The European headquarters of Japanese giant Yusen Logistics, currently located in Schiphol near Amsterdam, will move to Antwerp in June. Bruno Jacques (CEO of Yusen Logistics Healthcare Europe) explained to us why this location was chosen.
In recent years, Yusen Logistics has strongly strengthened its position in Belgium by successively acquiring Groupe Pierre / Ajimax, then Parts Express and finally the subsidiaries of the French Walden group. With the exception of Parts Express (which has strengthened the Automotive division), the Healthcare division has experienced the greatest growth. At the same time, Yusen Logistics has opened a new large logistics hub in Gembloux in 2024. However, it is a completely different development that will further strengthen Belgium’s position within the Japanese group, as the new European headquarters of the Healthcare branch will soon be located in Antwerp on an area of approximately 2000 m².
“To achieve this result, we first had to turn our Benelux organization into a profitable company. Today we are among the global top 5 at Yusen Logistics. We then managed to integrate the acquired companies, an operation that is expected to be completed in April 20278 as far as the former Walden companies are concerned. In addition, we were able to convince Yusen Logistics that we still have potential for organic growth, without taking into account acquisitions,” explains Bruno Jacques.
At the beginning of June he will leave his office in Melsele to settle in Antwerp, together with around fifty employees, some of whom come from the current head office in the Netherlands. But how did Bruno Jacques manage to bring this head office to Belgium, while the Netherlands seems particularly attractive for these types of companies? “The landscape in the Netherlands is changing,” he explains. “It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract certain profiles and costs are rising sharply. On the other hand, the rules for ‘expats’ are now more favorable in Belgium.”
The new headquarters will not only house the Healthcare branch of the Japanese logistics provider, but also the central functions related to all its activities on the European continent.
