Geodis announced that it has finalized its acquisition of Keppel Logistics after obtaining required regulatory approvals.

In a July 1st statement, the French freight forwarder said this transaction consolidates its Contract Logistics footprint and e-commerce fulfillment services in Asia-Pacific and particularly in Singapore.

Based in Singapore, Keppel Logistics is a Contract Logistics firm with close to 500 employees. Active throughout Asia-Pacific, Keppel Logistics (ranked in the top 5 contract logistics players in Singapore) operates circa 200,000m2 of warehouse space across Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia.

Boost Asia Pacific expansion plans

Geodis said this will complement its existing high-tech facilities, including its chemical, ambient temperature, and temperature-controlled storage.

"We are pleased to welcome Keppel Logistics' customers, employees, and management to the Geodis Group," said Marie-Christine Lombard, chief executive officer of Geodis.

"The acquisition of Keppel Logistics marks a key milestone in Geodis' Asia-Pacific ambition, increasing our Contract Logistics footprint and e-Commerce fulfillment services in Singapore and Asia-Pacific," Lombard added.

Geodis noted that the newly combined capabilities will deliver "holistic supply chain services" to customers. 

It said in particular, that the acquisition will bolster both B2C and B2B e-commerce channel management offerings, integrating Keppel Logistics' UrbanFox platform in Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam with Geodis' own controlled air freight network as well as its robust sea freight, and road transport connections across Asia-Pacific.

End-to-end logistics offering

"This acquisition will provide Geodis customers with end-to-end logistics solutions," Geodis said.

It added that this means offering services from warehousing to last mile delivery as well as proprietary software centralizing inventory across multiple channels to overcome short fulfillment lead times, handle high volumes of orders during peak seasons and elevate their go-to-market strategy

"This is truly a significant step in our continued expansion in Asia-Pacific and will certainly take our digital omnichannel capabilities to the next level, ensuring that we can go above and beyond to support our customers in responding to the growing e-commerce opportunity, even in today's complex supply chain ecosystem," said Onno Boots, president, and CEO of Geodis in Asia-Pacific.

"I look forward to working closely with Keppel Logistics and embarking on our shared goal of providing innovative, reliable, and efficient solutions that add remarkable value to our customers’ growth," Boots added.

Geodis noted that this acquisition is also a significant step along with the company's strategic roadmap for the Asia-Pacific region, where it now employs 4,200 people spread over 85 sites.