Ingram says its new material handling and supply chains unit will be “a game changer”

Ingram president and CEO John Roberts: “Expanding our footprint to offer a full suite of transportation and logistics services will be a game changer for the marketplace and a huge value-add for our customers.”

Nashville, Tenn., headquartered Ingram Marine Group has announced the creation of Ingram Infrastructure Group LLC as a new material handling and supply chain solutions subsidiary within its corporate structure. The move was fueled by Ingram finalizing its acquisitions of Inland River Transport Holdings LLC (SCF) and NexStar Solutions LLC (NexStar), marking a sizable expansion in Ingram’s services and assets.

Ingram acquired SCF, a provider of integrated river transportation and logistics services, from SEACOR Holdings Inc. (SEACOR) following the signing of a purchase agreement last October.

Ingram currently operates across more than 4,500 miles of the U.S. inland waterways system transporting a variety of commodities using a fleet of 4,100 covered and open top dry cargo and liquid tank barges and 140 towboats. With the acquisitions, Ingram will be able to leverage its expertise in marine transportation to become a fully integrated, end-to-end supply chain solutions provider. Importantly, the acquisitions alsobring eight new terminal locations into Ingram’s portfolio enabling bulk, break-bulk, and containerized storage, and handling services with connectivity to marine, rail, and road transportation. With the expansion into the terminals business, Ingram can now provide multi-modal & multi-product distribution solutions for North American shippers and consignees.

In addition to acquiring SCF, Ingram has also acquired NexStar Solutions LLC, a leader in logistics infrastructure consulting, specializing in comprehensive advisory services to investors, governments, and organizations.

“Today’s announcements are the latest moves that show our continued commitment to add value for our customers, bring on new customers, and expand the services we can offer,” said Ingram president and CEO John Roberts. “We are proud of our history as one of the nation’s leading inland marine companies. Expanding our footprint to offer a full suite of transportation and logistics services will be a game changer for the marketplace and a huge value-add for our customers.”

As part of the NextStar Solutions acquisition, Bill Kinzeler, Daniel Lester, and Frank Prentiss have joined Ingram Infrastructure LLC as the senior leadership team. The NexStar team has experience managing more than 100 terminal assets, 30 railroads, and more than 900 trucking assets over the last 20 years. Within that set of assets, the NexStar team has handled more than 200 different commodities.

Kinzeler will serve as SVP & general manager of the business unit, Lester as SVP of business development, and Prentiss as commercial VP. They collectively bring more than 60 years of industry experience to Ingram Infrastructure, enabling Ingram to expand its knowledge and expertise in the logistics infrastructure space by leveraging industry best practices and multi-modal solutions.

“We are going to set the standard of excellence in marine, road and rail transportation and distribution,” said Ingram COO Aaron Barrett. “We are excited to marry our deep marine transportation knowledge and track record with additional capacity in material handling and supply chain solutions. Coming on the heels of the creation of Ingram Logistics Services, which we recently launched, we offer customers a suite of services unmatched by anyone else in the space.”