Stena Line has just completed the full integration of the Liverpool and Heysham routes which it acquired from DFDS. Since approval for the purchase of the routes was given in June, a major systems integration project has been underway to integrate the new routes onto Stena Line’s Irish Sea business.
The addition of the new routes brings the total number of Stena Line routes on the Irish Sea to six including Stranraer-Belfast, Holyhead-Dun Laoghaire/Dublin Port and Fishguard-Rosslare.
Stena Line Area Director Michael McGrath said: “Integrating a GBP40M business takes a lot of planning and teamwork. To do it in a matter of months has been a fantastic achievement and I’m delighted to confirm that both the Liverpool and Heysham routes are firmly established and integrated within Stena Line’s day to day business operations.”
Obvious examples of the integration are the livery on the ships and the signage at the terminals. Behind the scenes there has been a colossal amount of work carried out to ensure that all Stena Line’s booking, pricing, financial and marketing systems and procedures have been applied to the new routes so that no matter when, where or how its customers book and use the new routes they will be a seamless part of the Stena Line business model.
A lot of preparation work has also been carried out with our freight and travel trade customers bringing them up to speed on the use and benefits of the new systems and ensuring a smooth transition takes place. According to Stena Line, the feedback to date from customers has been very positive and the company is looking forward to the new routes being fully fledged members of the Stena Line family.
“On the Irish Sea we now have a formidable range of options for our freight and travel customers with an expanded choice of routes, sailings and ships,” continued Michael McGrath. “In fact, our customers can even choose to go out with us on one route and return on another one of our routes as part of a seamless booking system – that’s real customer choice,” he concluded.
About Stena Line:
Stena Line is the market leader on the Irish Sea, offering the biggest fleet and the widest choice of routes between Ireland and Britain, including Belfast to Stranraer, Belfast to Liverpool, Dublin Port to Holyhead, Dun Laoghaire to Holyhead and Rosslare to Fishguard. The ferry company carries over two million passengers on its Irish Sea ferry routes each year, more than its rival ferry operators combined.
[mappress] Source: Stena Line, October 6, 2011.