1H 2022 Distribution & Logistics M&A Report

Hooking up suppliers to customers shouldn’t be this hard, should it? If you bought it, a truck brought it. But the supply chain woes of 2021 not only carried into 1H22, they are being exacerbated by inflation, wage pressure, labor shortages, fuel prices and a war in Europe. Shipping is more than a delivery truck. It’s ocean freighters, airlines, and rail. And that means dock workers, freight handlers, airline pilots, ground crews, truck drivers, and warehouse workers. A lot of factors are coming home to roost across the entire supply chain. As players struggle to compete, adapt, and overcome, we’re watching steady merger and acquisition activity as the Distribution & Logistics Industry adds components, modernizes, and scales. Airports around the globe are understaffed (maybe because airlines and shippers laid off workers during the COVID pandemic and former workers are considering job security before agreeing to come back?). As the first half of the year closed, Singapore’s main airport is looking for 6,600 workers. In England, one airline was asking the British military to step in and help. Never mind air freight operations, which generally use the same clogged airports as passenger airlines, many don’t realize how much freight is moved by “passenger” flights. In 2021, freight was expected to be a $152 billion boost to the passenger aviation model…