Efficient logistics solutions with a personal touch

24/01/2017

ASAP Cargo Ltd. is an outstanding freight logistics partner which gives its industrial, corporate and retail clients the best of both worlds – rapid, cost-effective solutions backed up by the latest IT as well as a hands-on approach to each and every job. We travelled to their well-appointed County Antrim base and caught up with founder Mark Adamson to find out more.

Road, sea and air freight specialists ASAP Cargo are aptly named - but the business model isn’t all about haste and speed. They genuinely care about providing clients with the exact solution required, with rigorous attention to detail a prerequisite to every delivery. By looking after customers, they tend to hold onto them as well as generating plenty of welcome new accounts through the most potent advertising tool of all: positive word of mouth.

ASAP Cargo work with industrial, retail and corporate clients throughout the UK and Ireland, delivering bespoke international freight management solutions that outperform other providers. Their service is built on global experience and hands-on execution, from collection, storage, delivery, warehousing through to onward distribution. The client is kept in the loop at all times and each consignment is delivered with a minimum of hassle, fuss and cost.

Reflecting on the inception of the business, managing director / proprietor Mark Adamson notes: “I set it up in 2007. My background was in the freight industry; the company I was working for previously was acquired by DSV and I decided to go out on my own.

“I started off as a freight forwarder but as the business has grown I’ve diversified from being a pure freight forwarder into an operator as well, and we now run a small fleet of Scanias domestically.” To this end, ASAP own and operate three stunning HGVs, which have been acquired from Road Trucks. The newest addition to the fleet is a P250DB4x2MNA fitted with a Houston’s Coachworks curtainside body and tuck-away tail lift. The striking livery completes a very strong and aesthetically-pleasing package and fits in perfectly with ASAP Cargo’s ability to create just the right impression.

“Our clients get to deal with real people,” Mark continues. “Everybody receives the exact service they want – automated or personal, or whatever combination of both they prefer. They can take the lead or they can let us take the lead; we will adapt accordingly. It’s all about relationships and this company is built on trust. We are continuously investing in IT – we offer a full Track & Trace service – but we do that in tandem with dealing with our customers on a one-on-one basis.”

Managing road freight movement throughout the UK and Europe, ASAP Cargo’s Mallusk base is only 15 minutes from the Port of Belfast, with access to a wide range of carriers and related services. Their road freight transport services include: imports and exports; groupage, part loads and full loads; conventional and out-of-gauge loads; Import Customs clearance; NES Export declarations; hazardous cargo shipments; and ERTS and Customs warehousing.

“We provide freight services by land, by air and by sea. Our road freight service is pan-European, covering Ireland, the UK and Europe. We run nightly to and from the UK and the Republic of Ireland (using a distribution hub in Dublin), and have weekly services to Europe.

“When the business was set up, we specialised mainly on Italy and Germany services on the continent but since then, having come through a recession with 18 staff, we have expanded the operation to provide services all over Europe and the UK,” Mark points out. “Starting out in a recession, you only really know bad times from the beginning and you learn a lot from that.”

Flexibility is another key strength and ASAP Cargo transports a vast array of products. “It could be anything from large cartons right the way through to 25-metre-long wind farms,” says the MD. “We’ve done everything from retail goods and pharmaceuticals to electronics. Whatever the customer needs to have moved, we will move it.”

The progress that the business has made in less than a decade – in an unforgiving economic climate – is nothing short of remarkable. “When I started there was just myself, effectively trading from a bedroom, and we now have a 13,500 sq ft facility here and have grown organically year on year, so I’m very pleased with that,” says Mark, whose company is renowned across many industry sectors for providing a dependable and affordable service.

“We offer a fresh approach to logistics. While we have embraced automation and the service runs like clockwork, we are very much a people-on-people business and we deal with people over the phone or in person. We do provide an online service but we are also here physically, visibly, and provide a personal touch. We are available around the clock and contactable 24/7, with everything tailored and geared towards customer requirements. That personal touch really comes into fruition when you’re dealing with sea freight that’s coming from China or the USA etc. where there are different time zones involved.”

Looking to the future, Mark is confident that he can not only consolidate the business but also develop it further: “Ultimately, there is a cap on what you can do in Northern Ireland,” he concludes. “Our objective is to secure a bigger foothold in the Irish market, which we are growing year on year. I’m also going to look at the possibility of opening a new base in the mainland UK, which would offer our European customers a gateway into Ireland via the UK.

“We have our customs badges and provide customs clearance. We can look after all the paperwork and remove all the hassle for our customers. This includes giving importers fiscal representation in Rotterdam, which is very convenient for customers importing goods from outside Europe as it helps to improve their cash flow.”

If there is any way at all that customers can by facilitated, ASAP Cargo will find it and implement it. By taking customer service to a new level, they have raised the bar for freight logistics solutions.

ASAP Cargo Ltd.,
5 Trench Road,
Mallusk,
County Antrim.
BT36 4XA
Tel: 028 9083 5000
Email: [email protected]

Taken from Irish Trucker & Light Commercials magazine, Vol 19 No 6, July 2016