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Tag: acquisition

Briggs acquires pair of Irish hire businesses

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Briggs Equipment has completed the acquisition of Laois Hire Services Limited, one of the Republic of Ireland’s leading plant hire companies, and has also completed the purchase of the Dublin-based business Balloo Hire Limited, whose operation in the north of Ireland is already part of the Briggs Group.

These latest acquisitions further strengthen Briggs Equipment’s presence within the Irish market, and will help to diversify its product and service offering in the territory to now include the hire of plant, welfare units, pumps, generators, variable message signs and the provision of traffic management solutions.

From several sites across Ireland, Laois has developed a strong reputation over 20 years for delivering high quality plant hire services and establishing lasting relationships with a diverse customer group. Laois has also provided vital services to many of Ireland’s key infrastructure projects in recent years, including the development of Ireland’s motorway network and the construction of the International Terminal 2 building at Dublin Airport.

The acquisition of Balloo further advances the strategic diversification which began with the acquisition of its sister company Balloo Hire Centres Limited, based in Belfast in 2019. Since being acquired, the Northern Irish business has gone from strength to strength and by adding its sister operation, Briggs now hopes to replicate this success in Dublin.

Briggs says these acquisitions further demonstrate the Briggs Equipment Group’s long-term commitment to ongoing business development and underlines its position as the UK & Ireland’s leading asset management and engineering services specialist.

Peter Jones, Briggs Equipment’s Group Managing Director, commented: “We are delighted to have completed the acquisition of both Laois Hire and Balloo Hire Limited. Both businesses have a strong track record of delivering value within the Irish plant hire market and we’re confident that with the backing and support of the Briggs Equipment Group, the businesses will go from strength to strength.

“Over recent years, we have worked hard to build our presence within Ireland’s materials handling sector and we’ve had good success in this area. These acquisitions enable us to further diversify our offering and provide a comprehensive and cohesive proposition that now includes plant hire across the entire island of Ireland.

“Despite the challenges that the Coronavirus pandemic has presented over the past year, we are committed to pushing forward with our business development and acquisition strategy. This acquisition demonstrates the robustness of our business and our ongoing commitment to strengthening our market position.

“We look forward to working closely with the teams at both Laois Hire and Balloo Hire and supporting their future growth and product expansion as part of the Briggs Equipment Group.”

As a wholly-owned subsidiaries of Briggs, Laois and Balloo will continue trading under their own name and with all current operational contacts remaining in place.

 

Polish logistics hub acquired for €28m

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Aberdeen Standard European Logistics Income PLC (ASLI) has signed a purchase agreement for the previously announced acquisition of a modern logistics and distribution property in Lodz, Poland. ASLI will acquire the asset for €28.0 million, representing a net initial yield of 5.6%, from logistics and industrial developer Panattoni.

The 31,500 sqm Panattoni Lodz City VIII Logistics Centre consists of 27,888 sqm of warehouse space and 3,612 sqm of office space. The asset is 100% leased to six tenants generating a Net Operating Income of €1.59 million and with a Weighted Average Lease Term of 6.7 years.

Tenants at the asset include manufacturers Bilplast, Tabiplast, Mecalit Polska and Alfa Laval, logistics operator EGT Express Polska, retailer KAN, which owns the Polish fashion brand Tatuum, and Compal, one of the world’s largest computer component manufacturers, which signed a new 7-year lease in February 2021 and supplies the DELL factory located less than 1km from the site.

Located at the centre of Poland’s thriving industrial and manufacturing sector, the property is situated adjacent to the Bosch-Siemens Campus, which is a strategically important production and distribution hub for the international manufacturer. The site benefits from access to the Intermodal Container Terminal, created to support the Bosch-Siemens campus, which offers direct rail connections with China.

Lodz is Poland’s third largest city by population and is home to several universities. The Panattoni Park site is highly accessible by local public transport and the A1 and A2 motorways which provide North South, East West access across Europe, whilst Lodz international airport is just 15 minutes away.

