Ten-year anniversary of a. hartrodt in Ireland

“An experienced and dedicated team that works in a customer-oriented and unbureaucratic manner” – this is how Andreas Russ, Managing Director of a. hartrodt (UK) Limited & a. hartrodt (Ireland) Limited, sums up the success story of the Irish company on the occasion of its ten-year anniversary. He is particularly satisfied that all five employees who started in Dublin in 2015 are still part of the team, which now consists of seven members. As a token of appreciation, at the end of November, the Irish crew and their partners will be invited aboard a former tender ship that is now anchored as a floating restaurant on the River Liffey in Dublin, just before it flows into the Irish Sea.

Gateway to Europe for US companies 

Thanks to its favourable tax system, the island nation attracts investors from other EU countries as well as the UK, and is also considered by US companies to be a gateway to Europe. Many global players have their European headquarters in this Western European country. According to Andreas Russ, “most of the business is routed locally, by this the whole organization benefits from our office in Dublin”.

Short sea shipping combined with trucking 

The Manager describes “the self-financed purchase of our office in the heart of Dublin” as a milestone. Ireland is a small market with a population of approximately 5.3 million, a. hartrodt has therefore to operate its services “with a great flexibility and innovations.” Andreas Russ mentions services such as the import/export of wine and spirits, tank container logistics (including cleaning), and even the storage of coffee beans with sampling – next to the traditional air- and seafreight transports. What makes the subsidiary special next to covering niche markets is that “a high percentage of our business is accounted for by short sea shipping in combination with trucking”.

Andreas Russ believes a. hartrodt is well positioned in Ireland as “always new opportunities are emerging”, also thanks to their specialized services and recommendations from clients. Therefore, he expects further organic growth, but also wants to explore “acquisition opportunities”.