What International Forwarding does

International Forwarding Limited (IFL) is a UK-based freight forwarder and third-party logistics provider founded in 1989, headquartered in Coleshill within Birmingham's 'Golden Triangle of logistics'. The company delivers an integrated one-stop offering that spans road, air, and sea freight forwarding; UK and European pallet delivery and collection; AEO-accredited customs clearance; 165,000 sq ft of warehousing across three Birmingham facilities; cargo handling and container destuffing; and full 3PL/supply chain management. Its target customers are UK manufacturers and engineering businesses, FMCG distributors, healthcare providers (including NHS trusts), automotive and aerospace suppliers, telecommunications firms, and ecommerce retailers — collectively 1,000+ UK businesses plus overseas shippers. Reach extends across 15+ European countries via the Palletways network and dedicated European transport partners (most notably Glob-Sped-AG for Switzerland), with worldwide shipping executed through sea and air freight arrangements.

IFL's technology stack is operationally focused rather than product-led. Core infrastructure includes GPS-enabled fleet tracking with two-hour ETA windows, a 24/7 warehouse management system providing live inventory visibility, an Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) capability for automated order flow with key accounts, and a direct Customs Declaration Service (CDS) link to HMRC for accelerated customs clearance. The Palletways Platinum membership provides access to an online booking, track-and-trace, text and email alerts, and electronic-proof-of-delivery portal. The company does not offer a public or partner-facing API, and its technology assets are oriented around execution reliability rather than proprietary differentiation.

Revenue is generated transactionally: freight forwarding and pallet delivery are priced per consignment on size, weight, destination, and transit time; warehousing is sold on a unit-storage basis with multi-year contracts; and customs clearance is delivered as a professional service. The go-to-market model is sales-led and direct (phone, email, website quote forms with 30-minute response times during office hours), supplemented by the Palletways channel partnership for UK pallets and European transport partnerships for cross-border freight. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; volume discounts are available for frequent shippers.

Name

International Forwarding

Legal name

International Forwarding Limited

Website

https://internationalforwarding.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UK freight forwarder and 3PL provider founded in 1989 in Birmingham, offering road, air, sea, pallet, warehousing, and AEO-accredited customs clearance services to 1,000+ manufacturing, FMCG, healthcare, and commercial clients across the UK and 15+ European countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk & Tanker Road Freight Forwarding (Dry Bulk, Liquids, Chemicals) (TLACACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Freight Brokerage (FCL/LCL) (TLADAMAF), E-commerce Cross-Border Air Parcel Forwarding (DDP/DDU, De Minimis) (TLACAAAJ), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Pallet delivery services
• Customs clearance
• Warehouse storage
• Logistics management

Headquarters

HQ city

Birmingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Core revenue stream from road, air, and sea freight forwarding. Pricing based on consignment size, weight, destination, and delivery time. Offers express and economy options with flexible pricing.
2. Pallet Delivery Services: Palletised freight delivery throughout UK and Europe via Palletways network. Includes next working day UK express, 48-hour economy UK, and 48-72 hour European delivery options.
3. Warehousing and Storage: 165,000 sq ft of warehouse storage space in Birmingham. Revenue from short and long-term storage contracts with handling services included. UKWA accredited facilities.
4. Customs Clearance: Customs brokerage and clearance services for imports and exports through Birmingham office and Dover agent. AEO-accredited status enables streamlined procedures.
5. Groupage Services: Freight consolidation services allowing cost-sharing between businesses shipping to similar destinations. Economy option for time-flexible deliveries.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

International Forwarding Limited (IFL) is a Birmingham-based freight forwarder providing UK and European road, air and sea freight forwarding, pallet delivery and collection, customs clearance, groupage, and integrated 3PL/warehousing services. Operating since 1989, the company combines its own Euro 6 compliant fleet, 165,000 sq ft of Birmingham warehousing, and its Palletways Platinum membership to deliver next-day UK and 48–72 hour European freight solutions for commercial shippers.

