History
Katoen Natie was founded in 1854 by four working partners.
Their first activity consisted of cotton receiving. A ship was discharged in the harbor by captain and crew, assisted by locally recruited stevedores. Once the crane brought the goods on quay, they were received by the guild. The guild worked on commission for the buyer of the goods. Katoen Natie [cotton guild] worked in its infancy for the cotton-processing industry. The guild received the bales of cotton and handled their storage, weighing, sampling and distribution.
Diversification
Katoen Natie quickly diversified its range. It handled the receiving of other goods: jute, coffee, iron, steel, fruit, tomatoes, etc. In the years following World War II, the organization started new activities: storage in its own warehouses, transport, expediting and customs declaration.
Step into the water
In 1986 Katoen Natie took the step into the water with its acquisition of Seaport Terminals, a large Antwerp stevedoring company specialized in general cargo and containers. This acquisition was followed by that of fifteen other stevedoring companies that were all integrated into the parent company Seaport Terminals.
Specialization
In the nineties, the specialized services for the petrochemical, chemical, automobile industry and major distribution were added.
Internationalization
In 1995, Katoen Natie invested for the first time abroad with a branch in Sarralbe (France). After Sarralbe, investment abroad rapidly expanded, with additional locations in all parts of the world. Katoen Natie is now a global player.
Business Units
In 2000, the activities were divided into customer-oriented business units. Katoen Natie works with this structure, to the great satisfaction of our customers.
Katoen Natie today
Today, Katoen Natie is a global supplier of value added logistics and applied engineering solutions.