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Seko to begin own operations in Ireland after years in agency relationship

Seko to go its own way in Ireland (Photo: FreightWaves/Jim Allen)

U.S.-based third-party logistics provider Seko Logistics has launched its operation in Ireland after years of working with a local freight agency, the company said today.

Seko said its new office and warehouse facility is located at Dublin Airport, located in Harristown. It moved in at the start of 2019.

Seko cited Euro-government statistics showing that Ireland’s GDP grew by 5.6 percent in 2018, the fastest growth rate among EU-member nations and well above the 2.1 percent GDP growth for the overall region. Ireland has become a strong market for the development of medical devices and medical diagnostic equipment. The two categories account for 8 percent of Ireland’s total merchandise exports, according to Seko.

Company executives were not available to comment on what impact Britain’s pending withdrawal from the EU will have on Ireland’s economy. Brexit would create a customs border between Ireland, an EU-member nation, and Britain.

In the past 12 months, privately-held Seko, based in Itasca, Ill., has opened facilities in London and Amsterdam, partnered with logistics firm Hermes Germany, and launched operations in Mexico. It announced last Thursday that it acquired GoodShip International Inc., a Chicago-based shipping, customs brokerage and compliance firm. The acquisition is the first full purchase by Seko in its 42-year history.

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Mark Solomon

Formerly the Executive Editor at DC Velocity, Mark Solomon joined FreightWaves as Managing Editor of Freight Markets. Solomon began his journalistic career in 1982 at Traffic World magazine, ran his own public relations firm (Media Based Solutions) from 1994 to 2008, and has been at DC Velocity since then. Over the course of his career, Solomon has covered nearly the whole gamut of the transportation and logistics industry, including trucking, railroads, maritime, 3PLs, and regulatory issues. Solomon witnessed and narrated the rise of Amazon and XPO Logistics and the shift of the U.S. Postal Service from a mail-focused service to parcel, as well as the exponential, e-commerce-driven growth of warehouse square footage and omnichannel fulfillment.