Skyline Express International Gmbh

What Skyline Express International Gmbh does

Skyline Express International GmbH is a privately held German freight forwarding and logistics company founded in 2000 by Volker Sim and headquartered in Lage, Ostwestfalen-Lippe. The company provides international sea freight, air freight, road transport, warehousing, customs clearance, and specialized logistics services (dangerous goods, refrigeration, project cargo, furniture logistics) to enterprise clients, with manufacturing as the primary segment. It operates through a 40-42 person team supported by an international partner network spanning Europe, Asia (Hong Kong, Japan), and North America (USA), and is part of the Skyline Gruppe following its 2023 acquisition of GLASLINE LOGISTIK.

The company's technology stack centers on logistics operations rather than software products: proprietary Mobile Transport Carriers (MTT), reusable transport units offering approximately €500 savings per transport with 10-minute loading, and two customer platforms, the SCM-Portal for supply chain visibility and eWarehouse for warehouse management. These tools support rather than differentiate the core forwarding service. Notable commercial positions include being the first German air freight forwarder in Air France/KLM's Corporate SAF Program (2021), a digital booking partnership with cargo.one (2023), and a strategic partnership with GoCon (2024).

Skyline Express monetizes through transaction-fee freight forwarding and project-based logistics services under custom quote-based pricing, with no public rate cards and no disclosed revenue figures. The go-to-market is sales-led with dedicated personal account managers, complemented by a self-serve portal layer and content marketing (blog, customer magazine, regional event sponsorship). Recognition includes the CSR-Preis OWL 2024 regional sustainability award, and the company shows no publicly disclosed funding, outside institutional ownership, or AI/ML capability.

Name

Skyline Express International Gmbh

Legal name

Skyline Express International GmbH

Website

https://skyline-express.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Skyline Express International GmbH is a privately held German freight forwarder (founded 2000, ~40 employees, headquartered in Lage) offering international sea, air, and road freight forwarding, warehousing, customs clearance, and specialized logistics services to enterprise manufacturing clients through an international partner network and proprietary MTT transport carriers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Logistics Services

NAICS

Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510), Freight Transportation Arrangement (4885)

SIC

Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731), Deep Sea Foreign Transportation Of Freight (4412), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

General Cargo Air Freight Forwarding (Airport-to-Airport / Door-to-Door) (TLACAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ocean Export Forwarding (Booking/VGM/SI/BL) (TLACABAF), Customs Brokerage for Ocean Shipments (Import/Export Clearance) (TLACABAG)

Keywords

• International freight forwarding
• Sea and air freight
• Road transport logistics
• Customs brokerage services
• Warehousing and storage

Headquarters

HQ city

Lage

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Freight Forwarding Services: Core revenue from international freight forwarding services including sea freight, air freight, and road transport. Services are provided globally with personalized logistics solutions.
2. Logistics and Warehousing: Additional revenue from warehousing, storage, and logistics services. Includes value-added services such as customs clearance and dangerous goods management.
3. Customized Transport Solutions: Revenue from specialized project logistics including heavy cargo, oversized loads, and specialized transport services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Skyline Express International GmbH provides international freight forwarding and logistics services for industrial and manufacturing clients, including sea freight, air freight, road transport, warehousing and storage, customs clearance, and specialized logistics for dangerous goods, project cargo, refrigerated goods, and furniture. The company complements traditional transport with proprietary innovations (Mobile Transport Carriers) and digital customer platforms (SCM-Portal, eWarehouse) for end-to-end supply chain visibility.

Product overview

Skyline Express International GmbH offers a comprehensive suite of international freight forwarding and logistics services organized around six core service pillars: Sea Freight, Air Freight, Road Transport, Logistics/Warehousing, Customs Clearance, and Specialization services. The company provides both traditional transport solutions and innovative proprietary tools including Mobile Transport Carriers (MTT) for open-top container alternatives, an SCM-Portal for supply chain management visibility, and an eWarehouse platform for warehouse operations. The product portfolio is delivered as a unified logistics service offering with complementary digital platforms for customer self-service and operational management. The company also operates Skyline Gewerbepark as a commercial real estate subsidiary.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Skyline Gruppe: The Skyline Gruppe encompasses Skyline Express International GmbH and its acquired subsidiary GLASLINE Logistik as a consolidated logistics group.

