KTS TransportService

What KTS TransportService does

KTS Transport Service GmbH is a privately held German logistics company founded on January 1, 1992 by Ingo Krey and Heinz Kiel to support companies importing wood from West Africa. Over three decades it has built a complete service portfolio focused on import logistics and warehousing, operating from a 23,000 m² fenced facility with a 4,600 m² warehouse in Bötersen, strategically situated between Hamburg and Bremen on the A1 motorway. Its core offerings span Worldwide Import (door-to-door international forwarding with customs clearance), Storage and Distribution, Container Loading and Unloading, Plant Health Treatment (phytosanitary certification for lumber and regulated goods), Transport Insurance brokerage, Cross Trade forwarding, and full Customs Clearance across Germany and Europe via a complete EDI link to customs authorities. Supporting services include Incoterms consulting and container specification reference.

The company runs a sales-led B2B go-to-market targeting import businesses, particularly wood and goods importers, with service contracts priced transactionally under German Freight Forwarder Conditions (ADSp). Revenue derives from fees for customs clearance, container handling, warehousing, phytosanitary treatment, and cross-trade forwarding through long-standing partnerships with major global shipping lines. In August 2024, KTS sold its export division to Bremer Lloyd Logistics GmbH & Co. KG, retaining only the import and warehousing business; in January 2025, Christopher Kiel was appointed as a third managing director alongside the founders. KTS is independently owned by the founding Kiel and Krey families, employs roughly 10–15 staff, and in April 2023 activated a 66.12 kWp photovoltaic system to cover its own energy consumption and feed surplus into the public grid.

Name

KTS TransportService

Legal name

KTS Transport Service GmbH

Website

https://kts-transportservice.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KTS Transport Service GmbH is a German B2B logistics company founded in 1992 that provides import forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, container handling, and phytosanitary services to import businesses worldwide from a 23,000 m² facility on the A1 motorway between Hamburg and Bremen.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Transportation Services (4700)

akta.pro primary industry

Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cross-Border Freight Brokerage (USMCA/EU, etc.) (TLADAMAN), Intermodal Drayage & Cartage (First/Last Mile) (TLADAFAC)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Import logistics solutions
• Customs brokerage services
• Warehousing and distribution
• Container handling services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bötersen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Logistics and Freight Services: Service fees for import logistics, warehouse storage, container handling, customs clearance, plant health treatment, transport insurance, and cross-trade services. Revenue is generated through service contracts and transaction-based fees for specific logistics operations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

KTS TransportService provides end-to-end import and warehouse logistics services for businesses sourcing goods internationally. Core offerings include international freight forwarding from any worldwide origin, customs clearance across all German and European locations, container loading and unloading, plant health (phytosanitary) treatment for lumber, cargo transport insurance brokerage, cross-trade forwarding, and storage and distribution from a 23,000 m² facility with 4,600 m² of covered warehouse on the A1 motorway between Hamburg and Bremen.

Product overview

KTS TransportService is a German logistics company offering a comprehensive suite of import and warehousing services. The core portfolio consists of seven interconnected service lines: Worldwide Import (international freight forwarding with customs clearance), Storage and Distribution (23,000 m2 facility with 4,600 m2 warehouse on the A1 motorway between Bremen and Hamburg), Container Loading and Unloading (handling all container types), Plant Health Treatment (phytosanitary certification for lumber), Transport Insurance (cargo insurance brokerage), Cross Trade (global forwarding via shipping partnerships), and Customs Clearance (full EDI-connected brokerage across Germany and Europe). Supporting these core services are Incoterms consulting and container specification reference materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Worldwide Import International import logistics service that handles goods transportation from any location worldwide, including customs clearance, commissioning, and door-to-door delivery for businesses importing goods into Germany and Europe.
• Storage and Distribution Warehousing and distribution services across a 23,000 m² fenced facility with 4,600 m² of covered warehouse space, offering loading, unloading, storage, and order picking for businesses needing storage and distribution within Germany and Europe.
• Container Loading and Unloading Container handling services enabling loading and unloading of all container types, either by placing on ground for manual unloading or using forklift from rear ramp while container remains on chassis.
• Plant Health Treatment Phytosanitary services including application for and issuance of phytosanitary certificates, pesticide treatment of lumber, and regulatory compliance information for businesses importing regulated plant-based goods such as timber.
• Transport Insurance Cargo insurance brokerage services for shipments with preferential premiums through a long-standing insurer partnership and efficient claims processing, offered to businesses shipping goods internationally.
• Cross Trade International freight forwarding services covering door-to-door or port-to-port transport to most global destinations through partnerships with major shipping lines, supporting cross-trade operations where goods move between third countries.
• Customs Clearance Complete customs brokerage services for exports and imports across all German and European locations, with full EDI connectivity to customs authorities enabling end-to-end electronic clearance processing.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bremer Lloyd Logistics GmbH & Co. KGmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 August 2024KTS sold its export division to Bremer Lloyd Logistics GmbH & Co. KG on August 19, 2024. The experienced export team was taken on by the new company. KTS retains its import and warehouse logistics operations.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Germany-headquartered global freight forwarder offering air, sea, road, and customs services with strong European road and contract logistics. Comparable as a German-rooted mid-to-large forwarder with full customs and warehousing capabilities, though far larger in scale.
• Rhenus Logistics: German family-founded freight forwarding and logistics group with deep European road, air, sea, and warehousing operations. Direct comparable as a family-influenced German forwarder offering the same combined import + warehousing + customs proposition.
• Emons Spedition: German multi-modal freight forwarder operating road, rail, and intermodal services with significant warehousing capacity. Comparable as a regionally anchored German forwarder competing for similar import and distribution contracts.
• FIEGE Logistik: German family-owned contract logistics and freight forwarding provider with extensive warehousing networks across Europe. Comparable as a family-led German logistics operator combining forwarding with warehousing.

Regional players

• LKW Walter: Austrian family-owned full-load and part-load forwarder with pan-European reach and strong German-speaking market presence. Comparable mid-sized family forwarder competing for similar European road and import contract volumes.
• Gebrüder Weiss: Austrian family-owned global logistics company with land, air, and sea freight plus warehousing. Comparable as a long-standing family forwarder operating across DACH with customs and contract logistics capabilities.

Broad incumbents

• DACHSER: One of Germany's largest family-owned logistics providers, offering European road transport, air & sea freight, and warehousing. Overlaps with KTS on warehousing + forwarding but operates at vastly larger scale with proprietary IT.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global top-3 freight forwarder headquartered in Switzerland with major German operations spanning sea, air, road, and contract logistics. Overlaps on customs clearance and import forwarding but at far greater scale and digital maturity.
• DSV: Danish global freight forwarder with significant German road, air, and sea forwarding plus solutions contracting. Competes for similar import and warehousing customers via its pan-European road network.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider (DB Group). Overlaps directly on European road freight forwarding, customs, and contract warehousing for import flows, though at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 KTS TransportService