Specialist logistics partner Kenter is known for turning difficult jobs into controlled, repeatable processes that protect project timelines and deliver operational value for equipment dealers, overseas buyers, and infrastructure contractors.
Kenter International Logistics is focused on complex, high-stakes freight movements where heavy machinery, deadlines, and compliance requirements leave no room for error.
Rather than operating as a general freight forwarder, the business positions itself as an end-to-end project logistics provider. It combines planning, dismantling, biosecurity preparation, multi-mode transport, documentation, and 24/7 coordination into a single managed solution for clients across Australia and international destinations.
In each project, Kenter is responsible not just for booking freight, but for designing and orchestrating the chain of activities from equipment preparation to final shipping documentation.
Forklifts to foreign shores
The company’s expertise is demonstrated by an assignment that required the transport of 16 35-tonne forklifts to overseas clients, who had bought them from an Australian dealer.
Kenter managed the dismantling, cleaning, and export process from Queensland and New South Wales — coordinating multiple providers and meeting vessel and biosecurity requirements.
Some of the forklifts were also at different sites, each with unique access, dismantling, and timing requirements. Some locations had easy crane access, while others required detailed planning to manage equipment movement
and compliance.
In their assembled state, these forklifts were too large for standard containers and could not be accepted as RORO (roll-on, roll-off) cargo until they met export-cleaning and biosecurity criteria. This meant the project could not be executed with simple, off-the-shelf freight arrangements.
The job required a carefully engineered combination of dismantling, heavy-lift handling, containerisation of components, and shipment of the cleaned main units to the destination.
Kenter Managing Director Emily Jackman said that the company’s involvement began with a detailed assessment and planning phase conducted by its operations lead to determine the best combination of shipping methods for the machines.
“This step illustrates the company’s emphasis on technical evaluation before any physical work begins, ensuring that choices around containers, cranes, and vessel types are driven by dimensional and regulatory realities rather than convenience,” she said.
“By designing the project holistically from the outset, Kenter set up a pathway where dismantling, washing, and transport all aligned with vessel schedules and port requirements.”
A technical challenge lay in reducing the forklift dimensions so components could travel in 40-foot open-top containers without compromising the integrity of the machines.
Kenter oversaw the removal of the mast and side-pick frame from each unit, creating a configuration in which the drivable main body could remain mobile while the tallest and widest structures were separated for container shipping.
“This approach allowed the project to take advantage of containerised freight for bulky components while still utilising RORO loading for the main units, optimising both space usage and handling efficiency,” Emily said.
“Once dismantled, each main unit still needed to pass biosecurity checks to be accepted as RORO cargo. Kenter arranged for the drivable bodies to be transported to a specialist wash facility where they were cleaned to export standards, ensuring they were free from soil, plant matter, or contaminants that could breach quarantine rules at destination.
“Only after this process were the units delivered to port, where they could be driven directly onto the vessel bound for Ho Chi Minh City, while the mast assemblies and side-pick frames were loaded into the open-top containers for concurrent shipment.”
Throughout this operation, coordination and documentation were critical. Kenter managed communications between fitters carrying out dismantling, crane operators responsible for heavy lifts, road transport providers moving the various components, and the shipping lines booking both containers and RORO slots.
The company also prepared Bills of Lading and export paperwork, keeping the regulatory and commercial documentation in line with the physical movements so the shipments flowed through the system without delays.
“Kenter successfully exported all forklifts from Brisbane and Sydney to the destinations in compliance with export and biosecurity regulations,” Emily said.
“The project demonstrates Kenter’s ability to bridge the gap between machinery dealers and international buyers by effectively turning an oversized, non-standard cargo profile into a compliant, multi-mode export solution.”
Emily said the project emphasised engineering-led planning. The company did not treat these forklifts as generic pieces of cargo, but instead worked from their weight, dimensions, and operational characteristics to design an appropriate dismantling and shipping strategy.
“Secondly was the seamless integration of multiple logistics modes, combining open-top containerisation with RORO shipping and road transfers between sites, wash facilities, and ports,” she said.
Another theme is compliance as a central design constraint rather than an afterthought.
“The need to meet biosecurity and export regulations shapes the sequence of work, from when and where cleaning occurs to how the units are presented at the port gate,” Emily said.
“Kenter’s handling of documentation and close coordination between all stakeholders ensures that these compliance requirements are built into the workflow and not left to chance, reducing risk for both the dealer and the overseas buyer.”
In summary
- The challenge
Fully assembled, each forklift was too large for standard container shipping and ineligible for RORO loading unless cleaned to export standards. The project required dismantling, specialist handling, and multi-mode coordination to meet both container and RORO shipping requirements.
- The solutions
> Assessment and planning: Initial project scope reviewed by Kenter’s operations led to determine the best combination of shipping methods.
> Dismantling: The mast and side-pick frame were removed so each unit could fit into 4-foot open top containers.
> Export wash: The drivable main units were transported to a wash facility and cleaned to meet strict RORO vessel biosecurity standards.
> Transport and loading: Cleaned units were delivered to port and driven directly onto the RORO vessels, while dismantled parts were shipped in containers.
> Coordination and documentation: Kenter’s operations team handled all communication between fitters, crane operators, transport providers, and shipping lines, and prepared Bills of Lading and export documents.
> Multi-site management: Kenter executed a coordinated, multi-state operation with precision,overseeing units in two states simultaneously.
> Custom handling: Adjusted dismantling, transport, and shipping for each site.
> Compliance: Ensured every unit met export standards through seamless teamwork across fitters, crane crews, transporters, and wash facilities.
“By delivering these complex exports across two states in record time, Kenter continues to prove its capability as a trusted partner for machinery dealers and international buyers — offering true end-to-end project management beyond what general freight forwarders can provide,” Emily said.