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www.joc.com Cover Story Special Report April 16 2018 | The Journal of Commerce 57 Top 50 Global Logistics Companies REFLECTING THE STRONG turnaround of the global economy, the combined revenue of the world's 50 largest logis- tics companies increased 10.3 percent to $253 billion in 2017, according to Pittsburgh-based research and consult- ing firm SJ Consulting Group. It totaled $229.5 billion in 2016. "There was a huge rebound from 2016," said Mark D'Amico, senior analyst at SJ Consulting. "Coming out of a mini-recession, the growth is going to look very high" by comparison. DHL, Kuehne & Nagel, DB Schenker, C.H. Robinson, DSV, and XPO Logistics maintained their positions in the Top 5, a repeat of their rankings in 2016. Despite the size of the Chinese market, only one China-headquartered 3PL made the list — Sinotrans, whose reve- nue increased 26.9 percent last year. Bolstered by higher freight rates and growing business volumes, several companies enjoyed especially strong increases in revenue, including those 3PLs whose revenue jumped entirely as a result of their organic expansion, and those whose strong numbers reflected, at least partially, the substantial pickup in mergers and acquisition activity that usually follows on the heels of econom- ic recovery, as D'Amico noted. In 2017, fluctuations in foreign exchange rates had little impact on the numbers or company rankings. In Europe, where five of the Top 10 compa- nies on the list are headquartered, both A 3PL growth spurt Economic rebound fuels niche mergers and acquisitions among world's Top 50 3PLs By Alan M. Field Kuehne + Nagel acquired three companies last year. Kuehne + Nagel