WiseTech Global acquires leading container solutions provider, Containerchain

Global logistics software group, WiseTech Global, acquires leading container solutions provider, Containerchain

Global logistics solutions group, WiseTech Global, today announced the acquisition of Containerchain, a leading container optimisation solutions provider to the container shipping and landside container logistics communities in Asia Pacific, Europe and the United States.

Headquartered in Singapore, Containerchain is a market leader for containerised solutions in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore with more recent expansion to Malaysia, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the United States.  Containerchain’s solutions provide real-time tracking, automation, connectivity, operational planning and container visibility across the supply chain; currently covering more than 5 million import and export container movement notifications annually.

Containerchain serves the container community of empty container depots, road transporters, container terminals, warehouses, shipping lines and cargo owners. Its customers include Qube Holdings, CMA CGM, ACFS Port Logistics, Arrow Transport and Logistics, Chalmers, DP World Logistics Australia, Kuehne + Nagel, Cogent Holdings, CWT, Eng Kong, ITS ConGlobal, ANL Container Line, Port of Tauranga, Pinnacle Corporation, CDAS (Container Depot Association of Singapore) and many other logistics providers and organisations.

WiseTech Global Founder and CEO, Richard White, said “Containerchain is a valuable connector technology, digitising and optimising container depot operations and gate slot-bookings, adding adjacent technology to our portfolio of CargoWise One 2PL and 3PL execution capabilities and further facilitating our new platform in development, CargoWise Nexus. We see great strategic value in the team’s container management technology and expertise, connectivity across landside communities and significant market penetration in Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Importantly this acquisition further expands our offering and ability to reach new customer segments.

“Bringing Containerchain into the WiseTech group now, with our powerful innovation capacity across our 20 development centres worldwide and our significant operational capacity to support commercial engagement for their new entry markets, presents an incredible opportunity for efficient future growth – benefiting container communities and the 12,000 organisations using WiseTech logistics solutions across the world. 

“This transaction is an additional component in our global container automation and domestic land-side technology developments.  We currently track more than 12 million international ocean containers annually through all major milestones, including container depots and ports for logistics organisations.  Now, with Containerchain, we will be able to provide additional visibility, notifications and decision-making capability domestically on both ends of the container chain.  Increasingly, we are expanding into capabilities that will connect and enable logistics providers and carrier with Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCO’s) such as shippers, importers, exporters and other logistics users.”

Containerchain Founder, Tony Paldano, said, “This is a big step forward, with customers getting access to full information management of their shipments, clean and complete data for improved decision-making, and significant productivity improvements for all stakeholders as a result. Containerchain remain committed to our customers internationally, who we know will benefit from our access to WiseTech’s significant R&D capabilities and global customer network.”

Containerchain Managing Director, Chris Collins, said, “For some time, the containerised supply chain has been seeking integrated platform connectivity to further improve efficiencies and shipper visibility. The combination of Containerchain’s landside container management ecosystem and WiseTech’s global CargoWise One execution platform will allow us to enhance this connectivity and ultimately deliver true door-to-door shipper visibility and optimisation.”

WiseTech Global is acquiring Containerchain from founder Tony Paldano and funds managed by CHAMP Private Equity.  Containerchain will remain under the joint leadership of Managing Director, Chris Collins, and Founder, Tony Paldano, and will continue to deliver innovative containerised solutions to their customers worldwide.  Containerchain will also have opportunities to grow more rapidly outside of ANZ and Singapore arising from many of the 12,000 organisations globally who utilise WiseTech’s integrated supply chain execution solutions, along with WiseTech’s adjacent technology providers and new geographic regions within the global group.

WiseTech Global Founder and CEO, Richard White, said “Our CargoWise engines, services and systems are designed with a global schema, utilising workflows, automations, trigger events, exception-led transactions, robotics and guided decision-making tools to deliver essential platforms and applications.  Ultimately, they will create value through electronic integration, cost reduction, digitisation and deep automation capabilities, conserving resources, reducing errors and connecting shippers, carriers, logistics providers and governments live across the supply chains.”

Across 130 countries, CargoWise One enables logistics service providers to execute highly complex transactions in areas such as freight forwarding, customs clearance, warehousing, shipping, tracking, land transport, e-commerce, and cross-border compliance and to manage their operations on one database across multiple users, functions, countries, languages and currencies.

This transaction follows WiseTech’s other recent logistics solutions acquisitions in Argentina, Australasia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, North America, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, the UK and Uruguay, and is in line with WiseTech Global’s clearly stated strategy of accelerating long-term organic growth through targeted, valuable acquisitions. 

