Bidvest International Logistics

What Bidvest International Logistics does

Bidvest International Logistics is a South Africa-based freight forwarding and supply chain solutions provider, established in 1910 and wholly owned by Bidvest Ltd, a diversified JSE-listed conglomerate. The company operates through six core service pillars — air freight, ocean freight, road freight, warehousing, customs brokerage, and supply chain engineering — delivered across ten industry verticals including automotive, chemicals, defense and aerospace, healthcare, mining, oil and gas, perishables, and special projects and energy. Its footprint includes 1,800 South African employees, 17 warehouses totalling 185,000m², and dedicated offices at all major South African ports and airports; international coverage is delivered through a global network partnership with EMO Trans spanning 250 offices in 120 countries.

The technology stack centres on an integrated one-platform system, developed and maintained by an in-house team of developers and solutions architects, which supports forwarding, customs compliance, warehousing, transport, and finance operations. Customer-facing capabilities include live Track and Trace via the ediWebTracker portal, performance dashboards with customisable reporting, online proof of delivery, OCR-based documentation capture, and the Certinal eSign electronic signature workflow. The company also offers trade finance solutions through its Authorised Financial Services Provider status and operates a TETA-accredited in-house training academy.

Revenue is generated transactionally from freight movements, via recurring warehousing subscriptions, and through professional services for customs brokerage and supply chain engineering. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, delivered through dedicated enterprise field sales teams with regional account managers and complemented by a self-service online estimation portal. The customer base is enterprise-focused across multiple verticals, with multi-year contracts and no public pricing transparency; no revenue figures are publicly disclosed.

Name

Bidvest International Logistics

Legal name

Bidvest International Logistics

Website

https://bidvestil.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Bidvest International Logistics is a South African freight forwarder and supply chain solutions provider serving automotive, mining, oil and gas, healthcare, defense, and other verticals through air, ocean, and road freight, warehousing, customs brokerage, and supply chain engineering services, with global reach via the EMO Trans network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), High-Value & Secure Air Cargo (Valuables, Security Screening, Escort) (TLACAAAH), Hazmat & Dangerous Goods Warehousing (Regulated Storage) (TLAIACAE), Container Stuffing/Unstuffing & Depot-Based Value-Added Services (TLALAJAM), International Vehicle Shipping & Import Assistance (HSAKACAJ)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding
• Customs brokerage
• Warehousing services
• Supply chain logistics
• Project cargo

Headquarters

HQ city

Gauteng

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices7 records

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 Transportation Services: Revenue from air, ocean, and road freight transportation services including international forwarding, imports and exports, abnormal cargo handling, and cross trade operations.
2. Warehousing and Storage: Flexible warehouse solutions with 185,000m² across 17 warehouses countrywide, including value-added services such as kitting, bundling, repacking, cold/cool freezer rooms, and bonded storage.
3. Customs Brokerage Services: Customs clearing, consulting, rebate clearances, valuation rulings, permit applications, acquittals management, and tariff classifications.
4. Supply Chain Engineering: End-to-end supply chain engineering services including network modelling, cost-to-serve analysis, distribution optimization, and business process modelling.
5. Trade Finance Solutions: Unique trade finance options and financial services for clients including insurance and financing options providing one-stop-shop solutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Bidvest International Logistics provides end-to-end freight forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, road transport, and supply chain engineering services to enterprise clients. Its offering spans air, ocean, and road freight, supported by 17 warehouses (185,000m²) across South Africa and a global partnership network of 250 offices in 120 countries through EMO Trans. Industry-specific solutions cover automotive, chemicals, defense/aerospace, healthcare, mining, oil & gas, perishables, and special projects.

Product overview

Bidvest International Logistics operates as a comprehensive, modular logistics platform offering end-to-end supply chain solutions. Their core portfolio consists of six interconnected service pillars: Air Freight, Ocean Freight, Road Freight, Customs Brokerage, Warehousing, and Supply Chain Engineering. These core services are complemented by fifteen specialized industry solutions spanning Automotive, Chemicals, Consumer/Retail/Fashion, Defense/Aerospace, Healthcare, Hi-Tech/Telecoms, Mining/Manufacturing, Oil and Gas, Perishables, and Special Projects/Energy sectors. The company also provides technology-enabled value-added services including a Track & Trace Portal for real-time visibility and Certinal eSign for electronic document management. Their global reach is extended through the EMO Trans partnership network of 250 offices in 120 countries, while their South African operations span 17 warehouses totaling 185,000m² across all major ports and airports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Freight Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced document signing time from days to minutes
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles8 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EMO TranscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network partnership providing access to 250 offices in 120 countries worldwide. EMO Trans serves as Bidvest International Logistics' primary global network partner, complementing BIL's local South African expertise with international reach for air, ocean, and project freight services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider offering freight forwarding, contract logistics and finished vehicle logistics with significant automotive and industrial vertical exposure. Comparable to BIL across freight forwarding and contract logistics, particularly in automotive and consumer verticals.
• Expeditors International: Asset-light global freight forwarder with strong air/ocean forwarding, customs brokerage and supply chain solutions capabilities. Comparable to BIL in operating model (brokerage rather than asset-heavy) and in serving multinational customers with complex cross-border needs.
• DSV Panalpina: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics player with comprehensive air, ocean, road and customs offerings and significant South African presence through prior UTI/Suntech integrations. Competes directly with BIL for enterprise freight forwarding contracts in Africa.
• Maersk Logistics & Services: Global integrator combining ocean container shipping with end-to-end logistics including customs, forwarding and contract logistics. Overlaps with BIL's ocean freight forwarding and supply chain engineering offerings and represents a structural threat as Maersk extends into African logistics corridors.
• Agility Logistics: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics provider with significant emerging market presence including Africa and the Middle East. Comparable to BIL in serving emerging market trade corridors and in offering integrated forwarding plus contract logistics solutions.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL's freight forwarding division offers air, ocean and road freight forwarding plus customs brokerage and warehousing globally. It competes with BIL for multinational enterprise accounts and provides a scale benchmark for end-to-end forwarding platforms.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with strong air/ocean forwarding, customs and contract logistics capabilities across multiple verticals including perishables, pharma and automotive. Directly comparable to BIL's integrated forwarding and vertical-specialization model, but at vastly greater global scale.

Direct peers

• Imperial Logistics: Major South African freight forwarding, contract logistics and supply chain provider historically operating across automotive, chemicals, consumer and mining verticals (now part of DP World). Closest directly comparable peer to BIL given overlapping South African footprint, vertical specialization, and integrated platform model.
• Value Logistics: South African-focused contract logistics and freight management company serving automotive, retail and industrial customers. Competes head-to-head with BIL for warehousing and distribution contracts in the South African market, particularly in automotive and consumer verticals.

Regional players

• Transnet Freight Forwarding: South African state-owned logistics operator controlling ports, rail and freight forwarding infrastructure domestically. Competes with BIL at the port and rail interface level and is a structural counterpart for any customs, warehousing or distribution win at South African ports.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bidvest-international-logistics

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Bidvest International Logistics