BDP International acquires Seabreeze Argentina, SA

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 7/23/2008

PHILADELPHIA—BDP International, a global logistics and transportation management company, said this week it has expanded its presence in Argentina by acquiring Seabreeze Argentina, SA, an international freight forwarder.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

H. Timothy Bolte, BDP vice president Pan Americas, said in a statement that this acquisition allows BDP to provide additional transportation service expertise to its customers doing business in Argentina in order to support customers’ international air and ocean requirements and leverage its value proposition for trade in the global marketplace. He added that BDP’s Latin American presence is comprised of operations in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico.

BDP Executive Director, Marketing & Corporate Communications Arnie Bornstein told LM that with the continuing globalization of trade, which includes sourcing and consumption in emerging markets, logistics companies like BDP must also play a role in this global metamorphosis to remain competitive and help customers grow.  

“While hanging a BDP shingle outside of every company with which we partner or enjoy synergies is not central to BDP’s growth strategy, selective acquisitions in markets that are important to our customers enable us to bring them a higher degree of service continuity,” said Bornstein.  “Beyond the competitive necessity of having a more substantive presence in emerging South American markets, BDP’s acquisition of Seabreeze also reflects a good fit between two privately-owned companies that share similar values.”

In terms of the benefits this deal may help shippers using BDP become more productive, Bornstein explained that global shippers are under constant pressure within their companies to grow by taking advantage of the savings possible through smarter use of logistics and management of their supply chains.  And because of this, he explained that they are demanding a higher level of service.  

“To meet that higher level of service, logistics support companies like BDP International are constantly looking for ways to gain greater control of the delivered quality of our service products—transportation and logistics,” said Bornstein. “Both BDP and Seabreeze are small enough to be able to stay focused on intensive customer care, operational excellence, and respect for one another’s traditions and cultures.  Yet, with access to a global network of service, technology and transportation procurement assets, shippers doing business in Argentina will enjoy the added leverage which the Seabreeze acquisition will yield.”    

This deal with provide shippers withvarious services, according to Bornstein, including: freight forwarding; warehousing and distribution; air, ground and sea transport; customs brokerage and country-specific import documentation; assemby and packaging; logistics process analysis and administration; online information tools and systems applications; project and energy logistics; and global supply chain management.

Earlier this year, BDP launched a business unit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, BDP International SRL, which provides customized logistics services for the petrochemnical sector in Argentina.