What BBA does

BBA, now operating as BBA KLN following its 2024 integration into the KLN Group, is a French freight forwarding and logistics broker founded in 1978 and headquartered in Roissy-en-France. The company organizes international door-to-door freight transportation across air, sea, and road modes, supported by customs brokerage, charter desk services, express lanes with 14+ weekly Europe-Asia air connections, and supply chain optimization (4PL) consulting. Its service portfolio spans vertical specializations including perishable goods (where it is the leader in France for air import of fruits, vegetables, and flowers), aerospace logistics (Production, MRO, and AOG), industrial freight with JIT workflows, works of art, and personal effects/relocation. The company is structured as a Société par Actions Simplifiée (S.A.S.) with a registered capital of €672,000, incorporated in Bobigny, France, and operates with 101-250 employees.

BBA KLN's operating infrastructure rests on a global agent network of 540+ offices and agents across 60+ countries, 15 dedicated offices in the United States, an exclusive agent network across major Chinese cities, and access to more than 100 partner airlines and approximately 100 cargo aircraft serving 152 destinations. It also operates a unique 11,000+ km China-to-France road freight route. The technology stack is anchored by the customer-facing matrix tracking portal (bba.tracknema.fr) for real-time shipment visibility and a SOX2-certified information system for business continuity. Certifications include ISO 9001 (quality), ISO 14001 (environmental), Authorized Economic Operator (AEO) for customs, IATA membership, and French Defense and Nuclear Safety accreditations, collectively qualifying the firm for defense, nuclear, and high-value regulated freight. Five French offices (Roissy CDG, Orly, Le Havre, Nantes, Nice) anchor the domestic footprint alongside French overseas territory coverage.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-based fees on freight movements (air, sea, road, charter) and professional services revenue from supply chain consulting. Pricing is quote-based and tailored to client requirements; it is not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is enterprise B2B via direct sales teams (Commercial, Exploitation, and Perishable departments), supported by a single-point-of-contact service model. Named enterprise customers include Airbus and Zodiac Aerospace in the aerospace vertical, though the broader customer base spans thousands of shippers across perishables, industrial, art, and relocation segments.

Name

BBA

Legal name

BBA KLN

Website

https://go2bba.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BBA, now BBA KLN, is a French freight forwarding and logistics broker founded in 1978 that provides multi-modal international transportation — air, sea, road, and customs — to enterprise clients in perishables, aerospace, industrial freight, art, and personal effects.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Air Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Export/Import Documentation Preparation (Commercial Invoice, Packing List, Shipper’s Letter of Instruction) (TLACAHAD), Aviation & Marine Spares / AOG Critical Parts Courier (TLAAAEAH), Air Waybill (AWB) Issuance/Management (Master/House) (TLACAHAB)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• International logistics solutions
• Customs brokerage
• Supply chain consulting
• Multi-modal transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Roissy-en-france

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Transportation Services: Core revenue from organizing international freight transport across air, sea, and road modes. Services include door-to-door transportation, customs brokerage, and combined transport solutions. Revenue is generated through transaction fees based on shipment volume and complexity.
2. Supply Chain Consulting & 4PL Services: Consulting services for supply chain optimization, from Engineer to Order (ETO) to Made to Order (MTO). Includes advisory, team training, and implementation support for competitive optimization.
3. Specialized Logistics Services: Premium services including charter desk for out-of-gauge or urgent shipments, express services with 14+ weekly Asia-Europe connections, and temperature-controlled transport for perishables.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

BBA KLN organizes and manages international freight transportation across air, sea, and road modes, providing door-to-door customized solutions. Services include customs brokerage as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), supply chain optimization and 4PL consulting, and specialized vertical expertise in perishables, aerospace, artworks, and industrial freight.

