Samskip Logistics buys NJ-based freight forwarder

Samskip Logistics USA’s acquisition of Rimar Consultants is increasing Samskip’s reefer portfolio.    Samskip Logistics USA said it has acquired New Jersey-based freight forwarder Rimar Consultants Inc.
   Rimar Consultants specializes in seafood and meat exports from the United States, handling the equivalent of 10,000 to 12,000 TEUs annually, thus bolstering Samskip’s reefer portfolio.
   The Rimar staff will transfer to Samskip’s New Jersey office, which opened in 2016.
   “The purchase is strongly aligned with our continuing strategy to build reefer business,” Samskip Logistics CEO Ásbjörn Gíslason said. “The merger of Rimar’s activities into Samskip Logistics USA will bring indirect cost savings, better procurement, and scale economies. Rimar has strong relations with key carriers, truckers and trans-load vendors, and this will strengthen procurement and benefit Samskip Logistics network volumes.”
   Market disruption from the merger is unlikely because, “timing for a deal is also favorable, given a strong outlook in this market for 2017,” Gíslason explained. “Integrating processes will be straightforward because the operational and documentation approaches are similar.”
   The Rimar acquisition is the latest investment since the 2016 takeover of Silver Green AS in Norway, which gave Samskip control of 14 reefer vessels within the North Atlantic, Baltic, North Sea and Black Sea trade area. Samskip also invested in new reefer container capacity and web-based track and trace capabilities last year.