In 1991, Kings Transport & Logistics was a long way from the powerhouse logistics company it is today. The company began with just 3 staff, two trucks and a lot of determination. These days the company has more than 700 employees, over 1,500 company-owned and subcontracted vehicles and a network of over 1,300 subcontracted drivers.
Kings now has a presence in most of the capital cities across Australia, with a head office in Melbourne, and offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth as well as in Auckland, New Zealand. And its fleet of taxi and courier vehicles ranges from push bikes and motorcycles to semi-trailers and crane trucks. Kings specialises in urban deliveries, but can also deliver across country and in regional areas.
Empowerment & sustainability
Since coming on board as CEO in 2016, Tony Mellick has been focused on creating an infrastructure that people want to be part of, and that enables them to do their best. “That’s what I am passionate about, it is about how do we empower the people, how do we make our people better,” he says. With the best people, Kings can create lasting relationships with customers, and therefore understand and enable customer strategies. He’s working towards a cultural change, in which staff are encouraged and empowered to flourish, mature and grow with the company.
Kings is also working toward a more sustainable future. Not only does the company use push bikes in the cities when possible, but it has also added electric vehicles to its fleet. And it works with Greenfleet, a climate action not-for-profit, to offset its carbon output. Tony says, “Kings is committed to a carbon neutral policy for all company-owned fleet.”
Looking to the future
Kings is working to stay relevant and competitive in the modern age, by embracing new technologies and digital engagement. “It’s about relationships, it’s about integrated supply chain solutions, it’s about the real-time information,” says Tony. “All of the successful retailers now have an Omni channel presence in that their bricks and mortar is really important to them but they also have an alternate engagement channel through digital. We have got to do the same.”
Kings will develop a digital presence that will allow consumers to organise transport remotely. It already has a GPS tracking system so personnel can locate the nearest truck available for delivery, provide instantaneous proof of delivery, and also keep an eye on progress updated online.
It’s also looking at gathering business intelligence while on delivery. There is valuable information that can be collected from delivery recipients and fed back to Kings’ customers. And digital engagement on delivery can also provide an upsell opportunity for customers.
The ageing population provides the potential for expansion also. Tony says, “The government has come out and said we want to keep more people in their home. That then creates supply chain into the home.” There will be a need for community couriers to deliver services such as welfare checks, lawn mowing, and supplies such as food and pharmaceuticals to the elderly. As a quick response urban transport specialist, Kings is ideally placed to cater to this growing demand.
“These are all the innovative things that we need to look at if we are going to stay relevant in a supply chain over the next 20 or 30 years,” explains Tony.
Kings Transport and Logistics key facts
- Company name: Kings Transport and Logistics
- CEO: Tony Mellick
- Headquarters: Notting Hill, Victoria
- Number of employees: 700
- Industry: Transportation & Logistics