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T he global nature of air cargo means it is a
Page 42
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24-hour-a-day industry. Hauliers involved in this sector must perform impeccably, or lose business. Shrewd customers checked up on Stockport-based Mall Transport—and the firm showed that it could cut the mustard.
"The firm was started in 1982, by my father Albert," says managing director Paul Worthington. "It was a clearing house until six years ago. My dad retired and I took over the running of the company; I wanted to take it in a different direction. In 1997, I bought a 7.3-tonner, and then a 17-tonner, which I used on general haulage work."
Worthington made moves to break into the prestigious world of air cargo, and succeeded. He says: "We went through a tendering process with so other hauliers to work for an air freight company.
"They worked 24 hours a day. One night, the company was holding a management meeting. We got a call from them at it.3opm, and one of our staff picked up the phone."
Maars nocturnal presence was rewarded. "We won the contract," Worthington crisply states. "Things really took off after that," he continues—no pun intended.
Air cargo was a catalyst for Worthington. In time, other opportunities came along. There are now 28 trucks in the Maal Transport fleet, although this firm's workforce is in no way restricted to Class i holders.
"We provide a pick-and-pack service for Regatta. the clothing manufacturer," he says. The clothing, all of it palletised, is collected from a warehouse in Trafford Park, then brought to Worthington's base.
CM witnesses a small army of processing staff as they gather garments and pack them for distribution. Maal trucks then deliver the clothing to high street stores.
"This side of the business has gone mad," he adds. He also employs 36 processors.
Pick-and-pack service
Worthington has been transporting Regatta garments for years. The pick-and-pack side of the operation is a new development, and a fine example of how a haulier can go the extra mile to keep his customer happy. The firm also provides the same service for other high street stores. Maal Transport is an ISO 9001. registered company, and the firm has its own specialist health and safety adviser, Ian Smith. He says: "I have recently qualified as a health and safety practitioner, which means that I can offer advice to my own firm, as well as other companies.
"I think it is getting more and more important to have a health and safety certificate holder. There is not a lot of money in haulage. All it takes is an industrial injuries claim at a haulage company to make the difference between profit and no profit."
Maal HGVs sometimes transport chemicals, which are contained in drums and carried in curtainsiders. Smith has the Dangerous Goods Safety Advisor (DGSA) certificate.
Air freight propelled the firm forward, but today, as assistant transport manager John Gallagher tells us, it is carried less often.
"We sometimes do eight to io full loads a week out of Manchester Airport," he says. "It's mainly t-shirts, rugby shirts and clothing like that."
We put it to him that some HGV drivers can wait for hours to load and unload at Heathrow. Thankfully, turnaround times are much shorter at Manchester. Gallagher reports.
When Maal drivers pick up goods from the airport they have been taken from the purpose-made air freight containers. At this stage, the goods are in boxes. It can be a laborious task, then, for drivers to load the boxes into the trailers.
The goods are delivered to Woolworths, Poundstretcher, Claire's Accessories and Regatta RDCs.
Unloading can be an equally lengthy process because all the boxes have to be manually unloaded from the trucks.
Staff at retail drop-off points can be efficient, although sometimes they fail to understand HGV drivers' requirements.
"There is not a great deal of difference between high street and air cargo work. You have your good trips and you have your bad trips," comments Gallagher.
Revenue streams
During our chat with Worthington, it occurs to us that there is another haulier with the same surname in this neck of the woods.
"Yes, it's Tony Worthington, owner of AK Worthington. He's my brother," he confirms. "And we have an unwritten rule that we don't approach each other's clients!"
At the moment, Maal Transport—incidentally, this unusual name is a hybrid of Maureen and Albert, Worthington's parents— has 900m2 of racked warehousing space.
He says: "I plan to increase the pick-andpack business. It's another revenue stream, and it ties in well with our customers.'
The pick-and-pack side of the business started when one of Worthington's customers tired of inefficient in-house processing.
It asked Worthington to provide this service, and he agreed. It was unchartered territory for the company, but he is pleased he moved into this area.
He ends: "It is hard out there and we have to be able to provide as many services as possible. You have got to try and offer a diverse service—the more you are doing for the client, the less competition there is on your doorstep."