U.S. logistics firm acquires full ownership of German joint venture

PHILADELPHIA, USA and FRANKFURT, GERMANY, April 4, 2007 – BDP International (BDP), a leading, privately-held global logistics and transportation services company based in the U.S., today announced it has acquired full ownership of its joint venture with the transportation division of Merlin Logistics GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany. BDP established the joint venture called BDP International GmbH in 2004. Now a wholly-owned subsidiary of BDP, the company will continue under the leadership of Alexander Ruf, Managing Director, who reports to BDP President and CEO Richard J. Bolte, Jr.

“Our relationship with Merlin has been evolving over the past several years,” said Frank P. Osusky, Chief Financial Officer of parent company BDP. “Given the importance of chemicals to the German economy and our firms’ respective strengths in chemical logistics, it was time to reinforce our position with a wholly-owned presence. As such, it also represents another vital step in positioning our infrastructure and service portfolio for growth in Central and Eastern Europe through highly selective acquisitions, joint ventures and affiliations.”

In addition to Merlin, the company has wholly-owned subsidiaries in France, Belgium and The Netherlands, a joint venture in Italy and affiliates in every country in Europe.

Established in 1994, Merlin Logistics has 200 employees with headquarters and central warehousing facilities in Frankfurt. The company also has offices in Hamburg, Duesseldorf, Stuttgart and Munich. Its service portfolio comprises a range of transportation / logistics services, as well as value-added competencies including cost analysis, process control and procurement, manufacturing, storage, dispatch and recycling of industrial goods.

“We’re excited about becoming a full member of the BDP family,” said Ruf. “The move gives BDP an even greater stake in Europe, while reinforcing our ability to serve multinational clients
through BDP’s extensive global network.”

For further information, contact Arnie Bornstein, Executive Director – Marketing & Corporate Communications, BDP International, Inc., 510 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106, Phone: 215-629-8493; E-mail: abornstein@bdpnet.com.

For BDP: Henry Raab, Phone: 610-866-0611; E-mail: henry.raab@swbrinc.com.

For further information in Europe, contact Katja Lichtwaldt, BDP International GmbH, Fritz-Klatte-Strasse 6-8, 65933 Frankfurt, Germany. Phone: +49 69 35 10 14 053; Mobile:+ 49 163- 6363 751; E-mail: katja.lichtwaldt@bdpint.de.

For BDP: Christian Klees, Phone: +39 02 676063.24;
E-mail: christian.klees@aidnetwork.com.


About BDP
BDP International is one of the leading, privately-held freight logistics/transportation management firms based in the U.S. It operates freight logistics centers in more than 20 cities throughout North America and a network of subsidiaries, joint ventures and strategic partnerships in over 115 countries. The company serves more than 4,000 customers worldwide. Clients include Bayer, Cargill, ConocoPhillips, Dow, DuPont, Heineken USA, Honeywell, Johnson & Johnson, Revlon, Rohm & Haas, Trek Bicycle, Wacker and others. BDP provides a range of services, including ocean, air and ground transportation; lead logistics process analysis, design and management; export freight forwarding; import customs brokerage and regulatory compliance; project logistics; warehousing/consolidation/distribution; and Internet shipping transaction/tracking management systems. For more information visit: www.bdpinternational.com