The Genk-based transport and logistics company H.Essers is acquiring the American company Palmer, a leading provider of chemical warehousing and value-added logistics services. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

With this acquisition, H.Essers strengthens its transatlantic service offering and further expands its own operational presence in the chemical sector.

The combination establishes H.Essers’ first operational footprint in the United States, with the stated ambition of growing US revenue from approximately $70 million today to $300 million within five years.

Founded in 1965

Palmer, founded in 1965, is also a family business. The company has 14 facilities, comprising 300,000 square meters of warehouse space, primarily in Texas and Louisiana along the Gulf of Mexico. This region constitutes the primary cluster for chemical production in the United States.

Many of H.Essers’ European chemical industry clients are already active in the United States, and the US is becoming an increasingly important focal point for the chemical sector.

Europe’s chemical industry has faced weak demand, high energy costs, and pressure on competitiveness, while the US has retained advantages in energy and feedstock costs.

‘Leading role’

“A large part of the chemical sector is shifting its center of gravity to the United States, and we intend to play a leading role there,” explains Gert Bervoets, CEO of H.Essers.

Gert Bervoets: “H.Essers has been in business for nearly a century. We don’t make decisions based on today’s headlines but on where our customers will be in 2035.

A significant part of the chemical sector is shifting its center of gravity to the United States. We already serve many American customers in Europe. With Palmer, we ensure we’re there for them in the US as well, with the specialization, scale, and operational expertise they expect from us.”

Brett Mears, CEO of Palmer: “H.Essers is a family-owned company with a long track record, deep expertise in chemical logistics, and a long-term mindset. For our customers and our people, this is the right choice. Same team, same locations, same service, backed by a stronger trans-Atlantic platform.”

Transatlantic move

All 350 Palmer employees are being taken over, and the management team is also staying on board. The integration will take place in phases, and the brand name will eventually be integrated into H.Essers.

H.Essers is not the first Belgian logistics company to enter the United States, nor the first Belgian player to operate in the American chemical logistics sector. But for a family-owned, Europe-focused transport and warehousing group of its size, this is a particularly significant transatlantic move.

Family businesses

Both companies share similar values, such as entrepreneurship, reliability, respect, and a long-term vision. As family-owned businesses, they make decisions with an eye toward the next generation, not just the next quarter. This ensures an integration that respects people, local expertise, and entrepreneurial spirit.

For H.Essers, the acquisition of Palmer is not a speculative American detour, but an effort to establish a direct operational presence on the US Gulf Coast, alongside European chemical customers, in a region where fellow Belgian logistics group Katoen Natie has already demonstrated the scale of the opportunity.

Transport & storage

H.Essers specializes in the transport by road, water, and rail, as well as the processing and storage of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, sectors that demand high standards of safety, reliability, and service levels.

In addition to specialty chemicals, the company transports and handles basic chemicals for industry giants such as Evonik, DuPont, and Dow Chemical. Products situated at the beginning of a long value chain across a wide range of sectors – from food and pharmaceuticals to metal processing and automotive assembly, as well as beauty and hygiene products.