The division included the activities of: Geodis (and subsidiaries), general land transport and logistics; Fret SNCF the national rail freight operator as well as Captrain France (short haul freight), Captrain, (international rail freight), combining the former Fret SNCF and operations acquired from Veolia Cargo; rail vehicle leasing operations such as Ermewa, France Wagons, Akiem and Transengrais; and the automobile transportation company STVA.
SNCF Logistics was a state-owned enterprise, classified as an Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial (EPIC).
On 1 January 2020, SNCF founded Rail Logistics Europe where all its freight services were incorporated, while Geodis was separated as an independently operated subsidiary.
In 1996, the group was privatized by the decree of August 20, 1996 and restructured into four Lines of Business: Groupage, Overseas, Logistics and Road.
In 2002, GEODIS formed a partnership with the German company Rohde & Liesenfeld to strengthen its international sales and transport network.
The Group acquired Rohde & Liesenfeld and introduces a new organization structure based on four Lines of Business: Groupage, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics and Road.
[2] A partnership with the German air and sea freight firm Rohde & Liesenfeld begins in 2002[11] leading to its acquisition and incorporation into the subsidiary Geodis Wilson in 2008.
[15] In April 2008 SNCF made an offer for 57% of the shares in Geodis,[16] (having originally had a 43% stake[1]) at 462 million euros, thus taking control of the company and effectively re-nationalising an organisation that had been privatised twelve years earlier.
[17] The bid was authorised by the French stock market regulator AMF (Autorité des marchés financiers) in May.