Cardinal Global Logistics started with just a £15,000 investment, and has since grown into a £500 million turnover company. They’re now the largest employee-owned freight forwarding company globally. 

Simon Tasker, ReAgent’s Managing Director, recalls the challenges we faced when we started shipping products to the Far East and how we worked with Cardinal in a true partnership to deliver products on time and in full.

Connecting with Cardinal Maritime

Simon recalls the initial contact between ReAgent and Cardinal. He says, “A customer in the Far East was asking us to arrange freight and deal with all the customs clearances ourselves. We contacted the Department of Trade and International Trade, and they put us in contact with Cardinal Maritime.”

Since the chemicals we were manufacturing needed to be temperature controlled, warehousing needed to be in temperature control warehousing. The products had to be held in a bonded warehouse, which is pre-customs clearance. Cardinal stepped in, and together we were able to set our supply chain up very quickly. 

Strength in partnership

Dean Forkin, Export & Client Experience Manager at Cardinal Maritime, recounts the evolving partnership, saying “The relationship with ReAgent is more like a partnership. We don’t treat them as a customer. There’s an open flow of dialog and bookings well in advance.”

He also highlights the importance of understanding ReAgent’s needs: “I think understanding your needs, we have quite a clear communication process so we know what you need. And being able to deliver on that is, you know, is paramount to us.”

Shared culture & values

Simon goes on to emphasise the two companies’ cultural alignment: “I think the service level comes from the fact Cardinal has a very similar culture to ReAgent. They’re very employee focused, which is obviously reflected in the fact that both companies have Investors In People, but they’re also very customer service focused as well.”

What’s next for ReAgent & Cardinal?

Of future ambitions, Dean says, “Certainly continuous growth year on year; we’re seeing the volumes increase and this is spread across different modes of transport. So initially sea, we’re moving air, road, and now because of Brexit we’re doing a lot of import customs clearance or customs clearance requirements for ReAgent through our bureau office.

“Culturally, we find ourselves aligned with ReAgent. We both heavily invest in our staff and our people. We’re two companies that are continuing to grow and innovate in our space. So I expect our relationship will see mutual success.”