Logistics firm eyes £100m turnover target
A LOGISTICS business has reported its most successful year of trading with revenue growing by almost two thirds last year after winning a raft of major contracts.
Yorkshire-based Advanced Supply Chain saw a 59.3 per cent increase in turnover in 2012 compared to 2011, as sales climbed to £36.5m.
Its growth came after it won new contracts with a string of clients including Matalan, Makro and Go Outdoors.
The results cap the most successful 12 months in the company’s 15-year history and is now ahead of hitting its target of £100m turnover by 2017.
The business plans to create 1,500 new jobs and invest more than £20m in its operations to reach this goal.
Chief executive Mike Danby said: “Against a decidedly gloomy economic backdrop, we really delivered the goods in 2012 and smashed our original revenue target by £1.5m.
“The groundwork for this growth has been laid down by the development of bespoke IT systems and controls, which deliver cost savings and improved operational accuracy for our customers. However, it is our commitment to forging international distribution links combined with the professionalism of our staff, which has enabled us to deliver these exceptional results.”
During 2012 Advanced Supply Chain saw its workforce grow by 17 per cent. The firm created 75 new jobs by opening two large new distribution centres in Birstall in Leeds and Corby, Northamptonshire.
It now employs a total of 538 staff and plans to create another 140 jobs this year.
Mr Danby added: “By improving our service and keeping costs down for our customers we know we can continue to deliver growth. We’ve now set ourselves a target of £45m turnover in 2013 and I have every confidence we’ll succeed.”
The company was founded as a garment processing and rectification company in Hebden Bridge in 1997 when it employed just ten staff.
Now it operates across six sites with one million sq ft of operational space and a fleet of 200 trailers.
Next year the firm will begin freight-forwarding to the new 1.2 million sq ft Pinhu Logistics Centre in Shenzhen, South China, as part of its partnership with China’s second-largest logistics provider Sinotrans.
