Confirmed takeovers and warehousing development signal big year
Details have emerged of Wettenhalls’ aggressive growth strategy in Victoria in the past year, extending beyond its publicised launch of a heavy haulage arm.
In late February this year it announced the purchase of Allied Transport Services, a Geelong-based company specialising in over-dimensional and heavy haulage services, marking the proposed birth of Wettenhalls Heavy Haulage and Specialised Services.
Read how the Allied acquisition broke cover, here
It kept mum about its other expansion activity, however, ostensibly general freight, which came to the fore recently when regional Victorian news outlet Mansfield Courier reported staff concerns about job losses at AusPro Logistics-owned Mansfield Express after being acquired by Wettenhalls.
On its website AusPro notes it services north-east Victoria, having purchased Mansfield Express in 2007, and has further presence in Benalla (formerly Symes Transport, acquired in 2008), Alexandra and Bayswater.
It lists its services as including general freight, refrigerated freight, self-storage, warehousing and distribution.
A source told ATN that the whole AusPro group now belongs to Wettenhalls, accompanying ‘other takeovers’.
It has since emerged that acquisition activity includes a slice of Ryans Group.
A Ryans source confirmed Wettenhalls had purchased its general freight division around February, taking in ‘ad-hoc’ services with a focus on south-west Victoria.
Ryans Group continues to operate its contract logisitics, linehaul and warehousing services.
A new Altona facility has also been unveiled by builder Central Steel Build, which Wettenhalls mentioned in 2018 on its website will “consolidate as much of our Melbourne operation as possible … [and] boast a fully customised workshop, drive through cross dock and warehouse, automatic truck wash, state of the art offices and fully concreted yard”.
Wettenhalls has previously documented its 2014 purchase of Rodon Transport, which “enhanced … [its] ability to service the construction industry”.
ATN has made numerous requests to Wettenhalls for comment.