Global logistics: BDP acquires majority stake in Indonesian joint venture

Jeff Berman, Group News Editor -- Logistics Management, 6/27/2008

PHILADELPHIA and JAKARTA, India—BDP International, a global logistics and transportation management company, said it has acquired a majority stake in BDP Indonesia, its Indonesian joint venture.

BDP Indonesia was established in 2001, and it has more than 75 employees throughout the country’s major cities spread across 17,500 islands. Its headquarters are based in Jakarta, which is in close proximity to its international port, Tanjung Priok, and it has branch offices in Surabaya, Semarang, Belawan, and

Batam Island, according to company officials. A new branch in Balikpapan, Kalimantan, will open in July.

BDP Indonesia’s service portfolio is comprised of logistics and transport offerings for traditional cargo, as well as extensive experience and expertise in project cargo logistics. And customs brokerage is performed in-house by government-licensed team members.

“The joint venture was solid and amicable, [and] most importantly it enabled us to help our customers grow,” said Aaron Chen, BDP Indonesia general manager, in an interview. “The time was right for BDP to have a more comprehensive stake in the business to further expand on the corporate culture and values upon which our global reputation has been built, namely a customer-intimate approach to the marketplace, supported by operational independence, agility and dynamism.   

Chen said that the negotiations, which spanned a period of approximately 12 months, reached fruition with completion of the transaction last week.

And as a privately-held, strictly service-oriented organization, BDP Indonesia will be able to increase its focus more fully upon its customers' needs be more nimble in its ability to   deliver innovative services for its customers.

He went on to say these services include: customs brokerage, license facilitation, compliance consulting, government liaison on behalf of customers, duty and tax audit support and mitigation, handling hazardous cargoes including radioactive materials, plant construction and oversized project cargoes, as well as other conventional freight shipping and logistics services.

"We have come a long way to see our Indonesian operations become a full- fledged member of the BDP family," said BDP Regional Director Peter Barnesby in a statement. "For BDP customers, this move will further strengthen access to Asia's third-largest market with a population of more than 220 million, and it complements BDP's extensive global network of logistics and transportation operations in more than 120 countries."