M&A

Amid continued consolidation, rapid technological advancements and labor challenges point toward an ambitious new year.

For the third straight year, Armstrong & Associates, Inc. (A&A) convened its Annual 3PL Value Creation Summit in Chicago recently to identify key global industry trends. Investment specialists were also part of the blend, and contributed insights on how merger and acquisition (M&A) activity is reshaping the marketplace.

While third quarter transportation and logistics merger and acquisition (M&A) activity saw a decline, year-to-date deal making matched up well with recent years as deal value for the first nine months of 2015 hit its highest level going back to 2006, according to data issued in the Intersections report by PwC this week.

LM recently caught up with XPO Logistics Chairman and CEO Brad Jacobs to discuss the Con-way deal, market conditions, and future plans.

More than nine months after saying it was not for sale, Long Beach Calif.-based non asset-based third-party logistics (3PL) services provider UTi Worldwide has apparently changed its tune, with the company saying it has entered into a definitive agreement to be acquired by Denmark-based global 3PL DSV for $1.35 billion and $7.10 per share.

Over the last several months, there has been a spate of merger and acquisition (M&A) activity centered around deals with an emphasis on large truckload brokerages. On the surface deals like these makes sense for more than a few reasons, given the vast carrier reach that the large brokerages have, coupled with strong technology platforms, and shipper relationships across a wide swath of industries.

Transportation and logistics merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the third quarter saw annual gains, which were driven by smaller deals in the trucking logistics, shipping, and passenger air sectors, according to data issued in the Intersections report by PwC this week.

The Wall Street Journal reported that this merger, which would have brought together two of North America’s largest rail operators, was rejected by CSX, adding it was not clear if CP would continue to make further efforts.

Phoenix-based Knight Transportation, one of the top and most profitable truckload companies said this week it has acquired Barr-Nunn Transportation, a dry van truckload carrier based near Des Moines, Iowa.

For the quarter, PwC said there were 51 transportation and logistics transactions values at $50 million or more for a total of $20 billion, which was ahead of 38 deals for a cumulative $16.2 billion recorded during the first quarter and the 39 deals valued at a cumulative $16.b billion in the second quarter of 2013.

The first quarter of 2014 did not pick up where the fourth quarter of 2013 left off when it comes to merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the transportation and logistics sectors, according to PwC US’s report, “Intersections: First Quarter 2014 global transportation and logistics industry mergers and acquisitions analysis.”