Cubic builds logistics business with XIO deal

Acquisition of XIO Strategies builds on Cubics supply chain and RFID capabilities for Defense Department customers.

Cubic Corp. plans to buy XIO Strategies Inc., a provider of supply chain management and automatic identification technologies.

The move bolsters Cubic’s offerings to the Defense Department and to commercial customers in need of logistics management and radio frequency ID solutions.

Terms of the deal between Denver-based Cubic and Vienna, Va.-based XIO were not disclosed. XIO will become part of Cubic Global Tracking Solutions, which the company formed last year when it acquired Impeva Labs.

Mary Ann Wagner, founder and CEO of XIO, will become president of Cubic GTS, which will move its headquarters to Vienna.

“We are pleased to announce this acquisition and to appoint Mary Ann as the leader of this growing business,” said Brad Feldmann, president of Cubic Defense Applications, in a statement. “She has more than 25 years of experience in global logistics and supply chain management, strategic planning, policy development, and has held executive and sales management positions at Stanley Works and FedEx.”

Cubic’s global tracking technology is in use by the U.S. military in the Middle East and Southwest Asia. It uses a combination of satellite, GSM mobile communications and an encrypted RFID mesh network to provide worldwide coverage, the company said. Cubic also supplies smart devices for dry containers, refrigerated containers and trucks, and rail applications that use a device management center to provide real-time monitoring and event notification.

Cubic is ranked No. 75 on the 2010 Washington Technology Top 100 list of the largest government contractors.