Stockwell Int'l delivering the goods

Founded in 1971 with a small amount of capital, Stockwell International has grown into one of Australia's largest privately owned customs and freight forwarding companies, with offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

"There are a lot of freight forwarders, customs brokers, and contract trucking companies. What we do is combine everything together to create in-house services under one control. It's all smooth, and because we're a door-to-door service - our customers only have to come to one place," said Terry Stockwell, the company's director of transport.

Its services include container loading, transport from the US, China and Europe to Australia, customs clearing, packing, storing, and delivery. Shipment handling under one roof allows Stockwell International to accept just about any type of cargo.

In this hi-tech age, Stockwell International not only makes good use of GPS tracking and two-way radio for its trucks, but its offices also use specially customized software.

"We've been with our partners in China for over 20 years. We're almost like a family," said National Logistics Manager Kevin Dengate. Together with its Chinese partners, Stockwell International has 11 offices in China, covering all major ports.

Many of Stockwell's customers have remained with the company for decades, while its track record for employee retention "reflects its belief in the importance of investing in our own staff, whether it means paying for university programs, training and certifying custom brokers, or just mentoring colleagues", Dengate said.

www.stockwells.com.au

(China Daily 08/07/2008 page41)