Geodis Wilson Buys One Source Logistics

Geodis Wilson strengthened its position in the U.S. this week with the acquisition of Minneapolis-based freight broker One Source Logistics and said the purchase sets the stage for more expansion in the market.

The freight forwarding arm of French global logistics company Geodis didn’t say how much it paid for the U.S. third-party logistics company, which operates specialized nationwide transportation services focused on truckloads and less-than-truckloads.

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“Taking over One Source Logistics is a first step in the company’s growth strategy in the U.S.,” said Philippe Gilbert, Geodis Wilson’s executive vice president. “With the extended link to domestic services in North America we are able to satisfy the needs of a wide range of our air freight and ocean freight clients.”

The sale is the second in the past week of a U.S. trucking market operator to a global logistics player. Deutsche Post DHL last week said it agreed to buy Standard Forwarding, a small LTL operator in the Midwest.  

Geodis Wilson CEO Jean-Louis Demeulenaere said the company plans to at least double its freight forwarding business in the coming five years through external and organic growth.

Demeulenaere said the company’s focus on the American market has already proved a success with revenue of $1 billion across the entire region.

One Source Logistics, a non-asset based company, specializes in time critical and mission critical deliveries for the retail industry. Together with Geodis Wilson it recently established container freight stations in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami and Newark.

Geodis Wilson is a unit of Geodis, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SNCF, France’s state-owned railway.

-- Contact Bruce Barnard at brucebarnard47@hotmail.com