E-commerce said to buy logistics companies to gain in-house capacity

BIG e-commerce companies, such as eBay, Amazon, Red Prairie and Google, have acquired companies to provide door2door logistics capability in-house rather than outsourcing, reports the UK's Transport Intelligence.

This is in addition to acquiring specialist service providers including those offering IT services, warehouse automation, drop boxes and value-added logistics, said the report.

In Britain, Ingram Micro has acquired Brightpoint, the wireless device supply chain company, to accelerate supply chain capability. Brightpoint now has over 2.5 million square feet of warehousing of its own.

The aim, said the report, is to provide comprehensive same-day delivery. "Given that the major e-retailers have displayed a willingness to build owned operations, as opposed to outsourcing them, this could mean that regional small parcel providers such as OnTrac, Spee-Dee or Eastern Connection may be targeted for acquisition. Companies like Amazon could capitalise on one or several of these smaller players to deliver in more populated areas such as the US northeast," said the report.