GlobalTranz makes another acquisition, brings Cerasis into the fold

Scottsdale, Ariz.-based GlobalTranz, a full-service 3PL focused on freight brokerage and technology, said this week it has acquired Minneapolis-based Cerasis, a provider of third party multimodal and managed transportation services.

A purchase price was not disclosed.

This deal serves as the most recent example of GlobalTranz continuing to expand its services and grow through acquisition and represents the company’s 11th acquisition going back to January 2017.

Established in 1997, Cerasis has an extensive managed transportation client base it has grown through its 3PL and 4PL services, as well as its technology offerings, according to GlobalTranz. And it added that Cerasis has proven experience at leveraging its data resources in tandem with its technology services in order to provide logistics services geared toward helping customers drive efficiencies, gain visibility, and also support growth.

“Cerasis has a strong history of providing its customers with solutions that help create competitive and operative advantages,” said Renee Krug, chief executive officer of GlobalTranz, in a statement.  “Cerasis will help expand GlobalTranz’s growing managed transportation, final mile and reverse logistics capabilities. The talented team at Cerasis combined with the talented team of agents and employees at GlobalTranz will drive increased differentiation and accelerate growth of our solutions in the marketplace.”

Ben Gordon Managing Partner of Cambridge Capital, an investor in niche supply chain leaders and also Managing Partner of BGSA Holdings, a leading mergers and acquisitions advisory firm focused on the transportation, logistics, and supply chain technology sector, said that, in some respects, GlobalTranz is pursuing an XPO-style strategy of acquisiton-led growth, on a narrower scale.

“GlobalTranz has acquired 11 companies in the last 3 years,” he said. “Cerasis is their latest move. This acquisition gives GlobalTranz an opportunity to expand in technology-enabled management transportation. It reflects the themes of technology-based growth, convergence of truck brokerage with managed freight, and easy-to-integrate tuck-ins. I had the opportunity to interview Chairman Bob Farrell at the BGSA Supply Chain Conference last year, and Bob shared a systematic approach to sourcing, diligencing, and executing on acquisitions in truck brokerage, freight management, and logistics.”