World's largest pallets supplier Brambles to acquire reusable plastics firm IFCO Systems for $1.3 billion

Australia's Brambles Ltd, the world's largest supplier of pallets used in the transportation industry, today said that it is buying IFCO Systems, a provider of pooled reusable plastic containers to the food supply chain and pallet services, for $1.3 billion (€923 million).

Sydney-based Brambles also provides supply chain and information management solutions through its two businesses, CHEP and Recall.

CHEP is the world's largest pallet and container pooling services business. It leases around 300 million blue wooden pallets and plastic containers from its global network of approximately 500 service centres to transport goods around the world.

Its customers include the world's largest consumer goods manufacturers and retailers like Wal-Mart Stores and Metro AG.

Brambles' Recall business operates document management centres, computer back-up data protection centres and secure destruction centres.

With total assets of $5.2 billion, Brambles operates in over 45 countries across Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia-Pacific.