Evert Castelein, Fund Manager for ASLI, commented: “The warehouse in Lodz is a very high-quality income producing asset located at the heart of one of the CEE region’s most strategically important manufacturing and logistics hubs. The asset’s proximity to the nearby Bosch Siemens Campus provides strong long-term attraction to occupiers in this supply chain, while the new international railway station and its direct links to China and other European markets provide unrivalled international connections. The Lodz region is in high demand from occupiers and the vacancy rate is one of the lowest in Poland.

“We believe strongly in Poland’s growth prospects and are pleased to be making our third acquisition in the country, and to have secured this asset at an attractive yield in a competitive logistics market. We are actively pursuing deals in the wider region and whilst the demand for logistics property has led to further yield compression, particularly in core markets, the overall return prospects for investors in this sector are expected to remain strong as operators continue to seek additional capacity and the reshoring of operations from overseas gathers pace.”

Cushman & Wakefield advised Aberdeen Standard European Logistics Income PLC.

project44 Acquires Ocean Insights

Posted on by David Priestman

project44, a global leader in supply chain visibility, has announced it has acquired Ocean Insights, solutions provider for ocean freight intelligence.

On the heels of massive customer and revenue growth in 2020, project44 acquires Ocean Insights to expand its ocean solution by adding the broadest container tracking capabilities in the market, as well as one-of-a-kind sailing schedule and ocean analytics products. Combining Ocean Insights’ tracking and analytics with the project44 platform and ecosystem establishes project44 as the clear market leader with an unrivaled set of multi-modal solutions for end-to-end supply chain visibility.

Surging global trade since the outset of the pandemic has resulted in massive disruptions in the global supply chain. Since March 2020, freight rates increased by as much as 174% due to the increased global demand for electronics, PPE goods and stay-at-home consumer products. At the same time, COVID-19 and other restrictions have caused significant port congestions, and rollover percentages have never been higher. To meet these global challenges and build resilience, supply chain leaders are adopting global freight visibility and digitalization.

While most visibility providers depend on third parties for ocean tracking data, Ocean Insights has built native integrations with shipping lines to ingest data directly from the source, giving customers the richest visibility across global containerized ocean shipments. Ocean Insights also offers unique data analytics, providing customers advanced insight into unforeseen events and overall shipping trends.

Headquartered in Germany and founded in 2012, Ocean Insights pioneered ocean freight visibility by combining carrier data, live vessel tracking and sailing schedule data in one data-rich platform. Tracking 350,000 containers daily, Ocean Insights provides track and trace functionality across the vast majority of shipping lines, 700 seaports, and more than 5,000 vessels as well as handling over five million sailing schedule changes per day.

Ocean Insights customers include International Food Group (Sysco), Pernod Ricard, FourKites and other leading enterprises in automotive, manufacturing, food & beverage, commodity trading, chemical and freight forwarding. Many already leverage both Ocean Insights and project44 such as DB Schenker, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel, Lenovo, and Mondi Group.

“Ocean freight is a linchpin for global supply chains. For organizations shipping internationally, the lack of ocean visibility can start a costly domino effect throughout the supply chain,” said Jett McCandless, Founder and CEO of project44. “Ocean Insights has dominated the container tracking space and we look forward to providing the industry not only the best ocean capabilities, but also the most comprehensive end-to-end visibility platform.”

“At Ocean Insights, our mission has been to make supply chain data visible and actionable through best-in-class software and our team of experts,” said Felix Richter, CEO and CTO of Ocean Insights. “Joining project44 is the next natural step to building the multi-modal visibility solution that global supply chains need. By combining the expertise and technology of project44 and Ocean Insights, shippers and logistics services providers will unlock predictive insights across the globe.”

“We’ve had enormous success at Ocean Insights growing our business, and we had multiple options for a strategic exit,” said Robin Jaacks, Chief Customer Officer of Ocean Insights. “After meeting Jett and the entre project44 team, however, we were impressed with the vision, integrity and culture of the team. It became obvious that project44 was the right partner for us.”

