Backman-Trummer

What Backman-Trummer does

Backman-Trummer (Oy Backman-Trummer Ab) is a Finnish freight forwarding company founded in 1882 and headquartered in Vaasa, with a branch office in Kokkola and a road/airfreight terminal at Vikby in Korsholm. The company provides international transport and forwarding services across road, air, and sea container modes, complemented by warehousing (customs and bonded), customs brokerage, and ship agency services delivered through sister company Galea Shipping. Its customer base consists of export-driven multinational companies and industrial merchants requiring multi-modal logistics across 121 countries, served through a direct sales force of account and area managers and a worldwide agent network spanning 108 country partners (memberships in WFN, GFP, WPA, and IATA since 1968).

Revenue is generated transactionally through freight fees scaled by shipment weight, volume, destination, and mode, with usage-based fuel and ETS (Emission Trading System) surcharges adjusted per traffic lane. Ancillary revenue comes from storage fees, handling charges at the customs/bonded warehouses, and professional services for customs documentation. Distribution is sales-led via area managers and freight sales specialists in Vaasa and Kokkola, with last-mile and international reach delivered through partner networks. Pricing is publicly disclosed on the company's invoicing and surcharge pages, signaling transparency consistent with NSAB 2015 standard terms.

The technology stack centers on a digital Customer Portal currently being upgraded to provide real-time shipment visibility across all transport modes (road, short-sea, container) with integrated EcoTransIT World carbon-footprint calculation (accredited to GLEC Framework, GHG Protocol, and ISO 14083). The next-generation portal will layer automation and AI for forecasting, data updating, and reporting, and is being developed with customer input. The company holds AEO (Authorized Economic Operator) status granted by Finnish Customs since 2013, simplifying cross-border procedures. As a subsidiary of KWH Logistics — itself part of the family-owned KWH Group — Backman-Trummer operates within an ecosystem that includes Adolf Lahti (industrial services), Blomberg Stevedoring, Galea Shipping, Moonway (chemicals container transport), Rauanheimo, and Stevena.

Name

Backman-Trummer

Legal name

Oy Backman-Trummer Ab

Website

https://backman-trummer.fi

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Backman-Trummer is a Finnish freight forwarder (founded 1882, subsidiary of KWH Logistics) providing multi-modal international transport, customs brokerage, and warehousing services across road, air, and sea to industrial exporters and merchants in 121 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Freight Forwarding and Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (481112)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Domestic Distribution & Regional Linehaul Forwarding (TLACACAD)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding
• Logistics services
• Customs brokerage
• Warehousing solutions
• Ship agency

Headquarters

HQ city

Vaasa

HQ country

Finland

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: International transport and forwarding services including road, air, and sea container transports. Revenue is generated through freight fees based on shipment weight, volume, destination, and transport mode. Additional revenue comes from ancillary services including customs clearance, warehousing, and documentation processing.
2. Warehousing and Storage Services: Warehouse facilities with customs warehouse and bonded warehouse capabilities for third-party logistics. Revenue generated through storage fees and handling charges.
3. Customs Brokerage Services: Import and export customs clearance services handled by experienced forwarders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Backman-Trummer is a Finnish freight forwarding and logistics provider offering road, container, and air freight forwarding, warehousing, customs brokerage, and ship agency services. The company operates primarily in Finland with international coverage through a partner network spanning more than 100 countries.

Product overview

Backman-Trummer offers a comprehensive freight forwarding and logistics service platform combining multiple transport modes and value-added services. The core offering includes Road Transport Services, Container Transport Services, Air Transport Services, and Ship Agency Services, complemented by Warehousing Services and Customs Brokerage Services. All services are coordinated through a unified service concept covering the entire transport chain from customer to ultimate destination. A Customer Portal provides digital access for shipment tracking and management, currently undergoing a major upgrade with AI capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Road Freight Forwarding Road transport and forwarding of goods domestically and cross-border for business customers needing reliable truck-based cargo movement.
• Container Freight Forwarding Container shipping and forwarding services for full-load (FCL) and less-than-container-load (LCL) consignments connecting Finland with global trade lanes.
• Air Freight Forwarding Air cargo forwarding services for time-sensitive and high-value shipments handled as an IATA-registered agent.
• Warehousing Services Storage and warehousing of goods in company-operated facilities to support customers' supply chain and inventory needs.
• Customs Brokerage Customs clearance services performed under AEO authorization, enabling faster, more reliable import/export processing for business shippers.
• Ship Agency Vessel agency services at Finnish ports, representing ship owners/operators for port call handling, documentation, and coordination.

