BDP International buys Elite Group

BDP International buys Elite Group    BDP International announced late Thursday it has acquired Elite Group and its subsidiaries, expanding the Philadelphia-based third party logistics provider’s business in chemical shipping.
   Both BDP and Elite, which is headquartered in Houston, are private companies. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, BDP officials said Elite will retain its brand, senior management and staff of 185, and customer base for the immediate future. Mark J. Kaifesh will continue to lead the Elite organization.
   “Everything about the Elite operation will remain the same,” said Richard J. Bolte Jr., president of BDP, in a telephone interview with Shippers’ NewsWire. “This is about bringing two brands together to create a powerful product.”
   Bolte said the companies began discussing the possibility of working together four years ago, but became serious about the acquisition earlier this year. Bolte believes BDP and Elite will benefit from each other’s logistics information technology and global network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and strategic partnerships in 140 countries.
   Elite was established in 1985, offering a complete range of logistics services to the chemical, petrochemical and food industries. The company was credited with being among the first freight forwarders to offer track and trace, electronic documentation, and data mining via the Internet.
   BDP, founded by Richard J. Bolte Sr. in 1966, quickly carved a niche as a logistics services provider to the American chemical sector. In 1973, it started providing international transportation management services for DuPont, which it continues today. In the mid-1980s, the company increased its presence in the chemical industry and among other large industrial shippers by establishing electronic-data-interchange connections with ocean and air carriers for bills of lading and bookings. Today, the company provides diverse logistics services to a variety of global shippers.
   In the past two years, BDP has expanded its world coverage by acquiring logistics firms in Germany, France, Belgium and Italy; formed a strategic partnership with a Japanese firm; a joint venture in Qatar; and opened offices in China and the United Arab Emirates.
   Bolte said BDP is always looking at acquisition opportunities, but there are no immediate plans for additional buyouts of other logistics firms. In 2006, BDP plans to increase its activities in project cargoes. “We need to continue strengthening our service portfolio for the long-term health of the company,” Bolte said.