Transplace lands beverage shipper

   Transplace, a non-asset-based third party logistics provider, said Great Lakes Brewing Co. has selected it to manage outbound transportation from its warehouse to distributors throughout the Midwest.
   The Ohio-based microbrewery produces more than 100,000 barrels of beer each year and sells it in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
   Transplace, headquartered outside Dallas, will select motor carriers that meet GLB’s shipping requirements and manage those contracts. Using its proprietary transportation management system, it will also plan the most efficient shipping routes, analyze when to convert shipments to more economical modes, tender loads, track and trace shipments and monitor real-time data feeds to ensure carriers maintain proper temperature for the beer in their trailers. 
   Transplace, which managed the transport of more than $5 billion of cargo in 2011, helps smaller companies like GLB gain the operating scale of larger companies by pooling the transportation purchasing and fleet management of multiple companies. 
   Transplace has about 80 long-term customers and generated $1.2 billion in gross revenue last year, of which it netted $95 million after purchasing transportation for its customers, according to Armstrong & Associates. – Eric Kulisch