August 2021

DSV Panalpina completes acquisition of Agility Global Integrated Logistics

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by David Priestman

All conditions and requirements for the acquisition of Agility’s Global Integrated Logistics business (GIL) have been met, and DSV Panalpina A/S (DSV) is now formally taking over GIL from Kuwait-based Agility. With the acquisition of GIL, DSV is becoming a global top-three player within transport and logistics and the aim is to continue to grow the business from this strong position.

Today’s expected completion of the acquisition of GIL marks an important milestone on the growth journey for DSV. Within transport and logistics, size is critical and with the acquisition DSV fortifies its position as one of the world’s largest transport and logistics companies.

“I am very pleased to welcome our new colleagues from GIL on this important day. There are many similarities when you look at our two companies both in terms of the business models and services and, not least, when we look at our shared focus on local empowerment and putting customers first. DSV and GIL simply constitute an excellent match. We will now start the integration, and, together, we are going to grow the business and bring even more value to our many customers, partners and shareholders than we do separately,” says Jens Bjørn Andersen, Group CEO, DSV.

The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately DKK 30.2 billion and the equity value approximately DKK 29.6 billion. The combination of DSV and GIL will have an expected combined pro forma revenue of approximately DKK 160 billion (based on last 12 months) and a combined workforce of 75,000 employees in more than 90 countries.

As consideration for 100 pct. of GIL, Agility receives DSV shares representing approximately 8 pct. of all post-transaction outstanding shares of DSV. This will make Agility the second largest DSV shareholder based on today’s shareholder register. After completion of the transaction, DSV has agreed to nominate an Agility representative to DSV’s Board of Directors.

Improved service offerings across all three divisions

GIL has an annual revenue of DKK 29 billion (USD 4.6 billion) with Air & Sea freight as the main contributor. This will be added to DSV’s existing global network. Moreover, the inclusion of GIL is building on DSV’s presence in both APAC and the Middle East. With 1.4 million square meters of warehousing capacity, GIL will be a strong addition to DSV Solutions, while the road freight activities in Europe and the Middle East will strengthen the DSV Road network.

“By adding the GIL network and competencies to our existing network, we improve our competitiveness across all three divisions: Air & Sea, Road and Solutions. This brings commercial synergies and cross-selling opportunities while at the same time providing our customers with an even higher service level and a one-stop-shop for logistics needs,” says Jens Bjørn Andersen.

The combined DSV and GIL business is aiming to use the strengthened position in the market to continue to grow through enhanced service offerings for customers, market-leading IT infrastructure and economies of scale.

DSV’s acquisition strategy has proven successful in both acquiring and integrating companies, most recently Swiss Panalpina in 2019 and American UTi Worldwide in 2016.

The focus on scalability remains one of the key competitive advantages in freight forwarding with significant operational and commercial benefits in a highly fragmented market.

Now the integration process of GIL can begin. The two organisations will be merged in a country-by-country process, which means that for customers and employees in many countries the coming period will be business as usual until the country-specific merger process is initiated. As has been a key focus in previous acquisitions, DSV will be approaching this integration with due respect for both organisational and individual considerations.

Despite the expected completion of the transaction today and in line with what has been agreed, regulatory clearances are pending in a limited number of jurisdictions where revenues individually and combined are insignificant compared to the combined post-completion revenue, and in each such jurisdiction completion of the acquisition and commencement of integration activities are awaiting the relevant regulatory clearance.

Digital excise tax connector SAP certified

Posted on 16 August, 202129 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The digitalization specialist Implico Group is proud to announce that the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 is now officially SAP certified for integration with SAP S/4HANA and SAP S/4HANA Cloud. The helpful interface was co-developed by the company’s subsidiary in the United States, Implico, Inc., and the tax experts at Avalara. By connecting the powerful tax tool AvaTax Excise with the SAP ERP system, it enables automated excise tax calculation for North American suppliers, distributors, retailers, and traders in the energy sector and other industries.

The proper calculation of excise taxes is a complex task – especially for downstream companies. In each process, there are many different factors that influence the tax rate: Products and blends. Origins and destinations. Effective dates and exemptions. Branded and unbranded products. Gross and net volumes. Additionally, there is another challenge for companies registered in North America: There, the different tax rates are regulated by the Federal Government as well as State Governments and Local Governments. Independently of each other, these jurisdictions adjust the rates several times a year.

As cloud service or on-premise installation, the Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 integrates the proven tax tool AvaTax Excise into the standard sales and purchase functions of a company’s SAP ERP system. In turn, this facilitates automated tax determination and calculation for a wide range of processes. The benefits are manifold and meaningful: AvaTax Excise minimizes the chance of inaccuracies and errors. It empowers its users to ensure consistency and manage complexity as their businesses grow. And it frees space for the teams to stay focused and deal with their key objectives rather than getting overwhelmed by manual work. Via automatic updates, the software is always up to speed. At any point, it provides quick and easy access to all relevant information.

