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Est . 1990
November / December 2020
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Hillebrand entered the flexitank sector in 2007 with the acquisition of Trans Ocean Distribution
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Hillebrand buys Braid to form food grade giant
The world of flexitanks looks set for a major shake-up with the news that specialist bulk liquids operator Hillebrand has bought one of its biggest rivals , Braid Logistics . Historically , they have been the biggest two flexitank operators in the world . In addition , Scotland-based Braid has one of the world ’ s largest food-grade ISO tank container fleets . Founded 175 years ago in Germany , Hillebrand is one of the biggest wine and beverage logistics operators in the world . It entered the flexitank sector in 2007 with the acquisition of Trans Ocean Distribution ( TOD ). Reliable figures for the number of flexitank shipments are notoriously difficult to obtain . Nearly all manufacturers and operators are family-owned companies or SMEs , and often operate in jurisdictions where they are not required to declare details of business operations and performance . However , in the first decade of the 21st century industry veteran Bruce Williams compiled accurate statistics on the sector which he shared with Bulk Distributor . In 2010 , it was thought that Braid and TOD / Hillebrand accounted for two-thirds of global shipments which were then around the 300,000 mark . Since then , of course , the market has not only grown significantly but several new players have entered the sector to provide a highly competitive market structure . However , the integration of two
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companies that have dominated the business for the past few decades is big news . The fact that Braid is also a significant ISO tank operator will boost that part of Hillebrand ’ s service offering . In the past couple of years , Braid has added a couple of hundred 26,000 litre tank containers to its fleet . As of 1 January this year the total fleet stood at 2,750 , according the ITCO Global Fleet Survey . Braid ’ s new tanks are used for bulk liquid distribution for food and drink industries in New Zealand , Australia , and South East Asia . Hillebrand also operates a fleet of about 1,000 tanks . Braid ’ s latest financial filing was made in June this year covering the period to 30 June 2019 . The firm posted a pre-tax profit of £ 277,645 on a turnover of £ 47.8 million . The prior year saw a profit of £ 477,013 on turnover of £ 46.8 million . The company said both the ISO tank and flexitank operations had performed relatively strongly , but tough competition for its freight forwarding and project forwarding operations had made life challenging for the overall business . In many ways Braid is dwarfed by Hillebrand which currently turns over some € 1.4 billion across the whole group , and ships 625,000 TEU a year . Its main business comprises shipments of cased and kegged beers , wines and spirits . In 2018 this accounted for € 972 million in sales , compared with € 126 million for the bulk ( flexitank and ISO tank ) division . Hillebrand ’ s flexitank and ‘ vinliner ’ manufacturing is now concentrated in South Africa and China . Two years ago the group closed its flexitank factory in Malaysia . Hillebrand CEO and chairman Cees van Gent commented : “ With its global reach , wide range of customised logistics solutions in bulk liquids transport , as well as its manufacturing and technology knowhow , the acquisition of Braid supports Hillebrand ’ s strategy not only to lead the market in logistics services for alcoholic beverages but also for non-hazardous bulk liquids .” Allan Leddra , CEO of Braid , added : “ Hillebrand ’ s acquisition of Braid provides a major growth opportunity for both businesses . The two companies will achieve more as a unit , increasing value for customers , given both companies ’ high reputations in bulk liquids logistics ”. Leddra and the Braid management team will join Hillebrand to drive through the integration , although the two companies ’ services will , for the time being , be run separately . Bringing both businesses together will unfold over the next 12 months Continued on page 14 →