National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation

What National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation does

National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation (NMS) is a privately held, specialized B2B service provider founded in 1981 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. The company serves funeral homes and licensed funeral directors who require assistance with out-of-town deaths, cross-country and cross-border transport of human remains, cremation coordination, and related ancillary services. NMS is the primary point of contact for funeral directors navigating the regulatory complexity of moving remains across state lines or international jurisdictions, handling documentation, airline coordination, customs clearance, and local execution through its own licensed Ohio embalming facility and crematory as well as a global network of vetted partner providers.

The company's core service portfolio spans nine productized offerings: domestic mortuary shipping, international mortuary shipping/repatriation, embalming, direct cremation, removal, flight arrangements, graveside services, livery, and disinterment. These are supported by three operational modules — pre-arrangement planning, first-call intake, and a contracted Representative Network — that together allow NMS to act as a single point of contact from initial death notification through final delivery. The underlying technology consists of preparatory software systems used by shipping coordinators to pre-plan first-call details and manage logistics coordination; no proprietary software platforms, AI/ML systems, or API-based integrations are disclosed. The company holds a State of Ohio funeral home license that authorizes in-house embalming and cremation, and maintains active memberships in six funeral industry associations.

NMS generates revenue through quote-based professional service fees for each engagement, with pricing varying by distance, service type, and complexity. The go-to-market model is sales-led and direct: funeral directors reach NMS via 24/7 phone lines, online quote requests, or pre-arrangement forms, and engagements are priced and billed on a pay-as-you-go basis without publicly disclosed tiers or enterprise contracts. The customer base is the fragmented US funeral home market, supplemented by international repatriation cases, with the company emphasizing transparent pricing, 24/7 availability, and continuity of relationship (multiple testimonials cite 10–20-year working histories). The company is privately owned with no disclosed institutional backing, funding rounds, or M&A activity.

Name

National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation

Legal name

National Mortuary Shipping and Cremation

Website

https://natlmortuaryshipping.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation provides mortuary shipping, cremation, embalming, and related logistics services for US funeral homes and international clients. Founded in 1981 in Cleveland, Ohio, the company operates a licensed embalming facility and crematory alongside a global partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Funeral Logistics Services

NAICS

Funeral Homes and Funeral Services (812210), Cemeteries and Crematories (812220), Freight Transportation Arrangement (488510)

SIC

Air Courier Services (4513), Trucking & Courier Services (No Air) (4210)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Remains & Medical Specimens Forwarding (TLACAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Medical Waste & Biohazard Return Transport (Regulated Materials) (TLAAAIAJ)

Keywords

• Mortuary shipping services
• Cremation coordination
• Embalming services
• International repatriation
• Funeral logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Mortuary Shipping Services: NMS generates revenue through service fees for coordinating and executing domestic and international mortuary shipping of human remains. Services include transportation logistics, documentation handling, flight arrangements, and coordination with funeral homes and airlines. Fees are quote-based and vary by distance, complexity, and services required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation provides specialized mortuary logistics services for funeral homes and funeral directors, including domestic and international shipping of human remains, direct cremation coordination, embalming, removal, flight arrangements, graveside services, livery, and disinterment. Operating from a State of Ohio-licensed embalming facility and crematory in Cleveland, NMS serves as a single point of contact for out-of-town deaths, managing documentation, regulatory compliance, and coordination with airlines and partner funeral homes locally, nationally, and internationally.

Product overview

National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation (NMS) is a specialized mortuary services provider offering a comprehensive suite of body transportation, cremation, and related funeral services for funeral homes. The core offering consists of Domestic Mortuary Shipping, International Mortuary Shipping/Repatriation, Embalming Services, Direct Cremation Services, Removal Services, Flight Arrangements, Graveside Services, Livery Services, and Disinterment Services. These services are supported by operational modules including Pre-Arrangement Services and First Call Services for intake coordination, as well as a Representative Network of contracted professionals. NMS operates as a licensed embalming facility and crematory in Ohio, providing services locally, nationally, and internationally with 24/7 availability.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Mortuary Shipping

Named customers6 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Order of the Golden Rule (OGR)minorOthersNMS is listed as a supply partner of the Order of the Golden Rule, an international organization of funeral directors focused on caring for families during their time of loss.
• National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA)minorOthersActive member of NFDA, the leading funeral service organization in the United States representing funeral directors and their firms.
• International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA)minorOthersActive member of ICCFA, an organization serving cemetery, cremation, and funeral professionals worldwide.
• Cremation Association of North America (CANA)minorOthersActive member of CANA, the leading organization for cremation providers in North America.
• Ohio Funeral Directors Association (OFDA)minorOthersActive member of the Ohio state funeral directors association, representing and supporting funeral professionals in Ohio.
• FIAT-IFTAminorOthersActive member of FIAT-IFTA, the International Federation of Thanatopraxy, an international organization serving funeral service professionals.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carriage Services: Public funeral services company operating ~200 funeral homes and cemeteries in 26 states. Provides cremation, transport, and coordination services comparable to NMS, with consolidation-driven growth strategy that overlaps with NMS's market.
• Everstory Partners: PE-backed funeral and cemetery operator formed from the combination of several regional chains. Operates crematories and provides funeral services including transportation across multiple states, directly comparable to NMS's offerings.
• StoneMor Partners: Funeral services and cemetery operator with ~300 locations across the US. Operates cremation centers and offers coordinated funeral services including transportation, providing direct overlap with NMS's service portfolio.
• NorthStar Memorial Group: PE-backed funeral home and cemetery consolidator operating across multiple US states. Provides cremation, burial, and transport services directly to families, competing with NMS for out-of-town and complex case handling.
• Foundation Partners Group: PE-backed funeral home and cemetery operator with 100+ locations across the US. Operates cremation centers and offers transportation services similar to NMS. Direct competitor in providing B2B funeral services to families across multiple states.

Emerging players

• Tulip Cremation: Direct cremation provider offering simplified online arrangements and nationwide coverage. Competes in the cremation coordination space that overlaps with NMS's direct cremation service line, but with a digital-first delivery model.
• Cake: End-of-life planning platform that helps families compare funeral, cremation, and burial options. While not directly providing services, Cake reduces friction in funeral planning and could disintermediate traditional coordinators like NMS by connecting families directly with providers.
• Solace Cremation: Tech-enabled direct cremation startup offering online-arranged cremation services. Represents the digital-first, low-friction alternative to traditional funeral coordination that could disrupt traditional providers like NMS over time.

Regional players

• Dignity PLC: UK-based funeral services company with over 800 locations. While geographically separate from NMS's US focus, Dignity operates in the same death care services category including cremation, transport, and repatriation services internationally.

Broad incumbents

• Service Corporation International (SCI): Largest funeral services company in North America with over 1,500 funeral homes and cemeteries. Provides cremation, transport, and funeral services across all 50 states. While much larger and broader than NMS, SCI offers overlapping capabilities in cremation and out-of-town coordination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@nationalmortuaryshipping5197
• Facebookfacebook.com/funeralhome
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-mortuary-shipping-cremation

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 National Mortuary Shipping & Cremation