Transport and logistics company C3 has come a long way since specialising in cargo for the ports.
It is one of five operations that make up Linx Cargo Care Group, and C3 has expanded its services in forestry-aligned operations and logistics including chipping, logging, marshalling, transport and stevedoring.
Headquartered in New Zealand, the company employs over 1400 staff, around 200 of which are based in Australia at the company’s operations in Western Australia and Victoria.
It handles more than 16 million tonnes of cargo each year, which includes the export of around two million tonnes of wood products from Australian ports. The premium-grade products include wood chips, which are used for pulp, paper and cardboard, and more than 31 million logs which are used in construction and furniture manufacturing.
Prior to establishing in Australia, C3 focused exclusively on port functions. It wasn’t until the Aussie expansion that the company explored the supply chain further, after seeing great opportunities within the logging and wood chipping aspects.
C3 national maintenance manager Trevor Els says having quick and easy access to spare parts and reliable after sales service is a key factor in driving success following the company’s rapid expansion.
As operations focused more and more on the chipping and logging end of the supply chain, C3 gradually acquired its own trucks, adding new vehicles to its fleet from Mack, Iveco, Volvo, Isuzu and Mercedes.
Today its transport demands in Western Australia are all met in-house, with 44 road trains and 27 prime movers, and a variety of trailers from local suppliers including Coastal Trailers and Euro Trailers Australia. The stable of machinery also includes around 30 pieces of forestry equipment and not one hand touches the tree from the moment it is cut down until the moment it arrives at its destination overseas.
The focus on in-house transport capability has been well supported by the company’s parts retailer, Truckline.
Els says having a trusted and reliable partner such as Truckline helps the company keep moving even when the chips are down.
“From the moment the trees are chopped down, to when they are loaded onto ships in our ports, we are totally reliant on our machinery. That’s why it’s so important to us as a business to have a partner like Truckline that we can depend on to deliver parts and after sales service, as and when we need it.
“Truckline’s service is really good – they always deliver when promised, and if I phone them on a Sunday night if we’ve had a breakdown, they will open the shop for us, no questions asked. In fact, on one occasion, one of our critical forestry machines, a Husky Flail, broke down on a weekend after hours. Despite not being a forestry machinery specialist, I called Truckline on the off chance they might be able to help me out.
“The local manager was in the middle of cooking a BBQ, however he didn’t hesitate to jump in his car and meet me at the store within 15 minutes. Together we worked out a plan and within the hour had stripped down a number of parts that Truckline had in stock to make a version of the spare part we needed for the Husky. Now that’s what I call customer service,” Els says.
“As we’ve scaled up the business, Truckline has been with us every step of the way. They have taken the time to adjust the way we work with them to ensure we continue to receive the best price, and the best service possible.
“As a business, we want good quality and good pricing and that’s what we get with Truckline. They keep us moving so we can service our customers, and that’s invaluable to us,” he says.
Truckline is Australia’s largest retailer and distributor of aftermarket and original equipment truck and trailer parts with more than 25,000 parts in stock and a network of 22 stores around Australia.
