Supply chain solutions specialist P&O Ferrymasters has extended its long-term relationship with Germany’s BRITA Group, one of the world’s leading water optimisation systems manufacturers, by winning a road transportation contract covering five nations.

The new contract with extension options will generate a turnover close to €1 million based on potential annual volumes, with some 99% of the traffic being carried as full trailer loads.

The deal means that P&O Ferrymasters is poised to win back much of the business it lost in 2009 after more than a decade as BRITA’s exclusive carrier in Europe.

Traffic from Germany to Italy and France has been retained under the latest contract after being regained in a review last year. The company’s Cologne office will continue to handle all shipments to Italy as well as a part-share share of volumes to France.

In addition, the 2011 agreement adds moves to the UK from BRITA’s production sites near Wiesbaden in Germany and at Neudorf, Switzerland, as well as shipments to Germany from the UK plant at Bicester.

This traffic is being managed from the P&O Ferrymasters office in Mannheim.

The company’s Germany general manager Steffen Kessler says: “This contract is a significant win for us because, although pricing is always critical, it shows that high quality service and strong customer relationships are key elements for lasting success.”

BRITA’s international distribution & logistics head Kay Schenk comments: “We are looking forward to picking up on the good partnership of recent years. Besides ensuring economic efficiency, it is important to us to be able to rely on our partners in times when there can be unpredictable and rapid changes, especially in the transport and logistics area. We trust in P&O Ferrymasters as our carrier with this future perspective in mind.”