Mainfreight
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Public | |
Traded as | NZX: MFT |
Industry | Logistics |
Founded | 6 March 1978 |
Headquarters | Auckland, New Zealand |
Key people |
Bruce Plested, Chairman & Founder Neil Graham ONZM, Founder Don Braid, Managing Director Carl Howard-Smith, General Counsel/Director Bryan Mogridge, Independent Director Richard Prebble CBE, Independent Director Simon Cotter, Independent Director |
Products | Transport, Logistics, Freight Forwarding, |
Revenue | NZ$2,054.3 million (2015) |
Number of employees | 6,277 (2015) |
Subsidiaries | Daily Freight (NZ), Carotrans (Worldwide), Owens (AU/NZ), ChemCouriers (AU/NZ) Wim Bosman (EU) |
Website | www.mainfreight.com |
Mainfreight Limited is a New Zealand logistics and transport company. It began its operations in Auckland in 1978. Founded by Bruce Plested who started the company with just NZD$7000.00 and a 1969 Bedford Truck. He was later joined by Neil Graham. When the company was founded it entered a highly regulated transport market. A licence from New Zealand Railways Corporation was needed to carry freight over 150 km. When deregulation of land transport occurred in 1982, Mainfreight quickly took advantage of the opportunities presented and won a large share of the freight market.
Mainfreight Distribution
The firm's Australian domestic freight and logistics division, Mainfreight Distribution, began operations in 1989, with an operation in Sydney. This operation was expanded with depots in Melbourne and Brisbane. It now has nine company depots in Australia and relies on agents and third parties in the Northern Territory, Tasmania and regional Australia.
Mainfreight International
Mainfreight International was Mainfreight's first international sea and airfreight business and was started in 1984 by Bruce Plested's brother Gerald. They established agencies in the early days with Australian, Pacific Island and United States freight forwarders and the established agents in most major trading partner countries of New Zealand. With the takeover of Australian freight forwarder ISS Express lines in 1998 they established the Australian international freight business. With the takeover of the Owens Group in 2003 they purchased Owens International Australia. In 2006 the New Zealand Mainfreight International and Owens International businesses were also merged to make Mainfreight Owens International Ltd (now Mainfreight International). In 2007 Mainfreight purchased Halford International (formerly Halford Young) to increase their airfreight abilities and strengthen their global network. Mainfreight has international operations in the USA through its CaroTrans International Inc and most recently Mainfreight International Inc businesses after the 2007 acquisition of Target Logistics, in Asia (nine branches in China, one each in Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong).
Owens takeover
In 2003 Mainfreight bought Owens Group Limited, one of New Zealand's largest trucking firms. This takeover was in response to the purchase of Tranz Rail by Australian transport firm Toll Holdings.
Target Logistics acquisition
In 2007, Mainfreight acquired Target Logistics, a U.S. based forwarder with 34 U.S. offices, and an extensive agent network. In 2008, the U.S. locations were re-branded as Mainfreight USA