In a recent article, the logistics industry’s leading trade magazine, Motor Transport, named FDC Holdings as ‘premier league’ in a wide-ranging interview with our managing director, Ian Maudsley and head of business development, Joe Wood.
The editor of Motor Transport, Steve Hobson, recently spent a productive morning at FDC’s Preston headquarters and was impressed with Maudsley’s encyclopaedic knowledge of the logistics sector.
Previously serving as the business development and commercial manager at RT Keedwell, Maudsley took over as FDC’s managing director in May 2023, and our Lancashire-based logistics company has since undergone significant growth.
Our beginnings trace back to 1983, when Steve Allen purchased a van and began distributing parcels, and was later joined by his brother Peter – FDC’s former MD.
They then transitioned into pallet distribution, and founded FDC Holdings in 1997, initially operating with just two trucks, two vans and fifteen employees.
When Maudsley joined us in 2014, we had an annual turnover of £6 million, employed 40 people, and was based at a 14-acre site in Chorley.
Fast forward 26 years, and we have now expanded our warehousing capacity to almost one million square feet across three locations in Lancashire – including its 300,000 square-foot headquarters in Walton Summit, which was acquired back in 2015 – and our fleet consists of 70 trucks and 100 trailers.
Our annual turnover has surged to almost £23 million, and we now employ 150 staff – including 90 drivers.
“We are not a typical haulier, and we never set out to be an A to B haulier,” says Maudsley. “We are much more a contractual haulier, and will invest in trucks, trailers, people and IT on the back of the right contract”. It’s this business model, we believe, that sets us apart from other companies.
We operate in three primary sectors – beverages, pharmaceutical products and e-commerce – and prefer customers that utilise our full range of logistics services, including warehousing, transport, pallet network and groupage.
In more recent yours, our focus is no longer just traditional haulage.
We have started a trial of an 18-tonne battery-electric truck, considering factors like charging infrastructure and range for our TPN territory.
In addition to this, we are also exploring hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as a low-carbon emissions fuel option.
FDC’s family ownership by Stephen and Peter Allen still stands strong, and they express no interest in selling the growing business.
Maudsley and Wood are actively involved in ensuring the continued success and expansion of FDC and are enthusiastic about maintaining our business model and exploring new opportunities as competitors adapt to industry changes.
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