GBA Services is expanding operations into Germany as part of its strategy to protect itself for a possible fragmentation of the single market following Brexit.
Bremen based GBA Logistics Germany will provide a full portfolio of services including time-critical, high-security and temperature-critical transport, and though it will mainly focus on express road services, German operations will offer global multi-modal forwarding of imports and exports.
The German operation will be headed up by joint managing directors Jan Gredigk and Maik Maertens, who have over 30 years combined experience in express road freight operations specialising in the engineering and automotive sectors.
The expansion marks an important step in GBA’s post-Brexit strategy as the UK based business readies itself for a possible fragmentation of the single market, and potential restrictions and added regulation on future cross-border transport operations.
GBA Services managing director, David Birkbeck says: “GBA remains entirely optimistic about the long-term impact of Brexit, in which there will be both challenges and opportunities. But we share the widespread uncertainty about the more immediate steps we must take to maintain and expand our business in a newly-configured Europe.”
“So, while we hope for the continuation of the single market and its simplified trade procedures, we must plan for the possibility that some of the current flexibility may not carry through.”
He says GBA’s strategy is to look at each major European market in isolation and assume a physical presence will be required in European locations.
Gredigk adds: “The arrival of GBA’s own operation in Germany builds on its established business base, and enables us to provide a much wider product range to a much larger market.”
“In addition, our ability to operate between stations within our growing European network means we will often be able to carry backhaul traffic; that makes more efficient use of vehicles, and will reflect in our pricing.”
Maertens says: “GBA’s advanced technological capabilities will particularly appeal to the discriminating German market, providing welcome extra security and control for the type of traffic which will be a major focus, such as high-value cargo and temperature-critical pharmaceuticals.”
