KUECKER LOGISTICS GROUP, PULSE INTEGRATION, AND QC SOFTWARE HAVE COMBINED
Kansas City, July [16], 2021 – Leading integration firms Kuecker Logistics Group, Inc. (“Kuecker”), Pulse Integration (“PULSE”), and QC Software, LLC (“QC”) announced today that they have combined to form a new company, Kuecker Pulse Integration, L.P. (“KPI” or the “Company”). In conjunction with this combination, funds managed by the Private Equity Group of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) (“Ares”) have acquired a majority interest in the Company with the existing owners of all three businesses retaining significant equity stakes.
Larry Strayhorn, CEO of Pulse, will lead the Company, and he will be joined on the leadership team by executives from each of Pulse, Kuecker, and QC.
“Pulse, Kuecker, and QC all hold the same core values of honesty, integrity, and transparency. We are thrilled about the opportunities ahead to combine our companies and extend our track record of value creation, innovation, and success as a larger operator,” said Strayhorn.
Jim Kuecker, President of Kuecker, noted “This is an exciting time for our companies. This combination will enhance our capabilities and scale, and we look forward to working together to deliver even greater value to our customers and suppliers in the future.”
“We have worked closely with Larry and Jim and their respective companies over the years, and we are excited to be combining with them in this next chapter of our evolution” said Kevin Tedford, CEO of QC.
Kuecker is a leading innovative material handling solutions provider for more than 40 years. Using a customized approach, they work to design, engineer, and implement logistics management solutions to increase distribution efficiency. Kuecker provides cutting edge solutions in logistics management, supply chain management, value chain management, industrial automation, inventory management and more.
PULSE is a systems integrator that has over 50 years of experience serving customers throughout North America. Pulse is focused on helping companies leverage the right mix of technology in their facilities, and works to understand, collaborate, and analyze business needs in real-time, and provide custom-engineered solutions in a tiered delivery process. Using a data-driven, technology-agnostic approach, Pulse ensures projects are scoped to fit the needs of the customer while remaining adaptable for a changing market.
QC is recognized as an industry leader in providing innovative software solutions for order fulfillment and distribution centers. Headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio, they have been providing software solutions to customers in North America and Europe to streamline their warehouse operations using the most innovative supply chain automation software solutions.
“As a pure-play technology and solutions integrator, KPI is well positioned to serve the requirements of the fast-growing warehouse automation space,” said Brian Klos, Partner in Ares’ Private Equity Group. “This combination will provide KPI with significant scale and expanded capabilities to better serve its customers and drive the next phase of the Company’s growth, both organically and through strategic acquisitions. We are excited to have the opportunity to partner with Larry, Jim, Kevin, as well as the other members of the management team. We believe this combination brings together a group of uniquely talented and motivated leaders.”
Mr. Strayhorn continued, “Our vision is to build a full-service integrator platform with an industry leading software offering”. “We believe Ares is the right partner to help us expand our Company and deliver on these important objectives.”
About Kuecker Logistics Group, Inc.
Kuecker is a leading innovative material handling solutions provider working to design, engineer, and implement logistics management solutions to increase distribution efficiency. Kuecker provides cutting edge solutions in logistics management, supply chain management, value chain management, industrial automation, inventory management and more. Not only does Kuecker design and build systems to make business supply chain more efficient, Kuecker acts as a partner and consultant to ensure the success of our implemented services. The strong relationships with clients are testaments to value, commitment, and fulfillment of customer expectations in providing operational analysis, system engineering, system installation, project management, training, start-up assistance and ongoing support.
About PULSE Integration
PULSE is a full system integrator working diligently to provide a customized solution for every client. Combining design expertise, seamless integration with intentional transparency Pulse provides clients with scalable engineered solutions. Cultivating over 50 years of material handling experience to specifically help companies leverage the right mix of technology (digital and physical) in their facilities. The Pulse team ingrains Industry 4.0 Thinking into the design philosophy at every level to deliver truly agnostic solutions that adapt to continuous evolving customer requirements.
About QC Software, LLC
QC is recognized as a leading provider of supply chain automation software solutions. Our Warehouse Execution / Warehouse Control Systems streamline warehouse/distribution operations with the lowest total cost of ownership in the industry. QC solutions maximize your system’s productivity and dependability, making us the ideal solution for your warehousing needs.
About Ares Management Corporation
Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES) is a leading global alternative investment manager offering clients complementary primary and secondary investment solutions across the credit, private equity, real estate and infrastructure asset classes. We seek to provide flexible capital to support businesses and create value for our stakeholders and within our communities. By collaborating across our investment groups, we aim to generate consistent and attractive investment returns throughout market cycles. As of March 31, 2021, including the acquisition of Landmark Partners, which closed June 2, 2021, and the acquisition of Black Creek Group, which closed July 1, 2021, Ares Management’s global platform had approximately $239 billion of assets under management with approximately 2,000 employees operating across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. For more information, please visit www.aresmgmt.com. Follow Ares on Twitter @Ares_Management.
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Businesses must evolve quickly to navigate the ecommerce demand and to stay ahead of their competitors. Convenience and social distancing take precedence over the in-store shopping experience. Businesses that can serve eCommerce customers efficiently and effectively will win market share.
During the study, PULSE compared AMR performance to existing technologies and human load factors. The result, AMR’s represented 10% of the equivalent manual handling labor costs and 20% of the cost of a forklift. It is important to note the situational aspects associated with this study. At higher speeds and with advanced safety features, AMR’s outperformed manual carrying, and driver operated pallet loaders over long distances. However, humans have more agility moving goods for short distances or around stations. It was determined that a blend of both would create the optimum result with output and efficiency. AMR’s would conduct the heavy lifting and repetitive labor while humans would operate at stations carrying out tasks of picking, sorting, or quality control.
