What Clasquin does

Clasquin SAS is a French multinational freight forwarding and logistics provider headquartered in Lyon, France, operating 84 offices across 26 countries on five continents with approximately 1,700 employees. The company delivers multimodal transport services across ocean freight (FCL/LCL, oversized, chartering, reefer, dangerous goods), air freight (regular, charter, combined sea/air, express, defense, fine arts), road brokerage, and rail freight (Asia-Europe-Africa), plus customs operations and compliance, decarbonization consulting, and four specialized niche sub-brands: Art Shipping International (fine arts), EXACIEL (humanitarian and emergency relief), FDS / Transport Petit International (critical freight), and CLASQUIN Fairs & Events. CLASQUIN's proprietary digital platform, LIVE, integrates real-time data from approximately 70 shipping lines, NVOCCs, over 100 airlines, port terminals, ship positions, air traffic control and customs authorities to provide shipment tracking with predictive ETA, carbon footprint measurement at Level 4 GLEC/EN 16258 precision, invoice visibility, and analytics, exchanging via EDI (EDIFACT, X12) and APIs.

Revenue is generated primarily through transaction-fee pricing on freight movements (ocean, air, road, rail), augmented by value-added services such as customs brokerage, decarbonization consulting, and specialized niche logistics where white-glove handling commands premium pricing. Customer segments span fourteen verticals including aeronautics (e.g., LAUAK), automotive, FMCG, food and beverage, infrastructure, healthcare, high-tech and telecom, luxury and beauty, mining, oil and gas, project cargo, fairs and events, fine arts, and critical freight — accessed through an enterprise field-sales motion with dedicated industry expertise centers. The business relies on third-party carrier capacity integrated through long-standing vendor and partnership agreements (e.g., MSC Group post-acquisition, AGL in Africa, Blue Lotus Ocean Line) and on regulated certifications (OEA, ISO 9001, GDP, TAPA, IATA, C-TPAT, ISO 20121) to access restricted cargo categories.

Since March 2024, CLASQUIN has operated as a privately held subsidiary of MSC Group (Mediterranean Shipping Company), headquartered in Geneva. Prior to the take-private, CLASQUIN had a history of programmatic bolt-on acquisitions (Garnett Logistics, Goritz Air Freight, Lafont Chavent, Art Shipping International, Timar) used to expand geographic reach and enter niche verticals, and continues to operate under the CLASQUIN brand while benefiting from MSC's owned-and-operated shipping capacity, terminal infrastructure (TiL), intra-African logistics (AGL), and air cargo capabilities (MSC Air Cargo).

Name

Clasquin

Legal name

CLASQUIN SAS

Website

https://clasquin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Clasquin SAS is a French multinational freight forwarder headquartered in Lyon, operating 84 offices across 26 countries with ~1,700 employees, providing multimodal ocean, air, road, and rail transport, customs compliance, decarbonization consulting, and niche logistics (fine arts, humanitarian relief, critical freight, fairs and events) to enterprise customers across 14 industry verticals, now a subsidiary of MSC Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Freight Forwarding

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

LCL (Less-than-Container Load) Consolidation/Deconsolidation (TLACABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Import Forwarding (Destination Handling/DO/ISF) (TLACABAE), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG), Trade Compliance & Ocean Regulatory Services (Sanctions/Export Controls) (TLACABAL)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Ocean freight services
• Air freight forwarding
• Supply chain management
• Customs brokerage services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lyon

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices66 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: CLASQUIN generates revenue through comprehensive freight forwarding services including ocean freight, air freight, rail freight, road brokerage, and customs operations. The company has been a trusted leader in ocean freight since 1990, managing TEUs per year with numerous ocean carriers and offering both FCL and LCL shipping solutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Clasquin is a French multinational freight forwarding company that plans and executes international shipments across ocean, air, road, and rail transport modes for enterprise clients in industries such as aerospace, automotive, healthcare, and oil & gas. The company combines multimodal transport services, customs operations and compliance, and decarbonization consulting with its proprietary LIVE digital platform, which provides real-time shipment tracking, carbon footprint measurement, analytics, and EDI/API integration.

Product overview

CLASQUIN is a French multinational freight forwarding company (founded 1983) offering a comprehensive logistics platform with multiple transport modes and specialized services. The core offering includes Ocean Freight, Air Freight, Road Brokerage, Rail Freight, Customs Operations & Compliance Solutions, and Decarbonization Consulting. The digital platform LIVE powers the augmented supply chain with real-time tracking, carbon footprint measurement, and analytics. Specialized sub-brands include Art Shipping International (fine arts), EXACIEL (humanitarian relief), FDS and Transport Petit International (critical freight), and CLASQUIN Fairs & Events. The company operates across 26 countries with 84 offices and joined the MSC Group in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LIVE: A unique collaborative platform for an augmented supply chain, providing real-time tracking, advanced analytics, and seamless logistics management.
• FDS (Freight Defense Services)
• Transport Petit International
• EXACIEL
• CLASQUIN Euromed
• CLASQUIN Road Chartering
• SMART GREEN
• CLASQUIN Fairs & Events

