Geodis to buy US third party logistics provider

Geodis, part of SNCF Logistics, is to acquire OHL, the US third party logistics provider with sales of €1.2 billion, for an undisclosed sum.

OHL (Ozburn-Hessey Logistics) was founded in 1951, and operates more than 120 distribution centres in North America with over 36 million square feet of warehouse space. It provides a range supply chain services including transport, warehousing, customs brokerage, freight forwarding, and import and export consulting services.

It also provides direct-to-consumer fulfilment, serving a wide range of business sectors from specialty retail to manufacturing. OHL specialises in the sectors of apparel, electronics, healthcare, food and beverage, and consumer packaged goods.

In time, OHL will be rebranded Geodis. Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO of Geodis, said: “We are proud to welcome the customers and employees of OHL to Geodis and to provide our global customers with OHL’s expertise and presence in the North American market.” s

Geodis, which has a turnover of €6.8bn, unified its offering under the Geodis earlier this year. It operates five lines of business: Supply Chain Optimisation, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express and Road Transport.

OHL is currently owned by private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe (WCAS). “We are excited to join forces with Geodis and look forward to the extended reach of a worldwide group,” said CEO Randy Curran. “Both organisation have a long tradition of finding world class supply chain solutions for customers in pursuit of the superior customer experience.”

Source: logisticsmanager.com