KB Transport Solutions Limited
KB Transport Solutions (KBTS) is a thriving logistics and warehousing business, based in Coventry. After being established in 2010 during the height of a recession, it had a slow progression into the transport and warehouse storage industry, due to limited funds. Despite this, the company continued to pursue its ambitions and develop long standing contracts and relationships with its customers, which thanks to KBTS’ high standards of service, are still working with the organisation today. “Originally it was just myself and my business partner, Managing Director Kevin
Bennett, who started and operated the business; however, we have now developed our staff and can boast a team consisting of over 30 employees. As a family-run business, we promote a close-knit environment with family and friends being on both the board of directors and operating as members of staff,” states Alan Mohomed, Finance Director and Partner at KB Transport Solutions Ltd.
“At the start, we solely provided warehouse services, after being given the opportunity to operate from a small area of a site at Edgewick Park, Coventry,” he added. “We eventually outgrew this area, and continued to take over full occupancy of this site, becoming a limited company in September 2011. Following this, our next project was developing into transport and distribution services.”
This next evolution required a move to a new site on Henley Road, Coventry, situated just off Junction 3 on the M6, making it a key location in the UK, with essential access to main transport links. “This site, which we have now occupied for over five years, enabled us to progress within the transport industry,” agreed Alan. “We were then given the opportunity to expand again, and we took on a facility on Sandy Lane in Coventry, which we have fully racked out to give a complete service to our warehouse customers. The relocation to Sandy Lane has enabled us to move all our warehouse operations to one central site, as opposed to being fragmented at both locations.”
Thanks to the developments and expansions that KBTS has undertaken, the business now operates from both Henley Road and Sandy Lane. The 17,000-square feet Henley Road site mainly offers home delivery operations and distribution services across the country; whilst the facilities at Sandy Lane are purely for warehouse purposes. This site operates as an organised, stylish facility, with LED lighting throughout making it more energy efficient, and a track and trace system, which is fully optimised, so customers can track their consignments through their own personal log-in. “This enables us to provide a complete service to our warehouse customers,” explains Alan. “To support our team and serve our customers more efficiently, in the third quarter of 2017, we also replaced all our forklift trucks; this consists of two reach trucks, two gas trucks, two crown trucks, and two electric trucks and we have a couple of man riders as well.”
In fact, KBTS’ expansion has been so successful that the company has now taken over almost the entire Sandy Lane Estate in Coventry, occupying 130,000-square feet of the 136,000-square feet site, owned by the commercial property company Wigley Group. KBTS and Wigley have not only developed a close working relationship, but also both get involved in local community work, with Wigley organising charity events, both companies working with Zoë’s Place, a charity for sick children, and KBTS about to sponsor a local up and coming football club for children. “This raises our
own name as a local firm but also it’s our way of giving back,” added Alan.
These kinds of activities are supported by the KBTS team, and Alan was keen to give credit to the staff, as ‘they support the business moving forwards, and enable us to manage large, complex contracts.’ To help progress further in the future, Alan and Kevin have created a young, passionate and knowledgeable group to help the company achieve its growth plans over the coming years. “Myself and Kevin are planning on standing back a little on certain aspects of the business as we now trust our young team to operate the day to day running of KBTS,” stated Alan. “This includes Charlotte Steele, who within 18 months of being with the organisation is already a great driving force for our business, and Kevin Junior who successfully runs the haulage and subcontracting area of the business for the heavier contracts.
“The team is very proactive and we are always keen to hear their opinions on how we can evolve further. We also prioritise training and offer development opportunities – for example at the moment we are doing new health and safety courses with the staff, and Charlotte Steele has just completed her degree in HR, and I would like her to take on more responsibility, overseeing the budgeting and forecasting of the business. We are always offering ways for staff to further their education, especially if it is something where we can see a business benefit for us too. By making sure everyone is happy in their jobs we add to the overall stability of the company, as well as help maintain our overall reputation for offering the right services at the right price.”
It is clear from speaking to Alan that continuous improvement is a priority for KBTS and the business is always looking for new avenues for expansion and improvement. “We have already filled much of our Sandy Lane warehouse, and are therefore considering another move to a larger site at the beginning of 2018, to enable us to further progress,” he concluded. “We want to ensure our customers have room to grow, and give ourselves some breathing space too. We’re looking at all the options but we always want to make progress and improve the business, in whatever way that may be!”