Product overview

International Forwarding Limited (IFL) operates as a freight forwarding and logistics platform offering a comprehensive suite of integrated services. The core offering includes Freight Forwarding (road, air, and sea transport), supplemented by UK Haulage Services, Pallet Delivery and Collection, Groupage Transport, Customs Clearance, Warehouse Storage, and Cargo Handling. These services are tied together through Supply Chain Management/3PL Solutions, enabling customers to access integrated logistics from collection through to delivery. IFL leverages its Palletways Platinum membership for UK-wide coverage and maintains AEO accreditation for customs. The company operates three warehouses totalling 165,000 sq ft in Birmingham with 165,000 sq ft of storage capacity.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% on-time delivery rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PalletwayscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2002IFL is a Platinum member of Palletways UK pallet transport network since 2002. This partnership provides access to the UK's largest express palletised freight network with 120+ member depots across UK and Ireland, enabling overnight and economy pallet delivery services. Customers benefit from online booking, track and trace, text and email alerts, two-hour delivery windows, and electronic proof of delivery.
• Road Haulage Association (RHA)minorOthersMember of the Road Haulage Association, the trade association for the UK road transport industry.
• British International Freight Association (BIFA)minorOthersMember of BIFA, the UK trade association for international freight transport, forwarding and logistics.
• UK Warehousing Association (UKWA)minorOthersAccredited member of UKWA, independently assessed and audited to demonstrate highest standards in logistics and warehousing.
• Glob-Sped-AGcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDedicated Swiss transport partner for IFL's flagship Switzerland freight service since 2003. Provides driver-accompanied door-to-door delivery within 48/72 hours for Swiss shipping, recognized as one of the leading palletised freight transports in the industry.
• Dover Customs AgentcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership with Dover agent for customs brokerage services specializing in export and import clearances, particularly for Channel Tunnel traffic through Stop24 freight facility at Folkestone.
• European Transport PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of European transport partners providing coverage across 15+ European countries for cross-border road freight services, groupage, full and part truck loads.
• HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC)coreTechnology or IntegrationIFL holds Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status and maintains a direct CDS link to HMRC's trader import/export processing system for streamlined customs clearances.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pall-Ex: UK-wide palletised freight distribution network operating a hub-and-spoke model very similar to Palletways. A direct competitor for palletised delivery volumes that IFL serves through its Palletways Platinum membership.
• Palletline: UK palletised freight network competing head-to-head with Palletways for regional pallet distribution volumes. Closely comparable network-based UK pallet business model to IFL's domestic pallet operations.
• Fortec Distribution Network: UK palletised freight and same-day distribution network with a similar multi-region depot model to Palletways. Direct competitor for the overnight and economy pallet volumes that underpin IFL's road freight offering.

Broad incumbents

• Wincanton: Large UK 3PL and haulage provider offering road transport, pallet distribution, warehousing, and supply chain services — direct overlap with IFL's end-to-end logistics stack, but at much larger enterprise scale.
• Eddie Stobart Logistics: Major UK road haulage, pallet distribution, and warehousing operator serving many of the same Midlands manufacturing and FMCG customers as IFL, with overlapping AEO and Palletways-equivalent capabilities.
• XPO Logistics: Global logistics and freight-forwarding incumbent with significant UK and European road-freight and contract logistics operations. Overlaps with IFL on pallet, road freight, and warehousing services at much greater scale and geographic reach.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Top-tier global freight forwarder offering road, air, sea, customs clearance, and contract logistics — the full multi-modal stack that IFL operates, but with worldwide coverage and significantly larger scale.
• DHL: Global logistics integrator with extensive UK-European road freight, air freight, and customs brokerage offerings that compete with IFL for cross-border pallet and freight-forwarding volumes from enterprise customers.
• DSV: Large global freight forwarder with strong UK and European road, air, and sea freight, and contract logistics practices providing the same multi-modal offering as IFL at much greater scale.
• Gist: UK supply chain specialist providing temperature-controlled and ambient transport, warehousing and 3PL — overlapping with IFL's FMCG, healthcare, and pallet-storage services for UK manufacturers and retailers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/International.Forwarding.Ltd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-forwarding-limited
• Xx.com/intlforwarding

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 International Forwarding