Kuehne & Nagel expands its global network in Central Asia

The acquisition of a sixty per cent ownership stake in Ibrakom – with an option for the remaining shares – is of strategic importance for the Kuehne & Nagel group, coming at a time of political changes and growing importance of this region with respect to its trading activities. Besides Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey, where Kuehne & Nagel has been operating for years, the group has now created access to the emerging markets in Afghanistan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In addition, customers will benefit from approximately 160.000 square meters of warehousing, distribution and terminal space, thus enabling Kuehne & Nagel to complement its freight forwarding services with contract logistics capabilities.

Commenting on this announcement, Kuehne & Nagel’s Regional Director Middle East, Werner Kleymann, said: “The acquisition is a major step in enhancing our operations in Central Asia and the Middle East. No other logistics provider has a comparable network in this region. The combined skills of Kuehne & Nagel and Ibrakom provide the perfect platform for growth, offering national and multinational customers all logistics and transport services from a single source.”

Fuat Miskavi, former owner of Ibrakom, added: “Ibrakom is a profitable and well positioned company in the regional freight forwarding and logistics market. This development provides a significant opportunity to capitalize on each other’s capabilities. Being linked to the global network of the Kuehne & Nagel group will create substantial value for our existing and prospective customers in these developing economies – it’s an ideal fit and a win-win situation for all parties concerned.”