Is 2017’s impressive freight forwarding growth continuing in 2018?

© Khunaspix Dreamstime.

Transport Intelligence (Ti) has published a short update to its Global Freight Forwarding market report, following half-year figures for 2018. The data showed growth of 4.9%, year on year with air freight forwarding up 5.3% and sea freight rising 4.3% – perhaps better than some expected. The numbers indicate full-year growth in the market of 4.1%, down considerably from last year’s 8% growth. But, as Ti notes, this is primarily due to the end of the global restocking cycle. This eventually will result in 2018 growth of 4.3% in air, 3.9% in sea and “a five-year real compound annual growth rate for the global forwarding market a healthy 4.6%”.