For general traffic, ITC now offers same day, next day and timed deliveries, employing vehicles ranging from small vans to artics. It will collect or deliver any consignment ' whether palletized, loose cargo or full load - to or from key points in the Republic or Northern Ireland. ITC can often consolidate larger shipments to offer customers the benefit of shared vehicle costs. It also provides related services such as storage at its Dublin, Shannon, Cork and Belfast airport facilities, and build-up or breakdown of air- and ocean containers.
ITC is also now able to handle the transportation of large, heavy and outsize loads such as construction plant, entire factory lines, large items of power plant and major computer equipment. Through strategic alliances with specialized road transport and installations contractors, ITC can manage all aspects of the road movement, as well as installation or dismantling on site, and liaison with local authorities, government agencies and police over such matters as road closures.
ITC is additionally trading on the considerable experience and expertise of its sister company, IAM, in airfreighting perishables, pharmaceuticals and other temperature-sensitive commodities requiring extra care, priority handling and expedited delivery to preserve their market values. Using the latest vehicles with remote temperature monitoring, ITC can now offer temperature-controlled transport throughout Ireland and to/from European destinations. As broker for major fleet operators, ITC is often able to offer below-market rates by accessing empty return legs.
Says IAM Group MD Ian McCool: 'Our many years' involvement in the time-critical airfreight environment has been the driver to developing rigorous systems and controls that ensure safe and timely delivery of cargo meeting flight departures from airports in the UK and Europe. We are now applying the same high standards and foolproof procedures to other areas of transportation.'
ITC grew by 20% in the past 12 months, and McCool is optimistic about the prospects for further growth as a result of diversification: 'The strong expansion of ITC, which began as a small sub-division of our main airline GSSA activity, is evidence of the value of meticulously-controlled and fully-monitored road transportation operations in the demanding airfreight environment. We believe these attributes are just as valued in other road transport markets, and will have equal appeal.'
He concludes: 'Our main GSSA business already controls around 20% of the Irish export airfreight market, and further growth will eventually be constrained by the finite size of the total Irish market, and the vulnerability of airfreight traffic to the current global economic downturn. By contrast, ITC is an evolving' success story with much broader potential, and demonstrates how logical diversification is helping our' business to grow, even when times are tough.'
ITC is a subsidiary of the highly-successful International Airline Marketing (IAM) Group, whose activities also include airline representation, air cargo handling, and aviation training.
