This month, GMK Logistics proudly celebrates sixty years of service to the Australian flooring industry. Their story started on the 31st of October 1962 when John Kane registered G.M. Kane & Sons Pty Ltd, naming it after his parents George and Muriel. He started out with just one truck, providing general freight services between Sydney and Camden. John soon decided to focus on transporting flooring products and invested in specialised equipment to handle carpet and vinyl rolls. John firmly believed that the way to differentiate yourself in transport was to provide exceptional customer service. This commitment remains a key part of the GMK philosophy to this day.
In 2005, John appointed his daughter Sharon as Managing Director. Sharon had worked in the family business since leaving school and understood the operation extremely well. As John gradually stepped back from day-to-day operations, Sharon began formulating a plan to take the business national. On the 25th of March 2008, Sharon Kane rebranded the business as GMK Logistics and opened depots in all major capital cities, offering full 3PL services and a national transport network for the flooring industry.
In the background, but playing a key role in running the operation, was David Knagge who had joined the business in 2004. Like John Kane, David set up his own business, Knagge Transport, and soon began to specialise in moving flooring products. When GMK went national, many of David’s long-term flooring customers moved across to GMK Logistics. His extensive knowledge of both flooring and transport continued to be influential in defining the operation and culture of GMK. As David frequently tells the new generation of GMK managers: “In transport, there are many factors outside your control such as traffic and weather. However, if we keep our customers informed and give them a solution, they are almost always understanding. It’s not about what you get wrong but how you recover.”
In 2015, Perth based and ASX listed company CTI Logistics Limited was looking to expand to the Eastern States. They soon identified GMK Logistics as a well-run and specialised business that would be a great starting point for their national ambitions. Acquiring GMK in June 2015, CTI recognised the strength of the GMK brand and have been at pains ever since to support its development as a specialised logistics business, dedicated to the flooring industry.
CTI have also continued to invest in the GMK business, a prime example being the purchase of a custom made state of the art carpet-cutting table, which was commissioned in Melbourne in April 2019. Built by Perpetual Machine Company in U.S.A., the Carpet Boss III represents a very substantial investment by GMK in its customers and the Australian flooring industry. This fully automatic machine is capable of an impressive 45 cuts per hour or 342 cuts in a standard day shift, which includes check measure balances and finished product wrapping. It’s the most advanced cutting machine in Australia.
Also in 2019, GMK implemented the Jaix Logistics Software suite, an ERP product developed in Adelaide specifically for the Australian logistics sector. GMK had been using Jaix in its Melbourne warehouse for many years and having examined a number of other options, proceeded to implement the Jaix Transport, Warehouse and Accounts modules in all locations. Incorporating end-to-end scanning, the new system provides customers with full visibility of their product throughout the supply chain. The GMK warehouse effectively becomes the customer’s virtual warehouse providing full visibility of their product from receipt, processing of orders and delivery to the customer. Sign-on-glass technology enables real time track and trace and immediate POD visibility.
The new cutting machine, along with the Jaix IT solution, puts GMK at the leading edge of the Australian flooring logistics market. Customers utilising the GMK outsourced warehouse solution now have a number of distinct advantages over their competition, including:
- speed to market, with immediate access to GMK’s extensive national transport network
- world class equipment and IT solutions, with full product visibility
- the ability to focus on their core business without the distraction of a warehouse operation
- no warehouse WHS or HR compliance issues; and
- reduced capital investment and improved cashflow.
In 2022, in conjunction with their parent company, they achieved International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certification for Quality, Environmental and Health and Safety Management Systems, a significant accomplishment. They now have over 85,000 square metres of warehousing space and a fleet of over 100 specialised trucks and trailers. They employ 221 experienced staff and permanent sub-contractors throughout Australia. Whilst the GMK story features many strong and focused individuals over its sixty-year history, it is those 221 committed Australians, working together as a team, that sets out every day to deliver the best possible service to its customer.