Products and services

• Seefracht (Sea Freight) International ocean freight shipping services for transporting goods via sea routes worldwide, offered to industrial and manufacturing clients as part of the company's freight forwarding portfolio.
• Luftfracht (Air Freight) Air cargo transportation services for time-sensitive shipments across international routes, including sustainable aviation fuel options through the Air France/KLM partnership.
• Landverkehr (Road Transport) Road freight transport services for domestic and international road cargo shipments, complementing the company's sea and air freight portfolio.
• Logistik (Logistics and Warehousing) Comprehensive logistics solutions including warehousing, storage, and supply chain management services for international customers across industries.
• Zollabwicklung (Customs Clearance) Customs brokerage and documentation services for international trade compliance, supporting clients with import/export procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Spezialisierung (Specialized Logistics) Specialized logistics services including dangerous goods handling, refrigeration transport, project cargo, furniture logistics, packaging, and CO2 balancing.
• Mobile Transport Träger (MTT) Proprietary reusable transport carriers used as an alternative to traditional open-top containers, available for rental or purchase to customers, delivering measurable cost savings and faster loading times.
• SCM-Portal Supply Chain Management customer portal providing shipment tracking, order management, and supply chain visibility for enterprise customers as a self-serve digital channel.
• eWarehouse Portal Warehouse management portal providing enterprise customers with self-serve inventory tracking, warehouse operations visibility, and logistics coordination capabilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• €500 savings per transport using MTT containers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GoConcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 June 2024GoCon partnership for international logistics coordination. Skyline maintains intensive personal relationships with partners worldwide to ensure reliable logistics operations.
• GLASLINE LOGISTIKcoreOthers · 17 July 2023Acquisition and integration into Skyline Group. GLASLINE LOGISTIK was acquired in summer 2023 and renamed, expanding Skyline's logistics capabilities and market presence.
• cargo.onecoreTechnology or Integration · 6 April 2023Digital partnership for air freight booking solutions, enabling Skyline Express to offer digital booking capabilities for air freight services as part of their digital transformation strategy.
• Swisseye InternationalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 March 2022Cooperation with Swisseye International for humanitarian aid transport to Ukraine, delivering food and 5,000 ballistic goggles to support humanitarian efforts.
• Air France/KLMcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 November 2021Skyline Express became the first German air freight forwarder to partner with Air France/KLM's Corporate SAF (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) Program. This partnership enables customers to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 85% through the use of sustainable aviation fuels, demonstrating Skyline's commitment to environmental sustainability.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• cargo.one: Berlin-based digital air freight booking platform — Skyline's named digital partner (since 2023) and a representative of the digital-forwarder disruption thesis. Operates in the same air freight forwarding category via a marketplace model rather than Skyline's relationship-led model.
• Flexport: US-based digital-first global freight forwarder offering ocean, air, trucking, and customs with a tech platform. Represents the platform-era alternative to traditional relationship-led forwarders like Skyline, particularly for mid-market shippers seeking instant quoting.

Broad incumbents

• Geodis: French-headquartered global freight forwarder and contract logistics provider covering air, sea, road, and customs. Comparable multi-modal service mix to Skyline Express but with substantially larger infrastructure and European footprint.
• DSV: Danish global freight forwarder with strong air, sea, and road forwarding plus road transport in Europe — direct overlap with Skyline's service mix, but operating globally at 100,000+ employee scale and competing for the same industrial freight RFPs.
• DHL Global Forwarding: Deutsche Post DHL Group's freight forwarding division covering air, ocean, road, and customs across 150+ countries. Direct service-portfolio overlap with Skyline's six service pillars but at vastly larger scale, carrier leverage, and brand presence with global enterprise shippers.
• Kuehne+Nagel: One of the world's largest freight forwarders (Swiss-headquartered) with full sea, air, road, and contract logistics capabilities. Overlaps with Skyline across every service pillar but operates at massively greater scale and brand recognition in the same industrial customer base.
• DACHSER: Kempten-headquartered German family-owned logistics incumbent offering road, air, and sea freight plus warehousing at significantly larger scale. Comparable Mittelstand heritage and multi-modal breadth, but operates a much wider global network and larger fleet/contract base.

Direct peers

• Hellmann Worldwide Logistics: Osnabrück-headquartered German Mittelstand freight forwarder with multi-modal air, sea, road, and customs services for industrial clients globally — directly comparable in service mix, Mittelstand heritage, and customer segment to Skyline Express, though larger in scale.
• Röhlig Logistics: Bremen-based German family-owned freight forwarder offering air, sea, and road transport with strong industrial/manufacturing client base. Closely comparable to Skyline in ownership structure (family-controlled), service portfolio, and target verticals.
• Fr. Meyer's Sohn & Co. Hamburg-based German family-owned freight forwarder specializing in sea, air, and overland transport for industrial customers, with similar Mittelstand DNA, multi-modal service set, and manufacturing client concentration to Skyline Express.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpC1pAwjCWF1Ml4sCUUB69Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/Skyline.Express.Logistik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/skyline-express-international-gmbh
• Instagraminstagram.com/skyline_express

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Skyline Express International Gmbh