Product overview

BBA KLN is a freight forwarding and logistics broker offering an integrated suite of transportation services. The core offering spans four primary transport modes: Sea Freight (ocean container shipping with cycle and load optimization), Air Freight (leveraging 100+ partner airlines, a fleet of ~100 cargo aircraft, and own airport for 152 destinations), Road Freight (including a unique 11,000+ km China-to-France route), and Customs Brokerage (AEO-certified clearance for e-commerce, warehousing, and suspensive regimes). These are supported by planning, charter, and express services. The company operates specialized vertical services for Industrial Freight, Aerospace, Perishable Goods, Personal Effects, and Works of Art, plus Supply Chain Optimization consulting (4PL). A customer-facing cargo tracking portal (matrix) provides real-time shipment visibility.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Freight Door-to-door shipping container management with optimization of cycles, load rates, and traceability from order management to final delivery. Targeted at enterprise clients shipping internationally.
• Air Freight Flexible air transport services leveraging over 100 partner airlines, a fleet of approximately 100 cargo aircraft serving 152 destinations. For enterprise clients requiring time-sensitive international shipping.
• Road Freight Pan-European and long-distance road transport, including a unique China-to-France route spanning over 11,000 km. For industrial and commercial clients requiring cross-border ground transportation.
• Customs Brokerage Customs clearance services as an Authorized Economic Operator (AEO), offering e-commerce, general freight, suspensive regimes, and warehousing solutions. For international shippers and importers/exporters.
• Charter Desk Freight charter solutions for unforeseen logistics or out-of-gauge shipments via sea, air, or road transport. For clients with urgent or oversized cargo requirements.
• Express

Quantifiable outcome

• Leader in France for air import of fruits, vegetables, and flowers
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• KLN GroupcoreOthers · 1 January 2024BBA integrated into KLN Group in 2024, becoming BBA KLN. The acquisition by KLN, a global freight forwarding group, provides BBA with the backing and strength of a worldwide organization while maintaining its human-sized company approach. KLN Group brings additional global scale and resources to BBA's established freight forwarding operations.
• Airline PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBBA KLN partners with over 100 airline partners for air freight operations, enabling flexible and comprehensive air transport solutions across 152 destinations served by their own fleet of ~100 cargo aircraft and partner airlines.
• International Agent NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of 540+ offices and agents across 60+ countries enabling global freight forwarding coverage with local presence and expertise on every continent.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Flexport: US-headquartered digital freight forwarder offering air, ocean, trucking, and customs brokerage through a tech-enabled platform. Comparable as a freight forwarder targeting enterprise shippers, but competes via digital platform and API integrations rather than traditional relationship-based forwarding.

Direct peers

• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German-headquartered global freight forwarder offering air, sea, road, and contract logistics. Directly comparable mid-sized European forwarder with similar multi-modal capabilities and enterprise customer focus.
• CEVA Logistics: Global freight forwarding and contract logistics provider owned by CMA CGM. Directly comparable multi-modal forwarder offering air, sea, road freight and 4PL services with similar enterprise customer targeting and European operational footprint.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global freight forwarder specializing in air and ocean freight with customs brokerage. Directly comparable as an asset-light international forwarder serving enterprise customers with similar mid-sized positioning and customs brokerage emphasis.
• GEODIS: French-headquartered global freight forwarder and logistics provider owned by SNCF. Most directly comparable as a French forwarder offering air, sea, road freight and contract logistics with overlapping customer segments and similar mid-to-large scale positioning.
• Bolloré Logistics: French global freight forwarder and logistics provider offering multi-modal transport and supply chain services. Directly comparable as a French-based forwarder with similar enterprise customer focus and overlapping service lines in air, sea, road, and customs.

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Global transport and logistics provider offering air, sea, and road freight forwarding following the Schenker integration. Comparable as a multi-modal forwarder serving enterprise customers across Europe, with substantially larger scale than BBA.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Deutsche Post DHL's freight forwarding division offering air, ocean, road freight and customs services globally. Directly comparable multi-modal forwarding portfolio with significantly greater scale and owned-network capacity than BBA.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global freight forwarder and logistics provider (now part of DSV). Comparable as a major European forwarder offering air, ocean, road freight and contract logistics with similar multi-modal service portfolio.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders offering air, sea, road, and contract logistics. Directly comparable as a multi-modal forwarder serving global enterprise customers with similar customs brokerage and supply chain services, but at vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/go2bba

Compliance7 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 BBA