Dean Rossiter, Transcar Projects

Can you tell us a little bit about Transcar Projects?

Transcar Projects is one of the last privately-owned project logistics management specialist companies. Clients include blue chip majors throughout the world in the oil and gas, petrochemical, process, renewables, water treatment and civil construction sectors.

How did Transcar Projects start out?

We’re a family business, started in 1977 by two former K&N employees, John Salter and Wolfgang Rust. Then, major projects were considered anything in excess of a few containers and the company’s main business was linked to Libyan river projects. Forty-two years later, we’ve executed projects in all corners of the world, the largest of which was for more than 2m freight tonnes of cargo for a large gas-to-liquids plant in Qatar.

All of our services are tailored to each client. We optimise their logistics budgets; procuring, expediting and reporting, taking responsibility for delivering every item on time and within budget. This is all coordinated to and from anywhere around the globe. Our processes and systems give clients the confidence to commit to their schedules as we transparently and cost effectively move and track freight. We contract the best specialists in the transportation sector to move anything from 3,000-tonne modules down to shrink-wrapped washers and foundation bolts.

What’s a typical day like?

The great thing about our business is that most days are different. Most of our activity takes place in the Cloud for ease of international access via any of our regional operations, as well as providing our clients with instant access to our updates.

If you weren’t working at Transcar Projects, what do you think you’d be doing?

I was originally a medical student and I think I would have gone back to medicine as it has always interested me.

What’s been Transcar Projects’ biggest highlight to date?

We are still competing for work in an environment where we are dwarfed by multi-billion dollar international logistics giants. Despite this, we are able to win and execute projects so well that our clients continue to ask us back, time and time again.

When John Salter died suddenly in 2005, the future of the business was at stake as we had just started to break into the major project markets. I always look back on that as a time when both myself and the Transcar team pulled together so effectively, dealing with the inevitable challenges  that arose after John’s death, stabilising the business and then going on to win and execute one of the world’s largest projects as part of a JV.

What would it surprise our readers to know about Transcar Projects?

That many of the company’s original founding team from 1977 were still with the company until their recent retirement. We have one of the lowest staff turnovers in the industry, which provides highly valued continuity for our clients and partners alike.

I recently turned 50 and decided to do my first triathlon to celebrate that milestone. It took place in Australia last November and I enjoyed it so much that I did another in December. Now I am hooked and will do another this March. The training certainly helps you keep on top of the jet-lag and schedules that come with the project environment.

What’s next for Transcar Projects?

Although the last 12 months have been quiet, there are signs that new projects will emerge in 2019. We have continued to push our non-project contract work and it’s grown strongly. We are very bullish about the next 12–18 months as a result.

What does the future hold for the shipping industry?

Brexit and US political turbulence have driven huge swings in currency rates and brought about uncertainty which can easily cause a slowdown in our sector. I suspect we will see ongoing volatility for the next 12 months, although because of the amount of trade and revenue at stake, governments will eventually have to find a way forward and things should then settle back down.