One company involvement from start to finish with Scotpac

Press, 29 March 1982, Page 20

One company involvement from start to finish with Scotpac

Scotpac P and O International Removals. the specialists in international household removals, has opened a South Island office in Christchurch. It has been operating from the warehouse of Kirby Carriers, Ltd, in Chappie. Place, Hornby, since March, although the official opening will be the beginning of next month. Scott Packing and Warehousing Company, Ltd,

was founded in the late 1960 s and is now a fully- owned subsidiary of The Peninsula and Oriental Steamship Company (P and O). The original company was started 14 years ago in Glasgow. It was privately owned by Mr John Scott until 1970 when it was purchased by P and O. International household removals and the shipment of antiques have been the backbone of the business since its

inception. Initially, the main market for antiques was to the United States, but now the company is shipping worldwide and has established a reputation of being the major shipper- of antiques in the United Kingdom. Because this is such a vulnerable area, both in terms of physical damage and for security reasons, special crating has been designed to accommodate antiques. In 1974, the company expanded from a head office in Glasgow to open additional offices in Edinburgh, Dundee, and Manchester. In less than one year, after this, the Scottish-based company opened its first overseas facility in Auckland. The company director, Mr Moore Shanks, who is in New Zealand especially for the opening of the Christchurch office, says that New Zealand was chosen because in 1975 there was a massive migration from the United Kingdom to this country. “We also felt Scotpac should continue its policy of providing a door-to-door service,” Mr Shanks says. Instead of operating as a branch office, Scotpac became a registered New Zealand company with direct representation. Rapid expansion followed, with the opening of an office in Sydney, in 1976. Today, the company has offices in Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Wellington, Hong Kong, and the Middle East, As well as further development in the United Kingdom. In addition, Scotpac has also set up hundreds of agencies throughout the world. “We have been considering the Christchurch service for the last six months,” Mr Shanks says. Among the influencing factors for a direct company representation in

Christchurch were the proposed projects such as Aramoana in Dunedin and the Bluff smelter. “It will depend on movement trends and the volume of traffic whether another office is set up further south,” Mr Shanks says. Scotpac has carried out a substantial amount of work for the multi national companies, in particular insurance companies, and handling the transfer of household possessions from the United Kingdom to New Zealand for the Fletcher Group of Companies. The company is also one of three contractors licensed to service the United States military Antarctic support forces. This is one of the firm’s largest contracts, because military personnel are frequently shifted around the world.

World-wide Scotpac employs 400, excluding agencies, and 22 of these man the three New Zealand offices. "Service is the main aim of our company and if clients can deal with one company from start to finish things are so much easier for them.” Mr Shanks says. "We can assure a client that once the agreement is signed there will be no additional charges. “With freight forwarders going bust world-wide, it is important that we can give the customer some guarantee of security. “We can confidently guarantee that the move will be completed in terms of the contract,” Mr Shanks says. From a quality and control point of view, containerisation has assisted in retaining strict control from the point

of departure to the final destination. Because of its direct affiliation to P and O, Scotpac can offer a total overseas package. When making a removal inquiry, clients are given direct access to personal travel arrangements. Services Scotpac P and O International Removals provide are: © Packing at your home for immediate overseas shipping. © Final export preparation and cartage to the port. ® All documents related to shipping and freight charges. ® Insurance. © Payment of destination port charges and direct delivery to the residence. 0 Long term containerised storage facilities.