2018 North West Enterprise Awards

10 SME NEWS / NorthWest Enterprise Awards 2018 , Arnold Sanderson Ltd is a family owned road haulage company specialising in the transportation of bulk liquids. We invited Richard Sanderson to tell us more about the firm and the secrets behind its success. Haulage Firm of the Year 2018 - Cumbria Since its inception 1986, Arnold Sanderson has specialised in the transportation of bulk liquid foodstuffs and non- foodstuffs by road tank across the UK and Europe. Richard explores how the firm came to operate in this niche market and flourished thanks to its dedication to client satisfaction. “When we first started Arnold Sanderson we identified a gap in the market for a haulage company that would deliver on its promises. We were aware of the poor performance given by our competitors and heard the moans and groans from the industry regarding a truly “best in class” haulier. From the start, we set out to put service first, get the basics right and deliver what we promised. We also intentionally didn’t approach potential customers, we let word of our different approach spread and waited for the inevitable contact by the customer. Our commitment to quality was recognised this year in a number of ways; we became registered to ISO9001 for our quality management system, we were awarded SCOPA and TASCC approved and passed audits from a major player in the industry. All this was achieved by just doing what we do, operating in the correct manner with compliance seen as a given, not an addition. “Today, we move a small amount of chemicals however 99% of our business is liquid food and liquid animal feed. In the last 12 months we have transformed the business from a subcontract haulier to a haulier dealing directly with the manufacturer. We collect from all the major manufacturing sites in the UK and deliver them to many household name food producers.” As part of the firm’s focus on supporting its clients and offering them the very highest possible standards of support and service, Arnold Sanderson has a strong internal culture based around innovation and support, as Richard highlights. “To ensure excellence for our clients, our internal culture is clear: give people the tools they need to do the job. As a result, we are passionate about training, drivers are equipped with new, reliable, fully functioning wagons and tanks with all the equipment necessary to successfully collect and deliver bulk liquid safely and efficiently. The operation is supported by a state-of-the-art cloud-based computer operating system to give us a clear and efficient flow from receiving orders to routing the traffic and delivering the full job information electronically to the Drivers’ PDA. “Customers can input jobs onto our system electronically from their office, they can track their deliveries in real time, they can receive an electronic proof of delivery and an invoice as soon as the delivery is made, and the list goes on. To back this up Arnold Sanderson Ltd NWE18025 Company: Arnold Sanderson Ltd Contact: Richard Sanderson Address: Garthside, Wheyrigg, Wigton, Cumbria, CA7 0DH, UK Phone: 016973 61716 Website: www.arnoldsanderson.co.uk we deliver an untold amount of training to make sure that people reach the required standard and maintain it. Defects are rectified immediately, we are always running with fully operational equipment.” Building on the success it has achieved over the years, Arnold Sanderson has a bright future ahead of it, as Richard is proud to conclude. “Moving forward, the future for the company is continued investment of profits back into the business to enable continued growth. The fleet has doubled in size in the last 12 months and will increase significantly again in 2019. Increased business requires more equipment, more people and more operating centres. New drivers join us every month, new planning staff are recruited, and the back-office system scales up accordingly. We are looking forward to the next 12 months of increased growth and success.”