Panalpina sees airfreight growth slow but profits takeoff

Panalpina

Freight forwarder Panalpina saw airfreight volume growth slow in the first quarter of the year, but profitability at the company was up.
The Switzerland freight forwarder saw first-quarter airfreight volumes increase by 3% year on year to 241,000 tonnes, behind an estimated market growth of around 5%.
The growth rate also lagged behind last year when the forwarder saw airfreight volumes improve by 8.1% year on year.
However, Panalpina did see airfreight earnings before interest and tax (ebit) for the quarter increase by 58.8% year on year to Sfr27m and its ebit/gross profit margin for its air business climbed to 15.1% against 11.8% for the same period last year.
Overall, the company saw total revenues for the first quarter increase by 10.7% to Sfr1.4bn, ebit climbed 48.8% to Sfr24.4m and profits were up 34.5% to Sfr16.6m.
“We’ve had an encouraging start into 2018. Profitability per transported unit increased in both air and ocean freight,” said Panalpina chief executive Stefan Karlen.
“In ocean freight we still recorded a loss, but it has come down from the last quarter of 2017. Logistics contributed to the good overall performance with a solid ebit result.”
Looking ahead, he added: “Global airfreight demand continues to be healthy and the carriers have begun to increase rates substantially.
“We will have to be very disciplined in passing these rate increases on as we head for a summer season that could be busier than usual again.
“In ocean freight, our immediate focus is clearly on improving profitability. In Logistics, we have made important investments that put us in a good position for top-line growth during the rest of the year.”
The Panalpina Group is one of the world’s leading providers of supply chain solutions. The company combines its core products of Air Freight, Ocean Freight, and Logistics to deliver globally integrated, tailor-made end-to-end solutions for eleven core industries. Drawing on in-depth industry know-how and customized IT systems, Panalpina manages the needs of its customers’ supply chains, no matter how demanding they might be. Energy and Project Solutions is a specialized service for the energy and capital projects sector.
The Panalpina Group operates a global network with some 500 offices in more than 70 countries, and it works with partner companies in over 90 countries. Panalpina employs approximately 14,500 people worldwide who deliver a comprehensive service to the highest quality standards – wherever and whenever.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Don't miss new updates on your email
Scroll to Top