Trimac Transportation is intent on strengthening its position as a North American leader in bulk transportation, wash, and maintenance in the next five years.
The tank truck carrier took a big step toward achieving that goal this week.
Trimac on April 27 acquired Central Ohio-based American Industrial Partners (AIP) Logistics, which specializes in bulk terminal services, transportation, and warehousing for the plastics, liquid chemical, food grade storage, and metal production industries. The acquisition includes 13 tractor and 119 trailers, the company said.
“We are excited about this next step in our U.S. growth,” Matt Faure, Trimac president and CEO, said in a news release. “We look forward to connecting our most recent acquisition of AIP Logistics with superior service with safety. The integration with a leading logistics company such as AIP will place Trimac in an excellent position for its continued growth and contribution to business partners and communities in this region.”
The deal also included other vehicular yard equipment, and a 52-acre property in Wapakoneta, Ohio, that boasts cold, dry, and food-grade warehousing; bulk transloading and storage with access to a CSX Transportation rail line; and dry van, reefer, dry bulk, and bulk liquid transportation. The location also features indoor rail access and 70 railcar spots for transloading and storage.
The property is strategically positioned on the busy I-75 corridor, halfway between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Detroit-Windsor land crossing, the most commercially used U.S./Canada border crossing in North America, Trimac said. The locations offers proximity to several industrial customers, which is key in enabling truckline and bulk transload growth for Trimac.
“The opportunity aligns with Trimac’s strategy to expand trucking and adjacent services in the U.S.,” the company stated.
Founded in 1982 by Charles Kantner, AIP originally was known as Riverside Storage and offered basic warehousing for dry food ingredients. Today, AIP employs a staff to service over 450,000 sq. ft. of storage space, a transportation fleet, and a rail terminal that serves customers worldwide.
Kantner will stay on for a transitional period to provide expertise, Trimac added. Currently, the business is made up of approximately 38% trucking, 42% warehousing, and 20% transloading/other.