AEI PLANS ACQUISITION TO BOOST IMPORT BUSINESS

   Air Express International plans to buy another U.S.-based forwarder with
a strong U.S. import business from Asia, the company said at its annual
meeting on Wednesday.
   AEI would not disclose the company’s identity, but said the forwarder
operates predominantly in Hong Kong, Taiwan and southern China. AEI
management said it expects to sign a deal by the end of July.
   The acquisition would give AEI an immediate presence in the "buyers
consolidation business," where forwarders take orders from vendors in Asia,
consolidate the orders into containers and ship them to manufacturers and
retailers in the U.S.
    Such a move would drive AEI, America’s biggest forwarder, further into
Asia’s burgeoning logistics management market and help reduce the company’s reliance on U.S. exports.