Nestled on India’s east coast, Chennai is a natural port to the Bay of Bengal. This advantageous position — paired with its inland connectivity to airports, rail and road networks — has poised Chennai as a thriving logistics hub. From building greener fleets to integrating AI into their supply chain services, these logistics companies are powering shipping and transportation from the heart of Tamil Nadu’s capital.
Top Logistics Companies in Chennai
- Mediterranean Shipping Company
- DHL
- Maersk
- CMA CGM
- Alstom
Top Logistics Companies in Chennai
DTDC, short for Desk to Desk Courier and Cargo, is a Mumbai-based delivery services company. In 2023, DTDC opened a regional office and super hub at Velappanchavadi in Chennai. The 38-dock hub is over 175,000 square feet and processes over 36 tons of shipments per day. The hub was designed to provide connectivity between key cities like Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi and Ahmedabad, among others in south India.
CHEP, short for the Commonwealth Handling Equipment Pool, was founded during World War II to provide defense supplies to the Allies. In the 1970s, CHEP evolved into the logistics and supply chain company it is today. According to its website, contemporary CHEP manages “the world’s largest pool of reusable pallets and containers.” It utilizes a “share and reuse” model across its international locations, including Chennai.
With a bustling Chennai location, France-headquartered CMA CGM provides international warehousing, port operation, shipping and supply chain management services. CMA CGM possesses the third-largest logistics fleet in the world. The company’s Chennai facilities power its India East Coast Express 2 services, which connect Asia to Southeast India and Sri Lanka via the Bay of Bengal and the Strait of Malacca.
Alstom, a worldwide transport company, has invested heavily in India’s railway infrastructure by providing communication systems, depots, track laying, information solutions, electrification, station utilities and workshops. According to its website, Alstom aligns itself “with the country’s vision of ‘Make-in-India’” and is committed to utilizing local sourcing to deepen India’s supply chain ecosystem. In Chennai, Alstom is producing driverless trains as a means of connecting the city to neighboring hubs.
Headquartered in Mumbai, Allcargo Logistics provides international multi-modal integrated logistics and transportation services. Between its seven India locations — including Chennai — Allcargo moves roughly 70 to 80 percent of the country’s imports and exports, Managing Director Suresh Kumar told The Economic Times in 2023. Suresh called Allcargo “the ‘Uber’ of the shipping industry,” in that the company “[doesn’t] own shipping assets, but [can move] things for customers anywhere.”
BlackBuck is a platform that helps businesses connect with truck and freight operators. By digitizing its services and developing an intuitive app for truck drivers, BlackBuck achieved unicorn status in 2021, after securing a $67 million round of funding. The digital-first company has invested heavily in its product and data science teams in an effort to streamline the freight matching process in India.
Based in Germany, DHL is a logistics company that coordinates express mail services, package delivery and courier services around the world. DHL’s Chennai arm is part of a years-long effort to expand its Indian workforce to roughly 25,000 team members, according to a press release from the company. As the capital of Tamil Nadu, Chennai is a top contributor to India’s overall GDP — making the Chennai site a key piece of DHL’s investment into growing its India warehouse space, transitioning to green fleets and nurturing its global presence.
Zim Integrated Services is an international cargo shipping company based in Israel, with sites spanning Europe, South America, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean and Asia — including Chennai. Founded in 1945, Zim earned its name from Israel’s first Minister of Transportation, who aptly selected the biblical word for “fleet of ships” as the company’s title. Since 2021, Zim has traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Though it is an American company, over half of Trimble Transportation’s workforce lives outside the United States — including the team members of its Tamil Nadu location. According to a press release, the 40-year-old company seeks to bolster the global supply chain via initiatives like its Community Load Match, which utilizes improved map visualization and advanced matching capabilities to help shippers quickly find available carriers for their truckload shipments.
Founded in 1976 by a collective of independent Danish haulers, DSV is a logistics company that provides services over three divisions: road, air and sea, and solutions. Under the banner of its Green Logistics initiative, DSV is reducing its carbon footprint by utilizing supply chain optimization, CO2 reporting, sustainable fuels and carbon offsetting. It has committed to reaching net-zero emissions across operations by 2050.
Hapag-Lloyd, a Germany-based international shipping and container transportation company, opened a technology center in Chennai in 2023 to develop software solutions for the maritime industry. According to its website, the company is dedicated to lowering absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero fleet operations by 2045 via alternative fuels, improved propulsion technologies and fleet modernization.
Specializing in over-dimensional and flatbed freight brokerage, Triune Logistics Group is a third-party logistics company. According to the company’s website, it manages over 140,000 containers’ worth of ocean freight between 127 global destinations each year. Beyond its Chennai site, Triune Freight & Logistics has offices in other Indian cities, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Founded in 1983, Blue Dart Express provides logistics and courier delivery services along with its subsidiary South Asian cargo airline, Blue Dart Aviation. Both arms have worked in partnership with DHL Express since 2004. Blue Dart Express’ mega service center in Chennai consists of a 4,500-square-foot warehouse set upon an expansive 10,000-square-foot area that is accessible via a series of innovative ramps.
Like its namesake — a Utah forest that distributes nutrients via a shared root system — Pando is an open-market freight management platform designed to connect global supply chains. Pando’s digitized fulfillment cloud was created to provide logistics companies, manufacturers and retailers with a unified platform to collaborate and optimize deliveries from end to end. According to Pando’s website, its AI-powered, no-code platform allows customers to lower costs by 12 percent and reduce their carbon footprint by 24 percent within the first 150 days of implementation.
DP World — a multinational logistics company based in Dubai — is the culmination of a 2005 merger between Dubai Ports Authority and Dubai Ports International. It specializes in maritime services, port terminal operations, cargo logistics and free trade zones. Its Chennai location consists of a 2 million square foot warehouse and 125 acres of land, making it the largest of its India sites.
XpressBees is a logistics provider that offers international logistics and end-to-end domestic supply chain solutions. According to the company website, XpressBees’ network includes over 28,000 team members, 150 hubs and 3,500 service centers, including its Chennai location. In 2023, the company received an $80 million investment from Teachers’ Venture Growth as a means of expanding its footprint in India.
Mediterranean Shipping Company is one of the world’s largest global container shipping companies, offering logistics services via land, air and sea. Mediterranean Shipping Company’s global port coverage and expansive equipment availability power its shipping services, which span retail stock, produce, pharmaceuticals, automotive and more. Its Chennai location is a pivotal part of its bid to acquire a stake in logistics operations on the east coast of India.
Maersk, a Danish shipping and logistics company, strives to offer integrated solutions that connect complex, fractured supply chains. In 2024, Maersk entered a strategic partnership with the government of Tamil Nadu, of which Chennai is the capital. Per the agreement, Maersk will continue to invest in optimizing supply chains, while the Tamil Nadu government will provide access to information and resources to support the development of new technology and global best practices.