Today, project44 offers the world’s largest over-the-road carrier network with connections to more than 800 ELD/telematics devices. With project44’s leading over-the-road, rail, and air visibility solutions, the acquisition will expand ocean visibility capabilities and offer the most complete, end-to-end, global and multi-modal supply chain visibility solution.

project44 Acquires Ocean Insights

Posted on by David Priestman

project44, a global leader in supply chain visibility, has announced it has acquired Ocean Insights, solutions provider for ocean freight intelligence.

On the heels of massive customer and revenue growth in 2020, project44 acquires Ocean Insights to expand its ocean solution by adding the broadest container tracking capabilities in the market, as well as one-of-a-kind sailing schedule and ocean analytics products. Combining Ocean Insights’ tracking and analytics with the project44 platform and ecosystem establishes project44 as the clear market leader with an unrivaled set of multi-modal solutions for end-to-end supply chain visibility.

Surging global trade since the outset of the pandemic has resulted in massive disruptions in the global supply chain. Since March 2020, freight rates increased by as much as 174% due to the increased global demand for electronics, PPE goods and stay-at-home consumer products. At the same time, COVID-19 and other restrictions have caused significant port congestions, and rollover percentages have never been higher. To meet these global challenges and build resilience, supply chain leaders are adopting global freight visibility and digitalization.

While most visibility providers depend on third parties for ocean tracking data, Ocean Insights has built native integrations with shipping lines to ingest data directly from the source, giving customers the richest visibility across global containerized ocean shipments. Ocean Insights also offers unique data analytics, providing customers advanced insight into unforeseen events and overall shipping trends.

Headquartered in Germany and founded in 2012, Ocean Insights pioneered ocean freight visibility by combining carrier data, live vessel tracking and sailing schedule data in one data-rich platform. Tracking 350,000 containers daily, Ocean Insights provides track and trace functionality across the vast majority of shipping lines, 700 seaports, and more than 5,000 vessels as well as handling over five million sailing schedule changes per day.

Ocean Insights customers include International Food Group (Sysco), Pernod Ricard, FourKites and other leading enterprises in automotive, manufacturing, food & beverage, commodity trading, chemical and freight forwarding. Many already leverage both Ocean Insights and project44 such as DB Schenker, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel, Lenovo, and Mondi Group.

“Ocean freight is a linchpin for global supply chains. For organizations shipping internationally, the lack of ocean visibility can start a costly domino effect throughout the supply chain,” said Jett McCandless, Founder and CEO of project44. “Ocean Insights has dominated the container tracking space and we look forward to providing the industry not only the best ocean capabilities, but also the most comprehensive end-to-end visibility platform.”

“At Ocean Insights, our mission has been to make supply chain data visible and actionable through best-in-class software and our team of experts,” said Felix Richter, CEO and CTO of Ocean Insights. “Joining project44 is the next natural step to building the multi-modal visibility solution that global supply chains need. By combining the expertise and technology of project44 and Ocean Insights, shippers and logistics services providers will unlock predictive insights across the globe.”

“We’ve had enormous success at Ocean Insights growing our business, and we had multiple options for a strategic exit,” said Robin Jaacks, Chief Customer Officer of Ocean Insights. “After meeting Jett and the entre project44 team, however, we were impressed with the vision, integrity and culture of the team. It became obvious that project44 was the right partner for us.”

Today, project44 offers the world’s largest over-the-road carrier network with connections to more than 800 ELD/telematics devices. With project44’s leading over-the-road, rail, and air visibility solutions, the acquisition will expand ocean visibility capabilities and offer the most complete, end-to-end, global and multi-modal supply chain visibility solution.

