Kuehne & Nagel (K&N) has revealed that it has entered into an agreement to take over two Colombian companies, Translago S.A.S and Agencia de Aduanas, as well as Mastertransport SA in Ecuador, all of which specialise in perishable logistics activities.
The move represents further expansion for K&N in the field of perishable logistics, which the Swiss group describes as an 'important element' of its five-year growth programme.
By acquiring the three specialised South American forwarders in Colombia and Ecuador, K&N explained that it had gained access to two of South AMerica's key perishable export markets and, at the same time, has considerably strengthened its position in the regional airfreight markets.
'By combining the newly acquired companies with our existing operations, we are achieving the leading position in the South American perishables segment,' said Karl Gernandt, executive vice-chairman at K&N. 'This represents a further step in implementing our global strategy and will strengthen our position in one of the world’s key growth regions.'
Translago S.A.S. and Agencia de Aduanas Excelsia Ltd., headquartered in Bogota, employ 160 staff and are the market leaders in exports of flowers and other perishables, mainly to destinations in the US, Europe and Asia Pacific.
With 30 specialists, Mastertransport SA is an important player in this business segment in Ecuador, and together the three companies control approximately 75,000 tonnes air export perishables per year.
'We are very pleased with the opportunities opening up to our customers and employees through joining forces with the globally operating Kuehne & Nagel Group,' said Christian Luechau, CEO and shareholder of Translago. 'Our strong market positions and specific expertise ideally complement Kuehne & Nagel’s global perishables network. Jointly we will be able to further enhance our services to the benefit of our customers.'
