OBM lands foothold into WA market

Multi-disciplined Australian company OBM International Trade Services has taken a step into the Western Australian market by acquiring WA-based Trade Consultants Australia.

According to a statement by OBM, the friendly merger will create a trade logistics and consulting company with a comprehensive and varied skills and services in Australia.

OBM managing director, Mike O'Brien, said the acquisition finally gives OBM a strategic foothold in the important West Australian market. The new arrangements begin on July 1.

"We've been looking at WA for some time but we didn't want to enter that market with an offering that was just a 'me too' product," Mr O'Brien said.

Founder and principal of Trade Consultants Australia, Guy Illy, has accepted a national consulting role under the new arrangement while the WA operation will be run by Antony Carlton, who has been a senior manager with TCA for four years.

"The acquisition of Trade Consultants Australia, with its highly specialised expertise in the Enhanced Project By-Law System (EPBS), gives us a significant point of difference in the WA market from day one and one we plan to build on," O'Brien said.

The EPBS allows concessions for Customs duties, to companies undertaking major projects, provided certain stringent criteria are met by the proponents.

"It's a narrow but deep niche because EPBS is complex and has extensive compliance obligations. It also means that we inherit an important skill set. This provides us with a complete service offering that's very difficult to match in our service market," Mr O'Brien said.

"OBM's existing expertise in customs, indirect tax, R&D and other trade-related services will be immediately available to the Perth operation, while Trade Consultants Australia's EPBS skills will also now be available to our Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane operations."