KN60032

KEY NOTE FREIGHT FORWARDING : January 2002

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This report covers: freight forwarding, transport agencies, cargo handling, cargo storage, courier activities, European distribution, air forwarding, deep sea forwarding, multimodal forwarding, international seaborne trade, trade through the Channel Tunnel, international air cargo, transport enterprises, purchases by sector, trade by commodity, integrated freight forwarding, consolidation, e-booking, EDI,

Companies covered include: Allport, EGL Eagle Global Logistics (UK), Exel Freight Management (UK), Frans Maas (UK), Fritz Companies (UK), GeoLogistics, Kamino, Kuehne & Nagel, Nippon Express (UK), Panalpina World Transport,

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The turnover of the UK freight forwarding market increased from £11.9bn in 2000 to an estimated £12.9bn in 2001, which represents an increase of 8.4 percent in current value terms. Year-on-year growth has exceeded growth in the overall economy throughout the 1997-2001 review period.

In this report, the freight forwarding market covers international freight services, including air forwarding, European distribution, deep sea and multimodal forwarding, and the activities of customs agents. Increasingly, freight forwarders also engage in related activities, which include cargo handling, storage, and courier and express operations. Other services referred to include global logistics and supply-chain management.

A number of developments in the world economy have had a considerable influence on the environment within which providers of freight services operate. These include the globalisation of production, the dismantling of institutional obstacles to competition in many markets, and increased competition between transport modes. Other influences include developments in IT that enhance the freight service 'product' (such as tracking and tracing systems) or create additional opportunities for providers of freight services (such as the need for
e-fulfilment services to support an Internet offer).

The role of the freight forwarder is changing from that of an agent who arranges transport and prepares shipping documentation to that of a provider of a whole range of additional value-added services to shippers. At the same time, many forwarders are merging with large logistics companies to become part of 'one-stop shop' specialist companies. This is part of a process that has led to the blurring of boundaries between what were formerly separate and distinct sectors of the freight services market, as road hauliers, integrated transport operators, global logistics companies and freight forwarders all seek to expand into each others' traditional markets.

In the short term, despite a relatively weak external economic environment and the repercussions of the terrorist attacks on the US in September 2001, Key Note forecasts that the UK economy will continue to grow in 2002. While security concerns have been heightened and insurance and certain other costs have increased, business confidence is more likely to be affected by what is happening in the economy than by concerns about terrorism.

In the longer term, Key Note expects the trend towards global sourcing and trading to continue, with the opening up of new opportunities for freight service providers. Competition between traditional forwarders and those that have expanded to provide a wider range of services is likely to persist. There will be an increasing role for e-commerce, both in business-to-business (B2B) markets and consumer markets, as the Internet becomes more relevant in retail distribution. As consolidation continues, a decline in the number of UK forwarding businesses can be expected, and prospects are bleak for some operators, notably those that are unable to extend the boundaries of their businesses to offer the range of services that clients are seeking, and those that have not fully grasped the opportunities offered by the newer technologies.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Text © 2002 Key Note

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