CEVA LOGISTICS
HQ: Hoofddorp, Netherlands
cevalogstics.com | Global

One of the world’s largest supply chain management companies somehow managed to significantly grow its operation this year, announcing the introduction of a ground transportation business to run along with its other three business lines: air, ocean and contract logistics. CEVA, with more than 41,000 dedicated employees working in 17 regional clusters around the world, will be embedded in those local clusters, offering “end-to-end solutions to our customers,” according to CEVA COO Jerome Lorrain. “By adding this fourth business line we have an opportunity to even better leverage the existing network we have in some parts of the world and reinforce our air, ocean and contract logistics global product offering.”

D.B. SCHENKER
HQ: Berlin, Germany
dbschenker.com | Global

And the Global just get Globaler. This industry giant, with its worldwide reach and more than 95,000 employees, is set to open yet another massive logistics center in China, this one in Shenyang, one of the country’s main automotive hubs. Schenker Global CEO Jochen Thewes called the facility that is set to open by the end of the year, “a major step forward, magnifying our footprint in the world’s largest automotive market.” His company already has a presence in Shenyang, where it offers a full menu of services to such mega-clients as Toyota. The company also opened a new logistics facility—the first of three phases—in Dubai.

EMO TRANS
HQ: Freeport, New York
emotrans-global.com | Global

Already a major world player, EMO Trans strengthened its position in Asia by establishing a new full-service office in Hong Kong that offers a complete range of 3PL operations that include warehousing, air and ocean shipping and door-to-door logistics. “Establishing our own operation in Hong Kong is a strategic [and] important step in our global expansion plans and allows us to offer our customers fully integrated supply chain solutions with end-to-end visibility,” says EMO Trans CEO Marco Rohrer. The company’s growth in Asia is emblematic of its direction since its founding in 1965; it now has a global network of 297 offices in 80 countries.

EXPEDITORS international
HQ: Seattle, Washington
expeditors.com | Global

What started with one office in 1979 has grown to serve 331 locations in 109 countries and employ more than 14,600 industry professionals. Driving that growth is an adherence to a simple goal of trying to constantly exceed customer expectations and a belief that the best way to do that is allow decisions to be made at the local level. This is one reason the company believes in growing organically, not through acquisition. Based in Seattle, Expeditors had an initial focus on U.S. inbound freight from Asia and has become one of the largest U.S.-based airfreight forwarders of goods from the continent.

GEODIS
HQ: Paris, France
geodis.com | Global

It isn’t just Geodis’ international reach—it has a direct presence in 67 nations and a global network spanning more than 120—but the breadth of services it’s able to provide. Consider that in May the company not only facilitated the delivery of 75 trains from India to Australia but also prepared 13,000 equipment kits for delivery to referees and volunteers taking part in Euro 2016. And Geodis will be boosting its presence in India as it moves into new offices in Mumbai, a move made necessary by constant growth in the area. Leif Voelcker, Geodis’ Cluster managing director for South Asia, says the move “accentuates our commitment toward increasing our business development focus in the western region of India.”

KERRY LOGISTICS
HQ: Kwai Chung, Hong Kong
kerrylogistics.com | Global

Named Best 3PL at the Asian Freight, Logistics & Supply Chain Awards and given the Outstanding Global Network Logistics Award at the Quamnet Outstanding Enterprise Awards, Kerry did not rest on its laurels, making APEX Maritime its most valuable recent acquisition. San Francisco-based APEX, which specializes in trans-Pacific trade lanes, handled more than 270,000 TEUs in 2015, and that increase in capacity gives Kerry more options, expanded geographies and better-cost optimization. “The acquisition of APEX is a major leap forward in our global expansion plan,” says William Ma, Kerry Logistics group managing director, adding that it will “form an important business arm that further strengthens our global network.”

KINTETSU WORLD EXPRESS
HQ: Tokyo, Japan
kwe.com | Global

Kintetsu has long been known for the quality of its customer service as well as a penchant for building long-term relationships with clients and suppliers. But it’s also known to follow an aggressive game plan when it comes to growth, which explains why it recently established a new sales office in Monterrey—not only Mexico’s third largest city but also a hub of the exploding Mexican auto industry. The office is Kintetsu’s sixth location in Mexico and will not only give the company direct access to U.S., Japanese and Korean manufacturers but will also be staffed by employees fluent in English, Japanese, Korean and Spanish.

NNR GLOBAL LOGISTICS
HQ: Itasca, Illinois
nnrglobal.com | Global

With more than 18,000 employees operating out of more than 130 offices, NNR Global can offer customers size, reach and range. But what’s fueled the company’s success for more than 100 years is a desire to listen and problem solve; for instance, when a work stoppage closed down the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, NNR created contingency plans to re-route cargo through and to other ports. Tom Pampillonia, NNR USA’s director of Eastern and Southern Regions, chalks up that kind of nimbleness to the company being “flexible, agile and lean,” something NNR is able to do because “the most important thing we have to do is listen to our global clients, our partners.”

PANALPINA GROUP
HQ: Basel, Switzerland
panalpina.com  | Global

With more than 15,000 employees working in 500 offices in 75 countries, the Panalpina Group knows bigger can be better: Witness the company’s recent acquisition of a majority stake in Airflo, Kenya’s second largest freight forwarder. Panalpina also knows that better can be better: Witness its contracting British Telecommunication (BT) to transform and manage its global communications infrastructure. BT will overhaul Panalpina’s network, currently sourced from more than a dozen domestic and regional providers, into a single integrated platform. “As our single point of contact for communication services, BT will take away the burden of managing a multitude of different suppliers and make it easier for us to implement new services,” says Ralf Morawietz, Panalpina’s chief information officer.

WERNER
HQ: Omaha, Nebraska
werner.com | Global

This quintessentially American company, started 60 years ago by Clarence L. (C.L.) Werner with one truck at the ripe old age of 19, has grown to a global concern with more than 7,400 tractors, 24,000 trailers and coverage not only throughout North America but Asia, Europe, South America, Africa and Australia—i.e. the globe. With the ability to provide door-to-door service for companies of all sizes and industries around the world, Werner nonetheless has kept to its roots by maintaining its global headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska, where its first driver, a Mr. C.L. Werner, stepped down from his post as CEO last year.