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FMH Group acquires GKR Transport
FMH Group acquires East-West specialists GKR Transport
On July 1, FMH Group announced its acquisition of leading general freight carrier, GKR Transport who with a fleet of road trains, provide a reliable express service and superior transit capability in the East-West-East Lane.
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GKR offer daily pickups and twice-weekly departures to and from Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. With headquarters in Perth, GKR Transport has five depots within all major Australian states.
GKR Transport will be joining Niche Logistics, BagTrans and efm Warehousing in the transportation and warehousing division of FMH Group, known as Logistics Holdings Australia. The Group’s other two divisions are fourth-party logistics (efm Logistics) and technology (FLIP).
FMH Group CEO, Simon Slagter, says the acquisition is aligned to the Group’s strategy of expanding reach and service offering.
“We are delighted to acquire GKR Transport. GKR Transport has a strong brand in the market and highly respected leadership and I’m very excited to be bringing them into the fold. The acquisition will allow us to offer a superior transit service to customers across the FMH Group shipping freight from the eastern seaboard to Perth and/or return.”
GKR Transport will retain its existing identity and will continue to operate self-sufficiently but aligned to the Group strategy. The acquisition is also beneficial for GKR Transport, whose founder, Kevin Small, started the business in 1985 and will continue with the company.
“I am proud to have been part of building up such a successful company. I owe my thanks and gratitude to fellow directors, David and Paul, and to our dedicated management and staff for making our success possible over the past 34 years. I am so pleased to see our company become part of a group like FMH Group, which has the technology and track-record to be able to take it to the next level,” Mr Small said.
As FMH Group is a diversified logistics services organisation, all the companies within the Group are independent.
“Having a leading specialist provider in our Group gives us another bow to draw upon in customer solution design. Our 4PL, efm, remains 100% independent and will operate at an arms-length from GKR Transport. They will be subject to the same stringent screening process that efm undertakes for all its carriers,” Mr Slagter said.
GKR Transport will be retaining its existing customer base and workforce. The acquisition was effective immediately.
FMH Group is a holding company with diversified interests across logistics services. Through the integration of their technology, people and physical assets, they enable an efficient and sustainable supply chain.
FMH Group is backed by SingPost Logistics Holdings, a subsidiary of Singapore Stock Exchange-listed Singapore Post. SingPost became a substantial minority investor in December 2020, enabling FMH Group to add value to its customers by further investing in enriched technology solutions and its people. For more information.
Transport Certification Australia have announced MTData as a certified service provider through the National Telematics Framework (NTF).
The certification of MTData means that it can now offer the Intelligent Access Program (IAP), Telematics Monitoring Application (TMA) and Road Infrastructure Management (RIM) applications to transport operators across the country.
MTData is Australian-owned and operated, and supports businesses with tailored telematics hardware and software.
The certification heralds the retirement of Transport Compliance Services (TCS) – a fully-owned subsidiary of MTData – and one of the original IAP service providers to be certified by TCA.
Existing IAP customers with TCS are now migrated across to MTData.
With this certification, MTData can now offer the full range of applications available through the NTF to transport operators.
Aaron Balthazaar, GM Certified Telematics for MTData, said, “With almost 20 years in fleet management tailored to the Australian industry, we’re pleased to add IAP and TMA to our service offerings that combine intelligent firmware with high-quality technology.”
He said, “This positions MTData for the future needs of our customers who want to take advantage of new arrangements available in Victoria and New South Wales. These include Higher Mass Limits in NSW, Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and Performance-Based Standards (PBS) Vehicle Monitoring schemes in Tasmania, and the High Productivity Freight Vehicle Monitoring Scheme (HPFV) in Victoria.”
