ATN #418

NEWS
Inside the Industry
FMH ACQUIRES GKR TRANSPORT
The latest in a recent spurt of acquisitions
in transport and related sectors saw the
burgeoning Freight Management Holdings
(FMH) Group’s Logistics Holdings
Australia (LHA) division swallow GKR
Transport.
Gaining recent backing from Singapore
Post’s (SingPost’s) logistics arm,
FMH added GKR to the transport and
warehousing portfolio comprising Niche
Logistics, BagTrans and efm Warehousing.
The group’s other two divisions are
fourth-party logistics (efm Logistics) and
technology (FLIP).
With a fleet of road trains, including
about 45 prime movers and 100 trailers,
GKR provides an express east-west-east
service, with presence in Perth, Adelaide,
Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne, the
company notes.
FMH Group CEO Simon Slagter said
the acquisition, for an undisclosed sum,
is aligned to the group’s strategy of
expanding reach and service offering.
"We are delighted to acquire GKR
Transport. GKR Transport has a strong
brand in the market and highly respected
leadership and I’m very excited to be
bringing them into the fold.
"The acquisition will allow us to offer
a superior transit service to customers
across the FMH Group shipping freight
from the eastern seaboard to Perth and/
or return."
GKR Transport will retain its existing
identity and will continue to operate
self-sufficiently but aligned to the group
strategy.
The acquisition is also beneficial for
GKR Transport, whose founder, Kevin
Small, started the business in 1985 and
will continue with the company.
"I am proud to have been part of
building up such a successful company,"
Small said.
"I owe my thanks and gratitude to
fellow directors, David and Paul, and to
our dedicated management and staff for
making our success possible over the past
34 years.
"I am so pleased to see our company
become part of a group like FMH Group,
which has the technology and track-record
to be able to take it to the next level."
As FMH Group is a diversified
logistics services organisation, all
the companies within the group are
independent, Slagter said.
Thus, GKR Transport will retain
its existing customer base and
workforce.The acquisition is effective
immediately.
"Having a leading specialist provider
in our group gives us another bow to
draw upon in customer solution design,"
Slagter added.
"Our 4PL, efm, remains 100%
independent and will operate at an
arms-length from GKR Transport. They
will be subject to the same stringent
screening process that efm undertakes
for all its carriers."
ACFS PORT LOGISTICS GAINS IPS OPERATION IN PORT OF BRISBANE
ACFS Port Logistics consolidated its Port of
Brisbane position by acquiring IPS Logistics
Group’s adjoining operation.
The addition, for an undisclosed sum, gives
ACFS 54,000 square metres of warehousing,
16,000 square metres of container storage, and
a transport fleet primarily consisting of higher
productivity vehicles (HPVs).
IPS has been a strategic operator within the port
precinct providing logistical services to national
and state-based importers and exporters.
"There has been a long-standing relationship
between both organisations, resulting in the
progression of a binding transaction," ACFS noted.
The respective parties expect to complete the
transition, subject to regulatory processes and
approvals, in mid-July.
The acquisition further cements the ACFS
service offering within the Port of Brisbane
and to the broader import and export market
in Queensland.
"Demand within warehousing is outgrowing
supply in the market, and hence securing
long-term assets in high volume import and export
hubs is imperative to enable ACFS’s continued
growth,” ACFS CEO and MD Arthur Tzaneros said.
"We will continue to expand our capability
in all facets of the containerised logistics
supply chain by creating scale and efficiency
supported by strong technology and blue chip
infrastructure assets, to achieve best in class
supply chain models.
"We look forward to on-boarding and building
long term relationships with IPS’ current
customers and staff, and commit to providing a
reliable solution that has constantly enabled us to
differentiate ourselves in the market."
The company underlined that the transaction
compliments the growing ACFS national footprint
of strategically located facilities nationally, which
will be further enhanced with the opening of the
44ha St Mary’s Intermodal hub.
14 ATN July 2021 FULLYLOADED.COM.AU