The latest mergers & acquisitions, logistics contracts, sustainability initiatives, humanitarian logistics efforts and more.
Good Works
The Coca-Cola Company, based in Atlanta, donated $1 million to the Technical College System of Georgia Foundation’s Commercial Truck Driving Program. The donation funds driver training programs and helps ensure more drivers are in the pipeline to fill trucking jobs for Coca-Cola and other Georgia businesses. Officials say they hope the donation will result in the state’s Technical College System hiring 11 full-time and two part-time instructors at some of its schools.
Bettaway Supply Chain Services launched a hiring, training, and skills development program with WeMake to provide career opportunities for adults on the autism spectrum. The program will launch at Bettaway’s Piscataway, New Jersey, facility and will help the company acquire workers to support warehouse operations, distribution, and e-commerce fulfillment.
Green Seeds
ATA Freight celebrated a green milestone on Earth Day, April 22, 2022—supporting the planting of 252,000 trees in 101 forest gardens since it began working with Trees for the Future in 2011. The company was also recently recognized with an EcoVadis Bronze Medal Sustainability Leadership Award.
Sealed Deals
Bag retailer and fashion brand Vera Bradley adopted TrueCommerce’s Microsoft Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management & Finance integration. The solution gives Vera Bradley the ability to automate data transfer between Microsoft Dynamics 365 and its strategic channels.
Sumitomo Drive Technologies, a manufacturer of power transmission components, selected autonomous mobile robot provider Seegrid’s solutions to support autonomous hauling of parts and equipment between its existing 250,000-square-foot assembly facility and its new 100,000-square-foot warehouse.
Anheuser-Busch InBev implemented incident-monitoring capabilities from Everstream Analytics in order to track potential supply chain disruptions and assess incident impacts and risks.
M & A
PSA International acquired BDP International, a logistics solution provider based in Philadelphia. Together, the companies offer solutions for supply chain orchestration and cargo flow optimization.
To expand its footprint across the U.S. Midwest, Austin-based Dropoff has acquired Rightaway Delivery of Michigan.
SaaS solutions provider Descartes Systems Group acquired Foxtrot, a provider of mobile route execution solutions. The acquisition bolsters Descartes’ route planning and execution solutions and will help shippers reduce last-mile costs while improving customer service, route efficiency, and on-time performance.
3PL Kane Logistics was acquired by ID Logistics, a contract logistics provider. The new entity, ID Logistics US, totals 3,000 associates across 26 high-volume, high-turn distribution and packaging centers.
Global transport firm GEODIS has agreed to acquire Keppel Logistics of Singapore in order to increase its contract logistics footprint and e-commerce fulfillment services in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
Shovel Ready
Construction will begin in summer 2022 on the first building in a logistics park along Interstate 85 in Tuskegee, Alabama, that will total up to 5 million square feet. When fully built, the Regional East Alabama Logistics (REAL) Park will include up to 13 buildings and bring roughly $385 million in new economic capital investment.
DP World completed construction of the first industrial building in the South Carolina Gateway Logistics Park. The park, located at the intersection of Highway 95 between Charleston and Columbia, offers an inland and rail-served platform with close port proximity.
Recognition
J.B. Hunt Transport Services recognized 69 drivers who logged two, three, or four million miles without a preventable accident as part of its annual Million Mile Celebration. Drivers participated in the Million Mile Walk of Fame at an honorary lunch and awards ceremony, where J.B. Hunt distributed a total of $900,000 in safe-driver bonuses.
Labelmaster, a provider of labels, packaging, and technology for hazmat transportation, received an Overdrive Award as part of General Motors’ Supplier of the Year Awards. The award recognizes achievement in sustainability, innovation, relationships, total enterprise cost, launch excellence, and safety.
Minority-owned global supply chain solutions provider Magno International received power management company Eaton’s 2022 Premier Supplier Award. Magno provided exceptional service for Eaton’s critical “line-down” shipments to minimize the cost of time lost on plant shutdowns.
Freight brokerage firm Tucker Company Worldwide is one of Philadelphia’s Top Workplaces 2022, according to Philadelphia Inquirer Top Workplaces. The firm made the list by receiving top marks from employees in 15 cultural drivers including alignment, execution, and connection.
Highway Transport, a specialty chemical bulk transportation provider, earned the Responsible Care Partner of the Year Award from the American Chemistry Council for the third time. The award recognizes performance and safety records in chemical distribution, transportation, storage, use, treatment, disposal, and sales and marketing.
Up the Chain
Renee Krug was named CEO of Transflo, a supply chain platform that connects trucking companies, brokers, and shippers. Additionally, Frank Adelman transitioned to chairman of the board, and Bill Vitti is now president and chief revenue officer. Adelman, who was CEO for eight years, passed the torch to Krug, who comes to Transflo from her role as CEO of third-party logistics provider GlobalTranz. Vitti was previously president of Swift Logistics.
Unique Logistics International, a global logistics and freight forwarding company, appointed Migdalia (“Mickey”) Diaz as its new chief operating officer. Diaz will support CEO Sunandan Rayin in executing the company’s strategy. A 30-year veteran of the industry, Diaz was most recently senior vice president of customer experience for the Americas and vice president of U.S. operations at GEODIS.
