Metro Supply Chain Group expands into Europe and increases automotive industry presence
Metro Supply Chain Group, a leading, Canadian owned, 3PL solutions provider in North America, has completed the acquisition of Europe-based automotive and industrial services emergency logistics specialist, Evolution Time Critical. The deal provides Metro with an opportunity to increase its automotive industry presence and, by utilising Evolution Time Critical’s renowned work within a globalised automotive supply chain, to further develop its footprint beyond North America.
“The acquisition of Evolution Time Critical is a crucial development for Metro Supply Chain Group,” says Chiko Nanji, CEO, Metro Supply Chain Group. “It clearly signals our intention to accelerate the provision of increasingly comprehensive supply chain solutions for our customers and also supports our strategy for long-term business growth.”
Evolution Time Critical will remain headquartered in the UK with the existing management team and dedicated specialists providing the same award-recognised logistics solutions. Seamless operation will also continue at Evolution Time Critical Deutschland, the company’s service hub in Dusseldorf, Germany. However, the backing and extensive infrastructure provided by Metro Supply Chain Group will enable the emergency logistics specialist to further enhance its ability to provide bespoke solutions for time critical and emergency response solutions without compromising personal support or attention to detail.
“Metro Supply Chain Group has been looking for the perfect opportunity to expand into new markets and regions and, following a rigorous evaluation process, Evolution Time Critical was identified as our number one target,” says Martin Graham, Metro Supply Chain Group President. “The companies share a philosophy for providing an outstanding service that is uncompromising in quality and relevance to customer requirements. The acquisition helps us to take a significant step towards creating a world-leading supply chain group that spans multiple industries.”
Evolution Time Critical traditionally provides a safety net for the automotive and industrial services industries by offering time sensitive solutions that counter threats to supply chain integrity, but the way its services are utilised by vehicle manufacturers and suppliers is adapting: originally a just-in-time failsafe, emergency logistics expertise is being viewed as an enabler for the higher risk strategies – such as lean supply, reduced buffer stocks and contracting lead times – that are required to satisfy intensifying production schedules. It is also becoming increasingly common for premium freight to be used strategically as a primary logistics route for high unit cost components.
“We are extremely excited by the opportunities afforded by Metro Supply Chain Group backing for Evolution Time Critical; a broadening capacity will ensure that the safety net protecting automotive and industrial services supply chain operations has never been as flexibly robust,” says Evolution Time Critical managing director, Brad Brennan. “We are proud of our proven track record for crisis aversion and supply chain safeguarding, and now have the platform from which to expand our capabilities to fulfil long-term ambitions. Increasing our North American presence will benefit our customers and help to achieve sustained business growth and a globalised footprint for Metro Supply Chain Group.”
The Canadian supply chain solutions provider has been established for over 40 years, and its existing European resources will help broaden Evolution Time Critical’s capability: provision of enhanced warehousing and stock control systems will allow the automotive industry to benefit from an evolving emergency logistics capability that is able to provide a wider range of solutions than ever before.
“Metro Supply Chain Group operates over 12 million square feet of warehousing that we will be able to make strategic use of, for example, but beyond enhanced physical capabilities we will also be able to further develop the support infrastructure of our UK headquarters – including IT and transport management systems – to provide a truly multimodal service to our growing customer network,” continues Brennan. “We can also commit to providing a greater number of large-scale solutions, such as the movement of vehicle tooling or live production.”
