International logistics company K.Hartwall has acquired local materials handling company, Retailquip, as it looks to strengthen its presence in Australia and the APAC region.
K.Hartwall CEO, Jerker Hartwall, said the two companies have been working together for 20 years.
“It all started in 2005 when the first Compactainers were supplied to Coles-Myer to replace their pallet operations. Already back then we saw the synergies between both companies,” Hartwall said.
“We are convinced that it will strengthen our position in the market and enable us to offer even better and more adaptive solutions to our customers, including a rental business model.
“We see Retailquip becoming a hub for us to develop our position within the APAC region, where the need for efficient logistics solutions is greater than ever. Furthermore, our intention is to build a future stronghold for automation in Australia.”
Retailquip’s MD Clare Hart-Davies and with its management team will continue to lead the daily operations, providing continuity and reliability for customers.
Hart-Davies said, “We are a proud family run Australian business, so it was important to us that we retain our strong family values, and we are very excited to be welcomed into the K.Hartwall family.
“Just over 20 years ago, my father met John Hartwall – and one would argue that the Australian retail and logistics landscape hasn’t been the same since!”
Hart-Davies is the daughter of Retailquip’s late founder, Tom Hart-Davies.
“K.Hartwall’s commitment to sustainability, quality, efficiency, and their customers is unrivalled. It is a very exciting time to be a part of the supply chain movement in Australia, and we have a great opportunity here to bring more of that Nordic innovation to our shores.
“I am confident that our future with K.Hartwall will see us continue to support our customers locally whilst becoming a prominent supplier in the wider APAC region – and I can’t wait to be a part of it,” she said.
K.Hartwell was founded in 1932 in Söderkulla, Finland. The company is recognised for providing logistics efficiency for goods delivery and merchandising, including returnable load carriers, electric tugger trains and autonomous mobile robots.
The company said it is also the preferred partner to various companies in the retail, postal and parcel services, industrial manufacturing, and automotive sectors.
It supplies over 1500 customers in more than 65 countries on all continents.
