Ryder entered into a definitive agreement in the third quarter to acquire all of the outstanding equity of IFS Holdings, also known as Impact Fulfillment Services (IFS).
IFS specializes in contract packaging, contract manufacturing and warehousing for consumer brands in the U.S., primarily in the consumer-packaged goods, retail and healthcare industries. As part of the transaction, Ryder will acquire 15 operations across Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and California.
The transaction is expected to add approximately $250 million in annual total revenue to Ryder’s supply chain solutions business segment and be accretive to shareholders. Ryder and IFS expect to complete the transaction in early November, subject to the satisfaction of antitrust approvals and customary closing conditions.
“The acquisition of IFS supports our strategy to accelerate growth in our supply chain business, providing Ryder with new capabilities that are complementary to our existing suite of services,” Steve Sensing, president of supply chain solutions for Ryder, said. “Initially, the co-packaging and co-manufacturing services will roll into our CPG vertical; however, we see considerable opportunity to leverage these new capabilities across other industry verticals.”
“Ryder already serves the top 10 U.S. food and beverage companies, and this acquisition will expand and strengthen our relationships with those customers while also attracting new customers in additional verticals, especially in retail, health and beauty,” Darin Cooprider, senior vice president of consumer-packaged goods for Ryder, said. “And IFS’ customer base will benefit from access to Ryder’s capabilities as a fully integrated port-to-door logistics provider.”
Ryder will integrate the IFS facilities and operations into its supply chain solutions business, including nine multiclient and six dedicated customer operations, totaling just under 4 million square feet. Ryder plans to retain IFS’ workforce of approximately 1,000 full-time employees. Rob LeBaron, president of IFS, will join Ryder as vice president of contract manufacturing and packaging.
“As we considered the next step in our growth strategy, it became clear that joining Ryder would open doors in just about every industry vertical while allowing our marquee customer base to leverage Ryder’s comprehensive suite of services,” LeBaron said.
“IFS was built on trust, saying what we do and then doing what we say,” Todd Porterfeld, the founder of IFS, who plans to retire, said. “It’s the people who come to work every day determined to deliver on the promises we make that have led to our success. Thinking about the future, I want to ensure our employees are in a place where they can continue to grow and our customers are in the best possible hands. I believe Ryder is that place.”
Blank Rome is acting as Ryder’s legal counsel for the transaction. Wofford Advisors and Paul Hastings are representing IFS.
