KARL SCHMIDT SPEDITION GMBH & CO. KG

Name

KARL SCHMIDT SPEDITION GMBH & CO. KG

Legal name

KARL SCHMIDT SPEDITION GmbH & Co. KG

Website

https://schmidt-heilbronn.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Bulk Logistics Services

NAICS

Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (484230), Warehousing and Storage (4931)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial Minerals & Chemicals (Non-Haz Bulk Powders) Transport (TLADAKAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Chemicals & Hazmat Transload (Regulated Goods) (TLALAFAH)

Keywords

• Bulk logistics services
• Silo transport services
• Chemical logistics solutions
• Tank cleaning services
• Warehousing bulk goods

Headquarters

HQ city

Constantí

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices38 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight and transport services: Core revenue stream from transport and logistics services using silo trucks and silo containers. The company processes over 1,000 transport orders per day, covering regional, national, and international routes, including gas, silo, and container transport.
2. Warehousing and storage: Storage services for bulk goods in the company's network of logistics centers. Largest network of logistics centers in the European bulk goods sector for plastics, including high silos at multiple European sites.
3. Tank cleaning and product handling: Cleaning of silo vehicles (tank cleaning) and comprehensive product handling services from production to processing, including packaging and bagging operations.
4. Engineering, construction and operation of logistics facilities: Planning and construction of logistics facilities for bulk goods on behalf of customers (EPC contracts), as well as long-term operation of these facilities. Examples include the Silleno logistics complex in Kazakhstan and the Al Jubail terminal.
5. Special processing services: Specialized services including optical granulate sorting, homogenizing, mechanical sieving, electronic metal separation, product drying, dedusting/windsifting, and vacuum extraction. These are value-added services that differentiate the company from standard freight providers.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Karl Schmidt Spedition GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned European bulk logistics provider offering transport, storage, and handling of bulk goods (primarily plastic granules, chemicals, gases) using silo trucks and silo containers. With approximately 3,000 employees at 49 locations worldwide and a fleet of ~1,300 vehicles and ~7,000 containers, the company processes over 1,000 transport orders per day. Services include silo/container transport, gas transport, warehousing in high silos, tank cleaning, import/export handling, product handling (packaging, bagging), and specialized processing (optical sorting, drying, sieving, metal separation, dedusting). The company also plans and builds bulk-logistics facilities under EPC contracts for petrochemical customers.

Product overview

KARL SCHMIDT SPEDITION GMBH & CO. KG operates as a leading bulk logistics provider offering an integrated service portfolio centered on the transport, storage, and handling of bulk goods. The core offering comprises Transport Services (silo trucks, containers, gas transports), Import & Export processing, Logistics Solutions, Warehousing (the largest European network of bulk goods silos), Product Handling, Tank Cleaning, Maintenance & Repair, and proprietary Information Technology (forwarding software). Specialized services include Optical Sorting, Mobile Belt Thrower, Homogenizing, Mechanical Sieving, Electronic Metal Separation, Product Drying, Vacuum Extraction, and Dedusting/Windsichtung. The company operates Schmidt Food Logistics (SFL) as a food-sector sub-brand and maintains multiple joint venture terminals including KTHN (Heilbronn), European Bulk Hub Duisburg, Silleno Complex (Kazakhstan), and SCHMIDT KADADA (Saudi Arabia). With operations spanning 49 locations worldwide, the company processes over 1,000 daily transport orders using approximately 1,300 vehicles and 7,000 containers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SCHMIDT Food Logistics (SFL): Food industry logistics division handling bulk goods transport for food sector including sugar, salt, rice, cornmeal, grain, malt with GMP+ certification
• SCHMIDT Food Logistics