Rhenus announces BLG Freight Forwarding Sites Acquisition

Posted on by David Priestman

The BLG Logistics Group has made a strategic decision to focus on its domestic and international business in its Contract, Automobile and Container divisions in future. Rhenus Air & Ocean is consolidating its position in Germany with the planned takeover of the freight forwarding business of the logistics company, BLG International Forwarding GmbH & Co KG.

Rhenus is using the BLG acquisition to tap into new business fields and is making its global network available to the BLG Group. Provided that the cartel authorities approve the development, Rhenus will acquire nine air and sea freight sites on 1 April 2021.

The nine freight forwarding sites operated by BLG International Forwarding with about 100 employees are due to be integrated within the existing network of Rhenus Air & Ocean in Germany, which currently has twelve branches, from the beginning of April onwards. They include business sites in Hamburg and Bremerhaven, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Stuttgart as well as Munich. This will enable the company to handle greater volumes through its LCL gateway in Hilden and its air freight hub at Frankfurt, for example.

“We’ve gained a strong partner in Rhenus Air & Ocean and it’s making available its extensive network to our customers thanks to its global presence,” says Jens Wollesen, the Contract Board Member at BLG LOGISTICS. “BLG is strategically adapting to changes in market conditions through the sale of our freight forwarding business. Even if we’ll no longer be represented right across Germany in terms of freight forwarding in future, we’ll continue to provide extensive international services in our Contract, Automobile and Container divisions.”

“We’ve paved the way for the continual expansion of our air and sea freight activities during the last few years. Thanks to the additional business sites, employees and business activities, we’re consolidating our network in the Air & Ocean division in Germany. We’d also like to develop new lines of business like transporting food using reefer containers and activities in the trade fair and eventlogistics sector,” says Stefan Schwind, Managing Director of Rhenus Air & Ocean Deutschland.

The BLG freight forwarding site in Bremen, which focuses on overland traffic, transporting heavy goods, project business and sea freight, is excluded from the takeover.

Last year Rhenus Logistics announced the opening of a new hub in Liege Airport.

 

 

CEVA Logistics Acquires ASTI Group in Morocco

Posted on by Keith McKinley

CEVA Logistics has acquired ASTI Group in Morocco as part of its strategic expansion plan across the African continent. CEVA Logistics and ASTI have been long-term partners for more than two decades and have delivered a range of multi-modal services to customers across the North African country in that time.

Through acquiring the company, CEVA Logistics will expand its range of export capabilities, specifically reefer services – in cooperation with its parent company the CMA CGM Group, a world leader in shipping and logistics – and Contract Logistics activities in both Casablanca and the Tangiers Free Zone. The new operation will be looking to capitalize on the strength of the automotive industry in the country, a vertical in which CEVA Logistics is a market-leader.

ASTI is already a top ten logistics player in the Moroccan market with almost 100 full time staff members based at the two locations which will additionally offer air, ocean, ground (domestic and international), project logistics and Customs clearance services. ASTI is a Customs clearance expert in Morocco and is fully certified with the authorities and has a direct EDI interface with Customs.

Says CEVA Logistics’ CEO Mathieu Friedberg said: “The acquisition of ASTI further enhances our standing in the African market and shows our ambition for the continent as a whole.  We believe there is enormous potential across a range of freight services and extending the CEVA brand in its own right in Morocco will set us on the road to further success”.

CEVA Logistics is a global business. Last month it announced the win of a major, five year contract with Pernod Ricard to provide the drinks manufacturer with warehousing and distribution support in South East Asia. For the full story click here.

Joloda International Acquires Loading Automation Inc

Posted on by David Priestman

The Board of Joloda International Ltd (JIL) has announced the acquisition of a majority share in Loading Automation Inc (LAI).

The acquisition represents a significant step in JIL’s ambitious growth plans, whilst fitting in with the succession plans of previous LAI shareholders.

Based in the US city of Wilmington, North Carolina, LAI have successfully distributed JIL’s products in North America for over 15 years – delivering to US customers, and helping them to increase efficiencies by streamlining their loading and unloading solutions.

