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CASE STUDY: BEAM ISH TRANSPORT
Page 47
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Beamish Transport has long had a mixed portfolio of work. "Diverse specialists," says managing director Darrin Pickering. "A vehicle haulage company transporting cars, caravans, vans, 4x4s, rnotorhomes, and light plant.'
Beamish customers are equally varied ranging from motor dealerships, national car auction houses, caravan and motor caravan manufacturers, importers, fleet suppliers and even individuals.
Pickering and fellow director Steve Fenwick founded the firm in 1992. It expanded steadily but, caught out by the need to expand, became over extended and entered into a commercial voluntary arrangement (OVA). In just two months this will finally be paid off, and Pickering praises its bank for "sticking with us in the bad times".
But what of the present? "it's not going too well,' says Pickering frankly. "In the past week business has dropped off, it's a lot more difficult than usual."
Fortunately Beamish has two big caravan contracts with Explorer at Consett and Autosleeper at Evesham, customers who've stood by them, "Explorer Caravans has been great; we have a very good working relationship," says Pickering. Beamish runs a mixture of rigids and artics but switching work isn't an option as the units are plated and taxed at 28 tonnes in recognition of light payloads and to save VED. Overall, the fleet is down from 32 to 25 vehicles. "We've let seven people go but it's a managed process, we've not let it run away with us," says Pickering, who's taking the opportunity to reconfigure the fleet. "We've always had a policy of buying used vehicles." he explains, and has recently purchased two 05 Actros units 'because prices are socheap". Ultimately, adds Pickering, future work volumes may be as hard to predict as the price of fuel.