Products and services

• Transport Services (Silo Trucks and Container Fleet) Core transport and logistics services using silo trucks, silo containers, and gas transport vehicles for the movement of bulk goods including plastic granules, chemicals, and gases across regional, national, and international routes. Customers include chemical and petrochemical manufacturers.
• Import and Export Handling Complete import and export processing from a single source, including customs clearance and international logistics coordination for bulk goods entering and leaving European ports.
• Customized Logistics Solutions Tailor-made full-service logistics packages designed for specific customer requirements, integrating transport, storage, and handling into dedicated multi-site operations (e.g., on-site logistics at LyondellBasell, Dow, SABIC, Kemya sites).
• Bulk Goods Warehousing (High Silos) Storage services via the largest network of logistics centers for bulk goods in Europe, featuring approximately 1,400 high silos and around 170,000 m² of warehouse space for plastics and other bulk materials.
• Product Handling (Packaging, Filling, Bagging) Full service chain from production to processing, including packaging, filling, bagging, palletizing, and other handling operations for bulk materials at multiple European sites.
• Tank Cleaning Services Interior cleaning of silo vehicles at multiple SQAS-certified cleaning stations across Europe (Heilbronn, Kastl, Austria, Belgium, Poland, Spain). Includes digital ECD (European Cleaning Document) creation for paperless cleaning certificates.
• Maintenance and Repair Services Vehicle and equipment repairs, inspections, and maintenance at company-owned workshops located at multiple sites, supporting the company's own fleet and offering services to partners.
• Optical Granulate Sorting Specialty service to recover the highest purity levels for bulk goods that are out of specification or mixed with foreign substances, using advanced optical sorting technology in cooperation with Optical Sorting-Separation GmbH.
• Mobile Granulate Belt Thrower Specialty service enabling rear loading of all standard 20' and 40' overseas containers using a mobile granule throwing device.
• Homogenizing Services Specialty service mixing and homogenizing different granulate quantities (e.g., irregular product batches) to achieve consistent quality standards.
• Mechanical Sieving Specialty separation service for various granulate or powder fractions including foreign particles, different granulate sizes, and husks.
• Electronic Metal Separation Specialty service to detect and remove all magnetic and non-magnetic metals (including metal inclusions) from particle sizes of 1 mm and above.
• Product Drying Specialty service drying wet granulate products with surface moisture to restore storage and processing suitability.
• Vacuum Extraction Service Specialty vacuum suction service for removal of materials from customer silos or damaged/accident vehicles.
• Dedusting / Windsifting Specialty separation service for dusts and angel hair from granulate products achieving residual dust values of maximum 30 ppm.
• EPC Logistics Facility Construction and Operation Engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) of bulk goods logistics complexes for petrochemical customers, plus long-term operation of the resulting facilities. Example: Silleno LLP logistics complex in Atyrau, Kazakhstan designed for 1.25 million tonnes/year of polyethylene pellets (EPC contract signed March 2026).
• Schmidt Food Logistics (SFL) Specialized division handling bulk goods transport for the food sector including sugar, salt, rice, cornmeal, grain, and malt, with GMP+ certified feed handling and IFS Food certification. Established as a separate director-led division in July 2024.
• European Bulk Hub Duisburg Terminal Joint venture facility at Duisburg harbour for handling, warehousing, and transport of dry bulk goods, operated with Imperial. Includes approximately 80 silo capacity and connects to ports via rail and road.

