Overnight express, home delivery and contract logistics specialist, Nightfreight, has confirmed its leadership team that will continue to drive the business forward as the UK comes out of recession.
Managing director Peter Louden and group finance director Ian Horsfall will now take up joint executive leadership as chairman Robbie Burns steps back to a non-executive advisory role.
Together, Peter Louden and Ian Horsfall will lead a new senior management team to spearhead the next stage of development.
Robbie Burns said: "Some excellent foundation work has been completed during the last couple of years, creating a solid and sustainable platform that positions Nightfreight as a major market leader.
"We have a great leadership team and all the elements are now in place to set Nightfreight on course for significant growth over the next five years."
Previously, the business was refinanced and stabilised in 2008 with profits increasing from £1m in 2007 to £2.8m, enabling the group to overcome very difficult express market conditions.
Robbie Burns added: "Despite a 20 per cent fall in the UK Express market, we've remained resilient with group profits for 2009 being on target and in line with 2008."
Nightfreight's progress is underlined by the volume of repeat business on its books with all major dedicated logistics contracts being renewed last year with Office Depot, Jungheinrich and Elastogran.
The Willenhall based company is now well positioned to respond as the economy comes out of recession, explained Robbie Burns.
"Investment in vehicle telematics will sustain the 30 per cent productivity improvements we've already achieved in network delivery operations.
"Nightfreight's two-man Deliver2Home service is now a market leader as a shared user operation, with 90 per cent of UK post codes covered every day.
"Importantly, we now provide a fully transparent customer service offering full track and trace with SMS texting on route, dedicated customer web portals and narrower more certain delivery windows on behalf of major blue chip retailers.
The strength of Nightfreight as a repositioned 'network solutions' business is its ability to now mix and match the combination of dedicated and shared services offered, delivering a more variable cost proposition for customers, explained Peter Louden.
He said: "A new style Nightfreight is emerging. These are exciting times for the company, we've made huge steps forward and we're firmly focused on the next stage of development. Under a strengthened development team with new business development director Mike Rice, sales director Richard Mellor and home delivery director Paul Tyson, a broader service offer and a more capable operating platform we can move forward with utmost confidence."
The company's outstanding achievements have been recognised this week, being shortlisted as 'Haulier of the Year' finalist in the Motor Transport Awards 2010 for the second year running.