Part of the Stotts Group, Willmotts Transport (Willmotts) is one of the largest privately owned distribution companies in the south western region of the UK. Founded in 1918, the firm was originally established in Wells, Somerset, but moved to a new site near Shepton Mallet in the 1980s, where it remains today. Group Managing Director, Andy Stott, has overseen much of this expansion, and in the last ten years Willmotts has grown significantly. We recently caught up with Dan Gray, Managing Director at Willmotts, to find out more.

Indeed, change has become a fundamental part of the distribution company’s growth strategy. For instance, Willmotts now operates multiple warehousing sites in Somerset, including Shepton Mallet, Radstock, Glastonbury, and Frome, as well as operating other depots in Bristol, Bridgwater, Devizes, Warwick, and Sheffield. A 125,000-square-foot warehouse in Radstock was purchased in 2021, but has already been rapidly filled, demonstrating the incredible rate of growth that Willmotts is experiencing. The company has therefore further augmented its warehouse capacity, recently constructing a new and fully-racked 20,000-square-foot site in Waterlip, near Shepton Mallet.

In the last five years alone, the firm has expanded from a relatively modest portfolio into over 400 active accounts, ranging from large multinational organizations to small enterprises and start-ups. Further, Willmotts has secured long-term contracts with numerous, prestigious brands, demonstrating external confidence in the company’s ability to support and enhance the competitiveness of its working partners.

“Central to our growth has been continued investment in our vehicles, sites, and warehousing facilities to support our customers’ requirements as well as the upskilling of our employees,” notes Dan. “This has become even more important since the complexity and range of our services has dramatically increased over the last few years.

“Very early on, we acquired BRCGS certification, which is now maintained across four sites, as well as certification from the Soil Association and both ISO9001:2015 and ISO14001,” he goes on. “This gives customers the reassurance of independent quality assessment with regards to our professional handling of both food and non-food products.”

Dan took over the reins as Managing Director in 2022 and is focused on driving further strategic development within the business, zeroing in on supporting local and national food, drink, Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG), and packaging manufacturers to support pre- and post-production warehousing and distribution requirements.

Leading a company is no easy feat, especially during the turbulent post-pandemic period. As Dan explains: “Along with practically every transport operator in the country, in the last 12 months we have experienced an acute driver shortage, which threatened to leave some of our trucks parked up. With fewer large trucks on the road, much distribution was diverted into networks, leading to an excess of network freight volumes; the network infrastructure simply could not cope.

“It was the perfect storm,” he states. “Yet, quite rightly, it led to a necessary review of driver salary packages, substantially enhancing their personal sense of worth within the profession. Reflecting back on that time, we are incredibly grateful for the loyalty many of our drivers showed. In the end, employee retention was good and our customer base remained stable.

“We believe that running the newest, premium equipment is not only environmentally sound and a good advertisement for our customers, but, particularly in a difficult labor market, has also helped us to attract and retain our driving workforce,” continues Dan. “To secure new business, differentiation from competitors is crucial, and this is most readily achieved with strong branding; however, much new business comes from recommendation. The requirements of the food, drink, FMCG, and packaging sectors are very specific; customers are looking for food safety processes, traceability, and reliability in a fast-moving and demanding environment, as well as scalability to cope with seasonal fluctuations. Our growth has enabled the company to develop more sophisticated logistics and IT solutions, building a bank of expertise and resources that puts us in a better position to secure new contracts.”

Since navigating that perfect storm, Willmott has continued to grow organically; however, a key part of the firm’s recent expansion is the result of the acquisition of Parker Transport by Stotts Group in June earlier this year. Indeed, the Group, which also includes bulk transport specialists S&B Transport Services, operates more than 150 vehicles and covers 400,000 square feet of warehousing space across eight locations.

“The acquisition has certainly increased the strength and depth of our resources and capabilities,” Dan asserts. “We have focused on strengthening our marketing and digital branding, and forging better, long-term alliances with local manufacturers. Combined with our technical expertise, robust facilities, and growing vehicle fleet, the move has enabled us to attract new business and win a number of major new contracts within the last 12 months.

“Despite extended lead times, our vehicle renewal program has remained in motion; ten new trucks and 12 trailers have joined the fleet, and we are continuously looking to expand,” he adds. “Many of the trailers are Willmotts branded, but some have been liveried for customers. In fact, two examples feature The Lily Foundation, an important charity fighting mitochondrial disease that we are supporting, which have created a lot of interest.”

Willmotts considers the practice of good corporate social responsibility an essential trait, assisting an array of humanitarian aid services in Ukraine by transporting essential medical supplies and hospital beds to the border. Another aspect of the geopolitical crisis – the knock-on economic impacts – cannot be ignored.

As Dan notes: “The current economic climate is very challenging; operational costs are still rising exponentially. However, as in the past, we are well placed to weather the storm, and remain confident that we can provide a competitive offer and add tangible value to our customers’ commercial operations, which will put us in a good position to maintain growth going forward.