Quantifiable outcome

• 37,000 tons CO₂ saved annually through intermodal transport
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sumitomo Chemical EuropecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 May 2029Cooperation between Sumitomo Chemical Europe and SCHMIDT Belgium began in 2012, recently extended until May 31, 2029. SCHMIDT Belgium takes over exclusive handling of all containers from PetroRabigh at the port of Antwerp. Scope includes customs clearance, interim storage, reloading, bulk goods transport, and organization of packed goods transports.
• Silleno LLPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2026EPC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction) contract signed March 2026 for construction of a logistics complex in the Atyrau region, Kazakhstan. Part of a polyethylene plant project. SCHMIDT will develop one of the largest logistics complexes in Kazakhstan's oil and gas industry, designed to handle up to 1.25 million tonnes of polyethylene pellets per year, including packaging, storage, and subsequent shipment to domestic and export markets.
• SABICcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2024SABIC awarded SCHMIDT the contract to build and operate a container warehouse in Tarragona, Spain. Part of a comprehensive process change where SABIC will handle up to 60,000 tons/year of loose goods from Saudi Arabia. SCHMIDT handles processing from Barcelona seaport entrance, customs clearance coordination, and warehouse handling over a five-year contract period.
• Kemya (SABIC subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 July 2023Long-standing on-site logistics partnership at Al Jubail/Saudi Arabia. After intensive negotiations, contract renewed end of 2020. Customer specifically recognized SCHMIDT's long-lasting positive service readiness and fulfillment of quality and safety criteria. On-site team achieved 1 million safe man-hours without Lost Time Injury in May 2021.
• KADADA (Al Otaishan Group subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2023Joint venture SCHMIDT KADADA Logistics established during transport logistic 2023 trade fair in Munich. Objective: construction and operation of a bulk storage terminal in Al Jubail/Saudi Arabia. Total site area 75,000 m². Phase 1 (~50,000 m²): parking, office, weighing system, 6 storage silos, warehouse (22,000 m² for 16,000 pallets), container storage (500-650 TEU). Phase 2: expansion option.
• ReponominorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 May 2022MOU signed May 2022. SCHMIDT and Repono agreed to collaborate on the Indian market for logistics platform development. Repono is a petrochemical and oil terminalling company providing O&M services for warehouses and logistics platforms in India, handling over 3 million MT of polymers and chemicals annually. SCHMIDT brings logistics engineering and design expertise to develop world-class logistics platforms in the Indian market.
• LineasminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 21 December 2020Intensified collaboration with Lineas at Langweid-Foret branch. New Lineas Xpress train service enables SCHMIDT to make its Langweid-Foret branch available to other companies for shifting goods from road to rail. Benefits especially for traffics combining road, rails and ship (true intermodal). Connected regions: Augsburg area to/from England, Ireland, Portugal, and Scandinavia.
• CDN (Container Depot Nürnberg GmbH)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Joined the KTHN (Kombi Terminal Heilbronn) joint venture between W. Wüst GmbH & Co. KG and Karl Schmidt Spedition as a third partner in April 2020. KTHN connects Heilbronn to Hamburg and Bremerhaven ports (3 departures per week each) and offers container handling, depots, repairs, cleaning, and trucking services.
• Quarzwerke GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 201350% partnership in 'mst Mineral-, Speditions- und Transport-GmbH' in Kerpen since 2013. Remaining 50% held by Quarzwerke GmbH, Frechen.
• ImperialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Joint venture company 'European Bulk Hub Duisburg' established with Imperial in 2012. Joint handling, warehousing, and transport of dry bulk goods at Duisburg harbour. The facility was later expanded significantly with additional silos.
• Finsterwalder Transport & LogistikminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004SCHMIDT set up MKL (Mitteldeutsche Kunststofflogistik) as a joint-venture in Schkopau, Germany. SCHMIDT takes over warehousing and logistics services for the local DOW polyolefin production line.
• kombiverkehrcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCHMIDT's largest partner in intermodal transport, accounting for approximately 50% of total intermodal volume. Collaboration on KV 4.0 data hub for efficiency and transparency in combined transport. In 2025, collaboration resulted in 18,570 tons CO₂ savings. SCHMIDT's total CO₂ savings reached approximately 37,000 tons annually through this partnership.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Talke Group: German family-owned chemical-logistics specialist with comparable silo/container transport, on-site plant logistics, and tank-cleaning services for petrochemical majors across Europe. Closest direct competitor to SCHMIDT in Germany-headquartered chemical bulk logistics.
• Hoyer Group: Hamburg-based bulk logistics provider operating tank containers, road tankers and IBC logistics for the chemical and food industries globally. Overlaps with SCHMIDT in chemical bulk transport, container fleet operations and tank-cleaning network.
• Bertschi Group: Swiss-headquartered dry-bulk and intermodal container logistics provider serving the chemical, plastic and food industries across Europe and globally. Comparable to SCHMIDT in dry-bulk silo/container handling and value-added processing for polyolefins.
• Katoen Natie: Belgian logistics specialist with deep exposure to petrochemical, plastics and bulk-goods customers, including port-based terminals and on-site plant logistics. Direct comparable to SCHMIDT in silo storage, packaging and chemical-industry logistics.
• De Rijke Group: Dutch family-owned bulk logistics provider for chemicals, plastics and gases with European tank-container and silo operations. Closely comparable to SCHMIDT in chemical-industry bulk transport and silo-based services.
• Ewals Cargo Care: Netherlands-based dry-bulk container and silo logistics provider with European terminals and intermodal operations. Comparable to SCHMIDT in intermodal dry-bulk transport and silo/container fleet services for chemicals and plastics.

Broad incumbents

• Imperial Logistics: African-headquartered global logistics group with significant chemical and bulk logistics operations in Europe; co-owner of European Bulk Hub Duisburg JV with SCHMIDT. Broad incumbent that competes in adjacent freight forwarding and contract logistics.
• DHL Global Forwarding: World's largest air/ocean/road freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with extensive chemical-logistics capabilities. Overlaps with SCHMIDT for international freight forwarding, customs brokerage and warehousing for chemical customers.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Global freight-forwarding and contract-logistics leader with dedicated KN Pharma&ChemTech / Industry verticals. Competes with SCHMIDT for large enterprise chemical customers on cross-border and contract logistics, though SCHMIDT is the specialized alternative.

Emerging players

• Bulkhaul: UK-headquartered specialist in ISO tank-container and bulk-liquid logistics, including cleaning and depot services. Comparable to SCHMIDT in tank-container cleaning, depot operations and chemical-sector bulk transport, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/320602604646270

Compliance9 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries12 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 KARL SCHMIDT SPEDITION GMBH & CO. KG