What Centrimex does

Centrimex (legal entity Centre Imex SAS) is a French freight forwarding and logistics company founded in 1948 in Marseille by M. Haddad and now headquartered in Vitrolles, near Marseille. The firm provides international transport services across maritime, air, multimodal, and road modes, complemented by customs brokerage (Représentant en douane), consolidation (groupage), warehousing, project cargo handling, door-to-door delivery, and cargo insurance brokerage under the Cargo Zen brand. Its customer base is segmented vertically across industry, construction (BTP), wood and commodities, distribution and supermarkets, wheeled cargo, chemistry and pharmaceuticals, luxury goods and cosmetics, wine and spirits, fairs and events, and agribusiness. Go-to-market is primarily enterprise field sales through a global network of 26 offices and subsidiaries (including Colimex in Africa), supplemented by a self-serve online quote request channel on centrimex.com.

The technology stack is deliberately traditional: Centrimex uses standard logistics management systems alongside mandated EU customs platforms (ICS2, ANTES, DELTA IE, DELTA T, GUM) for clearance operations. There is no proprietary technology platform, no public API or SDK, and no disclosed AI/ML capabilities. The firm instead monetizes regulatory credentials (OEA / Authorized Economic Operator certification since 2012, approval number 3408; registered commissionnaire de transport) and physical assets (own bonded warehouses in Paris, Rouen, and Marseille, with Paris offering temperature-controlled storage for pharmaceuticals and perishables). Service delivery leans heavily on human expertise from customs declarants and regional specialists, particularly for Africa trade lanes where waivers and local procedures (ECTN, BESC) require domain knowledge.

The business model is transaction-based freight forwarding: revenue is generated per shipment via quote-based pricing calculated on cargo weight, volume, transport mode, route complexity, and variable surcharges (VATOS such as BAF and CAF), with prices renegotiated at least annually. Revenue streams span freight forwarding fees (transaction-based), customs representation (professional services), warehousing (managed services with fixed-at-quote storage fees, typically 15-30 day minimums), and affiliate-style cargo insurance brokerage (Cargo Zen). The firm is closely held, with President Philippe Haddad continuing the founder-family leadership, SAS share capital of €3,040,180, no external investors identified, and approximately 315 employees operating across Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.

Name

Centrimex

Legal name

Centre Imex

Website

https://centrimex.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Centrimex is a French freight forwarder and logistics provider founded in 1948, offering maritime, air, multimodal transport, customs brokerage, bonded warehousing, and cargo insurance across 26 offices in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, serving industry, construction, pharma, distribution, and luxury verticals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL), Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Customs brokerage services
• Maritime transport logistics
• Bonded warehousing storage
• Multimodal cargo transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Vitrolles

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices19 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Core revenue from organizing and coordinating international freight transport across maritime, air, multimodal, and road modes. Charges are based on cargo weight, volume, route complexity, and applicable surcharges (VATOS such as BAF, CAF).
2. Customs Representation: Revenue from providing customs clearance services as a licensed customs representative (Représentant en douane). Includes document preparation, duty/tax calculation, and regulatory compliance services.
3. Warehousing and Storage: Revenue from storage services at company-owned bonded warehouses in Paris, Rouen, and Marseille. Storage fees are quoted at time of service; storage runs from 15 days for dangerous goods and 30 days for other merchandise.
4. Cargo Insurance Brokerage: Revenue from offering Cargo Zen insurance coverage for shipments across all transport modes. Insurance is arranged on behalf of customers through third-party insurers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Centrimex is an international freight forwarder organizing and coordinating cross-border transport across maritime, air, multimodal, and road modes for B2B clients. The offering is supplemented by licensed customs representation across all French ports and airports, bonded warehousing (including temperature-controlled facilities for pharmaceuticals and perishables) in Paris, Rouen, and Marseille, sea and air consolidation (groupage), cargo insurance brokerage (Cargo Zen), and door-to-door delivery. Specialized freight forwarding service lines cover Europe-Africa and Europe-Asia trade lanes via a network of 26 offices and subsidiaries.

