The agreement – which will run for a minimum three years with the option of a two year extension – is expected to comprise 28,000 loads per annum and will cover the distribution of Kingspan products to the entire British market. It builds on the existing more than 25-year relationship between the two businesses.

P&O Ferrymasters will also be responsible for onsite logistics management at Kingspan’s three manufacturing centres based in Walsall, Holywell and Malton respectively.

Martin Graham, Divisional Transport and CIM Improvement Manager at Kingspan Insulated Panels, said: “The contract extension comes with the confidence that P&O Ferrymasters understands our business and can provide a very high level of service. They have the flexible and dynamic solution approach we require in our increasingly more challenging industry and have adapted to meet and support our business needs.”

Mark Mulder, Contract Logistics Director at P&O Ferrymasters, added: “We are delighted to be extending our relationship with Kingspan Insulated Panels, a company that shares our commitment to innovation, environmental sustainability and customer service. The world is getting more complex and we are at our best when we solve the most difficult logistical challenges for our customers.”

“One of our great competitive advantages is that we have our own platform for the exclusive benefit of our customers, enabling them to track every shipment from collection to delivery point. And our Fr8Manager Transport Management System delivers world beating transparency, giving unprecedented levels of real-time visibility through the supply chain, allowing us to optimise resource utilisation and improve efficiency.”

The news builds on a steady period of growth for P&O Ferrymasters, which has this summer announced the expansion of its logistics network into Turkey and increased capacity on its Poznan-Rotterdam train.

P&O Ferrymasters is a leading pan-European provider of logistics solutions. The company serves 21 strategic locations in 13 countries across the continent, operating integrated road, rail and sea links via a fleet of 5,000 trailers and containers. P&O Ferrymasters also owns a rail terminal in the Romanian city of Oradea, which facilitates the onward movement of goods to Britain from Asian countries via the Silk Road.

The company is a division of P&O Ferries, which sails on eight major routes between Britain, France, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Holland and Belgium. It operates more than 20 vessels which carry 8.4 million passengers and 2.3 million freight units annually.