Cargo-partner group expands Australian network

The acquisition of ACF is another step in cargo-partner’s plan to grown its e-commerce logistics business.

Austrian-based cargo-partner group has expanded its network in Australia with the acquisition of the local forwarding company Associated Customs & Forwarding (ACF).

Cargo-partner opened its own office in Melbourne two years ago. With this step, the international transport and info-logistics provider has gained two new locations in Sydney and Brisbane and grown its team in Australia to 35 employees.

ACF was established in 1972 and is a global, IATA-accredited service provider for air and sea freight, customs brokerage and contract logistics. The company operates 3,000 m² of warehouse space in Sydney, including a bonded warehouse with in-house customs clearance as well as a quarantine warehouse serving the requirements of Australian import procedures.

One of ACF’s key fields of expertise lies in e-commerce, which is also one of cargo-partner’s declared strategic focus areas. Having already made similar steps in Germany by acquiring the e-commerce specialist Repalog in April 2021, this merger is an additional commitment from cargo-partner to further invest and strengthen its presence and expertise in this segment.

Stefan Krauter, CEO of cargo-partner, is convinced that the collaboration is a win-win situation for both companies: “Our partnership with ACF complements our existing service and product portfolio thanks to ACF’s expertise in logistics, value added services as well as domestic transport solutions.

“With the addition of Sydney and Brisbane to our network, we can now cover the entire east coast of Australia. At the same time, customers of ACF will benefit from cargo-partner’s comprehensive network of offices, warehouses and experienced teams around the globe.”

With the addition of ACF’s comprehensive local handling and customs services to its portfolio, cargo-partner can now offer efficient end-to-end e-fulfillment solutions for customers throughout Australia.

The acquisition is further simplified by the fact that both companies are already using the logistics platform CargoWise, designed by the Australia-based logistics software developer WiseTech Global. As of mid-2021, cargo-partner has begun its staged roll-out of CargoWise across Asia, Oceania, Europe and the USA, with completion expected by March 2023.

Founded in 1983, cargo-partner is a privately owned full-range info-logistics provider offering expertise in information technology and supply chain optimization. It generated a turnover of more than €1bn in 2020 and currently employs 3,250 people worldwide.

Source: lloyd’s