Ryder acquires MXD Group
Ryder System Inc. jumped into the fast-growing market for last mile deliveries of heavy goods by acquiring The MXD Group Inc., an omnichannel fulfillment provider with a strong last-mile delivery presence, for $120 million.
New Albany, Ohio-based MXD, which is a non-asset-based provider and relies on a network of contractors to provide delivery services, will be absorbed into Miami-based Ryder’s operations. MXD has 109 e-commerce fulfillment facilities across the U.S. and Canada, including 21 company-operated cross dock hubs, 16 dedicated operations, and 72 third-party agent facilities. Ryder, which had only 12 fulfillment facilities in the U.S. and Canada, will now cover 95 percent of the two countries’ geographies within two days, it said.
The MXD acquisition makes Ryder the second-largest provider of last-mile deliveries of heavy goods behind Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO Logistics Inc. The market hit $8.1 billion in 2017, a 9.6 percent increase over 2016, according to SJ Consulting, a consulting firm. Demand is expected to steadily increase as more retailers throw open their entire inventories to online ordering and customers feel more comfortable ordering big, bulky items via the Internet.
Most last-mile deliveries are generated by online orders and are composed of small parcels. By contrast, the heavy goods segment often requires more than one delivery person, entry inside the home, office or business, and installation of the product.
Kuehne + Nagel strengthens its position in the European market for pharma solutions
Logistics solutions for the pharma and healthcare industry are among the most important growth drivers for Kuehne + Nagel’s European overland business. With the extension of the European overland cross dock platform in Contern and the integration of telematics data of key providers Kuehne + Nagel strengthens its position in the European market for pharma solutions.
Uwe Hött, Senior Vice President Overland Europe at Kuehne + Nagel, said, “Industry specific services for customers from the pharma & healthcare industry mark a key factor of Kuehne + Nagel’s success story in overland business. The investment into our Luxembourg pharma platform and the integration of telematics data of qualified key transport partners contribute significantly towards our overall strategy for the pharma industry with a special focus on temperature controlled transportation for both FTL and LTL. The extension of the Contern facility will enhance providing industry leading services with increased capacity for our customers.“
The platform in Contern is part of Kuehne + Nagel’s KN PharmaChain. KN PharmaChain is a multi-modal logistics solution for temperature-controlled door-to-door transportation, which allows accurate traceability of the deliveries, and intensive, proactive risk management.
The facility offers a complete coverage to all European destinations with competitive lead times and an industry leading GDP certified infrastructure. The new platform increases the capacity for loading and unloading pharmaceutical products under temperature controlled warehousing conditions and in a completely closed environment. The GDP certified cross-dock is divided into a zone of 2°-8°C and one of 15-25°C with 4.000 square metres dedicated for the pharma sector.
Furthermore the platform has several features that guarantee the best environment for the handling of pharmaceutical products.
