MetroBox to incorporate second premium rail served site - Port of Tauranga Limited

MetroBox, the Auckland-based container storage, handling and maintenance company, is expanding its services to customers following the establishment of a new business partnership with Specialised Container Services (SCS).
The move incorporates SCS’s Auckland business activity, client base and 11 hectare site in Savill Drive, Mangere, into the MetroBox operation. Together with the existing nine hectare site at Southdown, MetroBox now has capacity for more than 20,000 empty containers on the two rail-served sites.
The arrangement will see a restructure of the ownership of MetroBox – previously a joint venture between KiwiRail and the Port of Tauranga – with SCS taking up a shareholding in the operation.
SCS had previously held the contract for operating MetroBox, and will continue to operate both sites.
“We have taken this strategic opportunity to strengthen our service to Auckland customers through the ability to offer a choice of two strategic Auckland locations,” says SCS General Manager and MetroBox Director Grant Tregurtha.
“MetroBox already offers significant operational and commercial advantages to clients in Auckland with its prime location. The shareholders see this new move, driven by client requests for expansion, as a logical progression that will unlock considerable benefits to customers, ensuring we continue to meet their needs over coming years.
“The move combines the respective expertise of our three businesses into one entity, adds a second prime location and provides a building block for expansion into other locations around the country.
“Storage and repositioning of empty containers is a critical part of supply chain activity, and with changes in international shipping patterns, an efficient and well-connected service is vital.”
SCS already has proven expertise in container handling. Both sites have direct access to the rail network and with its new, expanded rolling stock fleet, KiwiRail has the scale required to manage the transportation requirements, and the Port of Tauranga provides the vital link with the international shipping lines, he says.