“We see our service as an essential component of the UK economy,” he concludes. “As we enter the pending recession, it is undoubtedly disappointing that the government has not gone far enough to reduce the costs of doing business and stem the upward trend in prices. In common with most other logistics operators, we would welcome more help with fuel duty and energy costs. That being said, we remain committed to maintaining and developing the business, enabling us to provide intelligent and sustainable one-stop solutions for a variety of manufacturers.”
www.wtl.uk

When XDP Ltd (XDP) began trading in 1996, the company initially supplied the security and electronics sectors, specializing in parcel carrier services. But entry into these fast-evolving markets was an immediate recipe for growth. It wasn’t long before XDP transitioned into the Irregular Dimension and Weight (IDW) market, adding a two-man service to its initial one-man offering.

Since then, XDP has grown to become the largest privately owned freight network in the UK. The company boasts a fleet of over 500 vehicles, and a network in excess of 30 depots nationwide, along with 15 corporate sites, and two distribution hubs. It’s a significant footprint, and one that XDP has been able to build thanks largely to an emphasis on customer-focused logistics, prioritizing reliability and quality of service.

As a privately owned freight network, XDP sits between the parcel and pallet sectors. The company’s full manual-sort offering also enables it to carry fragile items – typically those smaller in size, but which can’t be run through the ordinary mill of automated belts found throughout the parcel sector.

“Our strength lies in the combination of old and new worlds,” are the words of Isabella Wayte, Managing Director at XDP, when speaking to Transportation & Logistics International. “The old world of the manual sort and a real person on-hand to speak with, combined with the latest and greatest technological innovation and AI capabilities.

“We carry predominantly for the B2C market for some of the UK’s largest retailers,” she continues. “XDP offers both a one-man and two-man service across mainland UK and offshore. We also provide dedicated loads and trucking.”

It’s been an interesting time for logistics. The industry underwent a boom in the wake of Covid-19, as repeated lockdowns saw consumer purchases soar. But increasing business has its challenges. For XDP, it was a challenge to the company’s technological and physical infrastructure.

“As a business, our flexible and agile operation was certainly put to the test with the large increase in online shopping,” Isabella confirms. “Many lessons were learnt, which paved the way for many of the new technologies we’ve since put in place – including contactless, QR signing, as well as resource efficiency and performance quality.”

Despite its significant business growth, XDP remains true to its core values. The company remains the only freight network to provide a fully manual operation, a fact that distinguishes it amid a competitive field. “Our operational offering means we’re able to carry a wide variety of goods that, due to either size or product type, aren’t able to travel the conventional way without damage,” Isabella explains. “Providing a fully manual sort allows us to carefully handle all items and manage quality.”

It’s in pursuit of this same quality that XDP continues to introduce innovation throughout its operations. Most recently, this has taken the shape of the company’s ground-breaking new DriverX platform.

“Our real-time DriverX platform delivers enhanced performance, communication, and visibility of all our one-man and two-man deliveries,” Isabella reveals. “The app enables next-stop notification, contactless QR signing, proxy consignee contact, and dramatically improves tracking visibility for customers. It represented a big project for the business, and although – as with most large investment rollouts – we encountered some inevitable teething issues, its impact has been revolutionary.”

Moving forward, XDP is rolling out a series of IT innovations to further enhance RFT, customer experience, and performance. A second phase DriverX platform and second-phase Consignee App will also be rolled out in the coming months.

“We’ve also invested in some more developments for our two-man offering, to further improve customer experience,” Isabella tells us, with those expected to go live within a couple of weeks of our conversation. “Furthermore, we’re working hard to reduce our carbon footprint by ensuring we maximize trailer fill, and are currently trialing electric vans in central London. We’ve recently undertaken a complete review of our customer services department, and we’re in the process of a complete rebrand that focuses on next generation customer care.

“People are imperative to our business,” she adds. “We’re proud that some of our staff have done the full 26 years with the business, and we continue to pride ourselves on a culture of leading by example, and allowing staff a real voice within the business. We’re constantly looking to add further talents to our fantastic and long serving team.”

With eyes firmly fixed on the future, XDP already has a full year of development work scheduled for 2023. “Although we won’t be immune to much of the economic uncertainty currently facing the UK, we remain well-positioned to face these challenges,” she concludes. “Our tenacity and determination are the skills that will be key in the upcoming years. Our focus remains on quality, and on our people, as we look to provide all our customers, old and new, with a fairly priced and quality service.”
www.xdp.co.uk

When Total Vehicles Solutions Group was formed in 2018, it was intended as a holding company for three brands – McPhee Mixers, Priden Engineering, and SB Components. Come July 2021, another brand was added to the portfolio: Wilcox, the leading aluminum Tipping manufacturer, raising the company’s turnover to a total of £65 million. In 2022, the company then underwent a rebrand, when it adopted its current name: TVS Interfleet Limited (TVS).

Products manufactured by TVS fall into two sales verticals: industrial and commercial. The former encompasses the company’s McPhee and Wilcox brands, providing concrete mixers, aluminum rigid tippers, and trailer tipper equipment. A third brand, Priden Engineering, also falls within the sector, manufacturing agricultural blowers. “We’re trusted and used by household names within the construction industry,” notes Phil Ashton, Group Commercial Director at TVS. “McPhee in particular is the UK market leader for concrete mixers.”

