THE ROUND NEWS THAT MATTERS
VERTICAL VIEW // DRIVING GROWTH
3.9 Billion
$
27
%
of PE DEALS
2012 saw $3.9 billion invested across 95 PE deals in the transportation and logistics sector; in 2007, the previous peak for deal volume, $9.4 billion was invested across 108 deals.
Logistics deals have accounted for an increasingly large share of transactions in the transportation sector over the last decade, rising to 27% of PE transportation deals in 2013 from 12% in 2005.
Among the largest deals in the sector since 2010 was the 2011 carve-out of Autoparts Holdings, a maker of consumer automotive brands, by New Zealand-based investment firm Rank Group for $950 million.
Since 2011, M&A has been the most popular mode for PE exits in the B2B transportation sector, outpacing both buyouts and IPOs.
Between 2009 and 2010, PE exits in the transportation and logistics sector rose dramatically to 32 from 13, eventually reaching 45 in 2013.
12 Platinum Equity is among the leading investors in the B2B transportation space, having completed 12 deals since 2009.
Deals
In 2007 and 2008, when the auto industry was having issues, there were a lot of PE acquisitions to scoop up auto-parts suppliers. Since 2010 we’ve been seeing a lot of exits as those investments are realized.” —Daniel Cook, senior data analyst, PitchBook
All stats are from PitchBook for the middle market (deal values between $25 million and $1 billion).