U.S. Firms Expand in Argentina

Two U.S.-based transportation companies have made acquisitions in Argentina as part of efforts to expand service to the Mercosur region of South America — Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.

Atlanta-based United Parcel Service purchased the assets of Union Pak SA, an Argentine package delivery company that has worked with UPS on a contract basis since 1992.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide, a Minneapolis-based freight broker and logistics company, bought Comexter Group, which provides transportation, freight forwarding, customs brokerage and trading services within the Mercosur region and between South America and the U.S.

The new UPS operation will be called UPS de Argentina SA. David Golden, a 20-year veteran of UPS, was named general manager.

UPS said it would charter flights between Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, Brazil, to improve transit times and allow for later pickups. The company recently opened a customs clearance facility at the Viracopos Airport in Campinas, Brazil, near Sao Paulo.

UPS’s goal is to help the Mercosur region take a strong lead in the world economy through ease of commerce, according to a company official.

C.H. Robinson’s purchase of Comexter is very strategic because it strengthens the company’s ability to provide global door-to-door service, said Robinson President D.R. Verdoorn.

“Comexter will give us a beachhead in the Mercosur to bring our systems and operations into the region,” he said.

Raul Perez will continue as president of Comexter.

Comexter is based in Buenos Aires and also has offices in Sao Paulo and Miami. It generated annual net revenue (gross revenue minus costs of purchased transportation) of about $1 million, according to Robinson.