2000 to present
In the early 2000s, Kuehne + Nagel obtained a foothold in the Asia Pacific contract logistics market, when it forged a strategic alliance with Singapore-based SembCorp Logistics. In 2001, it acquired USCO Logistics Inc. – a warehouse-based logistics service provider based in Hamden, Connecticut, for US$300 million. Kuehne + Nagel and SembCorp chose to follow different strategic paths in 2004, and ended their strategic partnership.
In October 2007, the board of Kuehne + Nagel appointed Reinhard Lange as the successor to CEO Klaus Herms, effective June 2009 to ensure a smooth handover. The succession plan was similar to the SAP's 2007 CEO transition plan from Henning Kagermann to Léo Apotheker, which received praise in the media.[10]
In 2012, Kuehne + Nagel acquired the business contracts of Canada's Perishables International Transportation (PIT) to expand into global fresh and frozen foods network.
In September 2013, Kuehne + Nagel agreed to merge its rail freight business with VTG to form VTG Rail Logistics, which would be Europe's largest private rail freight business when it started operations in 2014.[11]
In April 2014, Kuehne + Nagel International was fined $3.1 million for its part in a freight forwarding cartel case brought by the Commerce Commission. Kuehne + Nagel was the last defendant in the seven-year investigation involving six firms, who referred to themselves as the "Gardening Club" and used horticultural code to discuss anti-competitive practices among them.[12][13][14]
In June 2020 the 2021 Rugby League World Cup announced that Kuehne + Nagel would become the official Logistics Partner of the tournament.[15] Three years later, the company became the logistics partner of the British Olympic Association, which is why it took over logistics services for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.[16]
In November 2023 Kuehne + Nagel acquired Farrow, a customs broker out of Ontario, Canada. Farrow will be fully owned by Kuehne + Nagel in early 2024.[17]
In January 2024, Palestine Action vandalized the Kuehne + Nagel office in Milton Keynes, England by smashing windows and spraying the building with paint.[18] Palestine Action said they targeted the company because it was assisting the delivery of weapons to Israel.[18]
During that same month, Kuehne + Nagel acquired a 51% stake in IMC Logistics,[19][20] the largest marine drayage company in the United States.
