Ambroise Bouvier Transports

What Ambroise Bouvier Transports does

Ambroise Bouvier Transports is a family-owned French road transport and logistics group headquartered in Saint Pierre des Landes, founded in 1959 and organized under the holding company Société de Transports Maurice Bouvier (STMB). The group operates 780 tractors and 900 semi-trailers across 20 agencies in the North and West of France, offering full and partial lot transport, palletized messaging, temperature-controlled and frozen groupage, bulk freight, vehicle rental, warehousing, logistics engineering, and freight forwarding services. Revenue of €135M is split roughly equally between automotive, agri-food, and other industries/construction, with an enterprise customer base that includes Stellantis, Renault, Michelin, Lactalis, Nestlé, Danone, Faurecia, and Plastic Omnium, several of which are served via just-in-time synchronous production line supply.

The group's technology stack centers on a Transport Management System (Road Manager) for route management and billing, a Warehouse Management System (Ceritar Logirack) with customer-facing stock portals, ADD Secure geolocation for fleet tracking, and driver smartphones for dematerialized proof of delivery. Operations are 95% in-house, supported by 110,000 m² of warehousing capacity spanning bulk, frozen, rack, and hazardous product storage. The group holds ISO 9001:2015, QUALIMAT, Label CO2 (renewed as Objectif CO2 2023-2026), and EcoVadis Gold (2021) certifications, and has been investing in alternative-fuel fleet (gas trucks from 2021, OLEO 100 biofuel trucks from 2023) and on-site photovoltaic generation.

The business model is asset-heavy and transactional: revenue is generated per shipment via road freight, per unit of storage, and per vehicle rental contract, with no public pricing transparency. Go-to-market is direct B2B targeting large accounts and SMEs through dedicated relationship managers, complemented by 30+ year customer relationships (e.g., Torchio) and a multi-decade Renault quality partnership. Growth has been executed primarily through a serial acquisition strategy — eight acquired entities since 1989 (Bonnier, Galopin/ABF, Hery/ABB, Le Ray, AQI, Rallu, Buffet, SAD, Grimaud) — all retained as branded subsidiaries within the family-controlled holding structure.

Name

Ambroise Bouvier Transports

Legal name

Ambroise Bouvier Transports

Website

https://ambroise-bouvier.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ambroise Bouvier Transports is a family-owned French road transport and logistics group operating 780 tractors across 20 agencies in North and West France. It serves automotive, agri-food, and industrial customers with freight, warehousing, vehicle rental, and freight forwarding services, generating €135M in revenue.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Road Freight Transport and Logistics Services

NAICS

General Freight Trucking, Long-Distance, Truckload (484121), Specialized Freight Trucking (4842), Freight Transportation Arrangement (48851)

SIC

Trucking (No Local) (4213), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTLACACAL

Bulk & Tanker Road Freight Forwarding (Dry Bulk, Liquids, Chemicals)

Transportation & Logistics/Freight Forwarding & Customs Brokerage/Road Freight Forwarding (Domestic & Cross-Border)

Keywords

• Road freight transport
• Logistics warehousing services
• Temperature-controlled shipping
• Vehicle rental services
• Freight forwarding

Headquarters

HQ city

Saint-pierre-des-landes

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices21 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Road Freight Transport: Full and partial loads, palletized messaging, temperature-controlled shipments, frozen groupage, and bulk transport services across France and Europe
2. Logistics and Warehousing: Storage services including bulk, frozen, rack storage, hazardous products; stock management and cross-docking; order preparation; logistics engineering
3. Vehicle Rental: Short and long-term rental of tractors, semi-trailers, carriers, and handling vehicles with or without drivers
4. Freight Forwarding: Organization of shipments throughout France and internationally to Eastern Europe, North Africa, and Russia

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Ambroise Bouvier Transports is a French road freight transport and logistics company offering full and partial loads, palletized messaging, temperature-controlled and frozen groupage shipments, bulk freight transport, warehousing (bulk, frozen, rack, hazardous), vehicle rental with or without drivers, and freight forwarding across France and Europe. The company operates a fleet of 780 tractors and 900 semi-trailers through 20 agencies in northern and western France, primarily serving automotive, agri-food, and industrial customers.

