ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH

What ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH does

ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH is a Hamburg-headquartered, family-owned third-party logistics (3PL) provider founded in 2004 that delivers end-to-end international logistics services from a single source. The company's service portfolio spans cargo forwarding, customs clearance, sea freight (FCL/LCL), air freight, road and intermodal transport, warehousing, and e-commerce fulfillment, with specialized offerings including dangerous goods, bulk cargo, flexitank container solutions, container handling with VGM certification, and gas measurement/fumigation. Operations are anchored at three locations — Hamburg (port-side headquarters), Frankfurt am Main (Cargo City Süd, operated via subsidiary ECL Air GmbH for air freight), and Łęczna, Poland (operated via subsidiary ECL Logistics Sp. z o.o.) — providing direct access to Germany's two principal import/export gateways plus Eastern European cross-trade capacity. The company is managed by Adam Dachowski as managing shareholder (geschäftsführender Gesellschafter), holds ISO 9001:2015 and IFS Logistics certifications, and runs a publicly disclosed 'ECL goes green' sustainability program that includes >15% electric fleet composition (UmweltFlotten-Siegel, 2024) and Hamburg UmweltPartnerschaft membership.

The business model is transaction-fee based: revenue is generated per shipment, per contract, or per service module, with pricing negotiated individually and quote-driven rather than published. The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, emphasizing personal customer consultation, flexible response, and proximity-led service rather than digital self-service. Customer segmentation is horizontal — any import/export business requiring multimodal transport, customs, warehousing, or fulfillment — with no named anchor accounts disclosed; management has indicated that revenue doubled during the COVID-19 pandemic on the strength of e-commerce logistics demand. The company is undertaking an IFB/EFRE-funded digitalization initiative approved in December 2025 and an ongoing End-to-End process optimization program (launched January 2024), targeting internal workflow efficiency rather than market-facing product launches.

Underlying technology is conventional logistics IT (no proprietary platform, no disclosed APIs, no AI/ML capabilities), with the core technical moat resting on physical assets, certifications, and process credentials rather than software differentiation. As a privately held GmbH with no external institutional investors, no funding rounds, and no stock listing, ECL operates as a sub-scale, owner-managed logistics specialist competing on personal service, regulatory competence, and gateway location against larger, digitized global forwarders.

Name

ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH

Legal name

ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH

Website

https://eclkontor.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ECL Kontor is a family-owned Hamburg-based 3PL provider (founded 2004, 24 employees) offering end-to-end international freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, and e-commerce fulfillment across Hamburg, Frankfurt, and Poland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industry

Cross-Border E-commerce Parcel Logistics (DDP/Customs-Integrated) (TLAAAFAE)

Keywords

• Freight forwarding services
• Customs clearance
• Sea and air freight
• Warehousing and fulfillment
• E-commerce logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Logistics Services Revenue: ECL Kontor generates revenue through providing comprehensive logistics services including cargo shipping, transport, customs clearance, warehousing, fulfillment, and specialized services such as gas measurement and begassing. Services are billed per transaction or contract basis for transport, storage, and handling operations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ECL Kontor is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering end-to-end supply chain services for importers and exporters, including international cargo forwarding, sea and air freight, road and intermodal transport, customs clearance, warehousing, and e-commerce fulfillment. The company coordinates multi-modal shipments across sea, air, truck, and rail from its Hamburg port-adjacent headquarters and a Frankfurt air-freight office, with additional operations in Poland.

Product overview

ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH is a third-party logistics (3PL) provider offering a comprehensive suite of logistics services from a single source. The company operates as an integrated platform combining cargo forwarding, customs clearance, transport, and fulfillment services across multiple modules. Core offerings include sea freight (FCL/LCL), air freight (via Frankfurt hub), road transport, and intermodal solutions. Warehouse logistics and e-commerce fulfillment services are integrated with customs clearance and transport planning. Specialized services include dangerous goods transport, bulk cargo, flexitank containers, container handling with VGM certification, and gas measurement/fumigation. The company also offers digital process optimization for logistics workflows. All services are coordinated through central hubs in Hamburg and Frankfurt, with operations in Poland.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ECL goes green: Sustainability initiative launched in May 2022 focused on integrating environmental responsibility into company operations, including E-mobility transition and environmental certifications.

