly-owned subsidiaries in Spain (TCS Trans/Barcelona and Multirail), Sweden (Willis Larsson), Italy (Milan branch opened November 2023), and the UK (Tankspeed Logistics). The company employs approximately 700 people and processes 100,000+ shipments annually.

The technology stack combines owned physical assets with proprietary digital platforms. Physical assets include more than 3,000 tank containers in Dubai (described as the largest fleet on the African continent), 1,400+ silo trailers and containers in the dry bulk division, ISO tank containers up to 35,500 litres (High Volume Ultra Light, co-developed with Van Hool), and temperature-controlled 29,000-litre tanks for fresh juices. Digital products include Bulkio, an independent matching platform with 1,500+ connected European carriers (spun out in 2021 and rebranded in June 2025); FreightInsight 2.0, a customer portal for real-time shipment tracking, documents, and Smart Load Unit sensor data; the Online Academy (launched February 2026 with Mindsmith AI); and a Charter Portal and Sealing Tool for transport partners. Smart Load Units embed IoT sensors for live tracking, temperature, weight, seal status, and cleaning quality, integrated with BigMile for per-shipment CO2 reporting compliant with ISO 14083:2023 — Van den Bosch was the first carrier worldwide independently verified to this standard.

The business model is B2B and transaction-based, with quote-priced multi-year contracts across food (dry bulk grains, powders, vegetable oils, juices, animal feed under GMP+) and chemical (emulsions, lubricants, ethanol, fatty acids, dry chemicals under SQAS) customer segments. Named enterprise customers include Matco Chemicals (30+ year relationship with a dedicated branded fleet), Dow (Golden 4STAR award 2021), Refresco, BioMar, and various GMP+ certified animal feed customers. Distribution is direct via account management and business development teams, complemented by Bulkio and FreightInsight. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The company pursues growth through acquisitions (five completed between 2020 and 2025), branch expansion, fleet renewal (100+ new trucks deployed across five countries in 2026), and ESG positioning including EcoVadis Bronze, FSSC 22000, ISO 22000 (Dubai), and World-class Workplace certifications, with a stated SHIFT 2030 target of EcoVadis Gold.

Name

Van den Bosch Transporten

Legal name

Van den Bosch Transporten B.V.

Website

https://vandenbosch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Van den Bosch Transporten is a Dutch intermodal bulk logistics provider serving food and chemical enterprises with rail-sea-road transport of liquid and dry goods across Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, supported by owned tank and silo containers, digital platforms, and 16 owned branches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bulk Logistics Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Marine Cargo Handling (48832)

SIC

Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Trucking (No Local) (4213)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Transloading & Intermodal Bulk Transfer Facilities (Rail/Truck/Conveyor/Barge) (TLAHABAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bulk Commodities Transload (Grain, Feed, Fertilizer, Aggregates) (TLALAFAG), Cross-Docking & Transload Facilities (Non-Temp Controlled) (TLALAAAE)

Keywords

• Bulk logistics services
• Intermodal transport
• Tank container transport
• Supply chain solutions
• Dry bulk logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Erp

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Intermodal Bulk Transport Services: Core logistics services providing transport of liquid and dry bulk goods for food and chemical industries via rail, sea, and road. Revenue generated through freight fees based on distance, volume, and transport mode combinations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Van den Bosch Transporten is an international logistics service provider that moves liquid and dry bulk goods for the food and chemical industries through an intermodal network combining rail, sea and road transport, executed with an owned fleet of more than 3,700 tank and silo containers. Its delivery is layered with supply-chain services — modal shift consulting, shift-to-bulk, forwarding, conditioned/temperature-controlled transport and floating stock — and supported by proprietary digital platforms (Bulkio for capacity matching, FreightInsight for shipment visibility) and purpose-built equipment (High Volume Ultra Light tank containers).

Product overview

Van den Bosch Transporten is an intermodal bulk logistics provider offering a unified portfolio of transport and supply chain services. The core offering spans rail, sea, and road bulk transport for food and chemical industries, supported by owned equipment (tank and silo containers) and a growing digital platform layer. Key digital products include FreightInsight (real-time shipment tracking portal), Bulkio (matching platform for carriers), the Online Academy (AI-powered e-learning platform), and Smart Load Units (IoT-equipped containers). Physical training is delivered through the Van den Bosch Academy, while operational tools include the Sealing Tool, Charter Portal, and a Driver Manual. The company positions itself as 'The Supply Changer in Bulk', combining logistics expertise with data-driven insights to optimise supply chains across Europe, Africa, and beyond.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bulkio: Digital matching platform for bulk logistics that connects carriers and shippers, launched in 2021 and now with over 1500 connected carriers.
• FreightInsight
• Van den Bosch Academy
• Online Academy

