Rhenus Logistics continues American shopping spree
Rhenus has acquired the Miami-based international freight forwarder Freight Logistics. The takeover follows prior acquisitions in Brazil and Canada, all aimed at strengthening Rhenus’ position in the Americas.
Freight Logistics was founded in 2001 in the heart of Silicon Valley, with the aim of providing international transportation and fulfillment services to manufacturers, distributors, systems integrators and resellers of high technology products in the United States and Latin America, but today the company specializes in supply-chain solutions, international transportation (air & ocean), customs brokerage, compliance, warehousing and distribution.
The company has its own consolidation hub close to Miami Airport and is IATA-accredited and a licensed Non-Vessel Owning Common Carrier (NVOCC).
“The acquisition of Freight Logistics is an important step for us in expanding our business activities in the Americas region and follows our latest acquisition of Rodair in Canada at the beginning of 2019,” says Jörn Schmersahl, CEO of Rhenus Air & Ocean Americas. “These steps enable us to consolidate our network there and to serve both North America and the Latin American region from Miami as our new gateway. This will help us live up to our goal of being globally oriented and we can establish more links between the continents.”
“We’ve found an entrepreneurial-oriented partner in the Rhenus Group. Their worldwide network and significant industry expertise in air, ocean and contract logistics will enable us to continue creating distinctive innovative solutions for our existing and future customers in the region. This, as well as our desire for solid growth, unites us with the Rhenus Group and provides us with a springboard for our ongoing development,” said Gabriel de Godoy, CEO of Freight Logistics, who founded the company back in 2001.
Rhenus did not reveal the price of the acquisition, but did say the current management team and all of its employees in the region will remain with the company.
Shopping spree
Rhenus has been rapidly expanding its network both in the Americas as worldwide. Next to its prior acquisition of Rodair Logistics in Canada, the German logistics provider last year also bought Brazilian freight forwarder Pirâmide SeaAir to smoothen customs clearnce procedures for the country.
“Customs clearance for imports is a major focus of operations in Brazil,” Schmersahl said at the time. “It often determines whether goods are handled smoothly in conjunction with the public authorities or not. As a result of the customs clearance expertise available at Pirâmide SeaAir, we’ll be able to offer our customers here special time benefits and value added in the future.”
The Americas are not the only regions where Rhenus has been expanding its network. In March, the company also acquired South Africa based World Net Logistics, which, among other things, specializes in logistics for the automotive industry.
Project cargo
Through its subsidiaries Rhenus Project Logistics and Rhenus Offshore Logistics, the company also has a large presence in the project cargo and offshore industry. In Rotterdam and Cuxport, the company frequently handles heavy loads and in late January the company won a contract to provide the supply logistics for the BorWin gamma transformer platform, which is installed off the coast of Borkum.
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