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T ony Blair's 1997 speech on "education, education, education" heralded good
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times for Roebuck Transport. It was around that time that things started to really pick up for the Essex-based operator, which went on to win several contracts and has since developed something of a specialisation in the distribution of 'educational furniture'.
It seems that 'refurbished learning environments' are in vogue, and local authority demand for plastic chairs and desks seems insatiable. Last month the company clinched a 1300,000 distribution contract with PEL Hostess. This involves delivering anything from a plastic tray for a storage unit to a complete suite of chairs and desks to schools anywhere in the country.
Roebuck managing director Doug Boulton says: "The loads can be very small, so we'll pick up 60-70 loads in bulk at a time from the manufacturing plant at Bilston in the West Midlands. We bring them back to our
warehouse and we've then got five days to deliver them anywhere in the UK. We arrange that to suit the other activities of the fleet."
The start of the PEL Hostess contract coincided with the move to a new depot at Hainault, Essex. It includes a 2,800rnz warehouse—three times the size of the previous location. Roebuck needed the extra space because business is booming, and not all of it is in tables and chairs.
Regular revenue
A ma)or source of regular revenue is a distribution contract for shop-fitting specialist PPM. This involves the storage and delivery of materials used to rebuild counter display units to major high-street locations around the UK, including Marks & Spencer.
"PPM buys the shop-fitting materials in bulk, puts them into our warehouse and we deliver in what I call 'shop loads', which are fitted into the stores overnight by teams of installers," Boulton explains." In the morning we collect any removed fittings and return them to our warehouse until they are 0 gor,
sent for disposal." In the past year, the fleet has grown from 25 to 5o vehicles. That reflects a consistent growth in revenue on the back of a 50% year-on-year increase in turnover, to D.5m. Roebuck seems to have the knack for choosing the right business sector at the right time; a knack that has been evident from the start.
Small beginnings
nit company began as a man-m-a-van, delivering replacement parts for out-of-service aeroplanes stranded on runways.
"It was 'vehicle on the ground' highvalue urgent courier delivery work," says Boulton. "It meant that I was able to quickly invest in more vehicles and increase the size of the business. It helped the company to grow very quickly and we still do work of that sort for clients such as Rolls Royce and British Aerospace."
However, the company was soon looking for some more permanent roots.
"If you are operating as one man and a van, with a good group of customers that you know well, you can operate from the van without too much trouble," he adds. "After that you need to put somebody in an office to take on jobs, and you have to put together a company infrastructure, to take the company onto the next level."
The next level was soon outgrown and a new depot with 93m' of storage was found. The company extended its business by sending out flyers to local companies, adding variety to the goods it carried—this included everything from CDs to wheelie-bins. Then, four years ago, the first big break arrived in the form of the shop-fitting business with
PPM. As that business relationship matured contact was made with P EL Hostess which, like PPM, is a company within the Support Services Group.
The P EL Hostess contract has taken the company to an even higher level in more ways than one—among other things it marks Roebuck's move up to 44 tonnes: "We had nothing over 17 tonnes before," says Boulton. "Adding the heavier vehicle has taken us into another league. For example, we no longer subcontract anything. We do all of our own transport.
The artic's main task is trunking out of Bilston on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. The rest of the time it could be literally anywhere in the UK on other business for clients including PPM, but increasingly for companies such as Sheffield Insulations and the outdoor events side of Walt Disney.
Boulton says investment plans for the fleet include the addition of another zo 7.5.tonners before the end of the year, but he concedes there is a temptation to build up the strength of the artic ulated vehicle opera tion too. However.
other plans outside his control may influence the future make-t of the fleet and the directions that it takes.
The business has its roots in light va. courier work. It is five minutes from the M2 and on a good day it is 35 minutes from ti centre of London. Most of its vehicles E through the centre at sometime during ti week, so plans by London's Mayor to charE vehicles for access will put further financi pressure on Roebuck and its customers.
"We've applied to put all our vehich on the register of vehicles because NI can't be sure which ones will be require to go there on any particular day Boulton reports. "Mr Livingston wants charge business users more than res dents and we think it could cost us a extra go,000 per annum, but we a] not sure how it's going to work.
Strategic options
"1 sent off the application about six week ago. We've been looking at other strateg. options. One is to keep one vehicle i London, running in and out of a tan: shipping point, but there will be a tim consideration to that. The cost will hay to be passed on to our customers. Then will be no other option."
South-East operators must get used t having fewer options than most. Th recent move to new premises is a goo example: "There were a few sites aroun with warehousing space of 200 , 00 Ofi (18,600m2) or more, but we are not Tibbett & Britten or an Exel. We didn need a massive site. We eventuall moved about eight miles up the roac increasing the warehousing fror to,000 to 30 ,000ft2 (93o-2,800m2). I was a long, hard hunt but I have to te. you that we eventually settled on one c the only sites available to us."
As far as the future is concerned, hem ever, he stresses that Roebuck has man more options and more levels to reach "We do about 25% courier work, 159 groupage work and about Go% dedi cated transport. We base all of our effort on what I call can do' transport, whicl means we provide a quick response t4 everything—and we can do anything.