COMPANYHISTORIES
SIC 4731

Freight Transportation Arrangement

How the companies in this industry began, and the forces that shaped them.

35companies1840–1997founding years34still active1no longer operating
§ 01

The industry over time

Companies foundedEconomyTechnologyEnvironmentHistory
FoundedDanzas Group
1840
FoundedExel plc
1865
1869
EconomyThe Suez Canal opens, reshaping global shipping.
FoundedHarper Group Inc.
1898
FoundedAlexander & Baldwin, Inc.
1900
1903
TechnologyThe Wright brothers achieve powered flight.
FoundedC. H. Robinson, Inc.
1905
FoundedOscar Mayer Foods Corp.
1911
1914
EconomyWorld War I begins; global trade reorders.
FoundedPanalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd.
1918
FoundedAMCOL International Corporation
1924
1939
EconomyWorld War II begins; wartime production surges.
1945
EconomyThe war ends; a long global expansion begins.
FoundedAir Express International Corporation
1946
1947
TechnologyThe transistor is invented.
FoundedAtlas Van Lines, Inc.
1948
1958
TechnologyThe integrated circuit is demonstrated.
1962
EnvironmentSilent Spring launches the modern environmental movement.
FoundedArkansas Best Corporation
1966
FoundedDHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V.
1969
FoundedKoninklijke Nedlloyd N.V.
1970
1975
TechnologyThe personal-computer era begins.
FoundedExpeditors International of Washington Inc.
1979
1981
TechnologyThe IBM PC launches and sets a standard.
FoundedEGL, Inc.
1984
TechnologyApple ships the Macintosh; the GUI era begins.
FoundedKitty Hawk, Inc.
1985
1989
HistoryThe Berlin Wall falls; global markets open up.
1991
TechnologyThe World Wide Web is released to the public.
FoundedYellow Corporation
1993
TechnologyThe Mosaic browser brings the web to everyone.
1995
TechnologyWindows 95 launches; the internet goes mainstream.
FoundedSwissport International Ltd.
1996
1997
EnvironmentThe Kyoto Protocol sets the first climate targets.
2000
TechnologyGPS opens to civilian use, turning location into a utility.
2004
TechnologySocial media and Web 2.0 take hold.
2007
TechnologyThe iPhone launches the smartphone era.
2010
TechnologyCloud computing goes mainstream for business.
2015
EnvironmentThe Paris Agreement sets global climate targets.
2020
EconomyThe COVID-19 pandemic upends the global economy.
2022
EconomyInflation spikes; central banks raise rates sharply.
2023
TechnologyGenerative AI reaches mainstream business use.
§ 02

The companies

Danzas Group →
Active · founded 1840 · Switzerland
Danzas Group is one of Europe's leading logistics groups, the European leader in overland freight-forwarding and…
Exel plc →
Active · founded 1865 · United Kingdom
Exel plc was formed from the 2000 merger of Ocean Group plc and NFC plc.
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) →
Active · founded 1885 · Japan
Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK) is the largest marine transporter in Japan.
Harper Group Inc. →
Active · founded 1898
Harper Group Inc.
Genesee & Wyoming Inc. →
Active · founded 1899
Through its subsidiaries, Genesee & Wyoming Inc.
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc. →
Active · founded 1900
Alexander & Baldwin, Inc., one of the original 'Big Five' Hawaiian companies, is a diversified corporation with…
Stinnes AG →
Active · founded 1902 · Germany
Following its acquisition in 2002 by rail operator Deutsche Bahn AG, Stinnes AG has been repositioned as the lead…
C. H. Robinson, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
C.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. →
Active · founded 1905
Early 1940s:Company is divided in two, with one company owned by its employees and the other owned by Nash Finch.
Oscar Mayer Foods Corp. →
Active · founded 1911
Oscar Mayer Foods Corp.
Attica Enterprises S.A. →
Active · founded 1918 · Greece
Greece's Attica Enterprises S.A.
Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd. →
Active · founded 1918 · Switzerland
Private, Switzerland-based Panalpina World Transport (Holding) Ltd.
Canadian National Railway Company →
Active · founded 1919 · Canada
One of the six major North American railways, known as Class 1 railways, Canadian National Railway Company (CN)…
AMCOL International Corporation →
Active · founded 1924
AMCOL International Corporation is one of the world's leading suppliers of bentonite and bentonite-related products and…
Fritz Companies, Inc. →
Active · founded 1933
Fritz Companies is one of the largest firms in the integrated logistics field.
Air Express International Corporation →
Active · founded 1946
A diverse transportation and logistics concern, Connecticut-based Air Express International Corporation (AEI) faced the…
Emery Worldwide Airlines, Inc. →
Active · founded 1946
Emery Worldwide Airlines, Inc., commonly known as Emery Worldwide, is an integrated air freight carrier that provides…
Atlas Van Lines, Inc. →
Active · founded 1948
The fifth-largest moving company in the United States, Atlas Van Lines, Inc., derives the majority of its revenue from…
Unigate PLC →
Active · founded 1959 · United Kingdom
Unigate PLC is a leading European fresh foods, dairy, and distribution company.
Arkansas Best Corporation →
Active · founded 1966
Parent company of one of the leading truckers in the United States, Arkansas Best Corporation (ABC) ships general…
Neptune Orient Lines Limited →
Active · founded 1968 · 119962 Singapore
Neptune Orient Lines Limited (NOL, or NOL Group) ranks among the world's top five shipping companies and is the largest…
DHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V. →
Active · founded 1969 · Belgium
DHL Worldwide Network S.A./N.V., wholly owned by Deutsche Post AG (the German post office) since December 2002, is the…
Dallah Albaraka Group →
Active · founded 1969 · Saudi Arabia
The Dallah Albaraka Group is one of the leading, privately held conglomerates in Saudi Arabia.
Koninklijke Nedlloyd N.V. →
Defunct · founded 1970 · Netherlands
Koninklijke Nedlloyd N.V.
Hub Group, Inc. →
Active · founded 1971
Hub Group, Inc.
Expeditors International of Washington Inc. →
Active · founded 1979
A fast-growing shipping services company, Expeditors International of Washington Inc.
Lauda Air Luftfahrt AG →
Active · founded 1979 · Austria
Lauda Air Luftfahrt AG is a unit of Austrian Airlines Group specializing in charters and Far East travel.
EGL, Inc. →
Active · founded 1984
EGL, Inc.
TNT Freightways Corporation →
Active · founded 1984
TNT Freightways Corporation is one of the most successful trucking firms in North America, crisscrossing the country…
Kitty Hawk, Inc. →
Active · founded 1985
Kitty Hawk, Inc.
Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd. →
Active · founded 1987 · Taiwan
With more than 130 owned and long-term chartered ships, Evergreen Marine Corporation (Taiwan) Ltd.
Yellow Corporation →
Active · founded 1993
Yellow Corporation is a transportation holding company with subsidiaries that specialize in regional, national, and…
First Aviation Services Inc. →
Active · founded 1995
First Aviation Services Inc.
Swissport International Ltd. →
Active · founded 1996 · Switzerland
Swissport International Ltd.
Pacer International, Inc. →
Active · founded 1997
Pacer International, Inc.
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