The commercial arm of the company’s business incorporates two divisions: SB Components, and the newly rebranded Purpose Bodies. “Within SB Components we have three outlets,” Phil goes on. “The truck and bus outlet provides catwalks, tanks, wet kits, and infills to the UK transport industry. We then have our fleet work outlet fitting mainly health and safety items such as side scan, cameras, A-frames, and more, working with customers including Asda, for whom we’re currently fitting around 270 vehicles, as well as Tesco and Royal Mail. The third outlet, based in Holland and operating under the brand TVSE, sells aluminum diesel and Adblue tanks to the Dutch and European market.”

One of the most significant recent changes to take place at TVS has been the rebranding of its bodybuilding division. Previously housed under SB Components, Phil explains that the Purpose Bodies division hasn’t always received the attention it deserved. “No-one, including myself before I joined, really knew that SB Components actually built ambient bodies,” he says. “I’d known and used SB Components for 25 years, and when I first toured the production facility after joining, I was absolutely amazed to learn that they built bodies for the likes of John Lewis, SIG, and BT Civils.”

To Phil, it was evident that a change needed to take place. “We’ve been working with an external branding company since the start of the year, who have a track record of success with major companies to raise their brand profiles,” he reveals. “They helped us with the rebrand to TVS, and it’s with them that we came up with the Purpose Bodies name, which we launched at this year’s Motor Transport Awards ceremony on 7th September, hosted at Grosvenor House in London.”

TVS operates a total of ten factories, across three locations in the UK. The home of McPhee Mixers is an all-new factory located off the M8 at Glasgow’s Euro Central. Wilcox, meanwhile, is based across four factories in Market Deeping, on the outskirts of Peterborough. A third location is situated in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. But the company is no stranger to flexible methods of manufacturing.

“If you were to walk into our Priden Engineering factory today, you’d see that they’re currently building some Purpose bodies,” Phil notes. “Because Priden Engineering’s business is seasonal, we’re utilizing some of that available capacity.

“In the early part of next year, we’re also planning to begin assembly of some of our McPhee mixers in Market Deeping,” he continues. “The concrete industry is booming, largely thanks to a high volume of inner-city development, and our order books are full. Accordingly, we’re focused on how we can grow our production by sharing some of the skills across our various manufacturing divisions.”

The construction industry as a whole is currently in the process of a significant transition, as companies look to diversify away from reliance on fossil fuels, pivoting instead towards the use of electricity. Targets set by the UK Government stipulate that all new vehicles up to 3.5 tons must be electric or zero-emission by 2030, with 26-ton vehicles to follow in 2035, and 44-ton vehicles in 2040. Although the dates might seem a long way off, TVS is pioneering the way. The company has established partnerships with major OEMs to develop lightweight e-mixers and, through a collaboration with Renault, has worked to deliver the UK’s first electric mixer with an electric vehicle chassis, with products already on order.

“Construction is particularly buoyant in inner-city areas, and electrification just so happens to be tailor-made for short-distance journeys,” Phil notes. “Bradford is the latest city to have introduced a low-emission zone, which came into force in September of this year. We were also recently invited by the Highways Agency to tender on the Lower Thames Crossing, with work set to commence in 2025. It’s an £8.7 billion project, designed primarily to alleviate the strain on the Dartford Crossing. The government has designated the project as a diesel-free build, which again lends itself to the e-mixer and e-tipper.

“We’re speaking to all OEMs about their EV strategy,” he goes on. “John Lewis has set us a challenge to create a fully recyclable body solution for their home delivery vehicles, and we’re collaborating with them to create a workable payload.”

When it comes to its own operations, TVS is also making significant strides. As part of its ESG strategy, the company has made a large investment during this financial year into carbon-reduction initiatives across its footprint. But sustainability isn’t the only focus of its innovation efforts. “In the concrete world, one big problem is the potential for concrete mixers to roll over during operation,” Phil reveals. “An inexperienced driver going around a corner can, if there’s a certain volume of concrete in the drum, knock the vehicle off-balance. Approximately 40 such incidents occur in the UK each year.

“Our e-mixers offer one solution,” he continues. “Without a standard drive train, we can set the drum lower in the chassis, giving the vehicle as a whole a lower center of gravity. But we’re also introducing a new smart controller solution, InterLecs, which we hope is going to change the industry when it comes to operator safety. That’s due to go to market in 2023.”

There are an exciting few years in store for this growing business, which is targeting turnover of £90 million within the next three years, driven in large part by its Purpose Bodies division. “Our rebrand shed a light on our bodybuilding capabilities, and we’re now making noise in the industry,” Phil insists. “The next question is: how can we add value? The likes of John Lewis and IKEA are moving aggressively towards their zero-emissions targets, so any payload savings we can find in the body are hugely beneficial. As we say: it’s the truck that drive the body, but it’s the body that drives the business. Moving forwards, we intend to do a lot more value-selling of that kind.”
www.tvsinterfleet.com