Company
History
As a company that’s been a key partner to European businesses wishing to move goods throughout the continent since the 1950s, it’s only natural that P&O Ferrymasters has developed a reputation as being a leader in its field.
From humble beginnings, which began in 1953 with a haulage company in Preston, Lancashire, initially specialising in moving freight from the UK to Belfast, under the name of Northern Ireland Transport Services (NITS), Ferrymasters soon extended its operation to mainland Europe.
Shortly after moving to their Ipswich base in 1977, Ferrymasters introduced a new common database for agents, hauliers, Customs and other Government agencies, bringing radical changes in port operating procedures and resulting in over 70 per cent of all equipment being released within three hours. Trailer turn-around had never been so good!
By the mid-eighties, an association with European Ferries in Felixstowe led to a full-scale joint venture with North Sea Ferries. European imports and exports were divided between port offices in Dover, Felixstowe, Hull and Middlesborough, with the head office based in Altrincham, sales offices in London, Altrincham, Kettering and Glasgow, and inland workshop/driver bases in Risley and Desborough.
By the mid-eighties, an association with European Ferries in Felixstowe led to a full-scale joint venture with North Sea Ferries. European imports and exports were divided between port offices in Dover, Felixstowe, Hull and Middlesborough, with the head office based in Altrincham, sales offices in London, Altrincham, Kettering and Glasgow, and inland workshop/driver bases in Risley and Desborough.
Further changes came when the UK joined the European Economic Community on 1st January 1993. Then came ‘just in time’ (JIT) delivery, changes in legislation, such as increasing weights from 38 tonnes to 44, and the change in popularity from flat bed and box trailers to tilt and taut with an increased size from 12 metres in length to 13.6 metres.
Accustomed to perpetual change and ever conscious of meeting market needs and demands, Ferrymasters has adopted a customer-focussed strategy of growing ITS intermodal division, which now has more than two thousand containers, and developing a total service package for clients with its freight management concept, an increasingly attractive option for a number of key clients.
The P&O Ferrymasters heritage and pioneering spirit has created a strong platform for the business to enter the second half of its centenary. Recent developments in its IT infrastructure, a wealth of internal expertise and experience, and a strong customer service ethic, all combine to ensure we are ready to meet the challenges and changes ahead.
Accustomed to perpetual change and ever conscious of meeting market needs and demands, Ferrymasters has adopted a customer-focussed strategy of growing ITS intermodal division, which now has more than two thousand containers, and developing a total service package for clients with its freight management concept, an increasingly attractive option for a number of key clients.
The P&O Ferrymasters heritage and pioneering spirit has created a strong platform for the business to enter the second half of its centenary. Recent developments in its IT infrastructure, a wealth of internal expertise and experience, and a strong customer service ethic, all combine to ensure we are ready to meet the challenges and changes ahead.
