Manitoulin Global Forwarding
Manitoulin Global Forwarding is the international freight forwarding division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies, a privately held Canadian multi-divisional logistics platform serving enterprise and mid-market customers across North America and 220 countries with ground transport, air/ocean forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, heavy haul, and time-critical delivery.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1953
- HeadquartersMississauga, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Manitoulin Global Forwarding does
Manitoulin Global Forwarding operates as the international freight forwarding division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies (MGC), a privately held Canadian transportation and logistics platform headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario (with principal operations centered on Greater Sudbury). The group unifies ten wholly owned operating subsidiaries covering ground transportation (Manitoulin Transport), international freight forwarding across air, ocean (LCL and FCL), charter, and project logistics, warehousing and distribution, supply chain logistics, customs brokerage (Near North Customs Brokers, EDI-connected to Canada Border Services Agency systems including CADEX, PARS, and ACROSS), packaging and crating (Cratex Industries), global time-critical delivery (Expedite Plus, operating 24/7/365), specialized heavy haul and project transportation (Can-Tran, with 40+ years of domain experience), and residential and commercial moving (Direct Right). Service spans North America as the home market, with international reach into 220 countries via a global agent network enabling door-to-door service.
The underlying technology stack is built on core IBM i workloads migrated to IBM Power Virtual Server on IBM Cloud, deployed across dual regions (Toronto and Montreal) for disaster recovery and redundancy. Customer-facing technology is consolidated in the MTDirect web portal, which provides self-service shipment tracking, pickup requests, rate quoting, bill of lading management, and probill lookup. The MTDirect portal also exposes an MGC REST API for developer integration, with credentialed access, one-year credential validity, and per-endpoint daily call limits (e.g., 5,000/day for probill lookup, 1,000/day for online quoting, 300/day for BOL labels).
Manitoulin monetizes through transaction-based freight services across LTL, truckload, intermodal, heavy haul, air, ocean, customs clearance, warehousing, and specialized crating. Pricing is quote-based rather than publicly disclosed; API access is usage-bounded. Go-to-market is hybrid: enterprise field sales for large multi-service accounts, supported by self-serve MTDirect for mid-market and transactional shippers, with global agent resellers extending reach into 220 countries. Customer concentration is diversified across oil and gas, construction, mining/heavy industry, aerospace, and general international trade segments, with enterprise as the primary tier. The group is founder/management-controlled with no disclosed institutional capital, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no leadership changes in the source data.
Manitoulin Global Forwarding firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Manitoulin Global Forwarding
- Legal name
- Manitoulin Group of Companies
- Website
- https://manitoulingroup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1953
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Manitoulin Global Forwarding is the international freight forwarding division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies, a privately held Canadian multi-divisional logistics platform serving enterprise and mid-market customers across North America and 220 countries with ground transport, air/ocean forwarding, customs brokerage, warehousing, heavy haul, and time-critical delivery.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Manitoulin Global Forwarding industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance (48412), Specialized Freight (except Used Goods) Trucking, Long-Distance (48423), Support Activities for Transportation (488)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Air–Ocean Multimodal Forwarding (TLACAEAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Time-Critical & AOG (Aircraft on Ground) Specialized Forwarding (TLACAJAI), Domestic Distribution & Regional Linehaul Forwarding (TLACACAD), Air–Road Intermodal Forwarding (TLACAEAE)
Keywords
Where Manitoulin Global Forwarding is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Mississauga
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Manitoulin Global Forwarding business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Freight Transportation Services: Revenue generated from ground transportation, international freight forwarding, customs brokerage, and logistics services. Services include LTL (Less Than Truckload), truckload, intermodal transport, and specialized heavy haul capabilities.
- Warehousing and Distribution: Storage and distribution services provided through Manitoulin Warehousing and Distribution division with facilities for inventory management and order fulfillment.
- Customs Brokerage: Customs clearance services for cross-border shipments between Canada and the US, including electronic document transmission through EDI networks.
- Packaging and Crating: Specialized packaging and crating services for heavy equipment, hazardous materials, and sensitive cargo through Cratex Industries.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Usage-based | Annual | API Access with Usage Limits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Manitoulin Global Forwarding product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Manitoulin Global Forwarding is the international freight forwarding division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies, providing door-to-door service to 220 countries through a global agent network. It handles air freight, ocean freight (LCL and FCL), charter services, and project logistics, complemented by ground transportation, customs brokerage, warehousing, packaging and crating, heavy haul, and 24/7 time-critical delivery across sister divisions of the Manitoulin Group.
Product overview
Manitoulin Global Forwarding operates as a division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies (MGC), a Canadian transportation and logistics provider. The portfolio is structured as a multi-divisional platform with a parent company and several specialized sub-brands: the core Global Forwarding division handles international freight forwarding (air, ocean, charter, project cargo); Manitoulin Transport covers ground transportation; Manitoulin Logistics provides supply chain management; Manitoulin Warehousing and Distribution offers storage; Near North Customs Brokers handles customs clearance; Cratex Industries provides crating and packaging; Expedite Plus delivers time-critical shipments; and Can-Tran manages heavy haul and project logistics. The MTDirect web platform serves as the central digital interface providing freight management tools and a REST API that powers developer integrations across the group.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Infrastructure cost savings of over USD 20,000 in recurring monthly savings plus USD 100,000-150,000 annually
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Manitoulin Global Forwarding
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Manitoulin Global Forwarding technology and API
TechnologyAPI detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Manitoulin Global Forwarding partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- IBMcoreIBM partnered with Manitoulin Group of Companies for cloud infrastructure modernization. Manitoulin migrated its core IBM i workloads to IBM Power Virtual Server on IBM Cloud, implementing a dual-region deployment across Toronto and Montreal. The migration was executed with IBM and business partner Service Express, resulting in significant infrastructure cost savings and improved disaster recovery capabilities.
