EXEL ACQUIRES ASIAN CONSOLIDATOR

EXEL ACQUIRES ASIAN CONSOLIDATOR    Exel, the global supply chain management provider, said Monday it is acquiring United States Consolidation Ltd., a supplier of value-added freight consolidation services to U.S. importers and retailers sourcing from Hong Kong and South China.
   USCL, formed in 1996, operates more than 500,000 square feet of warehouse space in Hong Kong and China, as well as 180,000 square feet of cross-dock and deconsolidation facilities in Carson, Calif.
   Exel said USCL will strengthen its growing president in the retail sector and improve its ocean freight product. USCL's consolidation and purchase order management skills are expected to compliment the growing retail business of Exel's freight management and contract logistics sectors.
   Exel also said it has signed a 10-year contract, valued at $17.3 million, with Saab Automobile to support the delivery of Saab vehicles globally.
   Saab, a subsidiary of General Motors, had recently hired Exel to handle Saab’s wheel assembly and warehousing operations. Under the latest agreement, Exel will manage inventory for 20 of Saab’s first-tier suppliers at a logistics center in Trollhattan, Sweden.
   In addition, Exel said it has renewed a five-year contract with    Roche Consumer Products, a pharmaceutical company. Exel manages a 200-product line for Roche through a shared-user facility in Bawtry, in South Yorkshire, U.K., where the provider has developed an information technology link, integrating Roche’s SAP and Exel’s Unison systems.