Product overview

Centrimex is a freight forwarding and logistics company offering an integrated suite of transport and supply chain services. The core offering centers on maritime, air, multimodal, and project cargo transport, supplemented by customs brokerage, consolidation (sea and air groupage), warehousing (including temperature-controlled facilities), cargo insurance (Cargo Zen), and door-to-door services. The company operates specialized service lines for Africa and Asia freight forwarding, supported by practical tools including Incoterms guides, transport glossaries, container type references, dangerous goods guides, and export guides. Services are delivered through a network of 26 offices and subsidiaries across Europe, Africa, and Asia, with own-bonded warehouses in Paris, Rouen, and Marseille.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maritime Transport (Transport Maritime) International maritime freight services including full container loads (FCL), less-than-container loads (LCL), bulk cargo, RoRo, and project cargo shipments via major ports in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. For B2B importers and exporters.
• Air Transport (Transport Aérien) Air freight services ranging from economy to premium options, including cargo aircraft charter and air freight consolidation for time-sensitive international shipments. For B2B clients requiring fast delivery.
• Multimodal Transport (Transport Multimodal) Combined transport solutions that integrate maritime, air, road, rail, and river freight to optimize routing and costs for complex international shipments. For enterprise clients with complex logistics requirements.
• Project Cargo Specialized handling and multimodal transport for out-of-gauge cargo, complete factory relocations, aircraft and vessel charter (RoRo), and extreme-dimension freight requiring custom logistics solutions. For industrial and EPC clients.
• Door-to-Door Shipping Comprehensive door-to-door shipping service covering factory pickup, customs clearance, and final delivery signature, handling all transport modes and documentation. For B2B clients requiring end-to-end logistics.
• Warehousing & Logistics (Logistique & Entrepôts) Warehousing and logistics services including customs-bonded storage, temperature-controlled facilities for perishable and pharmaceutical goods, stuffing and optimization, cargo reception and storage, and degroupage operations at own warehouses in Paris, Rouen, and Marseille.
• Customs Brokerage (Douane) Licensed customs representation services covering all French ports and airports for import and export formalities, with experienced customs declarants handling EORI registration, duty calculations, ATA carnets, and clearance documentation.
• Sea Freight Groupage (Groupage Maritime) Sea freight consolidation service grouping shipments from multiple shippers into shared containers, offering cost-effective solutions for smaller volumes with regular departures. For mid-market shippers.
• Air Freight Groupage (Groupage Aérien) Air freight consolidation for urgent or smaller shipments, providing economical options compared to dedicated air cargo while maintaining reliable transit times. For time-sensitive mid-volume shippers.
• Cargo Insurance (Cargo Zen / Assurance Transport) Cargo insurance product covering shipments across all transport modes — maritime, rail, river, road, air, and multimodal — for comprehensive protection against loss or damage during transit. Brokered via Cargo Zen.
• Africa Freight Forwarding (Transitaire Afrique) Specialized freight forwarding brand for Africa operations, covering West Africa and Central Africa, with expertise in regional customs procedures across countries including Cameroon, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, and Madagascar.
• Asia Freight Forwarding (Transitaire Asie) Specialized freight forwarding for Asia operations with offices in China (Shanghai, Shenzhen) and coverage of India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, UAE, and Lebanon, handling import-export flows to and from Asia.

Quantifiable outcome

• 73,500 TEUs transported annually
• +2 more outcomes

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CMA CGM GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 August 2020CMA CGM Group partnered with Centrimex for the humanitarian operation 'Un bateau pour le Liban' following the Beirut port explosions. Centrimex participated by organizing and consolidating humanitarian cargo (medical supplies and essential goods) into containers shipped on CMA CGM RoRo vessels from Marseille to Lebanon.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Geodis: Geodis is a France-headquartered global freight forwarder and logistics provider (subsidiary of SNCF) offering road, air, sea, and rail forwarding plus contract logistics. Directly comparable to Centrimex in service mix (multimodal forwarding, customs, warehousing) and French base.
• Bolloré Logistics: Bolloré Logistics is the freight forwarding and logistics arm of French conglomerate Bolloré, with deep Africa expertise and multimodal capabilities. Directly comparable to Centrimex given the French base, Africa specialization, and similar end-to-end forwarding offering.
• CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics is a Marseille-headquartered global 3PL owned by CMA CGM, offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs services. Closely comparable to Centrimex in origin, service portfolio, and customer segments (industry, retail, luxury).
• DACHSER: DACHSER is a German family-owned global logistics provider combining road freight, air & sea forwarding, and contract logistics. Comparable to Centrimex as a mid-large privately held multimodal forwarder with strong European roots and global expansion.
• Africa Global Logistics: Africa Global Logistics (formerly Bolloré Transport & Logistics) is Africa's leading multimodal logistics operator with port, rail, and forwarding services. The most directly comparable Africa-specialized peer to Centrimex's Colimex network.
• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a US-headquartered global freight forwarder with strong ocean and air forwarding across Asia, Europe, and emerging markets. Comparable to Centrimex in asset-light, customer-service-oriented forwarding model.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders, headquartered in Switzerland, offering sea, air, road, and contract logistics globally. A much larger incumbent with overlapping service offerings to Centrimex across all transport modes and verticals.
• DSV: DSV is a Denmark-headquartered global freight forwarder that has grown aggressively via M&A (UTi, Panalpina, DB Schenker). A much larger incumbent offering air/sea/road forwarding and contract logistics across all of Centrimex's geographies.
• DB Schenker: DB Schenker is a German global logistics provider offering land transport, air/ocean freight, and contract logistics (now part of DSV). A broad incumbent with overlapping multimodal forwarding services and global footprint comparable to Centrimex.

Others

• CMA CGM: CMA CGM is a Marseille-based global ocean carrier and logistics group that has partnered with Centrimex on humanitarian shipping operations. Comparable as a French-headquartered shipping/logistics ecosystem participant and partner rather than direct forwarder competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCTLQ4Wwo4wtq4n6UNKgIlwg
• Facebookfacebook.com/Centrimex
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centrimex
• Instagraminstagram.com/centrimex_
• Xx.com/centrimex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries8 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 Centrimex