Product overview

Ambroise Bouvier Transports is a French transportation and logistics group offering integrated freight transport and logistics services through multiple specialized subsidiaries. The core offering centers on Ambroise Bouvier Transports (ABT) for general road freight, complemented by sub-brands including Ambroise Bouvier Froid (refrigerated transport), Ambroise Bouvier Bretagne (regional transport), Le Ray Transports & Logistique (distribution and logistics), AQI (international transport), Rallu Transports (FLO groupage), and more recent acquisitions (Transports BUFFET, S.A.D. Transports, Grimaud Transports). Services include full and partial lot transport, temperature-controlled shipping, logistics engineering, storage solutions, and vehicle rental. The group operates a fleet of 700 tractors and 900 trailers (780 tautliner semi-trailers, 100 refrigerated semi-trailers, and 10 grain/moving floor trailers) across 20 agencies in northern and western France, serving the automotive, agri-food, and industrial sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road Freight Transport
• Logistics and Warehousing
• Storage Logistics
• Logistics Engineering
• Vehicle Rental
• Freight Forwarding
• Refrigerated Transport (Ambroise Bouvier Froid)
• Automotive Logistics

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of deliveries completed at the time requested by the customer
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FLO Groupement (FLO Palettes)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMember of FLO Palettes groupement since 2009, specialized in distribution services. Rallu Transports operates as member of FLO Palettes network based in Fougères.
• Le Ray LogistiquecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired by STMB in 2012, serves as the logistics and distribution division of the Ambroise Bouvier group. Provides warehouse management system (Le Ray system) and customer systems integration.
• Transports GalopincoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 1996 and renamed Ambroise Bouvier Froid (ABF), specialized in refrigerated and temperature-controlled transport services.
• Transports Hery InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 2010 and integrated into Ambroise Bouvier Bretagne (ABB), specialized in Brittany, France, and Italy transport.
• Bonnier SAcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcquired in 1989 by Huguette Ambroise and Guy Bouvier, renamed Ambroise Bouvier Transports in 1993. Specializes in road transport of goods (pallet, bulk).
• Ceritar LogirackcoreTechnology or IntegrationWMS system provider for computerized warehouse management. Customers have personalized internet access to check merchandise stocks. Uses trackers for goods control.
• Road ManagercoreTechnology or IntegrationTMS software for route management, billing, and transport management. Customer portal accessible at abt.rm-portail.com.
• ADD Secure (Vehco)coreTechnology or IntegrationGeolocation system providing vehicle tracking, social and statistical data feedback, and permanent driver link. Provider of fleet geolocation solutions.
• MichelinminorOthersReceived attestation from Michelin for sustainable tire usage. Tire supplier and partner for environmental initiatives.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• STEF: French-listed refrigerated and temperature-controlled logistics specialist serving food manufacturers across Europe. Directly comparable to Ambroise Bouvier Froid (ABF) in cold-chain transport and frozen storage, with overlapping agri-food customers (e.g., Lactalis).
• Groupe Charles André (Charles André Transport): Privately-held French specialist in bulk liquid, industrial, and chemical road transport. Comparable as a French asset-heavy, family-controlled road carrier serving industrial customers, though Ambroise Bouvier is more diversified across pallets, refrigerated, and logistics.
• Geodis: SNCF-owned French full-service logistics group offering road freight, contract logistics, freight forwarding, and distribution across Europe. Comparable in service breadth (transport + warehousing + forwarding) and French enterprise customer base, but at materially larger scale.
• ID Logistics: French-listed contract logistics specialist serving retail, FMCG, and e-commerce with warehousing and multi-country distribution. Comparable in integrated logistics and shared customers in French retail/consumer goods; Ambroise Bouvier adds an owned-fleet transport layer.
• Jacky Perrenot: Privately-held French road transport and logistics group serving industrial, retail, and refrigerated customers with owned fleet. Comparable in family-controlled French trucking profile and diversified general/refrigerated transport services.
• FM Logistic: Family-owned French contract logistics and multi-country distribution provider with warehousing and co-packing. Comparable in private mid-market profile and integrated logistics offerings, though Ambroise Bouvier's owned trucking fleet is a differentiator.

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Danish-listed global transport and logistics provider with strong road freight and forwarding franchise in Europe. Comparable in road freight brokerage/arrangement and European enterprise customers, though Ambroise Bouvier is asset-heavy rather than primarily asset-light.
• Dachser: German family-owned logistics group providing European road freight, contract logistics, and air & sea freight. Comparable in owned-fleet European road transport and family-ownership structure, but with materially broader geographic and service footprint.
• DB Schenker: German-owned European road freight, contract logistics, and global forwarding incumbent. Comparable in European road transport and contract logistics for industrial customers, with significantly broader international reach and service portfolio.
• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-listed global freight forwarding and contract logistics leader with road, sea, and air capabilities. Comparable in international freight forwarding and contract logistics for enterprise customers, but operates at vastly larger global scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/abtransports
• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ambroise-bouvier

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries10 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 Ambroise Bouvier Transports