//ENDS

About WiseTech Global

WiseTech Global is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include 12,000 of the world’s logistics companies across 130 countries, including 38 of the top 50 global third party logistics providers and all 25 of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide¹. Our flagship product, CargoWise One, forms an integral link in the global supply chain and executes over 44 billion data transactions annually. At WiseTech, we are relentless about innovation, adding more than 3,000 product enhancements to our global platform in the past five years while bringing meaningful continual improvement to the world’s supply chains.  Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach.

CargoWise Nexus is a powerful web-based portal to connect the importer, exporter and freight user with their communities of suppliers, information sets and functional capabilities. CargoWise Nexus is a separate platform from CargoWise One.  Nexus is a connector portal, which shares a large number of datasets, components and transactional capabilities with CargoWise One, designed to provide real-time visibility and decision-making capabilities.

The WiseTech Global group includes CargoWise One, ABM Data Systems, ACO Informatica, BorderWise, Bysoft, Cargoguide, CargoIT, CargoSphere, CMS Transport Systems, CustomsMatters, DataFreight, EasyLog, Fenix, Forward, Intris, LSP Solutions, Microlistics, Multi Consult, Pierbridge, Prolink, SaaS Transportation, SmartFreight, Softcargo, Softship, Systema, Taric, Trinium Technologies, Ulukom, zsoft and znet Group.

For more information about WiseTech Global or CargoWise One, please visit wisetechglobal.com  

About CHAMP Private Equity

CHAMP Group Private Equity is one of Australia’s most experienced private equity managers having first raised institutional capital more than 30 years ago. Since that time CHAMP has made more than 90 investments and deployed over $3.5 billion in equity capital. CHAMP is currently investing the CHAMP IV Funds.

For more information, please visit champequity.com.au

About Containerchain

Founded in 2007, Containerchain has offices in Singapore (head office), Australia and Malaysia, and has a team of 72 experienced logistics and technical professionals. Containerchain is associated with industry associations including: Container Transport Alliance Australia, CBFCA Australia, CDAS, Container Owners Association, Freight & Trade Alliance, National Road Carriers, Shipping Australia Ltd, Singapore Business Federation, Victorian Transport Association, Women’s International Shipping & Trading Association, and Road Transport Association NZ.

The Containerchain suite of products provides solutions for container depots, road transporters, container terminals, warehouses, shipping lines and cargo owners and includes:

CDMS, a complete container depot management system, handling all aspects of container depot operations from gate management, inventory management, container survey and repair to fully automated billing and charging. The solution comes pre-populated on a suite of cabin forklift devices and handheld mobility-based survey devices.

Notifications is a comprehensive Vehicle Booking System (VBS)  manages arrivals and queuing while offering a revenue-generating truck appointment system that dynamically optimises gate and yard capacity during operations. VBS includes pre-arrival trip validation and processing of approaching trucks, efficient servicing and improved turnarounds, reduced queues, better traffic control and capacity planning, as well as the ability to generate a new revenue stream from improved service levels.

eGate is an app for smartphones and tablets, connecting container facilities with truck drivers and other parts of the container logistics supply chain. It automates the processing of truck arrivals in real-time, improving truck turnaround times and reducing the requirement for gate staff.

Founder and Director Tony Paldano

Tony is an accomplished technology entrepreneur, with two decades of experience designing and delivering innovative technology solutions to the container logistics supply chain. In his role as CEO, he oversees the company’s global expansion and works closely with industry players to help them improve information exchange, take advantage of the productivity gains that come with digital transformation, and unlock more potential from their businesses. Under his helmsmanship, Containerchain has grown to service port communities and related logistics businesses in nine countries across three continents. Tony holds a Masters degree in Supply Chain Management from Australia’s RMIT University.

Managing Director, Chris Collins

Chris has 20 years professional experience globally in the areas of strategic management, business development, corporate strategy and corpore finance / M&A, including 10 years with PwC as part of its global advisory business focused on infrastructure, transport and logistics. He is responsible for Containerchain’s overall business strategy and growth of the company as well as managing its day to day operations. He holds graduate degrees in Commerce and Social Sciences from Curtin University in Western Australia, a Masters of Applied Finance from Macquarie University in Sydney and is also a Chartered Accountant.

Visit www.containerchain.com to find out more.

Contact information

MEDIA

Piers Shervington
+61 2 8001 2200
piers.shervington@wisetechglobal.com

¹ Armstrong & Associates: Top 50 Global Third Party Logistics Providers List, ranked by 2017 logistics gross revenue/turnover. Armstrong & Associates: Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders List, ranked by 2017 logistics gross revenue/turnover and freight forwarding volumes.