Constant improvement in services and infrastructure has been hailed as "instrumental" in the UK’s leading independent logistics firms being named among the country’s fastest-growing businesses.
Senior management at Simarco Worldwide were speaking after being included in the Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200, a ranking of those British mid-market private companies with the best international sales growth.
Co-founder and Chief Executive, Simon Reed (pictured below), has described how the classification was a validation of the firm’s programme of expansion and investment in staff and services.
He added that Simarco had seen even more growth in overseas sales since the Sunday Times’ research was completed at the end of last year.
“To be included in a table with so many great businesses in many different industries from right across the country is immensely satisfying.
“Given the business sector in which we operate and the issues, such as Brexit, which we have had to confront over the period under consideration, the growth achieved is a source of particular pride.
“This bears out our decision to invest significant resources in developing our operations at home and abroad, in terms of our infrastructure – staff, depots, vehicles and IT – which are instrumentall in underpinning the services which we offer.
“Since the research for this year’s International Track was completed, we’ve seen additional growth of 40 per cent in our overseas sales, something which reinforces our belief that we have an even brighter future ahead.”
Simarco is the second highest ranked of only five logistics companies to make the 200-strong International Track ranking and one of only three Essex businesses to feature in the listing.
The table is made up of firms which are UK registered and generate turnover of between £25 million and £1 billion, at least £1 million of which must be accounted for by international sales.
Simarco, which was set up in 1997, employs 370 staff across six depots, including its head office at Witham, Essex, and a 108,000 square foot warehouse in Stoke-on-Trent which was opened last year to meet increasing client demand.
Mr Reed revealed that annualised revenue had grown to more than £80 million since the Sunday Times’ ended its latest International Track research.
"The progress which secured us a place in this classification is part of a pattern of sustained growth across the business.
"We have always believed that we need to continually adapt what we do in order to meet the changing needs of clients and wider economic conditions.
"Making the Sunday Times' list and attracting new business as well keeping our existing clients tells me that we're doing the right thing."