The SAP integration certification confirms the technical compliance of Avalara Tax Connector 1.0 with SAP certification procedures. It also qualifies Implico and Avalara’s interface software for listing in the SAP Certified Solutions Directory. This creates visibility and builds trust. According to SAP, selecting a certified partner solution helps companies ensure that they can cut implementation times, lower integration costs, and be confident of compatibility with their SAP technology infrastructure.

Digital excise tax connector SAP certified

Posted on 16 August, 2021 by David Priestman

Bulk handling forces combine

Posted on 13 August, 2021 by Keith McKinley

Two bulk handling specialists have joined forces to combine their sixty years of experience to offer the sector a total-solution combining industry design expertise and established manufacturing skills.

Specialist hydraulic manufacturer, Advanced Actuators and engineering designers, Ashton Bulk, have already fulfilled two multi-million pound contracts together for major clients in the bulk handling industry. They are now specialising in wagon tippling technology offering a full consultation and design service, along with the manufacturing facilities, creating a turnkey service solution. Mechanical, hydraulic and electrical design, intelligence and control systems can now be provided under one contract making customers’ projects much easier to manage.

Managing director of Advanced Actuators, Chris Woodhead, explains: “We have found from working together in the past that we offer complimentary services and work really well together. We’re aware of a gap in the market for a one-stop-shop where consultants can find experts to deliver their entire bulk handling projects from consultation, delivery and installation through to testing and commissioning. In short, we’re offering the brains and the muscle under one roof.

“We’re seeing a growing trend towards the use of tipplers over bottom dumpers in industries such as power, steel and ports, wherever unloading and stockyard equipment is used. It can be very costly to buy and maintain a fleet of bottom dumping wagons and tipplers tend to be more cost-effective and able to handle trickier loads such as outsized, frozen or sticky materials. We’re now able to service that market from end-to-end.”

The two companies first worked together in 2017 to deliver high-capacity train unloading systems for projects in South Africa and Guinea.

Joe Dudman, projects director at Ashton Bulk, adds: “Since teaming up with Advanced Actuators, we can provide all the expertise that engineering consultants need in one place. By carefully selecting a supplier at specification stage, it’s possible to save significant amounts of money, simplify the process with less suppliers, and ensure longer lifespan of plant.

“Well-made and maintained equipment designed to recognised design standards should last for up to 40 years, but those who have chosen to buy cheaper products from China and India in recent years will find that they will be replacing them much sooner than they should and any downtime is going to be incredibly expensive. Therefore, it’s recommended quality plant is specified from the very beginning of a project to avoid delays and expenses associated with repairs and replacements.

“We’re a smaller partnership than some of the big players, and that allows us greater flexibility and we’re much more willing to travel globally and to remote locations to provide a truly personal service and reaction times you are less likely to receive from larger organisations.”

Advanced Actuators has clients in the oil and gas, bulk handling, power, water and nuclear sectors such as Shell, Petronas, EDF Energy and BP, supplying standard and bespoke hydraulic engineering and servicing across the globe, including Europe, India the Middle and Far East.
Ashton Bulk provides engineering design and project management solutions to the bulk materials handling industries throughout the world and have engineers with experience dating back 50 years.

Bulk handling forces combine

Posted on 13 August, 2021 by David Priestman

The two companies first worked together in 2017 to deliver high-capacity train unloading systems for projects in South Africa and Guinea.

Floating cranes supply Vietnam with energy

Posted on 13 August, 2021 by David Priestman

Liebherr has delivered four transshipment cranes, type CBG 360, to its long-term customer Oldendorff Carriers for a major project in North Vietnam. In the coming years, the cranes, which excel through their reliability and high operating speeds, will be used for power generation in the region. Another three cranes of the same type will be commissioned in West Africa for handling bauxite.

Handling and transporting 100 million tonnes of cargo in 25 years: that is the goal of the NS2 project of Oldendorff Carriers, Germany´s largest bulk shipping company. To achieve this, Oldendorff Carriers’ fleet will work with Liebherr floating cranes. The core of the North Vietnamese project are the power plant´s 2 x 600 megawatt power generation units, which supply the region with energy. The CBG-series ensures a continuous turnover of material for the power plant’s operation. The deployed cranes are characterised by their long service life and low maintenance requirements, which is a decisive advantage especially on the open seas and in remote areas.

Long-term partnership

Liebherr and Oldendorff Carriers can look back on decades of cooperation based on partnership and trust. Like Liebherr, Oldendorff Carriers is a family-owned company that has been operating successfully on the market for many years. For the large-scale project to supply energy to North Vietnam, they were looking for a low-maintenance handling solution. “Oldendorff Carriers values the reliability of Liebherr products and is therefore also counting on high-performance Liebherr four-rope grab cranes, type CBG 360, for this major project,” said Jan Breckling, Senior Sales Manager for transshipment and ship cranes at Liebherr Maritime Cranes. “The CBG is a heavy-duty crane designed for continuous operation. The new equipment will therefore play a crucial and at the same time permanent role in our customer’s long-term transshipment project.”

