FULLER & SONS TRANSPORT
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II Not many hauliers can claim that their firm takes on the highly unusual—and prestigious—load of a Formula One racing car. West Bromwich-based Fuller and Sons Transport can boast just that. The opportunity to handle such a glamorous consignment in the 1990s has evolved over decades—the firm can trace its roots to 1924 when the family was in the coal business.
With the introduction of smokeless fuels, the company recognised that the mainstay of its work was gone. Consequently, Fuller and Sons Transport was established to bring a new lease of life to the family business.
Graham Fuller, who shares the role of co-director with his brother Keith, says: "At first we had two vehicles, a Ford and an Austin. We tripped along, but in 1973 we rented a 465m2 warehouse in Smethwick. and then we progressed up to 10 vehicles."
Fuller had the fortune to meet local business luminary Ernie Sutton, sales manager at Freightliner in Birmingham. It was a tantalising opportunity to invest in intermodal transport. "We tried to develop rail links to London, using our vehicles," Fuller explains. "But in 1996 we stopped doing this; the potential was good but it was not meant to be,"
There is an air of regret about Fuller when he speaks of the road-rail project, but his expression becomes positively illuminated when he mentions "warehouse". Seconds later the Fuller co-director leads Chita the firm's 930m2 storage area. There's great energy in the place: five forklifts move around the building, expertly avoiding a new Toyota Land Cruiser. Fuller explains that high-value cars are regularly handled by the company: "We have had Johnny Herbert's racing car here," he comments proudly. Fuller invested in the warehouse following words of wisdom from the legendary Ernie Sutton.
Cargo in the warehouse, which is delivered by other hauliers, could be bound for locations as distant as Shanghai, Tokyo and Saudi Arabia. Rather than using its own vehicles to carry the goods to the ports, Fuller & Sons Transport specialises in handling the consignments; placing them securely in containers before other hauliers move them out. The firm's own fleet is used for general haulage.
In the yard, Graham's brother Keith says: "I am driving to Droitwich to deliver a load of lemonade. Things have changed in the industry. Other hauliers used to stop and help if you broke down—now it's different. People used to have more time."
In the firm's offices. Graham Fuller tells of future plans. On the wall are pictures of comedy legends Laurel and Hardy and film icon John Wayne, Fuller's cinema heroes. "We had some representatives from a Japanese shipping line here; they thought the pictures were my family," he says.
On a more serious note, Fuller says: "We need to expand again but Government policy is uncertain—we want to see what they will do next." But the firm will definitely be looking for growth in the warehouse and handling side: it's steadily gaining a reputation for its expertise in this field. "Shipping agents ring us up with questions," he says. "Once a container was infested with rats; I told the company that they could bring it here. and we steamed it out." Fuller describes himself as the "Red Adair" of warehouse handling in the Midlands—the firm enjoys something of a troubleshooter status, In short, Fullers will be continuing its twopronged business approach: haulage and handling.