Solutions
Cargo Logistics: End-to-End Solutions for the Automotive Industry
Groupe CAT provides end-to-end logistics solutions for all cargo types, from production components and tyres to industrial equipment and spare parts. Across 85 platforms in Europe, we combine 3PL execution with 4PL control tower expertise to keep automotive industry logistics flows running around the clock.
E2E Inbound
End-to-End Inbound Logistics: Supplying Production Lines Just-in-Time
Inbound logistics covers every flow between a supplier and a production line. Groupe CAT orchestrates this upstream supply chain end to end, connecting international suppliers to production sites and optimising every stage of component transport.
Collection & consolidation
We collect from suppliers whatever the volume. Flows pass through cross-docking and consolidation on the network, which fills the vehicles and brings the cost per unit down.
Strategic storage & value-added services
We store goods close to the plants and add the services each industrial process calls for.
Just-in-Time delivery
We deliver straight to the production line, keeping pace with its rhythm to prevent any downtime.
Acting as a 4PL control tower, Groupe CAT manages the entire upstream network, coordinating supplier flows through to delivery at the production line. Operations benefit from real-time visibility, full traceability and immediate responsiveness when unexpected events occur, with performance indicators shared with the customer.
End-to-End Distribution Logistics: Connecting Products to Dealer Networks
Groupe CAT manages end-to-end distribution logistics across an international network of 85 platforms in 16 countries. Goods are taken over directly on leaving the production line or hub, then transported to markets and dealer networks worldwide:
- Secure collection and consolidation: Products are gathered securely on-site, then consolidated via cross-docking platforms to ensure optimal routing.
- Quality control and sorting: Our teams perform rigorous quality checks and destination sorting prior to every shipment.
- Spare parts logistics: We store, manage, and dispatch replacement parts through channels built for automotive spare parts distribution, designed to minimise vehicle and equipment downtime.
- Flexible distribution: To meet diverse market demands, we offer before 8 a.m. night delivery, daytime shipping, or a tailor-made slot to fit your site constraints.
- Return flows and traceability: The network seamlessly manages both product and packaging returns. Each shipment is fully traceable by batch and reference, with status tracking available directly on your dedicated client portal.
The same IT systems and operational processes are deployed in every country where Groupe CAT operates, giving customers one consistent set of KPIs and a single view of their flows across the network.
Transport
Multimodal Transport Solutions: Road, Rail, Sea and Air Freight
Inbound and distribution flows need to connect. Groupe CAT covers road, rail, intermodal, sea and air freight, and moves industrial components and vehicles anywhere in the world.
Road freight
We cover all road transport needs, whether via FTL (Full Truck Load) for massive volumes, or LTL / Groupage (Less than Truckload) to optimise your transport costs for smaller quantities.
Rail and intermodal transport
Committed to decarbonising your supply chain, we develop rail freight and intermodal solutions combining economic efficiency with a reduced carbon footprint over long distances.
Sea and air freight
For intercontinental trade, our teams manage your shipments via sea freight as well as air freight for your urgent global supply needs.
Contract Logistics: Warehousing and Supply Chain Management
Contract logistics covers the management of a customer’s warehousing and in-house logistics operations under a long-term contract. Groupe CAT operates these flows within its own facilities, for both components and finished products, as a 3PL provider: multi-supplier reception, volume consolidation, cross-docking operations and tailored storage solutions, in line with industry standards for on-site logistics.
This expertise serves a wide variety of strategic sectors: Auto & Mobility, High & Heavy, Two-,Three- and Four-wheelers, Consumer & Retail, and Industry. Across these sectors, Groupe CAT handles a broad typology of packaging, applies strict internal goods handling regulations, delivers value-added warehouse services and monitors operations through advanced traceability tools.
Customs Solutions: Clearance, Compliance and Bonded Warehousing
Groupe CAT integrates comprehensive customs expertise directly into the heart of the supply chain by filing declarations, clearing goods, and ensuring full compliance. Because cross-border regulations constantly evolve, our teams track regulatory changes in real time and provide expert guidance on any legal or customs challenges your flows may encounter.
A bonded warehouse keeps goods under duty and tax suspension until they reach their final destination. This customs warehousing solution allows customers to preserve their cash flow by delaying tax payments, while simplifying formalities so that customs procedures are completed just once at the end of the process.
Groupe CAT holds Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) status in France, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, Belgium, and Croatia. This certification unlocks simplified customs procedures to ensure your goods clear faster, while our dedicated teams manage all the paperwork and clearance operations seamlessly from end to end.
Cargo Logistics: Frequently Asked Questions
Cargo logistics covers the transport, storage and handling of goods other than finished vehicles: production components, tyres, spare parts and industrial equipment. At Groupe CAT, it spans the full chain, from collection at supplier level to cross-docking, warehousing, just-in-time delivery to production lines, distribution to dealer networks and management of return flows, across 85 platforms in Europe.
A 3PL provider executes physical logistics operations: transport, warehousing, handling and value-added services. A 4PL provider orchestrates and steers the whole supply chain, including flows operated by third parties. Groupe CAT combines both: 3PL execution on its own platforms and 4PL control tower steering across the wider network.
It covers every stage between a supplier and a production line: collection of components whatever the volume, cross-docking and consolidation to maximise vehicle fill rates, strategic storage with value-added services, and just-in-time delivery synchronised with production rhythms. A control tower manages the upstream network and provides real-time visibility and traceability.
Groupe CAT operates road freight in full truck load (FTL) and less than truckload (LTL / groupage), rail freight and intermodal solutions for long distances and lower carbon emissions, and sea freight and air freight for intercontinental and urgent flows.
Groupe CAT is certified as an Authorised Economic Operator (AEO) in France, Spain, Slovenia, Poland, Belgium and Croatia. The certification gives access to simplified customs procedures and faster clearance for international flows.