Lineage Logistics Holdings, the world’s largest refrigerated warehousing company based out of the US, has announced it has signed agreements to acquire Emergent Cold.
This acquisition strengthens the Company’s leading port presence in the United States and signifies its entry into the Australian, New Zealand, and Sri Lankan temperature-controlled logistics markets, building on Lineage’s existing presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Food producers, manufacturers and retailers are looking for cold chain partners who can offer a dynamic and truly end-to-end temperature-controlled logistics solution, and one that can reach every corner of the world. Welcoming Emergent to the Lineage family not only adds significant capacity to our international footprint, but also deepens our commitment to our port strategy and international trade. We are better able to help customers respond to constantly shifting market dynamics, such as global network optimization, tariff impacts, consumer preference shifts, and much more, while at the same time unlocking new potential market opportunities to sell their goods,” Greg Lehmkuhl, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lineage said.
Following closing of the transactions, the combined Company will feature over 1.7 billion cubic feet of temperature-controlled capacity across 260 facilities in 10 countries, with a global footprint that now spans North America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The transaction also includes the purchase of real estate at select facility sites currently leased by Emergent under long-term lease agreements.
Emergent, which was founded in 2017 by Elliott Management and Neal Rider, brings to Lineage an experienced management team with a proven track record of growth and longstanding relationships with customers in global markets.
“Joining Lineage accelerates our goal of providing the highest quality global cold chain solutions to our customers. Lineage has established itself as a leader in our industry, and expanding its global footprint and port presence with the addition of Emergent will create incredible opportunities for our collective customers. I also want to thank Elliott Management for believing in and backing us when Emergent Cold was just an idea, and our Executive Chairman Chris Jamroz for his tireless leadership and support. Their partnership, support and expertise has been critical in driving Emergent’s success, and we are looking forward to the next chapter with Bay Grove and Lineage,” Neal Rider, Emergent’s founder and Chief Executive Officer said.
The transactions also position Lineage to take advantage of growing demand for cold storage space in Australia – a sector valued at $5 billion – and in neighbouring New Zealand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The sector is rapidly evolving and is an integral part of Asia-Pacific’s domestic and international supply chains for food products including dairy, seafood, raw and cooked meat, poultry, frozen vegetables and other frozen or chilled foods. Once the deal closes, Lineage will be poised to help customers meet growing export demand and their need for a more expansive supply chain.