A Cumbrian transport firm has taken on more local staff, invested in new vehicles and is on track to meet ambitious targets for growth.
Lakeland Commercials, a haulage, coach and commercial vehicle repair company, joined Fortec Distribution Network in September and is now on track for future growth - despite the challenges of the current climate.
The Kendal-based business, which has also embarked on a recent recruitment drive, can now distribute shipments of any size into urban and rural areas across Cumbria and North Lancashire.
“We have chosen not to sit still over the last few months and moved forward with some bold decisions which will enable us to adapt and grow our family-run business,” said Gareth Bowman, director of Lakeland Commercials.
“We were already well known for our general haulage, coach and repair services, but becoming a member of Fortec Distribution Network adds an entirely new branch to our overall offering. It means we can provide overnight pallet deliveries and smaller shipments to independent shops and traders in our area and further afield with real cost-savings. That’s something we were not able to do before.”
Lakeland Commercials has added two 18-tonne trucks and one 7.5-tonne lorry to its fleet of delivery vehicles, taken on five new drivers since March, and is now looking to employ two more people.
“We will have 45 employees by October and plan to have increased our client base by 50%. These are exciting developments and they show how well we are adjusting in these challenging times,” added Gareth, who has been in post as director since September 2015.
“Coronavirus has had a big impact on the logistics industry, but we’d always intended to move into pallet distribution so that we could offer it as an additional service. We’re just pleased we have been able to still achieve this. Our current customers and other local and regional businesses who have heard of us will be thrilled that we can now deliver a range of loads and individual consignments for them.”
Adrian Bradley, Managing Director of Fortec Distribution Network, said: “Gareth heads up a really active and forward-thinking leadership team, and we’re excited that they’ll be bringing that enthusiasm and energy to our network as a new member company. It is clear they are big on delivering quality and great customer service to their client base – their existing services show that.
Taking the leap to join our pallet network at this challenging time will be sure to open up even more business opportunities, and we’ll be there supporting them every step of the way as they expand.”
For more information on Lakelands Commercials visit : lakelandcommercials.com
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