When Captain John Westerlund, a ship owner from Gothenburg in Sweden, settled in Antwerp in 1903, he set up a business supplying ship’s provisions. Over 100 years later, the Westerlund Group has a strong tradition in forwarding and warehousing paper, pulp and forest products and is continuing its global expansion through strategic acquisitions and buyouts. In 2008 the Westerlund Group handled over nine million tons through its regional operations in Belgium, France, the United Kingdom and China, and the group also owns and operates the world’s largest terminal specialising in forest products.

Westerlund’s steady expansion and then specialisation in forest products received a massive boost in 1968 when the founder’s sons built one of the first large modern terminals in Antwerp to specialise in pulp, paper and forest products. 1987 marked the start of a period of significant growth as the company opened the very first terminal on the left bank of the river Scheldt. Doubling its capacity four years later, Westerlund’s Antwerp terminal became the largest in the world specialising in the handling of paper and pulp. It covers an area of 880,000m2 with 260,000m2 of covered storage. In addition the group operates Europe’s largest (and dust-free) bulk kaolin receiving terminal on Antwerp’s right bank.

A key aspect of Westerlund’s success has been the growth of its regional operations. In Europe, Westerlund France started operating a marine terminal at Rouen in 1993 and also runs a container freight station at Marseilles/ Fos. Westerlund UK started running its business from Tilbury in 1995.

In France, Westerlund recently strengthened its position as a market leader through the acquisition of Cimep-Mondia Forest Products. This buyout increased its French activities by 50% and enlarged its storage capacity in Rouen to 85,000m2. In Asia, Westerlund commenced business in 1996 with the building of terminals in the new Chinese port of Changshu, west of Shanghai on the Yangtze River. Westerlund Changshu nearly doubled its handling volumes from one million tonnes in 2004 to almost two million tonnes in 2007. A newly opened office in Shanghai coordinates the group’s Asian logistics.

Westerlund’s activities have developed rapidly over the past few years beyond traditional stevedoring to include full logistical services, including complete distribution to final clients as well as the exporting of paper from Europe.

The group combines its expertise in pulp and paper handling with strategic partners in order to offer a seamless logistics network. Forwarding by road, rail, barge or sea, or any combination thereof, is carried out by a single service provider for reliable and competitive export solutions.

A worldwide network of company-owned and managed terminals ensures high quality warehousing for safe storage and efficient handling. As part of its comprehensive service to both producers and consumers, the group also provides a full online tracking system to monitor shipments at all stages of the paper chain. A major accomplishment with regards to quality control was Westerlund’s achievement in 2002 of simultaneous ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification, becoming the first Belgian terminal operator to obtain this distinction.

Ongoing investment in systems, procedures and training at its various terminals ensures that Westerlund provides the highest quality service while having the least impact on the environment and the community. BBI buyout consolidates Westerlund’s global position 2008 has seen a major development for the group with the decision by Babcock & Brown Infrastructure (BBI), Europe’s largest bulk and break bulk operations group specialist, to acquire the Westerlund Group.

Through its majority-owned subsidiary Benelux Port Holdings, BBI acquired a majority shareholding in the Westerlund Group as part of its long-term business strategy of acquiring and developing high quality port companies. BBI employs 2,900 people worldwide in its port holdings and operations and handles approximately 150 million tons of various commodities annually. In 2007 BBI achieved group revenue of €0.8 billion. Jean-Jacques Westerlund, who remains CEO of the Westerlund Group, assured all stakeholders that the quality and commitment of Westerlund would remain unchanged.

“Babcock & Brown has a record of operating to the same high quality standards as Westerlund is known for, and you may be assured that Westerlund will continue providing the dedicated service and attention to your interests in all the ports we operate,” he said. “We firmly believe that the new shareholding structure will allow our company to successfully pursue growth in our major markets and to serve our clients even better in future.”