Extended action radius

Each of the four CBG 360 floating cranes is installed on a 10-metre-long eccentric platform. This allows an extended operating radius of 46 metres for a lifting capacity of 30 tons. The maximum lifting capacity of 36 tons can be utilized at up to 40 metres. The improved positioning and outreach creates more operational flexibility and makes the unloading of the cargo holds even more efficient.

Captain Johannes van Dijk, Technical Director Projects at Oldendorff Carriers, said: “We needed a robust, reliable cargo handling system for our project in North Vietnam. For that reason we chose Liebherr CBG 360 cranes which are high-performance cranes designed for continuous operation.”

The first transloader, “Calypso”, with two CBG 360 cranes went into service at the beginning of 2021 and start of work coincides with Oldendorff Carriers’ 100th company anniversary. Like its sister vessel, it has a length of 145 metres and a deadweight capacity of 18,000 tonnes. In West Africa, the “Albert Oldendorff” with three CBG 360 is in operation for bauxite handling. This transshipment vessel is equipped with hoppers and a conveyor system, which leads to a faster turnover of the material. The cranes are installed side-mounted and directly discharge into the hopper conveyer belt system.

Floating cranes supply Vietnam with energy

Posted on 13 August, 2021 by Keith McKinley

Long-term partnership

Extended action radius

Supply Chain risks to retail profitability

Posted on 12 August, 2021 by David Priestman

In a thoughtful webinar today digital freight forwarder Zencargo co-Founder, Richard Fattal, and Bis Henderson‘s Louisa Hosegood debated the unprecedented pressures in the global supply chain this year and how they jeopardise retailer’s profitability.

There has been an undoubted change in consumer behaviour, including the acceleration of ecommerce uptake. Consumers remain fickle, increasingly conscious of their environmental footprint. They are evaluating purchasing needs and ethical choices. Omnichannel, where a consumer, for example, might buy online, collect in store and pick up another item there, then return something by mail. Reverse logistics and the management of returns has become even more important. Supply chains must therefore be flexible enough to manage this while maintaining prices, or profitability will fall. For example, cancellations of orders fall if long term lead time information is more detailed.

What is the expectation in each vertical or location? From a supply perspective disruptions have increased. Container spot prices are a record $14000 now (Far East to Europe). Airfreight availability is reduced due to lower belly capacity with fewer passenger jets flying. This volatility in delivery is likely to persist till late next year. New sourcing options are needed to maintain choice and increase efficiency. Retailers can only absorb some of the costs. Excess demand in the USA, combined with shipping and port handling capacity that cannot be increased quickly enough are also causing waves.

Some items are always price elastic and are expected to be in full supply at a low cost. Other products are more inelastic. Those SKUs can be re-worked over the short to medium term, making inventory changes to achieve agility.

Retailers should ask how risky their operating model is. There will always be a new challenge. Hope is not a strategy. It is important to co-ordinate teams internationally in supply chain management so that big decisions can be taken from a whole-business point of view. Own the total. Data then analysis then decisions.

Should retailers buy by price margin rather than just quality? The profitability of the route to market, holding and delivering, will lead to new KPIs. Teams such as purchasing and merchandising need aligning.

Supply Chain risks to retail profitability

Posted on 12 August, 202131 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Strong security protection not enough against supply chain attacks

Posted on 12 August, 2021 by David Priestman

The European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) has analyzed 24 recent software supply chain attacks – including those through SolarWinds Orion, Mimecast, Codecov and Kaseya – and concluded that strong security protection is no longer enough as supply chain attacks continue to worsen.

ENISA’s report found that 66% of supply chain attacks focus on the supplier’s code, while malware is the attack technique used in 62% of attacks. Expert comment from Ilia Kolochenko, Founder of ImmuniWeb and a member of Europol Data Protection Experts Network:

“The supply chain attacks complied by ENISA highlight impeccable coordination between cybercriminals amid comparatively simple hacking techniques. Most of the attacks, even those involving exploitation of 0day vulnerabilities, could have been prevented by defense-in-depth and zero-trust models. Worse, many of the large-scale intrusions exploited lack of attack surface visibility, vulnerable software with security flaws publicly disclosed many months or even a few years ago, or primitive password reuse attacks successful due to missing 2FA and other pretty simple security mechanisms designed to stop human-focused attacks. Thriving phishing attacks dominate the modern threat landscape, being evidence that the human factor remains the cornerstone of corporate cyber resilience.

“There is a clear trend to exploit misconfigured CI/CD pipelines and vulnerable cloud deployments. Amid the pandemic, countless organizations rapidly moved their IT infrastructure to a cloud, while trying to save money on training and cloud-specific security hardening. Combined with legacy IT infrastructure, third-party managed servers and software, the digitalization in 2021 made organizations a low hanging fruit for cybercriminals.

“Finally, cyber-gangs are much better organized compared to the cybersecurity industry. They meticulously plan and coordinate their attacks, leverage division of labor and eventually attain impressive efficiency. Contrasted to cybersecurity teams, bad guys are never on holidays or sick leave, and will even purposely conduct swift raids while the victim organizations are the most unprepared.”

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