C.H. Robinson to acquire Polish forwarder

   C.H. Robinson, a tier-one global logistics provider based in Eden Prairie, Minn., said Thursday it has reached agreement to buy Polish freight forwarder Apreo Logistics.
   Apreo of Warsaw provides a wide variety of trucking services, warehousing and air and ocean service. The five-year-old company serves more than 2,000 customers with more than 300 employees in 22 offices, including one in Germany. Gross revenues – before purchased transportation is subtracted – are more than $100 million.
   C.H. Robinson, by comparison, had $10.3 billion in gross revenue last year and retained $1.6 billion of that for itself.
   The company is best known for its domestic truck brokerage and transportation management, but it has been steadily expanding its international capabilities in Europe and elsewhere. Among its top international offerings is a managed transportation management system that combines optimization software for multi-modal transportation strategy and execution with specialists in central offices around the world that monitor shipments for a customer’s global supply chain and intervene as necessary to ensure delivery schedules are met.
   In July, Bryan Foe was named president of C.H. Robinson Europe and this year the company also opened an office in Rotterdam focused on temperature-controlled transportation.
   “We are taking a long-term approach towards Europe and feel now is a good opportunity to increase our commitment to the region,” John Wiehoff, chairman and chief executive of C.H. Robinson, said in a statement. “The agreement to acquire Apreo supports our strategy of making continued investments in our business within the continent.”
   C.H. Robinson said Apreo CEO Arkadiusz Glinka will continue to lead the company.
   Completion of the sale awaits approval of the Polish Office for Competition and Consumer Protection. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. – Eric Kulisch