Tasman Logistics Services is expanding at a rapid rate. The business has tripled in size just in the last three years – an impressive trajectory fuelled by organic growth and various company acquisitions.
Tasman Logistics Services primarily provides temperature-controlled linehaul services across all of Australia via both semi-trailers and refrigerated containers for rail use. These operations give the business a complete coverage of transport, logistics and warehousing solutions and have unlocked many opportunities as a result.
Within its dry freight division, for example, Tasman Logistics Services is now involved in transporting bulk agricultural products and tunnel segments for some of the biggest projects in Victoria’s Big Build. The company’s dry freight division has thus been growing steadily. The cold chain sector, on the other hand, is evolving exponentially.
“The refrigerated part of the business is seeing a lot of organic growth,” says Tasman Logistics Services CEO and Managing Director, Ivan Vanis. “This has really been the case since the opening of our new facility in Morningside, Queensland, earlier this year. This location has opened a lot of doors for us.”
The facility in question is a 9,000-square-metre temperature-controlled depot which, having opened in the first quarter of this year, has since significantly extended Tasman Logistics Services’ cold chain operations. This has primarily been the case due to its 10,000-pallet capacity and ability to accommodate a much larger range of customer requirements.
“The Morningside facility has allowed us to be much more diverse,” Ivan explains. “We do a lot of cross-dock work and import container unpacks and export packing of meat at this facility, and that has brought a lot of new opportunities to us.
“We are now doing transport, import and export work for customers that only came to us for storage or cross-dock services to begin with. We’ve ended up strengthening the relationships we have with these customers and increasing revenue for the business at the same time.”
Tasman Logistics Services now has its eye on becoming a billion-dollar business in the next couple of years. Ivan reveals that there are various plans in place to achieve this.
“It’s a tough target, but we should have that run rate by the end of 2027,” he says. “We’re looking at some more acquisitions and we’ve also got a massive organic pipeline that has been opened up by new team members and different relationships. We’ve also developed a reputation around our customer service and how we don’t let people down, so a lot of new customers are coming to us as well.”
With great power comes great responsibility. For Tasman Logistics Services, this projected business growth would require a significant amount of fleet expansion to prepare for higher demand. The business has therefore been regularly investing in Krueger Koolbox refrigerated trailers to prepare itself.
The Koolbox is Krueger’s freezer box product which was specifically engineered for the demands of food distribution. Due to its extreme thermal efficiency, it has the ability to keep delicate foods chilled at required temperatures while also protected from Australia’s harshest operating conditions.
The trailer model is made up of an extremely durable chassis body with a reinforced rear end and strategically placed gussets which add critical layers of strength when needed most. Importantly, this design enhances structural dexterity by reducing flex and absorbing strength.
Krueger Program Manager, Lucas Wilson, says the Koolbox was perfectly engineered for businesses like Tasman Logistics Services.
“The Koolbox is designed to handle the diverse range of Tasman’s temperature-sensitive goods,” he says. “Critical areas are reinforced to absorb stress during transit and docking processes, reducing wear and potential for damage in high-usage fleet environments.”
Tasman Logistics Services’ latest Koolbox delivery arrived in the form of a B-double combination earlier this year. The trailer set has been transporting frozen goods between Melbourne and Brisbane for one of the fleet’s biggest customers in the country, and Ivan says the Koolbox trailers have been faring exceptionally well in this application.
“Our latest Koolbox B-double has been performing flawlessly,” he says. “We run our trailers pretty hard, and they don’t stop. But the Koolbox hasn’t had any faults or hiccups at all.”
The Krueger Koolbox B-double has proven to be very effective at Tasman Logistics Services primarily because of its thermal efficiency. According to Ivan, it has an unmatched ability to retain temperatures.
“The Krueger Koolbox suits our application because of how effective it is,” he says. “Our drivers are constantly monitoring telematics data and they see how well it performs. It’s just testament to the high standard of the product.”
Krueger’s refrigerated product will now play an essential role as Tasman Logistics Services continues to grow. Future acquisitions and increased demand will see the need for even more units to be deployed.
Tasman Logistics Services has chosen Krueger to be its primary trailer manufacturer for over 22 years now. The OEM makes up 70 per cent of the transporter’s fleet with approximately 300 trailers including curtainsiders, skels and refrigerated units in various applications. The remaining 30 per cent is equipment which Krueger doesn’t manufacture.
“We’re very loyal to Krueger,” Ivan says. “Krueger was the trailer manufacturer of choice when I joined Tasman Logistics Services 17 years ago and it still is today. We’ve never had any issues with Krueger because they always seem to come to the party with the right deal.
“We expect our customers to be loyal, so we return that loyalty to our suppliers. Even if they’re a bit more expensive at times. It’s not always about the dollar for us.”
The collaboration these two companies share is one that has essentially flourished from a close relationship between Ivan and Krueger National Sales Director, Grant Krueger.
“Tasman Logistics Services has been a loyal customer across many areas of the Krueger business for over 20 years,” Grant says. “Krueger has always been tuned into the business needs of Tasman Logistics Services across all our departments. We have had a very long running and successful relationship. It continues to build positive momentum for both Tasman Logistics Services and Krueger into the future.”