Products and services

• Ocean Freight Ocean freight forwarding solutions for enterprise shippers, including FCL/LCL shipping, intermodal transport, oversized freight, ship chartering, garments (GOH), liquids, hazardous cargo, cold chain, and secured-capacity index offers.
• Air Freight
• Road Brokerage International road transport services operated under the CLASQUIN, LCI-CLASQUIN, Timar, and Grupolis brands across Europe, North Africa, and China, including FTL, LTL, express, temperature-controlled, and dangerous goods handling.
• Rail Freight Low-carbon rail transport solutions between Asia and Europe and into Africa, including FCL/LCL rail, overland, open top, reefer, and P400 options.
• Customs Operations & Compliance Solutions Customs management and regulatory compliance services including daily assistance, customs engineering, duty optimization, AEO certification assistance, and audit services, delivered by OEA-accredited teams.
• Decarbonization Consulting SMART GREEN sustainable supply chain consulting including LIVE Green carbon measurement, Fast Green modal shift and hinterland optimization, and Green by Design strategic advisory.
• LIVE Platform Proprietary collaborative digital platform providing real-time shipment tracking from pick-up to delivery, predictive ETA with up to 10 days lead time, LIVE Green carbon footprint measurement (Level 4 precision per EN 16258 and GLEC), LIVE Analytics dashboards, LIVE Invoice financial management, and LIVE Connect EDI/API exchange.
• Art Shipping International Specialized fine arts logistics services for museums, galleries, collectors, and auction houses, offering tailored packaging, artwork installation, ocean freight, customs management, and insurance coverage.
• EXACIEL Humanitarian & Emergency Relief Logistics Humanitarian and emergency relief logistics expertise delivered through the EXACIEL subsidiary based in Roissy, France, providing rapid emergency logistics, expert aid distribution, and regulatory compliance for sensitive relief shipments.
• Critical Freight (FDS & Transport Petit International) Critical freight and secure transport services for urgent deliveries, high-value cargo, and complex logistics requirements where speed, security, and absolute precision are essential.
• CLASQUIN Fairs & Events Trade show and exhibition logistics services for international fairs, conferences, and exhibitions from Paris, Lyon, Casablanca, and Miami hubs, with ISO 20121 sustainable event management certification.

Quantifiable outcome

• Real-time tracking accuracy with predictive ETA up to 10 days lead time
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments15 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AGL (Africa Global Logistics)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCLASQUIN leverages AGL partnership in Africa to extend reach and leadership across the African continent. The combined strength delivers agile, demand-driven solutions with enhanced visibility and reliable tracking, enabling fast reaction to opportunities and deep local expertise across African markets.
• ExacielcoreOthersExaciel is CLASQUIN's subsidiary specialized in humanitarian and emergency relief logistics, providing rapid deployment, secure handling, and global reach for sensitive relief cargo. Headquartered in Roissy, France.
• Art Shipping InternationalcoreOthersArt Shipping International, based in Paris since 2016, is CLASQUIN's specialized division for fine arts logistics, offering tailored solutions including customs management, specialized packaging, artwork installations, insurance coverage, and global shipment flows.
• FDS (Freight Defense Services)coreOthersFDS is CLASQUIN's specialized division for critical freight movements, providing expert solutions designed for speed, security, and absolute precision for urgent deliveries and high-value cargo.
• Transport Petit InternationalcoreOthersTransport Petit International is CLASQUIN's specialized division for critical freight, providing rapid, secure, and global critical freight solutions alongside FDS.
• LCI-CLASQUINcoreOthersLCI-CLASQUIN is a brand under CLASQUIN for road brokerage operations across Europe, North Africa, and China, operating daily groupage to Switzerland & UK.
• TimarcoreOthersTimar joined CLASQUIN in 2023, enhancing fine arts services in Morocco (Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Tanger, Nouaceur) and expanding coverage in Mali (Bamako) and Mauritania (Nouakchott).
• GrupoliscoreOthersGrupolis is a CLASQUIN brand operating road transport operations in Portugal (Porto, Lisbonne/Vialonga) and Spain (Madrid), providing international transport solutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Nippon Express Holdings: Japanese-headquartered global logistics group with worldwide forwarding, warehousing, and heavy-haul capabilities. Comparable in multi-modal service breadth and Asian market depth.
• CEVA Logistics: Global third-party logistics provider owned by CMA CGM offering freight management, contract logistics, and finished vehicle logistics. Comparable multimodal forwarder with shipping-line affiliation, mirroring Clasquin's MSC relationship.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Deutsche Post DHL's freight-forwarding division offers ocean, air, road, and customs services globally. Direct peer in multimodal forwarding with significantly larger scale and broader product portfolio than Clasquin.
• DSV A/S: Danish global freight forwarder (now including DB Schenker) with extensive road, air, sea, and contract logistics offerings. Closely comparable multi-modal forwarder with strong European footprint overlapping Clasquin's home market.
• Kuehne+Nagel International AG: One of the world's largest global freight forwarders with deep ocean, air, road, and contract logistics capabilities. Directly comparable to Clasquin in core services (ocean FCL/LCL, air freight, customs) but operates at materially greater scale.

Emerging players

• Flexport: US-based digital-native freight forwarder offering ocean, air, and trucking with a software-led platform. Adjacent/emerging competitor to Clasquin's LIVE platform in supply-chain visibility and digital forwarding.

Direct peers

• Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics provider with freight forwarding, contract logistics, and distribution. A particularly close peer given shared French origin, European focus, and multimodal service portfolio.
• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: German family-owned global freight forwarder with air, sea, road, and contract logistics. Comparable mid-sized family-influenced forwarder with similar European heritage and vertical specialisations.
• Expeditors International: US-listed global freight forwarder focused on ocean and air forwarding plus customs brokerage. Closely comparable mid-to-large forwarder with similar asset-light model and enterprise customer orientation.
• Bolloré Logistics: French multimodal logistics and freight-forwarding division of the Bolloré Group, with strong presence in Africa and Asia. Direct comparable given similar vertical specialisations and French/African footprint overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/clasquin
• Instagraminstagram.com/clasquin_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries29 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A5 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Clasquin