New Managing Director at a. hartrodt in Australia
Brian de Leeuw sees growing LCL business and plans to increase warehouse capacity.
From January 1, 2023, Brian de Leeuw will lead a. hartrodt Australia as Managing Director. The 48-year-old, who holds a Master's degree in Marketing and Logistics, has been working for the international freight forwarder in multiple locations in Australia for more than two decades, most recently for four years as Chief Operating Officer. In the course of a restructuring, he relieves Dirk Haarhaus, Regional Director Oceania at a. hartrodt in Sydney. "In the future, Dirk will be able to concentrate on our strategic positioning in the region, while I will be responsible for the day-to-day business of the national company," explains Brian de Leeuw. In Australia, a. hartrodt has 180 employees in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
One-stop shop for the entire logistics chain
"As a one-stop shop with high service levels along the entire logistics chain, we offer significant added value, especially to small and medium-sized companies that do not have their own logistics infrastructure," emphasizes Brian de Leeuw. In concrete terms, a. hartrodt Australia handles all logistics processes – from order management and follow up of shipments to customs clearance and unpacking in its own warehouses to door-to-door delivery.
Increasing demand for warehouse space
A milestone in 2021 was the acquisition of OTS Australia and OTS Plus Australia including a 6,100 square meter bonded warehouse in Melbourne, 3PL services and national distribution. In addition, a. hartrodt has 14,000 square meters of warehouse space on the East Coast of Australia. In view of growing demand, Brian de Leeuw plans to expand warehouse capacity in 2023, after dealing with pressing demands on the East Coast, he looks to further expand on the West Coast in Perth. He sees the LCL seafreight and airfreight business as a nationwide growth engine – according to him, demanded tradelanes are Northern Europe, the Mediterranean and North Asia. "Customers can always rely on us to keep their logistics chains running, despite recent market instability," he says.
For Brian de Leeuw, trust and support are not only crucial for good business relationships, but also for his long service with the company. The international "a. hartrodt family" is the perfect fit for the New Zealander with Dutch roots.