History
In 1904, Transports Rapides Calberson was created in Le Havre, renamed Société des Transports Routiers Calberson in 1920.[6]
On December 20, 1995, Compagnie Générale Calberson absorbed Bourgey Montreuil (BM), SCETA Transport and SCETA International, adopting the new name Geodis Group.[7]
In June 1996, SNCF announced that it was reducing its stake in Geodis from 72% to 42%.[8] By decree of August 20, 1996, the group was privatized. It was then restructured into four divisions: Logistics, Overseas, Parcel Delivery and Road haulage.[9]
In April 2008, SNCF launched its first takeover bid to acquire Geodis in its entirety (it held 42.37% at the time).[10]
In December 2008, Geodis acquired IBM Global Logistics, IBM's global logistics management platform. At the same time, IBM signed a long-term contract with Geodis, worth one billion euros a year, to provide logistics services for the American giant.[11][12][13]
In summer 2012, Marie-Christine Lombard, then head of Dutch express group TNT Express, was approached by SNCF. In October 2012, she was appointed CEO of Geodis. She replaces Jean-Louis Demeulenaere, who between 2008 and 2012 made a series of acquisitions that enabled the group to expand internationally, broaden its service offering and grow sales, notably through the acquisition of IBM's logistics management platform, and creating to the group's fifth business line, Geodis Supply Chain Optimisation.
In August 2015, Geodis acquired the US logistics company Ozburn-Hessey Logistics, with sales of $1.2 billion and 8,000 employees, for around $800 million.[14][15]
In October 2020, SNCF Logistics, the parent company of Geodis, completed the acquisition of Pekaes, a Polish company with 200 employees, 20 local branches, 3 rail terminals and 6 logistics warehouses.[16]
As of January 7, 2022, despite the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on its accounts, SNCF still considered external growth operations. At the end of January, at its last Board of Directors meeting, SNCF indicated that it was a candidate to acquire the American freight forwarder Pilot Freight Services, positioned mainly in road haulage.[17]
In May 2022, Geodis strengthens its position in the logistics and e-commerce sectors in South-East Asia by acquiring Singapore's Keppel Logistics for 53 million euros.[18]
In August 2022, Geodis acquired the US express transport company Need It Now Delivers in order to increase its presence in the US road freight market.[19] In March 2023, Geodis acquired German carrier Trans-o-flex.[20]
