Member Article

Behind the Business with Advanced Supply Chain

Bradford-based Advanced Supply Chain, the end-to-end logistics service provider, recently announced its intention to reach a £100m turnover by 2017. Bdaily quizzes the company’s CEO, Mike Danby, on his plans to reach this ambitious target.

What key challenges has your company recently faced?

Advanced Supply Chain is an ambitious company and we’ve set high targets for the business, aiming for a turnover of £100m by 2017. In the last year we have experienced our fastest ever period of growth in a very tough economy. We’re an entrepreneurial and confident business, so we’ve continued to recruit the best talent and backed the business’ aims through bold investment and cutting-edge innovation. It has been challenging, but it has been a challenge we’ve faced head on with fantastic results so far.

What is your biggest achievement over the past 12 months?

Our greatest business achievement this year has been our ability to make significant business investment due to profit growth. We’ve invested more than £5m in a state-of-the-art fleet of trucks which will allow us to gain an advantage on our competitors as we give our drivers the best vehicles in the industry.

What is your most important focus for the coming year, and what do you hope to achieve?

Last year we delivered £1m profit in 2012 for the first time. This year, the focus is hitting the £50m turnover mark so we’re on track to reach our ultimate ambition of £100million turnover by 2017. To do this, we know we need the best talent on board, so we will continue to recruit the industry’s best and nurture our existing team to develop our people further.

What excites you most about your industry and business?

At Advanced, we’ve been quick to recognise the potential development and advancements technology can offer our industry and customers. We have recruited an IT team who are continuously developing bespoke technology to enhance efficiencies and save money for our customers within their supply chains. The potential for progress in this area of our business is mind blowing. It constantly surprises me how business leaders are slow to adopt digital tools within their business.

What do you wish you’d known when starting out?

That you never win with a ‘swings and roundabouts’ deal. The returns might look great on the surface, but will end-up costing you more in the long-term. The supposed returns are always outweighed by just as many problems which are timely and costly to put right.

What will be the “next big thing“ in your industry, and how do you plan to handle it?

An ongoing challenge for our industry is the mission to reduce carbon emissions. We’re already tackling this through our investment in cutting-edge trucks. We ensure maximum utilisation of our trailer fleet and reduce journeys through extensive planning. We’ve also invested heavily in the latest technology so we can monitor driving styles and fuel efficiency very closely. We then work with drivers to train them to ensure they’re all using fuel efficiently.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .