McHugh & Eastwood

What McHugh & Eastwood does

McHugh & Eastwood is a 100% Australian-owned, family-owned freight forwarding and logistics company founded in 1980 by Guy Eastwood and Colin McHugh in Geelong, Victoria. The company provides an integrated suite of four core services: international airfreight, ocean freight (FCL, LCL, buyers consolidation, roll-on/roll-off, and project cargo), third-party warehousing and distribution anchored by a 3,650 sqm Australian Customs bonded warehouse with 2,500 pallet positions, and licensed customs brokerage and consulting.

The company operates four offices across Australia's east coast in Geelong, Melbourne (Tullamarine), Sydney (Alexandria), and Brisbane (Brendale), employing over 40 staff and serving importers, exporters, and manufacturers. Its technology stack centers on the third-party CargoWise freight forwarding platform, supplemented by MEtrack, a proprietary real-time global tracking portal that provides customers with shipment visibility. EDI integration with retailers and e-commerce platforms supports the 3PL offering.

McHugh & Eastwood generates revenue primarily through transaction-based freight forwarding fees across air and ocean, plus managed services revenue from warehousing/3PL contracts and professional services fees from customs brokerage. The business model is quote-based and sales-led, with a direct sales team and account managers targeting businesses of all sizes engaged in international trade. The company holds Australian Trusted Trader accreditation from the Australian Border Force and IATA membership, providing regulatory standing and trade facilitation benefits. In December 2022, McHugh & Eastwood acquired C & H Freight Pty Ltd, marking its first known M&A transaction.

Name

McHugh & Eastwood

Legal name

McHugh and Eastwood (Aust) Pty Ltd

Website

https://mcheast.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

McHugh & Eastwood is a 100% Australian-owned freight forwarder providing airfreight, ocean freight, bonded warehousing, and customs brokerage services to importers, exporters, and manufacturers across Australia through four east-coast offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding & Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851), Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation (481212)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210), Air Courier Services (4513)

akta.pro primary industry

Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Project & OOG/Breakbulk Ocean Forwarding (Out-of-Gauge, RoRo) (TLACABAH), Oversized/Out-of-Gauge Specialized Cargo Forwarding (OOG) (TLACAJAG)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding
• Airfreight services
• Sea freight forwarding
• Customs brokerage
• Warehousing and logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Geelong

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Airfreight Services: International air cargo solutions using major airline carriers for import and export cargo movement. Services include door-to-door or airport-to-airport delivery, express freight, dangerous goods handling, and scheduled consolidations.
2. Ocean Freight Services: Full container loads (FCL), less than container loads (LCL), buyers consolidation (FCX), roll-on roll-off cargo, and project/out-of-gauge cargo handling. Partnerships with all major shipping lines globally.
3. Warehousing and 3PL Services: Third-party logistics including inward goods management, long and short-term storage, pick/pack services, local/national/international distribution, cross docking, assembly/labeling, and EDI integration with retailers/e-commerce platforms.
4. Customs Brokerage Services: Licensed customs brokers providing compliance, clearance documentation, and in-house customs consulting services. Includes advice on trade facilitation benefits.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

McHugh & Eastwood is an Australian-owned freight forwarding and logistics company that moves international and domestic cargo on behalf of importers and exporters. Its offering spans airfreight, sea freight (FCL and LCL), warehousing, customs brokerage, project logistics, and domestic transport, supported by proprietary MEtrack shipment visibility tooling and CargoWise operations technology.

Product overview

McHugh & Eastwood operates as a 100% Australian-owned freight forwarding and logistics company offering an integrated suite of services: Airfreight, Ocean Freight, Warehousing, and Customs Brokerage Service as core offerings, supplemented by their proprietary MEtrack real-time tracking platform. The company provides end-to-end supply chain solutions including door-to-door and port-to-port options, with a Customs bonded warehouse facility. The MEtrack platform connects to their service operations to deliver real-time shipment visibility and proactive customer communication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MEtrack: Real-time global freight tracking platform used by McHugh & Eastwood to provide customers with online track and trace capabilities for their shipments.

Products and services

• Airfreight Time-sensitive air cargo forwarding services for importers and exporters moving goods internationally, supported by IATA accreditation. Targeted at businesses needing fast, reliable international air shipments.
• Sea Freight (FCL & LCL) Ocean freight forwarding covering Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) shipments for businesses importing or exporting goods by sea. Suitable for a wide range of cargo volumes, including consolidated shipments and full containers.
• Customs Brokerage Licensed customs clearance service for goods entering or leaving Australia, supporting compliance with customs requirements and leveraging Australian Trusted Trader accreditation. Aimed at importers and exporters needing efficient border processing.
• Warehousing Storage and handling services for cargo, with warehousing facilities available to support clients' inventory and distribution needs. Offered to businesses needing storage in conjunction with international freight forwarding.
• MEtrack Shipment Tracking Platform Proprietary online platform that provides clients with real-time visibility of their shipments, document access, and reporting. Used by importers and exporters forwarding cargo through McHugh & Eastwood to monitor their supply chain movements.
• Project Logistics & Heavy Lift Specialist logistics services for oversized, heavy lift, and project cargo, including oil & gas sector projects. Extended through the December 2022 acquisition of C & H Freight Pty Ltd. Targeted at industries requiring complex, non-standard cargo movements.
• Domestic Transport Domestic freight transport services within Australia to move cargo to and from ports, airports, and customer sites. Supports importers and exporters using McHugh & Eastwood's international freight services and businesses needing domestic distribution.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Australian Trusted Trader ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 January 2023Official membership in Australian Trusted Trader program providing trade facilitation benefits and recognized compliance standards.
• Major Shipping Lines (Global)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnerships with all major shipping lines and consolidators worldwide enabling first-class ocean freight services with reliable sailings.
• Major Airline CarrierscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnerships with major airline carriers for international airfreight services, enabling efficient and expedited cargo movement.
• IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIATA member organization providing access to industry standards, resources, training, and networking opportunities for air freight operations.
• Global Overseas AffiliatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerExtensive network of overseas affiliates in the global freight industry sharing mutual values of high quality customer service and proven reliability.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• DSV: DSV is a global freight forwarder that has aggressively acquired mid-sized forwarders including Australian operators. Its air, sea, road, and solutions divisions compete head-to-head for mid-market and enterprise freight forwarding mandates in Australia.
• DB Schenker: DB Schenker operates a global land, air, and ocean freight network with Australian offices and contract logistics capability. It competes for similar freight forwarding and customs brokerage mandates with substantially deeper international network reach.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL Global Forwarding is a top-tier global air and ocean forwarder with a major Australian presence, offering customs brokerage, warehousing, and end-to-end supply chain services. It competes for the same shipper base across the same service categories but with a global owned-network footprint.
• CEVA Logistics: CEVA Logistics is a global contract logistics and freight management provider with Australian operations spanning ocean, air, road, customs, and warehousing. It targets the same mid-market and enterprise shippers with a broader owned-asset model than McHugh & Eastwood.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Kuehne+Nagel is one of the world's largest freight forwarders with substantial Australian operations across ocean, air, customs, and contract logistics. It competes for the same enterprise and mid-market customers but at vastly greater scale and global network depth.

Direct peers

• Toll Holdings: Toll is one of Australia's largest multi-modal freight, forwarding, and logistics providers offering domestic and international ocean, air, and road freight plus warehousing. It is the closest like-for-like Australian-headquartered competitor across the full service stack McHugh & Eastwood offers.
• Linfox: Linfox is a major privately-held Australian transport, warehousing, and supply chain company with comparable multimodal offerings and a strong domestic network. Like McHugh & Eastwood it is family/Australian owned and combines freight forwarding with significant warehouse operations.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Hellmann is a global mid-tier freight forwarder with strong air, ocean, road, and customs operations including Australia. It targets a similar mid-market customer base and offers comparable one-stop freight forwarding plus contract logistics solutions.
• Expeditors International: Expeditors is a mid-sized global air and ocean freight forwarder with Australian offices, focused on customs brokerage and supply chain visibility. Its asset-light model and customs-heavy offering most closely mirror McHugh & Eastwood's positioning.
• Mainfreight: Mainfreight operates a mid-tier global freight forwarding, warehousing, and domestic transport network with established Australian branches. It is similarly sized in the Australian market and targets the same SME and mid-market shipper base with a comparable multi-modal model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbJ3oRqpbkb_wAi9vTtijTA
• LinkedInau.linkedin.com/company/mchugh-eastwood
• Instagraminstagram.com/mchugh.eastwood

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 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 McHugh & Eastwood