LAI, has been an invaluable partner in providing expert solutions for all logistics operations through JIL’s Hydraroll products. Now, as part of JIL, they will be able to offer the full Joloda Hydraroll product range to the US market.

Continuing in his current role as President and shareholder of LAI, Brett Murill will ensure the change in ownership is a smooth transition to existing and future customers. Brett and the US team will now also benefit from additional support and investment from JIL to expand the reach of the business across the US.

JIL are a global leader in loading and unloading solutions. Their brand, Joloda Hydraroll, have been designing, manufacturing and engineering loading solutions for transport companies, system integrators and blue-chip organisations for over 50 years.

Joloda Hydraroll helps companies by lightening loads and finding efficiencies – streamlining loading systems, and moving products from production or manufacturing and onto transportation via a series of automatic and manual solutions.

For more recent acquisitions in the logistics market, click here

 

 

Coupa Software Acquires LLamasoft

Posted on by David Priestman

Coupa Software, a leader in Business Spend Management (BSM), announced today that it has acquired LLamasoft, a leader in AI-powered supply chain design and planning for a purchase price of approximately $1.5 billion. Based in Ann Arbor, Mich., LLamasoft’s technology is used by hundreds of enterprise customers, including brands such as Boeing, Danone S.A., Home Depot, and Nestle. The acquisition will strengthen Coupa’s supply chain capabilities, enabling businesses to drive greater value through Business Spend Management.

The events of this year continue to demonstrate the importance of supply chain agility, as companies work to more rapidly adapt to changing consumer preferences, economic conditions, and the political landscape. With demand uncertainty on one hand, and supply volatility on the other, companies are in need of supply chain technology that can help them assess alternatives and balance trade-offs to achieve desired business results. LLamasoft provides these capabilities with an AI-powered cloud platform that empowers companies to make smarter supply chain decisions, faster.

“We are witnessing an unprecedented shift in what businesses are demanding to effectively manage their supply chains. They need instant visibility, agile planning capabilities, and timely risk mitigation support,” said Rob Bernshteyn, chairman and CEO at Coupa. “LLamasoft’s deep supply chain expertise and sophisticated data science and modeling capabilities, combined with the roughly $2 trillion of cumulative transactional spend data we have in Coupa, will empower businesses with the intelligence needed to pivot on a dime. Together, we will deliver a more powerful Business Spend Management platform to help organizations everywhere maximize the value of every dollar they spend in a smarter, simpler, and safer way.”

Launched in January 2020, LLamasoft’s newest product llama.ai, delivers AI-powered decision making across the supply chain to support an almost unlimited number of use cases. With llama.ai, organizations can create purpose-built applications that leverage an end-to-end decision data model and employ a library of proven supply chain algorithms. These applications can run what-if scenarios and surface valuable insights before organizations make key business decisions.

“We are very excited about joining forces with Coupa,” said Razat Gaurav, CEO at LLamasoft. “Combining Coupa’s market-leading spend management execution core and broad market reach with LLamasoft’s AI-powered supply chain analytics provides a unique opportunity to bring together digital transformation solutions that drive decision making and operational efficiency across the enterprise. I am equally excited for employees of both organizations who share a culture that prioritizes delivering innovation and exceptional customer value.”

Most recently, LLamasoft was named to Inc. 5000 List of Fastest Growing Private Companies for the fifth consecutive year, the 2020 Detroit Free Press Top Workplace, and Supply & Demand Chain Executive Green Supply Chain Award 2019.

“This very timely acquisition comes as supply chains are undergoing tremendous disruption that is best navigated using AI-enabled decision processes surrounding a digital twin of the end-to-end supply chain,” said Mickey North Rizza, program vice president of enterprise applications and digital commerce at IDC. “Incorporating supply chain planning capabilities as part of a comprehensive BSM strategy will give companies more visibility and control across their direct and indirect spend.”

