COMPETITION WATCH: Wheels Group closes MSM deal

TORONTO, Ont. -- Wheels Group has closed its acquisition of MSM Transportation.

The deal was originally announced Aug. 23 and closed this week.

“This acquisition provides solid growth opportunities by further enhancing and broadening the service capabilities of Wheels,” said Doug Tozer, CEO of Wheels. “The increased scale, added transportation lanes and new expertise resulting from the business combination will provide tangible advantages for customers of both Wheels and MSM.”

Tozer added: “We thank Bob Murray and Mike McCarron, the founders of MSM, for their leadership, and welcome John Abate, vice-president and general manager of Wheels MSM, who will lead the operations of the acquired business going forward. We are excited to welcome MSM’s employees and customers to Wheels.”

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COMPETITION WATCH: Wheels Group buys MSM Transportation

BOLTON, Ont. -- MSM Transportation has been purchased by Wheels Group in an $18.6-million deal expected to wrap up by the end of September.

MSM has been named one of Canada’s 50 Best Managed Companies for 15 straight years and has operations in Bolton, Ont. as well as in California. It boasts same-day service within southern California and has established high-volume consolidation lanes to major Canadian cities and select US destinations.

“The acquisition of MSM supports our strategic goal of enhancing and broadening Wheels’ portfolio of logistics services by adding a well-established multi-national LTL component,” said Doug Tozer, CEO of Wheels. “MSM customers will benefit with access to additional logistics services provided by Wheels. A quick integration is anticipated, given the high degree of compatibility between information systems and with both companies being ISO registered for over a decade.”

MSM earned revenue of about $44 million in 2011. The purchase price is about $18.6 million, Wheels Group reported.

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