Exel plc History



Address:
Ocean House, The Ring
Bracknell, Berkshire RG12 1AN
United Kingdom

Telephone: (1344) 302000
Fax: (1344) 710031

Website:
Public Company
Incorporated: 1865 as the Ocean Steam Ship Company; 1981 as National Freight Consortium PLC
Employees: 61,700
Sales: £4.5 billion ($6.5 billion) (2001)
Stock Exchanges: London
Ticker Symbol: EXL
NAIC: 541614 Process, Physical Distribution, and Logistics Consulting Services; 488510 Freight Transportation Arrangement

Company Perspectives:

Our global strategy revolves around expanding our geographical and service penetration, strengthening positions in key market sectors, and providing consistent global capabilities and management.

Key Dates:

1865:
Alfred and Philip Holt set up the Ocean Steam Ship Company.
1945:
World War II has a devastating effect on Ocean's business.
1965:
Ocean lists on the London Stock Exchange; the firm begins investing in containerization.
1968:
McGregor Swire Air Services (MSAS) is formed as a joint venture between Ocean and Swire; the government forms National Freight Corporation (NFC).
1969:
Four British companies establish Overseas Containers Ltd. (OCL).
1982:
The British government sells NFC to company employees.
1986:
Ocean sells its interest in OCL.
1989:
NFC creates Exel Logistics.
1990:
Ocean changes its name to Ocean Group plc.
1998:
Ocean unites its logistics companies under the MSAS name.
2000:
Ocean merges with NFC plc to form Exel plc.

Company History:

Further Reading:

  • Davidson, Andrew, "John Allan," Management Today, April 1998, p. 76.
  • "Exel Confident Despite 6% Fall in Full-Year Pretax Profit," Futures World News, June 8, 2001.
  • "Exel Reorganizes," Chemical Week, November 3, 1999, p. 45.
  • Falkus, Malcolm, The Blue Funnel Legend: A History of the Ocean Steam Ship Company, 1865-1973, London: Macmillan, 1990.
  • Hobsbawm, E. J., Industry and Empire: From 1750 to the Present Day, London: Penguin Books, 1969.
  • Hyde, Francis E., Blue Funnel: A History of Alfred Holt and Company of Liverpool from 1865 to 1914, Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 1956.
  • McLachlan, Sandy, The National Freight Buy-Out, London: Macmillan, 1983.
  • "NFC, Ocean Group Agree to Combine for 2.66 Billion Euros," Wall Street Journal Europe, February 22, 2000, p. 4.
  • "Ocean, NFC Merger Focuses on Growth," Logistics Management & Distribution Report, May 1, 2000, p. 24.
  • Roskill, S. W., A Merchant Fleet in War: Alfred Holt & Co. 1939-1945, London: Collins, 1962.
  • Thompson, Peter, Sharing the Success: The Story of NFC, London: Collins, 1990.
  • Turnbull, Gerard L., Traffic and Transport: An Economic History of Pickfords, London: George Allen & Unwin, 1979.
  • Turney, Roger, "MSAS Grows," Air Cargo World, April 1999, p. 13.

Source: International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 51. St. James Press, 2003.