DT Christmas Newsletter 2025

OCEAN AND RAIL

to Tony Cole, this quartet boasts nearly a century of combined ocean freight expertise — most of it honed at Davies Turner. A year of Snakes and Ladders In summary, 2025 has been a year of Snakes & Ladders for

efficiency. And as we write this, we’re thrilled to say they’re nearly back at the top of their game. Fancy a game of Twister? Among the eclectic mix of cargo transported by our China Rail

service, we’ve seen a notable influx of car shipments, which has transformed our warehouse team into skilled Twister champions. With precision and agility, they navigate the tightest of spaces to safely extract vehicles packed snugly into rail containers — a feat that’s as impressive as it is entertaining for onlookers. In a ironic twist, some of these pristine, showroom-ready cars — handled with the great care on their journey, including meticulous strapping and protective coverings were revealed to be destined for crash testing. Happy families for ocean team In other ocean news, January saw

ocean services, filled with its fair share of highs and lows. While moments of Frustration have occasionally surfaced, our collaborative efforts as a team have turned the tide, and in the grand Wheel of Fortune, we’re emerging as true winners. However, board games weren’t the sole source of fun in 2025 — our CPO import team has been sharpening their linguistic skills with word games as well. The crowd favourite, “Correct That Catchphrase,” has kept spirits high and laughter abundant. Here’s a curated selection of classic phrases that our delightful colleagues have hilariously misinterpreted over the past year. “Clear as mustard”, “So close no guitar”, “Cow in a china shop”, “Turning in his shoes”, “Too many cocks in the kitchen”, “The gooseberry in the room”

a game-changing addition of Happy Families as Guillaume Bouyer (above right) stepped up as Head of Trade for strategic accounts in ISC & South East Asia. Joining forces with Paul Gray and John Adams and reporting

It’s always good to share a laugh or two — hopefully, you’ve found plenty of reasons to smile along the way whilst reading this article. Wishing you oceans of joy and a tide of laughter this Christmas!

Mission impossible: Delivering against the odds

L ate on a Friday in June, Davies Turner got a frantic call from our China rail contact Krzysztof Izdebski, general manager CMC Logistics Poland, about a high-stakes mission: assisting with the movement of tank parts from Poland to Ukraine, on behalf of Toll, Australia. The catch? 300 exact screws were urgently needed from a company in Buckinghamshire to make the tanks battle-ready — and the clock was ticking, with the shop shutting at 17:30. No pressure, right? Meet DT’s own Ethan Hunt ... Tony Cole. Two bionic knees, zero tolerance for failure. Faced with the nail-biting challenge of retrieving the said screws after closing time, he cooked up a genius plan — have them stashed between two bins outside the company’s building, ready for collection. Enter the trusty taxi driver, ready for action ... only to find a locked gate. But Mr Cole, being the mastermind he is, had a backup move. He told the driver to call the number fixed to the gate, summoning the hero security guard who’d been waiting for this exact moment to swoop in, unlock the gate, and save the day. Screws secured? Not quite ... Like father, like daughter With Tony now off-duty for the weekend, he pulled another ace from his sleeve. The screws were handed over to his daughter, Abbie - now the MVP of this logistical drama. On Saturday morning, a Toll Australia rep jetted into the UK, took a cab straight to Abbie, grabbed the package, and made the delivery just in time. Talk about an international res(screw) mission!

Here’s the fascinating part: despite having offices in the UK, Toll Australia turned to Tony and his squad because they’re the team you call when others throw in the towel. Their reputation for getting the job done, no matter how impossible, speaks louder than words. This whirlwind tale isn’t just about screws; it’s about grit, problem-solving, and going above and beyond, all in support of Ukraine’s war effort. Tony’s quick thinking and relentless drive embody the gold standard of Davies Turner’s excellence. Mission impossible? Not on our watch!

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