JJ FIELD
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• Many family haulage firms evolve through plain hard work and dedication, but occasionally we come across a history that is a little bit out of the ordinary. Take Dudley-based haulier I J Field, for example. Co-director Gerry Field tells CM how the 15-strong truck fleet of today has evolved from a single vehicle, bought in 1922, which carried out somewhat unconventional tasks.
"The business was started by my grandad," he says. "He bought a bean lorry with a removable roll-off body and used this to deliver coal to local foundries. Then he would change the body to carry passengers, running mystery tours around the Black Country."
It sounds like a curious combination of heavy industry and the early days of Britain's now thriving leisure industry. "My grandad Joe was a well-known figure," Field explains. "The company built up steadily, with both coaches and lorries. It came along from there."
But what of today? In 1999 if Field is run
by managing director Brigid Field. mother of co-directors Gerry and Sharon Field. Each of the three has a defined role in the firm: Brigid oversees the general business, Gerry deals with day-to-day truck movements and Sharon sorts out the administrative work and the wages. It is a smoothly operating family team where each member is crucial to the business's success.
As the wind batters the Field headquarters on its hilly location overlooking Dudley, Gerry Field reveals the sources of the company's work. At present the car industry accounts for about a third of our business," he says. "We collect parts from local companies then take them to the car manufacturers, such as Toyota, Ford and Land Rover. This side of the business has dropped slightly, but it keeps going—it is steady at the moment."
JJ Field also transports steel coils and ducting, and ventilation equipment. At a time when Britain's industrial base is declining, it is encouraging to see so many home-manufactured loads being carried by UK hauliers. Field explains that consignments such as venting kit are often carried the length and breadth of the country by the firm.
He adds: "We do general haulage, so we carry just about everything; as long as they pay us we will do it. We like to spread our wings."
But that willingness to carry out a variety of work is always balanced with caution. "You can be in one day and out the next," warns Field. The co-director's approach to the business is one of diversification, but not necessarily one of expansion. It is all about consolidation.
He comments on the virtues of a small family business: "Customers can ring up and I can give them a definite answer. People know they will get the service they need—I think that we are well respected."
To ensure the fleet is in tip-top condition, the company employs a full-time fitter. 'We can do the work straight away and keep down the cost as well," says Field.
His guiding philosophy is "service will be remembered after payment has been forgotten". It is a principle which is a winner again and again in the haulage business—please your customer and ultimately you will please yourself. By adopting this way of thinking in the past, Gerry Field looks to the future with confidence: "After 77 years of business," he remarks, "we would like to see too."