Scan Global Logistics agrees to acquire OIA Global

Scan Global Logistics has agreed to acquire US freight forwarding and supply chain services provider OIA Global, extending its international logistics network and adding capabilities in customs brokerage, contract logistics, packaging design and materials management. The transaction represents the Danish company’s largest acquisition to date and is expected to strengthen its presence in the United States and other strategically important markets.

Completion is expected during the first quarter of 2027, subject to customary regulatory approvals. The businesses will continue operating independently until the transaction closes, after which Scan Global Logistics expects the combined organisation to rank among the world’s 20 largest freight forwarders. That anticipated position reflects the proposed enlargement of its operations rather than a ranking already achieved through the agreement.

OIA Global was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon. It employs more than 1,200 people across over 60 offices in more than 30 countries and generated approximately US$780 million in revenue during 2025. Its established network provides international freight services alongside activities involving customer inventory, packaging, customs procedures and specialist transport requirements.

Scan Global Logistics already operates across six continents, employing approximately 5,100 people through more than 200 offices. Its services include air, ocean, rail and road freight, together with warehousing and associated logistics activities. Adding OIA Global would broaden that operating base while allowing the enlarged business to manage more of the activities surrounding international cargo movements.

Under a conventional freight forwarding arrangement, the logistics provider organises transport through carriers, terminals and other operators, coordinating shipment bookings, documentation and the movement of goods between locations. OIA Global also manages activities that take place before cargo is dispatched and after it arrives, including storage, inventory handling and distribution. Bringing those services together would allow transport arrangements to be linked more directly with the customer’s wider supply chain operations.

An industrial manufacturer importing components, for example, may need goods collected from a supplier, transported internationally, cleared through customs and placed into a warehouse before being delivered to a production facility. The timing of each stage affects the next: a warehouse cannot allocate goods that remain delayed at the border, while an arriving consignment may require storage space and handling resources to be available when transport is completed. Coordinating freight and contract logistics through the same operating arrangement can help align those requirements.

OIA Global’s fourth-party logistics capabilities extend that coordination across services supplied by multiple contractors. Under a 4PL arrangement, the provider can manage the work of carriers, warehouses and other logistics businesses without necessarily operating every vehicle or facility itself. This places greater emphasis on the information exchanged between providers, the allocation of responsibilities and the ability to identify problems affecting the customer’s overall distribution network.

Where several companies handle successive stages of one shipment, an interruption can affect operations beyond the service in which it originated. A delayed ocean arrival may change a warehouse receiving schedule and leave onward road transport capacity unused, while a shortage of components can alter the production programme awaiting delivery. Managing those relationships requires current information about cargo movements, inventory availability and the commitments made by each service provider.

Customs procedures introduce another dependency into international freight planning. Goods crossing national borders require declarations and supporting documents, with requirements determined by product classification, origin and the applicable trade arrangements. A shipment may be physically ready to move but remain unavailable for collection or distribution until the necessary customs processes have been completed.

OIA Global’s customs brokerage activities would allow those requirements to be considered alongside freight bookings and subsequent handling arrangements. Preparing the correct information in advance can support the coordination of cargo release with transport schedules, although clearance remains subject to the relevant authorities and the accuracy of the declarations submitted. Delays caused by missing or incorrect documentation may otherwise lead to additional storage charges, altered delivery bookings and interruptions to downstream operations.

Once the cargo has cleared, its packaging and physical handling characteristics influence how it can move through the remaining transport network. Industrial equipment may require protective structures, restraint systems or specialised handling arrangements, while smaller components must be packaged so that they can be identified, stored and moved without unnecessary damage. OIA Global’s packaging design capabilities add expertise at this stage, connecting decisions about protecting goods with the equipment and space needed to transport them.

Packaging dimensions affect container utilisation, warehouse storage requirements and the handling machinery used during loading and unloading. A product that requires additional protection may occupy more transport space or need a different lifting arrangement, changing the cost and organisation of its journey. Designing packaging alongside the wider transport plan can help account for those constraints before cargo enters the distribution network, while the final specification must still meet the product’s protection and handling requirements.

Materials management carries that coordination into the availability of inputs required for production. Manufacturers may depend on components reaching a facility in a particular sequence, with inventory levels adjusted according to consumption and incoming deliveries. A delay in one material can affect work involving several other components, making accurate stock information and reliable replenishment arrangements important to maintaining production schedules.

Combining materials management with freight forwarding, warehousing and customs services could allow the enlarged business to coordinate a greater proportion of those movements. The arrangement would not remove the underlying constraints of manufacturing demand, transport capacity or supplier availability, but it could provide customers with a more integrated service for managing the information and physical operations involved.

OIA Global serves industries including energy, industrial manufacturing, electronics, healthcare, automotive and mobility. These markets have differing transport requirements, from large industrial equipment requiring specialist handling to components that must arrive according to production schedules. Customers may consequently need combinations of project transport, conventional forwarding, customs expertise, packaging and dedicated storage rather than a single standard freight service.

Scan Global Logistics’ international network would provide additional geographic coverage for those requirements, particularly where industrial customers source materials in one region and distribute products through several others. The commercial arrangements and operating structure adopted after completion will determine how far existing services can be integrated, especially where customers already have established contracts with regional transport or warehouse providers.

The acquisition follows separate financing activity undertaken by SGL Group. On 22 October, the company reported the placement of €300 million in new senior secured bonds. That amount relates to the financing transaction and is not the undisclosed purchase price for OIA Global. The acquisition and financing arrangements remain subject to their respective terms.

Combining the companies’ services will require coordination of regional responsibilities, information systems and customer relationships. Shipment records must be accessible to the teams arranging freight, carrying out customs procedures and managing inventory, while existing contracts will continue to govern individual service commitments. The companies have not established a detailed public timetable for those integration activities beyond the expected closing period.

Allan Melgaard, Global Chief Executive of Scan Global Logistics, has identified international scale and broader supply chain capabilities as priorities for the transaction. OIA Global chief executive Jeffery Barrie has emphasised the companies’ established customer relationships and local operating cultures, which will form part of the integration considerations after ownership transfers.

Until regulatory approval is obtained and the acquisition closes, both organisations will continue their existing operations independently. Completion during the first quarter of 2027 would allow Scan Global Logistics to begin combining OIA Global’s forwarding, customs brokerage, contract logistics, packaging and materials management capabilities with its wider international network.