BDP International

Be it by air, ground or ocean, BDP International is in the business of moving raw materials and finished products around the globe. The company provides logistics services such as customs brokerage, freight forwarding, and warehousing and distribution for customers in a variety of industries, including chemicals and retail. It serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide, including DuPont, Panasonic, Revlon, and Johnson & Johnson. BDP International and its subsidiaries have about 25 offices in the US; internationally, it operates through subsidiaries, joint ventures, and agents in some 120 countries. President and CEO Richard Bolte Jr. and his family own the company, which was founded by his father in 1966.

To expand its presence internationally and domestically, the company established the BDP International Global Network, a partnership of small and midsized logistics firms that pool their resources together in order to compete against larger, more global transportation companies. As the logistics industry undergoes a period of consolidation, the global network was also created as a means to keep some of the larger players from snatching up some of the smaller ones. BDP counts about 100 subsidiaries, joint ventures, and partnerships as part of its global network.

The company continued to expand its borders in 2010. Citing a US and European demand in Vietnamese products, BDP created a subsidiary in Vietnam to serve customers that are sourcing more of their goods from that country. Also in mid-2010 the company acquired the remaining 50% stake it didn't already own in Euromodal, a Spain based logistics, customs brokerage, and warehousing services provider. The business entity, renamed Euromodal BDP International Spain, gives the company a good foothold in the Spanish market, as well as expands its customers' trading options in the Western Mediterranean region. Mexico was tapped in fall 2009 when BDP opened a new office in Mexico City to serve the Latin America market. It plans to start service in Singapore, as well.

BDP definitely has its eye on the Middle East's chemical and petrochemical industry. In spring 2010 it entered into a joint venture with Kanoo Freight-Forwarding based in Bahrain. The company, now named BDP Kanoo Chemical Logistics, is headquartered in Saudi Arabia and offers logistics services, customs brokerage, warehousing and distribution, et al. Around the same time, it also partnered up with India-based Unique Global Logistics in a joint venture valued at more than $5 million. BDP holds the majority stake with 65%.

BDP International also strengthened its position in the UK market in 2009 when it acquired Rostrum Forwarding, a freight forwarding firm. The deal gave BDP International access to receiving depots in Birmingham, Bristol, Heathrow, Leeds, London, and Manchester.

Additionally, BDP also added value to its services by obtaining PIP (Partners in Protection) certification. PIP is Canada's equivalent to the US Customs and Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) program. Companies, especially those in the chemical industry, which represents about 65% of BDP's business, are finding more and more that they must prove PIP compliance. In essence, PIP operates as a security program for the commercial sector that is actively trading across borders. PIP members adhere to program guidelines to ensure that all procedural security measures are met.