A new 2,000m² secure warehouse storage facility has opened in the Midlands as part of International Forwarding Ltd’s growth plans, just ahead of the freight forwarder’s 30th anniversary in July.
The unit opened in May 2019 and almost doubles IFL’s current warehousing space. The storage facility is part of a larger two-acre site, which the company took over in April. The site includes 24-hour security and yard space for vehicle parking and trailer storage. It is located next to IFL’s existing offices and hub in Coleshill, Birmingham, close to the M1, M5, M6 and M42, and 10 minutes from Birmingham International Airport.
Extra warehouse storage at Birmingham hub
The timing of this major expansion in the company’s facilities is particularly opportune as several existing customers require additional warehousing to protect their supply chain against Brexit-related issues. It also gives the sales team the tools to acquire additional forwarding and pallet distribution contracts from new UK and overseas-based customers. The existing management team will control the physical freight handling and the back-office functions for the new site.
Rob Pike, IFL’s Managing Director, said: “We are really excited about the new opportunities the expansion and extra warehouse storage facility will open up for the company as it effectively doubles the size of our Midlands hub operations.
“The warehousing part of the business has been running at maximum capacity for some time and we are confident that the additional facilities will both deliver organic growth and strengthen the ability of the company to offer high quality and cost-effective supply chain logistics to the marketplace.”
The expansion comes just ahead of the company’s 30th anniversary in July.
30 years of IFL in the Midlands
IFL is a Midlands-based independent freight forwarder specialising in European groupage services, sea and air freight, UK haulage/pallet distribution, and warehousing. The company started trading in 1989 to fill a niche in the West Midlands to provide a personalised bespoke freight forwarding service to local exporters and importers.
It was founded by two directors who are still with the business and has built its customer base serving established and new Midlands industries from automotives to aerospace, engineering to electrical goods, homewares to high value specialist shipments, including a Tour de France race-winning bike.
Today the company has 60 staff, almost £10 million turnover and 20 trucks in its fleet. It has built a strong network of European partners to provide pan-European door-to-door export and import groupage services.
In 2002 the company joined Palletways, the UK’s number one overnight pallet distribution network, and is now a Platinum member, earned as a result of high quality and consistent customer service.
Get a quote
For fast, flexible quotes and competitive storage rates, or to discuss your warehousing needs, call us on 01675 434690 or email enquiries@internationalforwarding.co.uk.