Products and services

• Cargo Spedition International cargo forwarding and freight coordination services, including transport planning, shipment management, and customs documentation for businesses engaged in import and export.
• Transport Services Road, intermodal, and multimodal transport services combining truck, rail, and sea routes for scheduled domestic and international freight delivery.
• Sea Freight (Seefracht) Full Container Load (FCL) and Less than Container Load (LCL) ocean freight services for international import and export shipments via Hamburg port.
• Air Freight (Luftfracht) Air cargo services operated through the Frankfurt Airport Cargo City South location, providing dedicated air freight handling for time-sensitive international shipments.
• Customs Clearance (Zollabwicklung) Complete customs processing services including documentation preparation, duty calculations, and regulatory compliance for import and export shipments, with proximity to customs authorities at Hamburg port.
• Warehouse Logistics (Lagerlogistik) Storage and inventory management services at the Hamburg port-area warehouse, providing integrated logistics solutions with flexible operating hours.
• Container Trucking (Port) Port container trucking and terminal handling services enabling seamless port-to-door container delivery in the Hamburg port area.
• Fulfillment Service End-to-end order fulfillment services including picking, packing, and shipping for e-commerce businesses and other customers requiring order processing support.
• E-Commerce Logistics Comprehensive e-commerce logistics solutions encompassing warehouse management, order processing, and last-mile delivery coordination for online retailers.
• Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Integration Specialized integration services for sellers using Amazon's Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) marketplace, handling inbound shipments to Amazon fulfillment centers.
• Dangerous Goods Transport (Gefahrguttransport) Specialized transport of hazardous materials with proper certifications and safety compliance for regulated cargo.
• Bulk Cargo Transport (Schüttguttransporte) Transportation of bulk commodities and loose materials for industrial and commercial customers.
• Flexitank Container Flexible liquid container solutions for transporting non-hazardous liquids in standard 20-foot containers.
• Container Handling and VGM Certification Container verification of gross mass (VGM) certification and general container handling services for regulatory compliance.
• Gas Measurement and Fumigation (Gasmessung und Begasung) Container gas testing and fumigation services to ensure cargo safety and compliance with phytosanitary requirements.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ECL Air GmbHcoreOthersRelated entity operating air freight services from Frankfurt (Cargo City Süd). ECL Air GmbH handles air freight operations complementing ECL Kontor's sea freight and ground transport services from Hamburg headquarters.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Geodis: French-headquartered global logistics provider with strong European freight forwarding and contract logistics operations. Overlaps with ECL across freight forwarding and fulfillment but is rooted in a different geography and serves larger customers.

Broad incumbents

• DSV: Danish-headquartered global freight forwarder with substantial German operations following its Panalpina and Schenker acquisitions. Competes with ECL across all freight modes and contract logistics but at far greater scale and network reach.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders with a long-standing Hamburg headquarters and dominant German presence across sea, air and road forwarding plus contract logistics. Direct overlapping service stack to ECL but at vastly greater scale.
• CEVA Logistics: Global 3PL with significant operations in Germany and Europe across air, ocean, road and contract logistics. Comparable breadth of services to ECL though at multinational scale and now majority-owned by CMA CGM.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Deutsche Post DHL Group's freight forwarding arm and a leading global forwarder in air, ocean and road freight with strong Hamburg operations. Competes with ECL in customs clearance and forwarding, but serves massively larger customers.
• Dachser: Family-owned German-headquartered logistics provider combining road freight forwarding, contract logistics, and air/ocean freight. Comparable in family-owned DNA and German mid-market positioning, though materially larger.
• DB Schenker: Deutsche Bahn-owned global logistics company with a strong German land transport, air and ocean forwarding franchise. Overlaps with ECL's road, air and contract logistics offerings, especially across European land transport routes.

Direct peers

• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Family-owned German-origin freight forwarder headquartered in Osnabrück with deep customs clearance roots, multi-modal forwarding, contract logistics and a Hamburg presence. Closest comparable in scale trajectory and family-run DNA for ECL.
• Rhenus Logistics: German family-owned logistics provider with customs brokerage, multi-modal forwarding, warehousing, and dedicated port/air operations across Europe. Similar ownership profile and service breadth makes it a like-for-like mid-tier German forwarder benchmark.

Emerging players

• LKW WALTER: Austrian-headquartered European road transport and intermodal forwarding specialist with comparable mid-market European land transport and consolidation profile to ECL's road/container trucking and intermodal services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eclkontorgmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/eclkontor

Compliance4 records

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 ECL Euro-Cargo-Logistik Kontor GmbH