Quantifiable outcome

• Net Promoter Score of 64
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• MoonwaycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Collaboration between Moonway and Backman-Trummer combines complementary strengths. Moonway specializes in container transport for chemicals while Backman-Trummer provides customs clearance expertise. The partnership enables seamless service packages covering different stages of the logistics chain without overlap.
• IATA (International Air Transport Association)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1968Backman-Trummer has been a member of IATA since 1968, enabling the company to provide worldwide air freight services with accreditation meeting international air cargo standards.
• WFN (World Freight Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal network of reliable freight partners sharing information, best practices, and local expertise. Enables smooth door-to-door solutions, faster problem solving, and seamless coordination across multiple countries and time zones.
• GFP (Global Freight Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorldwide freight partnership enabling collaboration with reliable partners, sharing of best practices, and local expertise for comprehensive logistics solutions.
• WPA (World Parcel Alliance)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal parcel alliance providing worldwide network coverage for parcel and cargo services across multiple countries.
• KWH LogisticscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBackman-Trummer is part of KWH Logistics, Finland's leading logistics service provider. The group offers international transports, port logistics, and industrial services through subsidiaries including Rauanheimo, Blomberg Stevedoring, Adolf Lahti, and Galea Shipping. Partnerships enable expanded capacity and comprehensive total logistics expertise.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• GAC Group: Global logistics, freight forwarding, and ship agency group with Nordic roots and strong port-adjacent offering. Directly comparable in combining freight forwarding with ship agency services (analogous to Backman-Trummer's Galea Shipping link).
• CEVA Logistics: France-headquartered international freight forwarder and contract logistics provider (now owned by CMA CGM). Directly comparable multi-modal forwarding, customs, and warehousing offering with similar end-market exposure to industrial shippers.
• DSV: Danish-headquartered global freight forwarder and the world's largest, offering road, air, sea, and contract logistics. Most direct comparable in business model (international multi-modal forwarding) and Nordic regional overlap, though at vastly greater scale.
• Expeditors International: US-headquartered asset-light international freight forwarder with strong air and ocean freight forwarding services. Closely aligned asset-light business model and customs brokerage focus, though serving a larger global customer base.
• Geodis: French-headquartered global freight forwarder with strong European road, air, and sea forwarding plus contract logistics. Comparable multi-modal service portfolio and customs capabilities for European industrial shippers.
• NTG Nordic Transport Group: Danish road and logistics group operating Nordic-focused road freight forwarding and transport solutions. Most comparable in regional Nordic focus and mid-market scale, and competes for many of the same Scandinavian linehaul customers.
• Ahlers: Belgian-headquartered international freight forwarder and logistics provider with multimodal forwarding, customs, and warehousing. Closely comparable in size, multi-modal offering, and mid-market industrial customer base in Europe.
• Schenker (DB Schenker, now DSV): Historically German-headquartered land, air, and ocean freight forwarder with strong European road and rail forwarding; acquired by DSV in 2024-2025. Comparable multi-modal European forwarding footprint competing for the same industrial export customers.

Broad incumbents

• Kuehne+Nagel: Swiss-headquartered global freight forwarder with leading positions in sea freight, air freight, and contract logistics. Comparable multi-modal forwarding offering and customer base, but operates at global incumbent scale with much broader portfolio.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Air and ocean freight forwarding arm of Deutsche Post DHL, one of the three largest global forwarders. Comparable across road, air, and sea freight forwarding with customs capabilities, but as part of a much larger integrated logistics group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/backman-trummer
• Instagraminstagram.com/kwhlogistics

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Backman-Trummer