RECENT HISTORY
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In 2004, Hugh Thompson and Peter Carroll, then the directors of Seymour Transport, bought Astran. The new company was registered as Astran Cargo Services and its head office moved to Seymour Transport’s Larkfield, Maidstone, depot – although they are completely separate companies.
Former Seymour employee Kevin Letham was taken on by Astran, and promptly sent to Doha for two months to learn the ropes. He was given the responsibility of building up the sales side of the business, which he did admirably. In 2008, the company took 160 trailer loads to Qatar for one customer, and despite the recession, this level of work continued throughout 2009 and 2010. Recently, Astran carried 70 loads of steel from South Wales to the Gulf.
Letham was promoted to MD, and the company continues to go from strength to strength under his leadership. Not only is Astran the original, it’s the only European company offering a direct overland freight service to the Gulf.