Source: Armstrong & Associates.
In 1999, DHL Supply Chain and Global Forwarding, a part of the Deutsche Post DHL Group, acquired the Swiss logistics provider Danzas and Air Express International (AEI), the largest American service provider in the field of international airfreight. Deutsche Post acquired DHL in 2002. In late 2005, Deutsche Post acquired the British logistics company Exel for 5.5 billion euros. At that time, approximately 111,000 employees worked for Exel in 135 countries. Horizontal integration also occurred on a large scale in other logistics market segments, such as among shipping lines and terminal operators.
In 2019, two major M&As marked the consolidation and vertical integration dynamics in the logistics industry. CEVA Logistics was taken over by the container shipping line CMA CGM (vertical integration), and DSV and Panalpina merged to form DSV Panalpina A/S (horizontal integration). In April 2021, Agility and DSV Panalpina A/S signed an agreement for DSV to acquire Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics (GIL) business. This take-over will create a top-three global freight forwarder based on revenues (after DHL Logistics and Kuehne & Nagel), representing a revenue of approximately USD 22 billion and a combined workforce of more than 70,000 employees. The acquisition is expected in the third quarter of 2021.