From ports to airports: obscure company adds to cargo roots. (American Port Services PLC's acquisition of Johnson Controls Inc.'s aviation services division)(Company Profile)

Obscure company adds to cargo roots

A Baltimore company that's making waves in seaports around the world now is turning some of its attention to airports.

American Port Services plc, a little known firm that is publicly traded on the London Stock Exchange, completed a deal this summer to buy Johnson Controls Corp.'s aviation services division.

The deal gives American Port, a major seaport management firm that moved its headquarters here last year, a new market for its transportation operations expertise.

The company, which processes mostly automobile cargo through the Port of Baltimore and three other U.S. dries, will provide management and aviation …