Products and services

• Rail Transport Intermodal bulk rail transport for liquid and dry goods in tank and silo containers, used as part of Van den Bosch's intermodal network for food and chemical customers seeking lower-CO2, cost-efficient long-distance haulage across Europe.
• Sea Transport Short-sea and deep-sea bulk container shipping for liquid and dry goods in tank and silo containers, integrated into the intermodal network with rail and road for door-to-door deliveries.
• Road Transport Road-based collection, hub-to-hub and last-mile transport of tank and silo container loads, used for first/last-mile legs and pure road movements within the intermodal network.
• Deep Sea Tank Solutions Dedicated deep-sea tank solutions for shipping liquid bulk goods internationally in tank containers, integrated with Van den Bosch's intermodal network for shippers requiring reliable intercontinental and short-sea ocean transport.
• Supply Chain Solutions An umbrella of value-added logistics services including modal shift analysis, shift-to-bulk consulting, forwarding, conditioned/temperature-controlled transport and floating stock management, designed to optimize food and chemical customers' end-to-end supply chains.
• Bulkio Standalone digital matching platform within the Van den Bosch group that connects bulk logistics supply and demand, aggregating capacity from 1,500+ carriers for spot and contract shipments of bulk goods.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% of transport is intermodal, reducing environmental impact
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting, flagship and minor.

• MultirailcoreOthers · 7 July 2025Full acquisition completed July 2025 making Van den Bosch sole owner of Spanish rail company. Underlines confidence in intermodal transport development in Spain and connections with rest of Europe.
• CSTT-AO Group (Senegal)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 October 2023Partnership with Senegalese transport company for liquid bulk logistics, expanding West African network presence.
• Gé Simons Internationaal TransportcoreOthers · 14 November 2022Acquisition of activities from fellow transporter Gé Simons contributed to considerable growth in Italian market, partly leading to the opening of Milan branch in 2023.
• Amaris Terminals LtdsupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2022Partnership for new cleaning station in Ghana (West Africa) operational from January 2022. Modern tank cleaning facility runs at full capacity in collaboration with Amaris.
• TCS Trans (Barcelona)coreOthers · 6 October 2021Acquisition completed October 2021, TCS Trans is a leader in intermodal transport in Spain focused on dry bulk for petrochemical industry. Provided entry into Spanish market with growth potential.
• BulkiocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 April 2021Bulkio is a digital matching platform that brings together supply and demand in bulk logistics. Originally FreightMatch from Van den Bosch, it became independent in 2021 and now connects 1500+ European carriers. Van den Bosch strengthened collaboration to meet growing demand for forwarding solutions.
• Tankspeed Logistics LtdsupportingOthers · 7 April 2021Acquisition of activities in Newport (South Wales) strengthening leading position in intermodal dry bulk transport in Europe.
• Willis Larsson Transport ABcoreOthers · 12 February 2020Acquisition of Swedish transport company strengthening position in Northern Europe. Willis Larsson has strong position in intermodal dry bulk transport with modern fleet of trucks and 40FT pressure containers operating across Nordic countries, Benelux, Germany, Austria and UK.
• UNICEF NederlandflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2011Strategic partnership since 2011 supporting child nutrition and education initiatives. Supports 'Plastic Bricks' (now 'Recycling Plastic, Creating Schools') in Ivory Coast building schools from recycled plastic, and 'Maman Lumière' nutrition program in Burundi. Extended through 2024 with new 'Climate Smart Villages' program in Madagascar.
• Van HoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Belgian manufacturer Van Hool for development and production of specialized tank containers. Collaboration resulted in High Volume Ultra Light tank container (35,500L capacity) and High Volume Ultra Light chassis innovations. Van den Bosch invests in series of 100 updated containers from Van Hool.
• Freight Fowarders LtdcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term partnership with family business in East Africa for supply chain optimization. Partnership provides strong representation in Kenya and Tanzania, enabling Van den Bosch to expand network and pursue supply chain optimization opportunities in the region.
• MindsmithsupportingTechnology or IntegrationAI-based tool used for developing interactive e-learning courses in Van den Bosch's Online Academy. Tool automatically converts existing documents into storyboards for e-learnings, enriched with visuals, videos, interactive elements and custom translations.
• DS Hospitality ServiceminorOthersCatering partnership for the new Work Café facility at headquarters. DS Hospitality previously operated exhibition stands at Munich trade fairs, expanding partnership to include on-site catering services.
• Celero GroupcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership announced September 2023 to expand network connections in East Africa and Indian Ocean islands, complementing existing Kenya and Tanzania operations.
• BigMilesupportingTechnology or IntegrationPartnership with CO2 emissions calculation platform BigMile. Van den Bosch offers customers 0-measurement emissions reports based on collected data. Partnership resulted in 50% CO2 savings for Refresco customer.
• European Rail OperatorscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with rail operators across Europe enabling transport to almost every European destination. More than half of intermodal dry bulk transport now goes by rail.
• Shipping Companies and PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorWork closely with reputable shipping companies and partners plus local carriers for transporting goods from terminal to final destination. Enables short sea, deep sea and inland shipping solutions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/van-den-bosch
• Xx.com/vdb_transport

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries7 records

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 Van den Bosch Transporten