WiseTech Global adds Datafreight to its portfolio of acquisitions

WiseTech Global has continued its worldwide buying spree with the acquisition of LSI Sigma Software (DataFreight), a leading provider of customs, freight forwarding and warehouse management software solutions in the UK.
Headquartered in Southampton, DataFreight provides integrated logistics solutions, including HMRC customs software, specialist consultancy for UK customs compliance and freight forwarding solutions for all modes of transport, along with warehousing capabilities for managing bonded and un-bonded warehouses in the UK.
Its customers include TNT International, Allport Cargo Services, Charles Kendall Freight, COSCO Shipping, Dachser and Maersk Lines.
WiseTech Global Founder and chief executive Richard White said: “Regardless of whether the outcome is a hard or soft border for Brexit, WiseTech is uniquely placed to facilitate trade and deliver cross-border compliance for logistics providers in the UK and Europe.
With DataFreight, we will continue to expand our lead in cross-border capability geographically, further strengthening our local market capacity to move swiftly ahead of UK and European Union regulatory evolution.
“Along with DataFreight’s long-term UK cross-border compliance and logistics expertise, and existing involvement on the HMRC move from CHIEF to the new CDS platform, we see their UK customs capability as valuable while the outcomes of Brexit are determined. In any event, with our powerful global development capacity, we are well positioned to address the changes to come.”
DataFreight’s co-founder and managing director, Ian Brown, said: “Becoming part of a leading global group like WiseTech will help us fast-track our product innovation and build out solutions that will make cross-border compliance, forwarding and warehousing management in UK, and internationally, safer, quicker and more efficient for our customers.”
Remaining under the leadership of Ian Brown, DataFreight’s operations will be integrated within the WiseTech Global group and DataFreight will continue to deliver its customs management solutions directly to its own customers, along with WiseTech’s integrated global logistics platform, CargoWise One.
This transaction follows WiseTech’s other recent logistics solutions acquisitions in Argentina, Australasia, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, North America, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay, and is in line with WiseTech Global’s clearly stated strategy of accelerating long-term organic growth through targeted, valuable acquisitions.
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