What Panalpina does

Panalpina is a Switzerland-based global logistics and freight forwarding company that provides end-to-end supply chain solutions across air, sea, road, and rail transport modes, supplemented by contract logistics and supply chain management services. The company was founded in 1935 (per firmographic data) as Panalpina Welttransport AG and historically operated as one of the world's leading freight forwarders under the swx:PWTN listing before being acquired by Danish transport and logistics group DSV A/S in 2019. Following the acquisition, Panalpina operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of DSV and now does business as 'DSV Panalpina,' with its digital services consolidated under DSV's myDSV platform and the panalpina.com domain redirected to dsv.com.

The company serves enterprise customers across multiple verticals, with Healthcare & Life Sciences (temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics requiring cold chain management) and Technology & Manufacturing (integrated supply chain and logistics manufacturing services) identified as primary segments; additional verticals include aerospace, automotive, consumer, and industrial. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales, with services delivered through a global network of offices rather than a self-serve channel, and pricing is quote-based rather than publicly listed. The Shapeways partnership announced in December 2025 extends the offering into digital manufacturing and 3D printing services as part of its Logistics Manufacturing Services line.

The underlying technology stack is anchored in physical logistics infrastructure (global freight forwarding network) rather than software; the firmographic technology profile lists "Global freight forwarding and logistics infrastructure" as the core technology with no proprietary AI, software, or platform features identified. Revenue is generated primarily through freight forwarding and contract logistics engagements on a recurring/contractual basis, with prior inorganic growth demonstrated by the 2015 acquisitions of Airflo and The Afifi Group. The entity now operates within a parent group (DSV A/S) that employs approximately 150,000 people across 90+ countries, materially extending the standalone Panalpina footprint.

Name

Panalpina

Legal name

Panalpina Welttransport AG

Website

https://panalpina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Panalpina is a Switzerland-based global freight forwarder and end-to-end supply chain solutions provider, now a wholly-owned subsidiary of DSV A/S, serving enterprise clients across healthcare, technology, aerospace, automotive, and consumer verticals via air, sea, road, and rail transport plus contract logistics.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Basel

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Global freight forwarding services including air freight, sea freight, road transport, and rail freight, along with contract logistics and supply chain management solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Panalpina is a global freight forwarder and end-to-end supply chain solutions provider offering multi-modal transport (air, sea, road, rail), contract logistics, lead logistics, project logistics, parcels, and industry-specific supply chain services. It serves enterprise customers across healthcare, aerospace, automotive, consumer, industrial, and technology verticals, with specialised cold-chain capability for pharmaceuticals and a growing Logistics Manufacturing Services offering that integrates 3D printing and digital manufacturing through its Shapeways partnership.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Air Freight Global air freight forwarding service for time-sensitive international shipments, offered to enterprise customers across all served verticals.
• Sea Freight Global ocean freight forwarding service (FCL/LCL) for cost-effective international shipments, serving enterprise customers.
• Road Transport Cross-border and domestic road freight transport services for enterprise customers across Europe and other regions.
• Rail Freight Rail freight transport services for intermodal and continental European shipments, offered to enterprise customers.
• Parcels Parcel and small-package shipping services for enterprise and business shippers requiring reliable domestic and international parcel delivery.
• Contract Logistics Long-term outsourced warehousing, distribution, and value-added logistics services managed under contract for enterprise customers.
• Lead Logistics 4PL lead logistics provider services that design, manage, and orchestrate complex multi-party supply chains for large enterprise customers.
• Project Logistics Specialised project transport services for oversized, heavy-lift, and complex industrial cargo such as energy, mining, and infrastructure projects.
• Healthcare Logistics Temperature-sensitive pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics with specialised cold chain management and regulatory compliance for healthcare and life sciences customers.
• Aerospace Logistics Specialised logistics services for the aerospace industry, including time-critical spare parts, AOG support, and transport of aerospace components.
• Automotive Logistics Supply chain and transport services tailored to automotive manufacturers and suppliers, including inbound logistics, finished vehicle distribution, and spare parts.
• Consumer Logistics Logistics and supply chain services for consumer goods companies, including retail distribution, e-fulfilment, and lifestyle and fashion brands.
• Industrial Logistics Supply chain solutions for industrial manufacturers, including inbound materials management, production logistics, and distribution.
• Technology Logistics Supply chain and logistics services for technology companies, including high-value components, semiconductors, and finished electronics distribution.
• Decarbonising Logistics Low-emission and sustainable transport solutions helping enterprise customers measure and reduce the carbon footprint of their supply chains.
• Value-Added Services Supplementary logistics services such as customs clearance, cargo insurance, packaging, labelling, and other value-added supply chain activities.
• Logistics Manufacturing Services Integrated logistics and digital manufacturing service that combines 3D printing and digital manufacturing capabilities with global distribution, enabled by the Shapeways partnership, for enterprise customers needing distributed production alongside physical logistics.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ShapewayscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 December 2025Switzerland-based Panalpina entered into a strategic partnership with US-based Shapeways to expand digital manufacturing capabilities globally. The collaboration allows Panalpina to integrate Shapeways' advanced software solutions and 3D printing expertise into its Logistics Manufacturing Services offering, while Shapeways gains access to Panalpina's global footprint and logistics infrastructure for geographical expansion.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• C.H. Robinson: Large global 3PL offering truckload, intermodal, ocean, and air forwarding plus managed services. A direct peer in global freight forwarding and supply chain services, with strong North American roots and growing international presence.
• CEVA Logistics: Global 3PL owned by CMA CGM providing air and sea freight forwarding, contract logistics, and ground transport. Directly comparable to Panalpina in multi-modal freight forwarding and integrated supply chain solutions for enterprise clients.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global air and ocean freight forwarder with asset-light operations focused on enterprise customers. Overlaps with Panalpina in international air and ocean forwarding and customs brokerage services.
• DB Schenker: German-headquartered global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider with European and global network density. A direct competitor for European-anchored enterprise freight forwarding and integrated supply chain programs served by Panalpina.
• Kerry Logistics: Asia-based global logistics company providing freight forwarding, warehousing, and integrated supply chain solutions. A direct peer to Panalpina in international freight forwarding, with particularly strong intra-Asia and Asia–Europe trade lane overlap.
• DSV A/S: Danish global transport and logistics group and the acquirer of Panalpina in 2019. Operates the same air, sea, road, rail, and contract logistics services and now incorporates Panalpina's network and customer book; the most direct functional peer in scale and scope.
• Nippon Express: Japan-headquartered global logistics group offering air, ocean, and road forwarding plus contract logistics. A direct peer in global freight forwarding with significant Asia–Europe and Asia–Americas trade lane coverage competing with Panalpina.
• Kuehne + Nagel: One of the world's largest sea and air freight forwarders and contract logistics providers, with a comparable global, multi-modal, enterprise-focused business model that directly competes with Panalpina for multinational shipper contracts.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Global Forwarding: The freight forwarding arm of Deutsche Post DHL Group, offering air, sea, road, and rail forwarding plus contract logistics at global scale. Significantly larger and broader than Panalpina but directly overlaps on enterprise freight forwarding and supply chain solutions.
• Geodis: French global logistics provider offering freight forwarding, contract logistics, and distribution at scale. A broad incumbent in the same freight forwarding and contract logistics space, competing with Panalpina especially in Europe and on transatlantic lanes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DSV_global
• Facebookfacebook.com/Panalpina
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/panalpina
• Instagraminstagram.com/dsv_global
• Xx.com/panalpinagroup

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Panalpina