Global logistics: SEKO opens up Ireland office

Jeff Berman, Senior Editor -- Logistics Management, 11/29/2007

ITSACA, Ill.—Global freight forwarder and logistics services provider SEKO said this week said that it recently opened an office in Dublin, Ireland.

The company said this office will serve the entire country and provide import and export shipping by air and ocean carriage. It will also provide customs brokerage services and time-definite ground transportation services with its fleet of express vehicles used to expedite freight pick-up and delivery, according to the company.
SEKO said the office is located near the Dublin International Airport and has easy access to the Dublin Sea Port Tunnel, which extends to the Dublin Sea Port on Dublin Bay. The Dublin Sea Port Tunnel also provides access to the Irish Sea and beyond via feeder vessels to all main European ports to connect with main ocean vessels, according to a SEKO statement.

SEKO President and CEO William Wascher told Logistics Management in an interview that the main factor driving SEKO’s expansion into Ireland included the rapid increases in international trade activity between the European Community and Ireland and the country’s vast improvements in infrastructure.  

“These new developments encouraged us to add this emerging European transshipment hub to our network of global operations,” said Wascher.

Shipper benefits: In terms of how this expansion into the Emerald Isle will help shippers, Wascher said that the primary benefit for international shippers is Ireland’s strategic proximity to major airfreight and ocean shipping lanes between North America and Europe. He added that Ireland’s enhanced economy provides opportunities for foreign investors to build their own transshipment bases closer to Europe.

“Ireland is becoming a rapidly growing trade zone with increasing logistics services for the region,” said Wascher.

Other services provider by this office, according to SEKO, include: specialized services for handling perishables, high value cargo, pharmaceutical trial samples, and gauge and non standard out-of-gauge cargo items. SEKO said that this office also can offer shippers ad hoc service for short notice shipments, as well as routine and specific time appointments for pick-ups and deliveries through its door-to-door network. Wascher said the office initially was comprised of six staffers and it is in the process of hiring more employees.

He also mentioned that the Ireland office provides various competitive advantages that will allow SEKO to differentiate itself from its competitors in Ireland and other parts of Europe.

“This new…facility enables us to provide local, customer-focused freight forwarding service offerings with the backing of a global Web-based operating network for our customers in this international arena,” explained Washer. “This combination of global reach and local control, that large integrators cannot provide, enables SEKO to differentiate itself by leveraging purchasing power with all major airlines and shipping lines on behalf of our customers.”