Read more software news here https://www.logisticsbusiness.com/it-in-logistics/software-wms-tms-scm/ or learn more about Coupa

Fen-Bay Announces Transdek Acquisition

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The acquisition of Transdek by UK company Fen-Bay has been announced. Fen-Bay is a provider of loading bay equipment, industrial doors, gates and barriers.

The Transdek acquisition will see the two companies work together under the Fen-Bay Group umbrella. The move is set to generate a combined workforce of 180 employees as well as a £20 million turnover. The group intends to increase its UK manufacturing base. It is also commited to strong sustained growth with other potential acquisitions in the future.

Transdek was founded in 1997. The company is an innovator in the logistics sector and has grown a strong reputation over the years. The company manufactures a range of surface-mounted, modular loading bay equipment. Its customers include some of the UK’s leading retailers.

The company’s production plant is in South Yorkshire. A three-time winner of the Queens Award for Enterprise, the organisation’s notable development work includes a range of rapid-install double deck lifts, which are designed to load high-capacity fixed double deck trailers. The company also offers vehicle-to-ground (V2G) lifts for loading vehicles at level-access sites.

Fen-Bay Group Managing Director Carl Sedlan says, “We see the acquisition of Transdek as a perfect fit for our range of products and services. We have seen significant growth in the scissor lift and dock leveller markets over the past years. Together with Transdek’s modular lifts and loading systems, we’ll now provide a total product and service portfolio for the industry.

“We were attracted to Transdek’s engineering and innovation capabilities, which dovetail with Fen-Bay’s strength in servicing and project management. We have also built a reputation as a market-leader in 24/7 maintenance thanks to our nationwide network of 60 Fen-Bay service engineers and investment in the latest servicing technology. This superb resource will also support Transdek’s products and customers as we move forwards.”

Leon Butler, Managing Director at Transdek, comments, “There are great synergies between the two companies. We’ve both developed excellent customer relations over the years. We have a major focus on providing the best products, services and after sales support for each unique application. The combination of Fen-Bay’s product portfolio, alongside Transdek’s modular lifts, means we can offer a one-stop shop, which will add value to our customers’ operations.”

VPK Group NV and Encase Ltd Reach Acquisition Agreement

Posted on by Keith McKinley

VPK Group has come to an agreement with COPI Holding to acquire Encase Ltd. Encase is a manufacturer and designer of corrugated cardboard packaging. Encase Ltd operates two integrated corrugated packaging plants in England and one sheet plant in Scotland. VPK intends to merge Encase with its UK corrugated operations, formerly known as Rigid.

VPK’s corrugated operations in UK and Ireland, formerly known as Rigid Containers and recently rebranded as VPK Packaging, experienced consistent yearly growth since entering the VPK Group in 2000.

Under its ownership, VPK invested more than £100 million into the division. Desborough was transformed into the UK flagship site, whereas greenfield sites in Wellington and Selby gradually increased capacity to fully mirror operations on all three sites.

In 2015, the acquisition of ICS Europaks in Limerick, Ireland, further strengthened the geographical spread.  Earlier this year, VPK acquired a majority stake in Corrboard UK Ltd,  a leading supplier of corrugated cardboard sheets located in Scunthorpe.

As part of its long-term strategy, it is now VPK’s intention to fully merge Encase with the existing VPK UK corrugated operations. The combined businesses are expected to achieve yearly sales of more than £200 million in corrugated packaging and sheets. All six corrugators combine a yearly containerboard consumption of 300.000 Tons. This represents a major part of the non-integrated recycled containerboard consumption in the UK.

VPK has a proven track record of successful investments and acquisitions. These include four sheet feeding plants in Poland and Germany – known under the brand name Aquila. A greenfield investment project in Halden (Norway) was recently put into operation. VPK also accquired Viallon Emballages in France. With regards to containerboard production, the pioneering conversion in Strasbourg, France, of the former UPM Stracel assets by Blue Paper, set a new standard for the recycled containerboard industry.

 

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