Poste Italiane, the Italian postal group, is aiming to expand in the logistics sector with theformation of a joint venture with Italian Railways (Ferrovie dello Stato/FS).
The two groups announced they will merge their small logistics businesses, SDA Logistica(Poste Italiane) and Omnia Logistica (FS), into a single company to be called Italia Logistica.This will initially have revenues of some EUR 70 million, putting it among the top ten Italianlogistics companies, according to the two groups. They hope it will grow into a market leader by2010.
SDA Logistica, founded in 2000, is currently a unit of SDA Express Courier, Poste Italiane’sexpress and parcels delivery subsidiary, and uses its operational network of 96 depots, sixdistribution hubs and two air gateways. SDA Express Courier, with some 3,100 staff, had revenues ofEUR 460 million in 2007.
Italia Logistica will focus on offering long-distance intermodal freight transportation usingboth rail and road, combined with door-to-door delivery services. It will use the two groups’acceptance and distribution facilities. Additional services will include return logistics andhotel/catering logistics.
Poste Italiane director general Massimo Sarmi said that the two groups were combining theirlogistics and technological experience in order to create a national logistics operator able tocompete with the leading European players.
