ATS International

What ATS International does

ATS International is a Cape Town-headquartered freight forwarding company founded in 2004 that specializes in moving cargo into and out of Africa across sea, air, and road modes. Its service portfolio comprises eight integrated modules: sea freight, air freight, road freight, logistics, customs clearance, bonded warehousing, supply chain management, and charters (vessel and aircraft) for specialized cargo such as perishables, hazardous materials, and abnormal oversized loads. The company is led by founder Jens Pain Risgaard, a Copenhagen Business School-certified freight forwarder with industry experience since 1998.

The firm operates a proprietary Live Order Management System — a Wisegrid-based webtracker that automatically generates order statuses, integrates with customer operating systems, and delivers milestone and KPI reporting at no additional cost. This system is positioned as the operational backbone supporting door-to-door, tailormade freight solutions. ATS International subscribes to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) of 1977 as a stated ethical standard.

Commercially, ATS International generates revenue on a transaction-fee basis per shipment, with pricing that is quote-based and tailored to client requirements rather than publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is sales-led, with direct enterprise outreach via phone and email and enquiry forms on the corporate website. The company recently expanded its global reach through the Scan-Shipping ATS joint venture, which leverages Scan-Shipping's worldwide offices for competitive freight pricing, and operates Africa Transport Solutions as a sister company for South African domestic road freight. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, and no external funding, parent company, or institutional investment is disclosed.

Name

ATS International

Legal name

ATS International

Website

https://atsinternational.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ATS International is a Cape Town-based freight forwarder offering sea, air, and road freight forwarding, customs clearance, bonded warehousing, supply chain management, and chartering services, with a focus on cargo flows into and out of Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), General Warehousing and Storage (493110)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

International Freight Forwarding (Air/Ocean) for Personal Effects (HSAKACAD)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Supply chain management
• Customs clearance
• Bonded warehousing
• Door-to-door logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Fee-based model for freight forwarding services including sea freight, air freight, road freight, logistics, customs clearance, bonded warehousing, supply chain management, and charters. Services billed per shipment with door-to-door solutions tailored to specific client needs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

ATS International is a Cape Town-based freight forwarding company that provides global door-to-door transport of cargo into Africa via sea, air, and road freight. It supplements core transport services with customs clearance, bonded warehousing, supply chain management, vessel and aircraft chartering, and a proprietary Live Order Management System that gives clients real-time visibility and KPI reporting on their shipments.

Product overview

ATS International offers a unified global freight forwarding platform focused on cargo transport into and out of Africa. The core offering comprises eight integrated service modules: Sea Freight, Air Freight, Road Freight, Logistics, Customs Clearance, Bonded Warehousing, Supply Chain Management, and Charters. These services are delivered through a proprietary Live Order Management System providing real-time tracking and KPI reporting. The company also operates Scan-Shipping ATS, a joint venture extending global coverage with enhanced control through owned worldwide offices, particularly serving African freight routes. The portfolio handles diverse cargo types including perishables, hazardous materials, and abnormal oversized cargoes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sea Freight Ocean freight forwarding service for transporting cargo globally and into Africa, suited to businesses moving large or non-urgent shipments.
• Air Freight Air freight forwarding service for time-sensitive cargo shipments to and from Africa, for commercial clients requiring fast transit.
• Road Freight Road freight transport service providing overland delivery of cargo, including cross-border movements into and across African markets.
• Logistics Door-to-door logistics coordination service covering the planning, movement, and delivery of cargo for commercial clients shipping into Africa.
• Customs Clearance Customs brokerage and clearance service handling import/export documentation and regulatory compliance for cargo entering or leaving African jurisdictions.
• Bonded Warehousing Bonded storage service offering secure warehousing of goods under customs control, available to businesses importing cargo into Africa.
• Supply Chain Management End-to-end supply chain management service for commercial clients, covering global sourcing, procurement, and delivery coordination of cargo to African markets.
• Charters Vessel and aircraft chartering service for clients needing dedicated capacity or specialized transport for oversized, project, or time-critical cargo.

Quantifiable outcome

• Revert to enquiries within 24 hours

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Scan-ShippingflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFreight and logistics provider partnership enabling ATS to offer truly global services. New venture 'Scan-Shipping ATS' retains ATS services with special focus on freight solutions for Africa, offering competitive freight pricing and enhanced control through own worldwide offices. Customers can contact [email protected] or visit www.scan-shipping.com for more information.
• Africa Transport SolutionscoreOthersSister company handling Road Freight requirements within South Africa. Referenced on ATS International website for customers needing domestic road transport services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Imperial Logistics: Major South African-headquartered logistics group providing freight forwarding, warehousing, and supply chain solutions across Africa — a directly competitive regional peer with broader scale.
• CEVA Logistics: Global logistics provider offering air, sea, road, contract logistics, and customs brokerage worldwide with Africa operations — directly competing for enterprise forwarding contracts.
• DSV Panalpina: Global freight forwarding major delivering air, sea, road, and project logistics across more than 80 countries including active Africa operations — competes directly with ATS for multimodal shipments.
• Bidvest International Logistics: Bidvest's logistics division offers freight forwarding, customs, and supply chain services focused on Southern Africa — a comparable South African peer in scope and Africa orientation.
• DHL Global Forwarding: DHL's freight forwarding division operates air, ocean, and road freight services across 180+ countries with extensive African coverage — directly competes with ATS in international forwarding and customs.
• Agility Logistics: Global freight forwarder with strong emerging-markets and Africa footprint, providing air, sea, road, and contract logistics — a directly comparable multinational forwarding operation with regional specialism.
• Expeditors International: US-headquartered global freight forwarder focused on air and ocean freight plus customs brokerage — comparable offering across the core forwarding product set ATS provides.
• DB Schenker: Global integrated logistics provider with air, ocean, road, and contract logistics services across 130+ countries — competes directly in international forwarding and customs brokerage that ATS specializes in.
• Scan-Shipping: Strategic JV partner operating Scan-Shipping ATS — a global freight forwarder with own worldwide offices that ATS partnered with to deliver competitive pricing and enhanced reach on African shipments.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders offering air, sea, road, customs, and contract logistics globally with deep Africa presence — directly overlaps ATS's full multimodal forwarding offering at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/internationalats
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ats-international

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 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 ATS International