Fatton
Fatton is a fourth-generation, family-owned French freight forwarder (founded 1909) providing air/sea forwarding, road transport, 40,000 m² of bonded warehousing, and customs brokerage across 39 owned branches in France, North America, Southern Africa, and Asia, serving B2B shippers in automotive, agri-food, cosmetics, and industrial sectors.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1909
- HeadquartersVilleurbanne, France
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fatton does
Fatton (legally TRANSPORTS P. FATTON) is a privately held French freight forwarding, road transport, logistics, and customs brokerage company headquartered in Villeurbanne (Lyon), France, founded in 1909 as "Messageries Lyonnaises" and now in its fourth generation of family ownership under Chairman Pierre FATTON. The company operates four integrated service lines — Overseas (air and sea freight forwarding), Road (national and international trucking including hazardous materials and clothing-on-hangers), Logistics (40,000 m² of ICPE-classified warehouses with bonded storage), and Customs (brokerage across 11 French branches supported by 34 declarants) — and generates revenue on a transaction-fee basis from B2B shippers across automotive, agri-food, cosmetics, industrial raw materials, home improvement, construction, and textile/retail verticals.
The company distributes services through 21 owned branches across France and 18 branches abroad covering North America (USA, Canada), Southern Africa (South Africa, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Réunion), and Asia (India, Thailand, Vietnam, China, Taiwan), complemented by FLO and Lotrexate partner networks for domestic distribution and a global partner-agent network for uncovered geographies. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales with no consumer-facing channels. The underlying technology stack is traditional logistics IT: Hardis Group's WMS Reflex for warehouse management, a proprietary customs information system for regulatory updates, and two dedicated tracking portals (intranet.fatton.com for overseas, damaris.fatton.com for road). The fleet is 100% Euro 6 compliant with 75% of vehicles under four years old, and the Lyon Saint-Exupéry site is the first freight-forwarder-operated logistics facility in France equipped with photovoltaic panels.
Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis per shipment or per logistics engagement with no publicly disclosed pricing; contracts are quoted on volume, destination, and service requirements. Fatton is certified to ISO 9001:2015 (since 2018, originally 1997), Authorized Economic Operator for Customs Simplifications and Safety/Security (since 2011), C-TPAT, ADEME Objective CO2 charter (since 2009), and DGAC Authorized Agent for air export. The company has no external private equity or venture backing, has executed one disclosed acquisition (Transports Cognard in Roanne for road transport expansion), and operates with no mobile apps, public APIs, or disclosed AI/ML capabilities.
Fatton firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fatton
- Legal name
- TRANSPORTS P.FATTON
- Website
- https://fatton.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1909
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Fatton is a fourth-generation, family-owned French freight forwarder (founded 1909) providing air/sea forwarding, road transport, 40,000 m² of bonded warehousing, and customs brokerage across 39 owned branches in France, North America, Southern Africa, and Asia, serving B2B shippers in automotive, agri-food, cosmetics, and industrial sectors.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fatton industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Warehousing and Storage (493), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Public Warehousing & Storage (4220)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door) (TLACAAAA)
Keywords
Where Fatton is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villeurbanne
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices39 records
Markets served
Fatton business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Freight Forwarding Services: Commissionnaire en transport offering air and sea freight forwarding services for import and export. Services include organization of operations per Incoterm, pre-transport to airports/ports, transit handling, document preparation, and customs formalities.
- Road Transport Services: National and international road transport services including messagerie, partial loads, full loads, hazardous materials, express services, and dedicated regular traffic. Revenue generated through transportation fees.
- Logistics and Warehousing: Storage and distribution services with 40,000 m² of ICPE-classified warehouses. Services include order preparation, quality control, and distribution to final recipients.
- Customs Services: Customs brokerage and compliance services across 11 branches in France with 34 declarants. Services include customs clearance, classification, and regulatory compliance advice.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Fatton product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fatton is an international freight forwarding and logistics company providing air and sea freight forwarding (Overseas), national and international road transport (Road), bonded and ICPE-classified warehousing with WMS-tracked supply chain services (Logistics), and customs clearance and compliance across 11 branches with 34 declarants (Customs). The company manages complete goods flows and information flows from collection to final delivery for B2B customers across multiple industrial verticals.
Product overview
Fatton operates as a freight forwarding and logistics company offering four integrated core services: Overseas (air and sea freight forwarding), Road (national and international trucking), Logistics (warehousing and supply chain management with WMS), and Customs (customs clearance and compliance). The company provides complete management of goods flows and information flows from collection to final delivery, with additional tracking capabilities through dedicated portals for both overseas and road shipments. Founded in 1909, the family business has grown to operate across 5 continents with subsidiaries and partner agents.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Overseas (Air and Sea Freight Forwarding) International freight forwarding service covering air and sea transport for imports and exports, including consolidation, express shipping, door-to-door projects, and cross-trade operations between countries, supported by Fatton's own network of branches and local partner agents worldwide.
