UPS Logistics Group acquires German logistics provider

UPS Logistics Group has agreed to acquire a 75% stake in Uni-Data AG, a leading logistics provider for the high-tech industry in Europe.

Terms of the cash transaction were not disclosed. UPS anticipates the acquisition will be profitable but that it will have a negligible impact on earnings.

The deal is expected to close in the next two to three months pending regulatory approval, according to Lynette McIntire, a spokeswoman for UPS Logistics, a subsidiary of United Parcel Service.

UPS Logistics said the acquisition is the latest development in its strategy to create a global network of logistics centers and strategic stocking locations that support the urgent delivery of critical parts, often within hours. In the past 18 months, UPS Logistics Group has acquired seven companies in the supply-chain management and service parts industry.

“Uni-Data’s strong position in the German and eastern European logistics markets, its well established customer base and excellent reputation for quality make it an ideal partner,” said Bill Caplan, managing director, UPS Logistics Group, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia. The deal will enable UPS Logistics to strengthen its position as a leading provider of logistics services to the high-tech and service parts industries, he added.

Uni-Data’s services include installation and repair, spare parts and warranty management, urgent delivery and reverse logistics. The company, based in Schwaig, a suburb of Munich had revenue of approximately $150 million last year. UPS said Uni-Data has a well-developed distribution network in Germany and across Europe, which it built with the support of its major shareholder, Odewald & Compagnie, a German private equity firm.

Johann Maier, Uni-Data’s chief executive, and his brother, Martin Maier, the company’s chief operating officer, will remain in their current positions, according to UPS.

Johann Maier said the deal will significantly enhance market opportunities for both companies and their employees, while his brother said Uni-Data customers will continue to receive the same Uni-Data services from under one roof but with the added involvement of the UPS Logistics network “and all of its possibilities.”

The Uni-Data acquisition will bring the number of countries served by UPS Logistics to more than 60.

Other recent acquisitions by UPS include Burnham’s North American service parts network; Livingston Inc. in Canada; Comlasa, which serves Latin America and the Caribbean; Computer Logistics Service, and Finon Sofecom in France.

William Armbruster can be reached at [email protected].

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