From Blake's Cross to Beijing - Ace Express Goes Global!
Ace Express Group, the Dublin based freight and logistics company, has succeeded in signing an exclusive agency agreement with Hellmann Worldwide Logistics which will provide them with a global network for the distribution of freight by Road, Sea or Air.
Ace Express is one of the leading logistics providers in Ireland, serving the needs of companies dealing with the Irish market, domestic, export or import. Celebrating its 20th year in business, the Ace Express Group comprises five specialist divisions, Ace Express Freight, Ace Express Pallets, Ace Express Air, Ace Express Ocean and Ace Express Logistics.
With in excess of €20 million in assets mainly invested in warehousing and office accommodation the resources and facilities available to their clients are extremely broad. The group now employs in excess of 100 people (excluding drivers) and have offices based in Dublin, Belfast, the UK and Hong Kong.
What makes the Hellmann Worldwide Logistics agreement unique is that most freight distribution agencies are for Road, Sea or Air, but Ace Express have succeeded in securing a global agency for all three! No small feat for an independent Irish company.
Like all good business arrangements this one started at the end of a long day in a chance meeting at the International Airport Hotel in Birmingham. Philip Tracey, Managing Director and founder of the Ace Express Group, and Mark Tracey, Commercial Director, had been at a number of meetings during the day to try and secure a new distribution partner for the UK Midlands.
None of the meetings had gone as well as they had hoped and as they recounted the day's experience they received a surprise phone call from a representative of global freight company Hellmann Worldwide Logistics asking for a meeting that evening to discuss a mutually beneficial business opportunity. Keen to improve their fortunes and with their curiosity peaked, they agreed.
Although Hellmann are a global company with in excess of 400 offices in 138 countries, they were having problems servicing the Irish Market to the levels demanded by their wide range of international clients. Impressed by the quality of the scheduled overnight Ireland to UK freight service and online Track & Trace system offered by Ace Express, Hellmann saw an opportunity to provide a complete logistics solution to the Irish market.
Not long into the meeting both companies realised they could benefit from a partnership arrangement and this was the start of a mutually beneficial relationship. Initially the partnership was limited to the movement of freight between the UK Midlands and Ireland but this was to prove such a success that other parts of the Hellmann organisation began to sit up a take notice and in April 2007 Ace Express Air became Hellmann's exclusive agent for its Air freight Section in Ireland. Ace Express Air now had access to a worldwide air freight network and gave Ace Express representation in every country worldwide.
It became clear that both companies had a similar ethos to customer service, so when reviewing its operations for the Irish market again the decision was made to appoint Ace Express Ocean as its exclusive agent for the deep sea container service.
Ace Express Ocean in its first three years handled more containers than many more established deep sea companies. The main reason for this is the fact that clients already dealing with Ace Express Air and other divisions of Ace Express Group could now have a one-stop-shop for all their logistics requirements from a company that had a complete understanding of their needs.
Ace Express Group can now offer a complete range of scheduled freight services covering road, sea and air, including:
- Overnight pallet distribution throughout Ireland from its central hub based in North Dublin.
- Daily Import and Export groupage and full load road service to and from Europe and the UK.
- Overnight distribution to and from all parts of the UK from central hub based in Leicester.
- Overnight and express distribution service throughout Germany and mainland Europe via central hub based in Osnabruck.
- Worldwide Air Freight service with guaranteed daily departures.
- Worldwide container service for both groupage and full loads with own offices based in the Far East.
- Warehousing and pick & pack with 'own door' serviced offices with in excess of 300,000 square feet of storage space.
For more information please visit www.aceexpressgroup.com
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