- Service ExpresscoreService Express served as the business partner executing the IBM i workload migration to IBM Power Virtual Server on IBM Cloud. The migration reduced infrastructure costs by over USD 20,000 in recurring monthly savings plus USD 100,000-150,000 annually, and cut disaster recovery times from 1-2 hours to 30-40 minutes.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Manitoulin Global Forwarding competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- TFI International: Canadian-headquartered transportation and logistics conglomerate with LTL, truckload, logistics, and intermodal operations across North America. Highly comparable geographic and service overlap with Manitoulin Transport and Manitoulin Logistics divisions.
- Purolator: Canada-focused integrated freight, parcel, and logistics provider. Comparable to Manitoulin Group's North American ground transportation, warehousing, and distribution service portfolio.
- Mullen Group: Canadian-based diversified logistics provider with trucking, warehousing, and specialized transport services. Comparable regional peer serving Western Canada resource and industrial markets similar to Can-Tran and Manitoulin Heavy Haul.
- Cargojet: Canadian air cargo carrier providing time-critical overnight and expedited air services. Comparable to Expedite Plus division in time-critical and expedited delivery offerings within the Canadian market.
Direct peers
- Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest global freight forwarders with multimodal capabilities across ocean, air, road, and contract logistics. Directly comparable to Manitoulin Global Forwarding as a customs-cleared, end-to-end international forwarding provider for enterprise shippers.
- DHL Global Forwarding: Operates a global air, ocean, and road freight forwarding network with customs brokerage capabilities. Competes head-to-head with Manitoulin on international forwarding for enterprise and mid-market customers.
- Expeditors International: Global logistics company specializing in international freight forwarding (air and ocean) and customs brokerage. Comparable to Manitoulin in serving enterprise clients with multimodal international supply chain solutions.
- C.H. Robinson Worldwide: North American-focused freight broker and 3PL with multimodal capabilities and customs services. Comparable to Manitoulin Transport in domestic LTL/TL brokerage and to Manitoulin Global Forwarding on cross-border forwarding.
- DSV A/S: Global transport and logistics provider with strong air, sea, and road freight forwarding operations across 80+ countries. Directly comparable multimodal international forwarder competing for the same enterprise customers.
Broad incumbents
- XPO Logistics: Major North American LTL carrier and broader logistics provider. Comparable as a broad incumbent in ground transportation and freight brokerage, overlapping with Manitoulin Transport's domestic services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Manitoulin Global Forwarding social profiles
Digital presenceManitoulin Global Forwarding financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Manitoulin Global Forwarding leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Manitoulin Global Forwarding subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries10 records
Manitoulin Global Forwarding funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Manitoulin Global Forwarding M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Manitoulin Global Forwarding
What does Manitoulin Global Forwarding do?
Manitoulin Global Forwarding is the international freight forwarding division of the Manitoulin Group of Companies, providing door-to-door service to 220 countries through a global agent network. It handles air freight, ocean freight (LCL and FCL), charter services, and project logistics, complemented by ground transportation, customs brokerage, warehousing, packaging and crating, heavy haul, and 24/7 time-critical delivery across sister divisions of the Manitoulin Group.
Is Manitoulin Global Forwarding a public or private company?
Manitoulin Global Forwarding is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Manitoulin Global Forwarding founded?
Manitoulin Global Forwarding was founded in 1953. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Manitoulin Global Forwarding based?
Manitoulin Global Forwarding is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Manitoulin Global Forwarding make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Freight Transportation Services are the primary driver. The others are warehousing and Distribution, customs Brokerage and packaging and Crating.
Who are Manitoulin Global Forwarding's main competitors?
Regional players on record are TFI International, Purolator, Mullen Group and Cargojet. Direct peers are Kuehne+Nagel, DHL Global Forwarding, Expeditors International, C.H. Robinson Worldwide and DSV A/S. XPO Logistics is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Manitoulin Global Forwarding have an API?
Yes. Manitoulin Group of Companies (MGC) and Manitoulin Transport provide a REST API for customers, partners, and third-party providers to create integration automation. The API enables checking shipment status, requesting pickups, and checking ETA of routes. Developers must register through the MTDirect web application portal and obtain Access Credentials, which are valid for one year and subject to API call limits. Available endpoints include api/bol/get_labels (300/day), api/bol/get_pdf (300/day), api/bol/save_bol (200/day), api/bol/upload (100/day), api/online_pickup/submit (200/day), api/online_quoting/quote (1000/day), api/online_quoting/quote_pdf (50/day), api/probill/images/download (500/day), api/probill/images/links (500/day), api/probill/lookup/item (5000/day), api/probill/pickup/history (250/day), api/probill/search/ (5000/day), api/shippingtools/fuel_surcharge (100/day), and api/shippingtools/transit_time_calculator (500/day). Developer documentation is at www.mtdirect.ca/documents/apis.
What industry is Manitoulin Global Forwarding in?
Manitoulin Global Forwarding's product category is Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACAEAA, Air–Ocean Multimodal Forwarding, with a secondary code of TLACABAG, Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.