NORLINK
Norlink is a French nonprofit federation founded in 2017 in Lille that brings together ports, rail, river, industrial, and digital logistics actors in Hauts-de-France. It coordinates multimodal transport, decarbonation, and skills development, and operates EasyMultimodal, an interactive mapping platform for sustainable freight routing.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLille, France
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What NORLINK does
Norlink is a French nonprofit federation, founded in 2017 and headquartered in Lille within CCI Hauts-de-France, that brings together port, rail, river, industrial, and digital actors in the Hauts-de-France transport and logistics ecosystem. Its core mission is to coordinate multimodal transport development, advocate for modal shift (particularly rail and river), and decarbonize regional supply chains, addressing fragmentation across transport modes, the negative image of rail freight, and skills shortages in the sector. The federation serves over 100 member organizations spanning seaports (Dunkerque-Port, Port Boulogne Calais), inland ports (Ports de Lille), rail freight operators (SNCF Fret, Europorte), fluvial operators (Sogestran, Contargo, NORIAP), industrial shippers (EDF, Invivo Group, Froid Combi), combined-transport specialists (Novatrans, Cargobeamer), and technology providers.
The federation's primary digital product is EasyMultimodal, an interactive web mapping platform that allows users to select departure and arrival locations, discover sustainable multimodal services between terminals, view terminal information on an interactive map, and access an 'SOS multimodal' decarbonization-assistance feature. Norlink also develops 'Toiles numériques' (digital canvases) for interconnecting regional logistics platforms, organizes flagship events (Norlink Day, Norlink Day Étudiant, Rencontres fluviales), hosts co-branded webinars with partners such as GNTC and GRDF, and launched the 'Attestation de Formation Transport Multimodal' certification in December 2025 to formalize vocational training in multimodal logistics.
Norlink's business model is membership-based and subscription-recurring: revenue is generated through membership dues from port, railway, fluvial, industrial, and digital actors. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and member acquisition occurs via direct engagement, working groups, regional events, and institutional support from CCI Hauts-de-France. The federation operates four operating subsidiaries — Norlink Ports, Norlink Fluvial, Norlink Ferroviaire, and Easy Multimodal — under the CCI Hauts-de-France umbrella, with 7 employees and a regional Hauts-de-France focus, leveraging the area's strategic position at the European Cross-Channel gateway.
NORLINK firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NORLINK
- Legal name
- Norlink
- Website
- https://norlink.fr
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Norlink is a French nonprofit federation founded in 2017 in Lille that brings together ports, rail, river, industrial, and digital logistics actors in Hauts-de-France. It coordinates multimodal transport, decarbonation, and skills development, and operates EasyMultimodal, an interactive mapping platform for sustainable freight routing.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NORLINK industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Logistics Federation Services
- NAICS
- Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885), Other Support Activities for Transportation (4889)
- SIC
- Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Transportation Services (4700)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal) (TLAIANAA)
Keywords
Where NORLINK is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lille
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
NORLINK business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Membership fees: Norlink operates as a federation/association with revenue generated through membership fees from port, railway, fluvial, industrial, and digital actors in the Hauts-de-France transport and logistics ecosystem.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
NORLINK product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Norlink is a federation that brings together port, railway, river, industrial, and digital actors in the Hauts-de-France multimodal transport supply chain. It operates through member subscriptions, organizes events and working groups, advocates for multimodal transport, and develops digital tools such as the EasyMultimodal interactive mapping platform for discovering sustainable transport services between terminals.
Product overview
NORLINK operates as a federation of multimodal transport actors in the Hauts-de-France region, offering EasyMultimodal as its primary digital product—a free interactive mapping tool that helps users discover sustainable transport services between terminals and provides decarbonization assistance. The federation also organizes events (Norlink Day, webinars, working groups), publishes monthly and annual activity reports, and supports initiatives around rail, river, and port transport development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Easy Multimodal: A digital tool developed by Norlink for multimodal transport planning, allowing users to select departure and arrival locations and discover sustainable transport services between terminals.
Products and services
- EasyMultimodal
- Attestation de Formation Transport Multimodal
- Norlink Federation Membership
Quantifiable outcome
- Hauts-de-France region handles 100 million tonnes of maritime freight and 30 million tonnes through inland ports
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use NORLINK
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
NORLINK technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
NORLINK partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and core.
- NORIAPsupportingAgricultural cooperative that is a user of river freight. Hosting 2nd edition of Rencontres fluviales by Norlink. Partnership showcases practical use of fluvial transport in agricultural supply chains.
- Château de CompiègneminorHistoric venue hosting the 9th edition of Norlink Day 2026 in partnership focus on Canal Seine-Nord Europe.
