Transpac leader Kerry craves diversity via M&A
A crowded space
ID 214190958
© Olivier Le Moal
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We are done with 2024, off you go… but here comes 2025 – oh no!
Which Australian transport company will you buy in 2025?
M&A scouting mode on, but be patient.
A hard year’s shipping, storing and transporting
It really does seem like yesterday when I started typing my first column of the year.
Time is a funny concept; its unit of measurement doesn’t change but in the past five years it looks like it is accelerating. I am grateful to ...
Comment on this article
chris dunphy
December 11, 2024 at 4:23 amAgree with most of the comments made:
Holgate has presided over a bus-crash & as the chief steerer will be departing soon.
IMHO Centurion is a buyer not a seller; Cardaci family are seasoned operators feasting on the Toll carcass, alongside Mainfreight & Border. I’d suggest that Neil Mansell might be a good bolt-on …
Lastly, Mr Joy omitted the sale of Simon National to Japanese interests this year – a low key, savvy deal, in a similar vein to Tim’s exit from AirRoad … Senko are building an interesting business that might soon include Border as it doesn’t really have a fit elsewhere in the PE onsell of FMH.
Alessandro Pasetti
December 11, 2024 at 5:22 amThanks Chris, great feedback as usual. You happen to know the size of the SN deal you mentioned? https://chambers.com/articles/japanese-logistics-giant-senko-group-acquires-75-stake-in-family-owned-simon-transport
chris dunphy
December 11, 2024 at 9:00 amLess than Border but still chunky !! David Simon was pretty cagey on the exact number & the carrying value of the remaining 25% / earn-out
Alessandro Pasetti
December 15, 2024 at 8:44 amGot this from Mr Joy, publishing on his behalf:
“Yes i didn’t mention Simon because it had already happened (I used Silk purchase by DP as an example) but Chris is correct, i could have included the Simon sale in my article to further reinforce the point I was making. Chris makes a salient comment about Senko, they could very well acquire further assets in Australia. Chris’s comments about the Mansell family are interesting – Anthony Mansell owns AJM a Newcastle based express linehaul sub contractor to the Tier 1’s that run express 3 way changeovers between Melbourne and Brisbane (and points in between). Anthony’s son is Christian Mansell who has had a successful F3 career and is moving up to F2 in 2025. The Mansells spend most of their time in London focusing on Christian’s motor racing career so selling off AJM will bring a handy several million dollars. PEP won’t sell Border because this business will be the cornerstone of FMH Group, i see several existing businesses being closed or being integrated into the Border Network. Given TGE being dragged down by their parcel business it would not surprise me if PEP close down Courier Please. I doubt CP are making any money and it is a franchisee model not a traditional sub contractor model. There is no money in parcels in Australia and I suspect PEP won’t make the same mistake as Allegro.”