Maersk Project Logistics: A Force to be Reckoned With

A.P. Moller-Maersk’s proposed acquisition of Martin Bencher Group and the launch of a new project logistics unit will constitute “a force to be reckoned with”, said Lana Warren, regional head of special project logistics at the Denmark-based shipping giant.

Maersk announced in August it had reached a deal to buy the Aarhus-headquartered project forwarder in a bid to strengthen its project logistics handling capacity. The agreement, worth US$61 million, is expected to close in next year’s first quarter.

At the same time the deal was announced, the company unveiled plans to launch Maersk Project Logistics, a new product that would focus on solution design, special cargo transportation and project management services.

Maersk Project Logistics, or MPL, is set to be officially launched on 1 January.

“The acquisition of Martin Bencher was a perfect fit, bringing in people who had that skillset we were really looking for, to stretch our project reach, and then to officially proclaim it as a product. They have an excellent reputation, and putting their team together with who we already have, we believe we have got a force to be reckoned with in the project world,” Warren said.

“Maersk has a very large team that will collectively work to ensure a great transition for everyone. We want to make sure everyone stays together as a group, to help develop this camaraderie between our teams, and to build a unit that everyone is going to be really excited to be part of.”

Until now, the company, which has historically offered container yard-to-yard, or CY-CY services, has been carrying out project logistics on a regional basis – mainly Europe and North America – and mostly linked to contracts that have already been in place.

According to Warren, MPL will have a more global reach, with an aligned strategy in place across all regions. A global team at headquarters will support development and will include heads of growth enablement, solution design, engineering and other executive positions.

The new unit is also set to benefit from its status as a Maersk "product", Warren said.

“It becomes a line on the P&L, a measurable offer that we are looking at. It comes with a commitment to investment, to say, what does it take to really make this a very efficient, effective solution that customers will benefit from?”

With the post-pandemic project market expected to surge in the coming years, the new unit, which will boast a workforce of “a few hundred”, can look forward to plenty of cargo-carrying opportunities.

“We see incredible potential there. I believe part of what we also see is that during Covid, especially in North America, you had real growth in the retail sectors. That has freed up money for capital to invest in other infrastructure and the things that lead to the type of project work we want to engage in. We think we have a very strong market ahead.”