Five prominent hauliers have joined forces to launch a new third party logistics provider, Harlequin Logistics.
Managing director of Harlequin is Paul Smith, who founded Jigsaw Solutions in 2002. The members are: R Swain and Sons, Prestons of Potto, John Raymond Transport, Jack Richards and Son, and Currie European Transport.
The company offers large scale ambient transport within the UK, and is targeting shippers with substantial domestic transport requirement.
Its clients will be guaranteed that 75 per cent of its volumes will be handled by the five shareholder hauliers. These will be divided on a geographical split to reduce empty running.
The formation of Harlequin underlines the growing network of collaborative schemes among UK transport and logistics companies.
Jack Richards is also a member of Palletways, and Wisbech Roadways, in which it partners with Knowles Transport and Garn Transport.
R Swain and Sons is also a member of Partnerlink, and Prestons of Potto is also a member of Pall-Ex.
And Currie European is a member of Jigsaw Solutions. Andy Humpherson, managing director of Jigsaw said it has no restriction on its members, although there is an anti-competition clause in the contracts.
Paul Smith said: “Collaboration is a buzzword for the logistics industry’s big players. I seriously question the extent to which their achievements match their claims… By contrast Harlequin is genuinely collaborative.”
Smith said that the new venture is directly taking on the “global super corporations” which have been pushing 4PL services.
