Thailand Freight Forwarding Market Outlook to 2022: Ken Research

The report titled “Thailand Freight Forwarding Market Outlook to 2022 – By Freight Movement (Sea, Road, Air and Rail Freight); By Normal and Express Delivery; By International and Domestic Freight; By International Flow Corridors and By Third Party Logistics” provides a comprehensive analysis of overall market size for freight forwarding in Thailand, segmentation by normal and express delivery, by freight movement (sea freight, road freight, air freight and rail freight), by international and domestic freight forwarding and by flow corridors (Asia Countries, NAFTA countries, European Countries and Others). The report also covers the overall competitive landscape and government role and regulations. The report concludes with market projection for future and analyst recommendations highlighting the major opportunities and cautions.

Thailand Freight Forwarding Market Overview and Size

The growth of freight forwarding in Thailand was supported by development in major industries such as manufacturing, retail, automobiles and agriculture. Expanding FMCG sector, retail sector, food and E-commerce industry in the country has attributed to the growth of the freight forwarding industry in the country. The freight forwarding industry in Thailand has grown at a five year positive CAGR in the review period 2012-2017. The Thai government’s focus on improving the sectors including infrastructure development, the restructure of the rail freight market under the transport infrastructure development strategies 2022 will see the development of the cargo transport market via railways and increase the role of rail freight, particularly in key economic zones as well as the remote areas.

Thailand Freight Forwarding Market Segmentation

By Normal and Express Delivery

The normal / standard delivery segment dominated Thailand freight forwarding market whereas the remaining revenue share was captured by the express delivery segment in the year 2017. Normal delivery services are generally preferred where there is no urgent requirement for ordered goods. In Thailand, majority of the customers prefer the cheapest form of shipping and are witnessed to wait for longer durations. Major companies operating into normal delivery includes SCG Logistics, Schenker Limited, Yusen Logistics, CEVA Logistics, Wice Logistics, Siam Shipping Agility Logistics, III Logistics and others.

By Freight Movement

The road freight segment dominated Thailand freight forwarding market in the year 2017 owing to a larger fleet of vehicles and strong cross-border trade with the ASEAN neighbors coupled with national network of strategically located warehouses and distribution centers. The sea freight segment followed road freight services in Thailand freight forwarding market in the year 2017 majorly due to increasing trade activities with FTA signatories. Ports of Laem Chabang and Bangkok are the leading seaports of Thailand and handle the majority of sea freight volume in the country, thereby offering services like cargo handling, tallying and warehousing. Other leading seaports include Chiang Saen port.

By International and Domestic Freight Forwarding

International freight forwarding accounted for majority of the revenues for overall Thailand freight forwarding market in 2017. Free trade agreements with other nations over the period have provided significant boost to international freight forwarding sector in Thailand. On the other hand, the domestic freight forwarding segment was observed to capture the remaining share in 2017.

By Flow Corridors

Asia flow corridor was observed to be the largest contributor in terms of revenue in Thailand freight forwarding market in the year 2017. In accordance with International Trade Centre, Thailand’s import to Asia as well as export from Asia was recorded as of 2017 in comparison with other regions such as NAFTA countries, Europe, and others. The Thailand-Europe flow corridor followed Thailand-Asia with a double digit share in the year 2017. Other major flow corridor includes the NAFTA countries which have been counted as emerging trading partners for Thailand.

Bangkok in the central region is drawing interest from a number of global investors seeking office / commercial space, retail and hospitality investment opportunities coupled with a high rise in buildings and a number of shopping centers in the city. The city is well connected with the rest of the world through air and sea routes and thereby, drawing huge foreign investments from international players to various sectors.

Competitive Landscape

The freight forwarding industry in Thailand was observed as highly fragmented with the presence of both domestic as well international freight forwarders in the country. According to the membership record of customs broker and Transport association of Thailand, there are around 1400 large scale international freight forwarders that provide all types of services including LCL, FCL and others, large scale operators exist which provide fewer services thus totaling ~ large scale international freight forwarders in the country. On the basis of revenue, major freight forwarding companies providing air freight services include – Kerry Logistics, DHL Express, CJ Express ,Thai Post, DHL Post, Nikos Logistics, FedEx, TNT and UPS. Other freight forwarders focusing on ocean freight / contract logistics / warehousing services include Ceva Logistics, Agility Logistics, DB Schenker and others. The China, Japan, US and EU market was witnessed to majorly contribute towards Thailand freight forwarding market.

Thailand Freight Forwarding Market Future Outlook and Projections

Thailand freight forwarding market is expected to generate significant revenues by the year ending 2022, driven by growth in both international and domestic demand, growing E-commerce industry and continuous investment by the government in development of logistics infrastructure in Thailand. The growth shown by the automobiles industry and electronics manufacturing has fuelled the economy during the tough economic period in the past few years, thus driving the demand for freight forwarding services. As the AEC blueprint 2025 is materialized on ground, the country is expected to be benefitted in a positive manner.

Key Segments Covered

By Freight Movement