A giant`s footprint in the logistics market
Who thought that UPS is permanently giving up its plans to expand in Europe -after the 6.8 billion $ merger between UPS and TNT was prohibited by the European Commission in January 2013- could learn a lesson in strategic planning on a larger scale.
UPS did not give up, it turned to Asia. First, it turned to Vietnam in March 2013 by significantly investing in key commercial and industrial centres. Besides, the company expanded its ocean freight services from Asia to Mexico.
In February 2014, UPS came back to Europe, acquiring “Polar Speed”, a UK-based provider of temperature-sensitive chain solutions. Just a couple of months down the road, UPS announced its plans to invest 1 billion $ in European operations within the upcoming 2 to 5 years. On top of that, UPS released that it is working on a full container load rail solution for its China-to-Europe transportation line up.
Considering these developments, it is clear that political attempts to protect the European logistics market from external takeovers are not sufficient. Competition and customers have to go along with it.
Giants will always leave their footprints.
And – there is another aspect to the giant story that is worth considering: A giant might not be the one offering the best solutions for a costumer. Often, custom-made solutions are needed. However, how might a company find the perfect solution?
Our flex2know-team is ready to provide perfect support that is necessary to find the best route for your individual transportation project.
