ESYNC and TranSystems announce merger plans designed to augment supply chain offerings

Tom Andel, Executive Editor and Jeff Berman, Senior Editor -- Logistics Management, 4/27/2007

TOLEDO, Ohio—TranSystems, a full-service transportation infrastructure and management consulting company, and ESYNC, a leading strategic supply chain consulting firm, announced the definitive agreement for a merger this week. This transaction will not only allow ESYNC to address transportation from a global systems perspective, but its strong facilities expertise gives TranSystems the supply chain visibility and network optimization skills they were lacking.

John Hill, principal of ESYNC, told Logistics Management that this was not only a good strategic move for both companies, but for the industry in general.

“The Fortune 1000s are all doing business overseas and using various modes of transportation,” he said. “The whole business of bringing the network together, not only for them but for their trading partners, has been an elusive goal for a long time. Everyone talks about it, but not many have pulled it off. A company that can come in and help an organization’s supply chain, from the place where they mine the ore to delivering finished product to customers, is a pretty darn good bet.”

Hill added that TranSystems’ Homeland Security expertise, combined with its earlier acquisitions of Automation Associates, one of the leading simulation companies in the U.S., St. Onge Ruff, consultants specializing in the movement and storage of refrigerated materials, and Mobius, a leading supply chain security firm, puts this partnership in a position to be a global resource for entities struggling with catastrophic supply chain challenges.

Prior to this announcement, ESYNC has partnered with TranSystems on several projects over the past few years, said John Sidell, ESYNC principal. And when collaborating with TranSystems, he commented that both companies shared a strong dedication to client satisfaction and had professional service offerings that were very synergistic. Sidell also said that the companies initially began discussing the potential merger last Fall.

In terms of how this merger will help shippers be more efficient and improve processes and operations, Jim McNerney, ESYNC principal, said there are myriad benefits.

"This merger will benefit shippers by providing a comprehensive, ‘one stop shop’ for global supply chain strategy, systems execution and the required infrastructure, including real estate development, architecture and engineering to support virtually any size supply chain initiative, said McNerney.

The ESYNC principals added that the company will function as ESYNC within the TranSystems' supply chain management line of business for a period of time. They added that this approach will allow the merged entity to leverage ESYNC’s considerable name recognition within the supply chain industry.