SmartFreight press release - 19 December 2018
SmartFreight welcomes new team
as it accelerates UK growth plans
Global freight software provider SmartFreight®has been busy recruiting the best local talent to its Stockport office, building up a strong team as part of an exciting UK growth strategy.
Headquartered in Sydney, SmartFreight opened its first UK office at Cheadle Point, Stockport, in the summer and has been rapidly growing to meet customer demand.
SmartFreight is already a leading provider of parcel and small-consignment freight shipping software solutions in Australia, and currently works with some 3,500 companies around the world, including more than 300 in Ireland. It has now set its sights on the UK market, where the continuing online retail boom has created a huge demand for cutting-edge shipping software platforms.
UK retailers need shipping solutions that can handle the growing demands of e-commerce and at the same time add value through benefits such as shipment optimization, invoice reconciliation, cost control and greater visibility. SmartFreight enables businesses to enhance their shipping processes while making savings that they can then pass on to the consumer.
On 1 November, SmartFreight was acquired by logistics software specialist WiseTech Global and joined UK brand DataFreight in becoming part of a worldwide group. It has since made significant investment in expanding its UK team, along with tripling its office space.
In the past month, it has welcomed more than 10 people to its team, including five new Regional Partnership Managers, with plans to grow to 27 people before the end of the year.
Jeff Francis, National Partnership Manager, SmartFreight, said: "It's an unbelievably exciting time for us as we work to implement and accelerate our local growth strategy, supported by our parent group WiseTech Global. I would like to warmly welcome all our new starters and I am looking forward to working with each of them to grow our UK business.
"The online retail sector in the UK continues to develop and grow at a rapid pace. The importance of e-commerce and multi-channel retailing has led to an evolution in warehousing and transport processes that in turn have driven software developers to act. Small consignments and parcel delivery, in particular, are at the forefront of that evolution and it is an exciting sector to be working in."
He went on to say that Stockport, as a base of operations, was critical to that ongoing success.
"The energy and commitment of the new team has been crucial and we have been able to recruit an amazing group of people. Stockport is perfectly situated for us to easily reach out to our customers and, as was noted in the local media last month, the Stockport area is thriving. Despite any concerns over Brexit, for us and our global partners, it is absolutely business as usual and we are growing all the time," he added.
Ben Woodward, Global Channel Manager, SmartFreight, added: "We now have more than 16,000 people using the platform each day, moving more than 58 million items each year. SmartFreight works with more than 650 transport providers, moving into 195 countries around the world, with cargo valued at more than £343m."
He went on to say: "Regardless of whether the outcome of Brexit is a hard or soft border, SmartFreight is uniquely placed to facilitate trade and deliver cross-border compliance. WiseTech Global has deep customs management experience in the UK and Ireland and logistics providers trust WiseTech's solutions to help them navigate through ever-changing regulatory environments and customs regimes. And when all is said and done, consumers still need to buy goods and have them shipped in the most efficient way possible."
[ENDS]
Notes to editors:
SmartFreight would like to warmly welcome its new starters:
Matt Bates Marketing Officer
Darren Slater Marketing Officer
Lesley Doyle Marketing Officer
James Brennan Marketing Officer
Zuzanna Grochowska Marketing Officer
Gary McDermott Regional Partnership Manager
Natasha Jones Regional Partnership Manager
Alan Brookes Regional Partnership Manager
David Hamilton Regional Partnership Manager
Simon Easdown Regional Partnership Manager
- Manchester Evening News article:https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/business/business-news/stockport-regions-fastest-growing-economy-15408561
- WiseTech Global acquires DataFreight:https://www.wisetechglobal.com/newsroom/blog/entryid/251/wisetech-global-acquires-uk-logistics-management-software-provider-datafreight
- Find out more about the team on LinkedIn at the SmartFreight Showcase page.
Contacts:
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Amanda Jackson, Tigerfish PR, at amanda@tigerfishpr.co.uk or on 07881 621 143.
For SmartFreight enquiries please contact Jeff Francis, National Partnership Manager, SmartFreight, atjeff.francis@eu.smartfreight.com.
About SmartFreight®
Founded in 1997, SmartFreight specialises in multi-carrier LTL and parcel shipping solutions. Customers include organisations such as 3M, Mazda, Hyundai, Seiko, Epson and Pandora Jewellery, as well as transport and logistics providers such as Australia Post Group, DHL, Toll Group, Aramax, Parcelforce, TNT, and Royal Mail.
SmartFreight provides its clients with an agnostic optimisation selection from their chosen transport providers, shipping by price / service / delivery time or CO2 footprint coupled with client branded end-end tracking visibility and final transport provider invoice reconciliation.
Headquartered in Sydney with distribution networks in New Zealand, South Africa, Ireland and the UK, SmartFreight has a team of over 50, together providing considerable logistics and technical expertise.
SmartFreight has won 10 Australian Business Award Wins in the last seven years:
For more information on SmartFreight visit www.smartfreight.com
About WiseTech Global
WiseTech Global is a leading developer and provider of software solutions to the logistics execution industry globally. Our customers include 8,000 of the world's logistics companies across 130 countries, including 34 of the top 50 global third party logistics providers and 24 of the 25 largest global freight forwarders worldwide1.
Our flagship product, CargoWise One, forms an integral link in the global supply chain and executes over 54 billion data transactions annually. At WiseTech, we are relentless about innovation, adding more than 3,000 product enhancements to our global platform in the past five years while bringing meaningful continual improvement to the world's supply chains. Our breakthrough software solutions are renowned for their powerful productivity, extensive functionality, comprehensive integration, deep compliance capabilities, and truly global reach.
The WiseTech Global group includes CargoWise One, ABM Data Systems, ACO Informatica, BorderWise, Bysoft, CargoIT Cargoguide, CargoSphere, CMS Transport Systems, CustomsMatters, DataFreight, EasyLog, Fenix, Forward, Intris, LSP Solutions, Microlistics, Multi Consult, Pierbridge, Prolink, SaaS Transportation, SmartFreight, Softcargo, Softship, Taric, Trinium Technologies, Ulukom, zsoft and znet group.
For more information about WiseTech Global or CargoWise One, please visit wisetechglobal.com.
1. Armstrong & Associates: Top 50 Global Third Party Logistics Providers List, ranked by 2017 logistics gross revenue/turnover. Armstrong & Associates: Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders List, ranked by 2017 logistics gross revenue/turnover and freight forwarding volumes.