- Road (National and International Road Transport) National and international road transport services including messagerie, partial loads, full loads, hazardous materials (ADR), clothing on hangers, express services, and dedicated regular traffic, operated through Fatton's own fleet and FLO/Lotrexate partner networks across Europe.
- Logistics (Warehousing and Supply Chain) Warehousing and supply chain management services with 40,000 m² of ICPE-classified warehouses, bonded storage areas, surveillance systems, and the WMS Reflex/Hardis system for inventory traceability, serving automotive, agri-food, cosmetics, industrial raw materials, home improvement, and construction sectors.
- Customs (Customs Clearance and Compliance) Customs clearance and compliance services distributed across 11 branches with 34 declarants, offering advice on Domiciliary Procedure, AEO, Warehousing, Active/Passive Improvement, and product classification, with reduced waiting time for customs clearance through proximity to the customer.
Quantifiable outcome
- 40,000 m² ICPE-classified warehouses with bonded storage areas
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Fatton
Customer profileSegments8 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Fatton technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Fatton partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- FLO NetworkcoreFLO is a partner network dedicated to specific distribution of up to five pallets, meeting Fatton's commitments in terms of quality of service, traceability of goods, and complete national territory coverage. The FLO network also plants a tree for every 10 loaded pallets, supporting Fatton's sustainable development scope.
- LotrexatecorePartner network for specific distribution needs in France, complementing Fatton's own branch network for comprehensive national coverage.
- Hardis GroupcoreFatton uses the WMS (Warehouse Management System) Reflex from Hardis Group for reliable traceability of all logistics flows, including stock movement validation, information flow optimization, and remote stock consultation.
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Fatton competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dachser: Dachser is a German family-owned global logistics provider with road freight, air & sea forwarding, and contract logistics — closely comparable in family-ownership structure and integrated European road/forwarding offering.
- XPO Logistics: XPO Logistics is a global provider of less-than-truckload (LTL) and European road transport plus freight forwarding — a broader incumbent competing with Fatton in European road freight and contract logistics.
- CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics (CMA CGM subsidiary) is a major global supply chain operator with freight forwarding, contract logistics, and customs services — a larger incumbent operating in many of Fatton's verticals and geographies.
- DSV: DSV is a Danish-headquartered global freight forwarder (now including DB Schenker and Panalpina) with extensive French and European operations in air, sea, road, and contract logistics — a larger incumbent in the same competitive set.
- DB Schenker: DB Schenker is a German global freight forwarder with extensive European road, air, sea, and contract logistics operations — a like-for-like broader-scale competitor in Fatton's core European freight forwarding market.
- Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders with significant air, sea, and road forwarding plus contract logistics, and a major presence in France — a much larger incumbent offering broadly overlapping services.
Direct peers
- Bolloré Logistics: Bolloré Logistics is a French-headquartered global freight forwarder with air, sea, road, and customs services across 5 continents, competing head-to-head with Fatton on integrated multimodal freight forwarding and customs brokerage.
- Geodis: Geodis is a French global logistics company (SNCF Logistics subsidiary) offering freight forwarding, road transport, warehousing, and customs services across multiple continents — a directly comparable French-headquartered multimodal forwarder.
- Heppner: Heppner is a French family-owned freight forwarder with a similar multi-generational heritage, dense French branch network, and integrated transport/logistics/customs offering — the closest French mid-market direct comparator to Fatton.
Regional players
- GLS France: GLS France (Royal Mail/IDSUD) is a French parcel and logistics provider with national branch coverage — a comparable French regional player offering road transport and distribution services, though more focused on parcels than freight forwarding.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fatton social profiles
Digital presenceFatton compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Fatton financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fatton leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Fatton funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fatton 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 Fatton
What does Fatton do?
Fatton is an international freight forwarding and logistics company providing air and sea freight forwarding (Overseas), national and international road transport (Road), bonded and ICPE-classified warehousing with WMS-tracked supply chain services (Logistics), and customs clearance and compliance across 11 branches with 34 declarants (Customs). The company manages complete goods flows and information flows from collection to final delivery for B2B customers across multiple industrial verticals.
Is Fatton a public or private company?
Fatton is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Fatton founded?
Fatton was founded in 1909. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Fatton based?
Fatton is headquartered in Villeurbanne, France, in the Europe region.
How does Fatton make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Freight Forwarding Services are the primary driver. The others are road Transport Services, logistics and Warehousing and customs Services.
Who are Fatton's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dachser, XPO Logistics, CEVA Logistics, DSV, DB Schenker and Kuehne+Nagel. Direct peers are Bolloré Logistics, Geodis and Heppner. GLS France is listed as a regional player.
Does Fatton have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fatton.
What industry is Fatton in?
Fatton's product category is Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLACAAAA, General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.