Buyer for digital freight forwarder in Europe

• Revenue: 5-60 million EUR
• Employees: Not a decisive factor
• Location of the target: Europe
• Reason for acquisition: The company is an international industrial automation technology provider. It has a strategy for growing its operations in Europe via acquisitions, therefore the management is open to speaking to interested sellers
• #CFIE ITB315

The buyer is an industrial automation technology provider active in developing solutions that help industrial companies to improve digitalization and streamline processes. The solutions are based on artificial intelligence and IoT and have specific applications in real-time location and sensor data for logistics, smart factories, and digital supply chain sectors. The buyer is backed by a very strong private equity group with more than 300 million euros in assets. This is an entrepreneurially oriented long-term-thinking investment fund focused on B2B software companies. Its mission is to support entrepreneurs to achieve their dreams; especially B2B tech founders that are supported with financial resources and practical expertise to become market leaders. The buyer is located in one of Europe’s most developed technology centers and has been active in the industry for more than 20 years. Its team of highly-experienced experts has helped tens of businesses to establish a successful development strategy and to grow from seed to buy-out. At the present, the buyer is interested in acquiring a digital freight forwarder that has strong software products (for example, software platforms that connect cargo owners to road carriers). The target company records revenues of more than 5 million euros, and is profitable, with high-profit margins and a robust portfolio of clients.

The buyer has developed a multitude of solutions for future industries. It is involved in activities related to industrial asset monitoring, process automation, indoor navigation & tracking, IoT, real-time locating (location-based services), sensor systems, robotics, RFID, smart warehouse, etc. The team has put together industrial technologies enabling new thinking and business models that drive organizations forward. From initial idea to market launch, new IoT technologies that enable companies to act in real-time and to create high-class customer experiences have been developed and implemented. The company’s solutions improve products and processes in terms of costs, time, and quality. The software suite includes functionalities such as navigation of automated guided vehicle systems (AGV), route optimization, automatic identification, safety management, process mapping, and analysis.

The team understands the complex challenges within each industry, therefore it is able to address all the necessities required by industrial business processes and ensure continuous process optimization. The smart warehouse platform solution digitizes all warehouse assets and allows the user to track digitally each item and have a permanent real-time inventory overview. With the automatic identification function, it is possible to plan warehouse workflows and ensure optimal storage space allocation. For production operations, the system solution enables a holistic view of the logistics and material flows and ensures process automation and optimization. The ERP systems provided by the company allow managers to optimize resource utilization through intelligent localization and tracking. The industrial cloud solution improves plant availability due to incorporated features that reduce process errors, workflow interruptions, incorrect shipments, and security risks.

The buyer is looking to acquire a company that operates in the digital freight forwarding sector and is involved in activities related to:

• Container and load carrier monitoring
• Process automation
• Navigation and tracking
• IoT
• Real-time locating
• Robotics
• Route optimization
• Transport Safety
• Vehicle utilization optimization

• The buyer provides industrial automation solutions that optimize processes
• The buyer is backed by a private equity fund with international operations
• The buyer is looking to consolidate its product portfolio and has decided to acquire a digital freight forwarder in Europe