The cross-border component of M&As among import-export companies transcends simple arithmetic
By Matt Miller
This is an excerpt from an article originally published on February 13, 2017 in the American Journal of Transportation.
The cross-border component of M&As among import-export companies transcends simple arithmetic. The changes post-merger can sometimes be minimal and at other times quite profound, setting off unexpected impacts.
There were more than 40,000 mergers and acquisitions worldwide last year, totaling almost $4 trillion, and it would be hard to find a deal of any size that didn’t cross borders in some fashion. Asian corporate investors are increasingly looking toward Europe, while more European capital is flowing into the United States, all in efforts to expand markets and product offerings.
Deals affect the amount and flow of goods that are imported and exported, and the supply chain that moves them. Sometimes, the changes post-merger are minimal; sometimes, they can be quite profound.
“They take a lot of different forms and shapes,” said Michael Meierkort, Chicago-based president international freight and transportation solutions at Livingston International, an end-to-end supply chain service provider.