A home from home, 3,500 miles from Airport Road, Waterford, the USA to Airport Business Park, Waterford, Ireland; Safety Technology International is pleased to announce the acquisition of a new European Distribution Hub.
Sharing striking similarities with the address of our US Headquarters, the new European Distribution Hub in Waterford, Ireland boasts circa 100 square metres of modern office space, together with 420 square metres of warehouse and storage – providing almost 230 pallet spaces.
Complementing our EMEA office, the Ireland Hub further enhances a number of operational and strategic improvements enabling STI to better serve the needs of European customers; from initial placement of order to dispatch of goods, customers can expect a streamlined experience with no change to their pre-Brexit order process; an additional benefit being they will remain exempt from any laborious form-filling, thus resulting in a seamless delivery of our goods to Europe.
Managing Director, Steve Hunt said: “Brexit has caused severe disruption to our normally efficient service levels for European customers. Therefore, we have acted decisively in securing this new facility which will provide a long-term resolution to the problems we and many companies have experienced this year.
“We know some of our UK customers ship our products to their European customers and it is our intention to fulfil these orders on behalf of our UK customers – directly from our European facility to assist them.”
Famed for its Waterford Crystal and Ryanair’s first-ever flights, Ireland’s oldest city shares the same blueprint for innovation on which STI was founded more than four decades ago.
Holding significant historical importance as a trading port, the Port of Waterford has remained one of Ireland’s major ports for over a millennium – it is the closest deep-water Irish lift-on lift-off and bulk port to mainland Europe.
A €12m plan to extend and widen the current runway at the neighbouring Waterford Airport will further improve transport links in the region.
Providing employment for the local community, the Distribution Hub will initially be manned by UK team members whilst they assist in the training of locally-based staff.
Goods will be manufactured on-site before shipping, with UL listed products continuing to be produced in the UK and shipped from the new facility.