- GNTC (Groupement National des Transports Combinés)coreGNTC is a national association representing combined transport operators. Aurélien Barbé, Délégué Général of GNTC, co-hosts Webinaires by Norlink sessions. Partnership focuses on promoting combined transport, presenting the Observatory's transport data, and sharing tools like the interactive mapping of combined transport plans and guides for rail-route and river-route combined transport.
- CCI Hauts-de-FrancecoreChambre de Commerce et d'Industrie Hauts-de-France hosts Norlink headquarters and provides organizational support. Many events are held at CCI facilities. Partnership provides institutional backing and access to regional business network.
- ISCID-CO (Institut Supérieur Commerce et Distribution)supportingHigher education institution in Saint-Omer hosting Norlink Day Étudiant 2026 event. Partnership focused on promoting logistics careers and multimodal transport awareness among students.
- EuralogisticsupportingRegional logistics excellence cluster in Hauts-de-France. Key ecosystem partner for logistics innovation and development initiatives.
- Eurogroup ConsultingminorConsulting firm that collaborated on 'Baromètre chargeurs' (shipper barometer) exchange event, providing market intelligence on shipper perspectives.
- GRDFminorNatural gas distribution operator that co-hosted webinar on bio-CNG potential in railway and river mobility and coastal maritime applications.
- SNCF RéseaucoreRail infrastructure manager partnering on RegioFret events and initiatives to support multimodal transport projects and rail freight promotion.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves2 records
Expansion highlights5 records
NORLINK competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- HAROPA PORT: Major French port authority (Le Havre, Rouen, Paris) with multimodal transport promotion role. Comparable as a large institutional actor promoting multimodal transport along the Seine axis, though at a different scale and corridor.
- SNCF Réseau: French rail infrastructure manager partnering with Norlink on RegioFret and rail promotion. Comparable as a major regional rail stakeholder pursuing multimodal transport development in the same corridor.
- Dunkerque-Port: Major French seaport handling Cross-Channel freight and a Norlink member. Comparable as a strategic European gateway port with similar multimodal transport and decarbonation objectives.
Others
- ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe): European logistics innovation platform under EU Horizon programs. Comparable as a federating/collaboration body for multimodal and sustainable logistics, but pan-European and policy-focused rather than regionally operational.
Regional players
- Logistics Valley: Dutch regional logistics cluster in the Netherlands. Comparable as a logistics cluster promoting multimodal and sustainable transport, but operating in a different national market.
- Dinalog (Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics): Dutch logistics innovation cluster/institute. Comparable as a national/regional logistics cluster promoting multimodal, digital, and sustainable logistics, though Netherlands-focused rather than French.
Direct peers
- Euralogistic: Regional logistics excellence cluster in Hauts-de-France and a Norlink partner. Comparable peer because it is another regional logistics innovation cluster operating in the same geographic footprint with overlapping member and government relationships.
- GNTC (Groupement National des Transports Combinés): National French federation for combined transport operators; co-hosts Norlink's webinars and shares transport data. Operates as a similar industry association/advocacy model for multimodal transport, just at the national level instead of regional.
- Ports de Lille: Inland port operator and Norlink founding member. Comparable as a regional port authority that develops multimodal services and is part of the same Hauts-de-France logistics ecosystem.
Emerging players
- Portbase: Port community system for Dutch ports offering digital logistics coordination. Comparable as a logistics digital platform serving port communities, though substantially more mature and broader in scope than Norlink's EasyMultimodal.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
NORLINK social profiles
Digital presenceNORLINK financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NORLINK leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
NORLINK subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
NORLINK funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NORLINK M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about NORLINK
What does NORLINK do?
Norlink is a federation that brings together port, railway, river, industrial, and digital actors in the Hauts-de-France multimodal transport supply chain. It operates through member subscriptions, organizes events and working groups, advocates for multimodal transport, and develops digital tools such as the EasyMultimodal interactive mapping platform for discovering sustainable transport services between terminals.
Is NORLINK a public or private company?
NORLINK is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was NORLINK founded?
NORLINK was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NORLINK based?
NORLINK is headquartered in Lille, France, in the Europe region.
How does NORLINK make money?
One revenue line is on record: membership fees.
Who are NORLINK's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are HAROPA PORT, SNCF Réseau and Dunkerque-Port. ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe) is listed as an others. Regional players are Logistics Valley and Dinalog (Dutch Institute for Advanced Logistics). Direct peers are Euralogistic, GNTC (Groupement National des Transports Combinés) and Ports de Lille. Portbase is listed as an emerging player.
Does NORLINK have an API?
No public API is recorded for NORLINK.
What industry is NORLINK in?
NORLINK's product category is Logistics Federation Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is TLAIANAA, Freight Brokerage (Truckload/LTL/Intermodal). Its NAICS code is 488510 and its SIC code is 4731.