All Interviews articles – Page 11
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The Fortec Way to better profitability
A year after taking on the role of commercial director at pallet network Fortec, after 13 years looking after the finances, Marcus Fischer reflects: "It’s been an interesting 12 months. We have taken the next big step in Fortec’s evolution. Our MD Neil Hodgson and I spent 2012 refining the ...
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Baxter aiming high at Europa Worldwide
Three years ago the industry was shocked as one of the most prominent names in family haulage, the Baxter family’s RH Freight, was snapped up by Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel for £66.9m. It was a move that came out of the blue, and was concluded within in matter ...
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The Unipart Way
To many people the name Unipart is associated with the aftermarket parts supplier for British Leyland and later Rover Group, and that is indeed how the company started back in 1974. But today the Unipart Group is a diverse £1bn a year multinational logistics, manufacturing and consulting business working in ...
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Morrisons looks to the future with new channels to market
On 10 January Morrisons launches its first online retail offering across the Midlands – a tie-up with Ocado – making it one of the last of the big supermarkets to enter the world of home delivery.It was the culmination of months of change at Morrisons that has seen it make ...
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Continuous improvement fuels contract renewal for DHL and Morrisons
In November, DHL Supply Chain revealed it had beaten off rival bids to renew a six-year fuel distribution contract with the UK’s fourth largest supermarket, Morrisons – a deal that extends their overall working relationship to 12 years.But this time around, both parties wanted to adopt a fresh attitude to ...
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Natural gas - a viable road transport fuel or just hot air?
DHL Supply Chain’s Consumer division has become the latest – and among the biggest – investor in gas-powered trucks with the replacement of most of the 70-strong fleet based at its multi-user DC at Bawtry near Doncaster, south Yorkshire, with Volvo FM MethaneDiesel dual fuel 6x2 tractor units.The large scale ...
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Palletforce recruits first-time pallet network members
Palletforce’s recent reorganisation of its East Midlands coverage saw H Beardsley exit the network, to be replaced by Lockwood Haulage and Nelson Distribution. This is the first time these two well-established operators have joined a pallet network as Steve Hobson reports.Palletforce is one of the UK’s leading pallet networks, covering ...
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Peter Larner looks back on his 40 year career
After more than 40 years in the industry, Peter Larner retires from his role as MD of Essex tanker operator Suckling Transport on 31 October. He tells the history of his world in five objects to Steve Hobson.A quietly spoken, thoughtful man, Peter Larner has built a reputation for keeping ...
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Aspray24 expands with new £6m logistics hub
Express carrier Aspray24 is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2013 and has marked the occasion with the opening of its new £6m state of the art warehouse on a six-acre plot next to its existing 12-acre site in Noose Lane, Willenhall.According to MD Stuart Laight, the acquisition of the site ...
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The good, the bad and the ugly - Tony Pain's 45 year in truck marketing
One of the best known figures in the UK transport industry, Daf Trucks marketing director Tony Pain retired on 4 October at the age of 63,45 years to the day since he started work at Leyland.Pain got into the job because he always wanted to design trucks, but says he ...
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The future is still orange for TNT Express
UPS’ failed attempt to take over TNT Express left a shadow of uncertainty hanging over the Netherlands-based express carrier. But it has emerged with a clear strategy for success as TNT Express Services UK & Ireland Managing Alistair Cochrane tells Steve Hobson.The proposed takeover – which UPS had said ...
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Acumen proves profit is sanity in car deliveries
Last year Acumen Logistics Group gate-crashed the MT Top 100 for the first time, scant reward for a phenomenal performance over the past few years that has seen the company rise from an £8.2m turnover in 2009 to £20m in 2012.While this rate of growth has not all been organic, ...
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KeyPL proves 4PL model can deliver cost and service benefits
While TDG may not have invented the term 4PL, it was certainly one of the leaders in making the concept work for its customer Corus Steel back in 2006. Since then TDG has been acquired by Norbert Dentressangle (ND) and Corus taken over by Tata Steel, and 4PL has been ...
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Keep young and beautiful if you want to be hired
Fast-growing trailer rental firm Hireco is investing in new tracking technology as well as new trailers as director James Smith tells Steve HobsonWith a fleet of 5,000 trailers, all under five years old, Berkshire-based Hireco ranked fifth in MT’s first CV Informer league table of trailer rental firms. Director James ...
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Transaid goes back to its roots
International development charity Transaid has gone back to its roots providing logistics support to other aid organisations since Gary Forster took over as chief executive in 2011, as he explains to Steve Hobson.While Transaid was set up as an independent body in 1998, its origins go further back, and ...
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Yodel chief Neil Lloyd looks to improve customer experience
Home delivery specialist Yodel has gone through some well-publicised growing pains since its creation from the merger of HDNL and the day domestic side of DHL in 2010.Despite halving its losses, it still posted a £67m deficit at the end of June 2012 and had suffered capacity issues during the ...
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Read all about it - C&H (Hauliers) focus on newsprint
To remain competitive C&H (Hauliers) has wrapped up the niche paper reel market, expanded into recycling and invested heavily in its fleet.The choice of becoming a niche player with a limited pool of clients or a general haulier swimming in a bigger pond is always a tough one. Essex-based C&H ...
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Volvo boss full of confidence in new Renault line up
At this week’s multi-million euro launch of Renault Trucks’ complete new line up in Lyon, senior directors from its parent Volvo Group turned out to lend their support to this €2bn (£1.7bn) project to revitalise Renault’s ageing CV portfolio. These included Volvo Group president Olof Persson and he spoke to ...
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Michelin weathering the recessionary storm
It is now five years since the credit crunch plunged Europe into deep recession. MT editor Steve Hobson went to Michelin HQ in Clermont-Ferrand to find out how the super-premium tyre maker is weathering the storm.Recessions are tough on premium brands, as buyers go into survival mode and the long-term ...
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Clugston back on growth path with new revenue streams
Although Clugston can trace its roots back almost 120 years to 1895, when the grandfather of current chairman John Clugston set up a builders merchants in Scunthorpe, it celebrated its official 75th anniversary since incorporation last year.Like many long-established firms with roots in construction and transport, Clugston - still based ...