DFDS is an international shipping and logistics company that utilises local knowledge and people.
Aside from servicing the Scottish exports industry, DFDS is expanding its focus on sectors like renewable energy, decommissioning, traditional oil and gas as well as industrial waste.
The company’s operations manager Bryan Hepburn says: “We’ve traditionally been seen as a ferry company but, over the years, we have become one of Europe’s biggest transport operators and offer logistics services across every country in Europe in addition to the regions served by our ferry routes. We cover everything from door-door delivery in rural locations, freight forwarding and full loads to complex solutions for major projects.
“We help people find solutions to transport issues and maximise their profits by providing efficient logistics.
“We are all about being reliable and ensuring the smooth flow of goods, services and information. We have done that for a long time in Scotland with cold chain logistics but now, through mergers and acquisitions, we are positioned to offer full geographical coverage across Scotland, the UK and Ireland. Helping support the early stages of this wind, hydrogen, and energy infrastructure boom that we all hope and expect to see materialise and become ever more real in the coming years.”
DFDS offers an unrivalled transport network
© Supplied by DFDSDFDS is uniquely positioned to support the energy market.
It has more than 150 years of experience at sea, providing transportation links that facilitate tourism and trade in the UK and throughout Europe.
It has a unique network of owned trucks, trailers, ferries, and terminals across 20+ countries alongside 14,500 local ferry and logistics management experts across Europe and Turkey who ensure on time delivery every time.
DFDS’ logistics portfolio covers not just the sea but roads, rail and air, allowing it to meet any client’s specific requirements – from full load, part-load to special cargo.
Outside of traditional transport services, DFDS offers customers integrated logistics solutions based on their needs. Its capabilities include booking/tracking and downloading paperwork, giving full visibility. DFDS also has an in-house customs team who have comprehensive knowledge and expertise to cover all areas of import and export. At DFDS, everything is under one roof.
DFDS: working as a tier one contractor
Bryan explains: “We love collaboration – working with our customers and partners to grow together and get the best outcomes possible. No one can do everything alone. What we can provide is a guarantee that we’re always going to be innovative and open. We invest in our equipment. We invest in our people. We are always looking to learn.
“We have a big outfit with a big reach operating at a big scale – if you’re going with us, we make the rough ways smooth – we can move seamlessly across borders using our own kit. We have representation in every port.
“By operating our own services and routes we’re not adding margin onto margin so that by the time an invoice gets to the end client, they might be paying way more than they need to.
“We can cut those middlemen out and cut down on cost by working as tier one contractors ensuring efficiency and that you have a point of contact who is on top of your project.”
DFDS takes pride in its climate strategy
As a logistics company, DFDS admits it is challenging to decarbonise its business.
But it is taking proactive steps to achieve 50% absolute reduction in CO2 emissions from land transport and warehousing by 2030. In six years, it also wants to achieve 45% reduction in CO2 intensity from its ferries.
As part of its climate strategy, DFDS has truck and ferry decarbonisation plans in place to be net zero by 2050.
Bryan says: “We’re investing heavily in being more sustainable. For example, we made the largest ever electric truck order of 125. 95 are currently deployed into our network in collaboration with our suppliers and clients. We also have sophisticated C02 tracking so we can accurately measure and report, for example, how much C02 our client has spent achieving their delivery.
“We look across our whole supply chain and take steps to be more sustainable in our procurement, how we manage our waste and how we improve in the day to day.
“We want to do this meaningfully. We don’t want to do some greenwashing where we buy a couple of electric vans and say that’s us doing our part. We’re in it for real. We own the means of transport and we have it in our gift to make a real change.”
DFDS goes the extra mile
This authenticity extends to the company’s customer service which DFDS describes as reliable and responsive.
“We always deliver. We find a solution; we’re very solution focused. If there’s a way of doing it, we will do it,” Bryan says.
“We’re a genuine company. We’re genuine people. We’re a huge company with a huge scale but we’ve got localised knowledge and a personal touch. That localised knowledge allows us to simplify your logistics, putting our experts in charge of complex projects and delivering effectively in challenging locations.”
Interested in DFDS freight services? Get in touch!
You can also email DFDS operations manager Bryan Hepburn
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