BDP International, Polar Logistics AB set up joint venture

Global third-party logistics (3PL) services provider BDP International recently announced it took a majority equity position in Sweden-based Polar Logistics AB.

Stockholm-based Polar is a member of BDP’s global network along with other global affiliates, including Denmark, Norway, and Finland, whom all provide myriad services, including global air and ocean freight forwarding, import/export customs clearance, inland haulage and door delivery, project logistics and transit services, warehousing and distribution, assembly and packaging, logistics process analysis and administration, on-line information tools and systems applications, and global supply chain management.

BDP said that the new joint venture will operate under the BDP International Sweden moniker and be led by Slava Caisin and its current management team.

Polar AB was established in 2002. The company provides transport and freight services, including assistance with documentation and customs clearance.  In addition, it operates warehousing/consolidation facilities at the Arlanda airport and the ports of Stockholm and Gothenburg, the country’s key transport centers.

“Sweden is a highly industrialized economy and a lynchpin in Scandinavia for growth with major trade lanes involving North America, Asia Pacific, the Middle East /Gulf and South America,” said Arnie Bornstein, BDP director or corporate communications. “Polar Sweden operates under a business model that fits well with BDP’s customer intimacy model and further solidifies our presence in the greater EU region, in support of our customers.”

Bornstein said that planning and negotiations between BDP and Polar Sweden took place over a period of 12 months.

And he added that for shippers of each company it translates into seamless service to and from all major markets, with the deployment of strong upstream and downstream visibility through the BDPSmart suite of shipment transaction and performance measurement applications. Polar serves roughly 100 small to midsize (SME) companies, and Bornstein said by joining the BDP family it will be able to extend its service portfolio for SMEs and global multinationals.

“Given the strength of the Scandinavian economies, particularly export-oriented Sweden, it was imperative to reinforce our presence in the region,” said BDP Chief Venture Officer H. Timothy Bolte in a statement. “Sweden’s GDP, Scandinavia’s largest, continues to outpace forecasts, growing twice as fast as predicted through the first quarter of this year. In addition, we have had an excellent relationship with Polar Logistics AB, which provides efficient, tailored services and shares our customer-intimate business culture.”