Aycliffe Today Business Aycliffe Today Business Issue 40 | Page 17

The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 17
Stiller Warehousing and Distribution
commercial manager Lizzie Brophy (left)
and distribution trunking and warehouse
manager Darren Holliday with Hazchem
network director Nada Marinovic.
Logistics firm links with national
network to transport hazardous
products around Europe
Newton Aycliffe logistics firm Stiller Warehousing and Distribution can now
transport hazardous products around the UK and Europe after teaming up with
an established national network.
F
amily-run Stiller has joined the
Hazchem Network, which has 60
members around the UK, Ireland and
in 28 European countries.
Hazchem is similar to a standard pallet
and parcel network but specialises in the
movement of hazardous packaged goods,
liquids or difficult-to-handle products.
Stiller has signed up to its membership
and expects the deal to be worth at least
£500,000 a year initially, while the Aycliffe
firm hopes to employ three-to-five new
drivers.
The firm is also hoping to tap into the
strong chemicals and coatings sector on
Teesside.
Commercial manager Lizzie Brophy said:
“This is a big deal for us which will expand
our capabilities and offering to existing and
new customers.
“We hope it will open up new business
opportunities for us, particularly in the Wilton
and Haverton Hill areas of Teesside. There are
quite a few reputable coatings businesses
that we would seek to support with this new
service.
“It will create between three and five
new driving jobs and we’ve also spent more
than 200 hours on training for staff, while
we’ve also employed a new health, safety
and security manager to help support the
complex requirements that being a Hazchem
By Martin Walker
member will involve.”
Hazchem recently moved to a new 10-acre
site at the former Triumph motorcycle factory
in Hinckley, Leicestershire, to cope with
demand after enjoying 27% year-on-year
growth.
The network system currently handles
1,800 pallets a night and around 500
packages or parcels.
Its impressive membership customer base
includes universal names such as Univar,
Brenntag, BOC, PPG, International Paints,
Cleanol and Tetrosyl.
Network director Nada Marinovic said:
“We’re very proud to be associated with
Stiller.
“Our intention is to continue to expand
the business and to bring on board more
companies that have the pedigree and ethos
that Stiller bring with them.”
Stiller last year opened a new £2m
freight distribution centre at its 22-acre site
in the heart of Aycliffe Business Park and
also converted its former logistics centre
into a new 50,000 sq ft warehousing to
accommodate 6,000 pallets.
The firm spent £1.1m in a brand new
40,000 sq ft warehouse building in 2015, and
in 2017 added another 40,000 sq ft extension
to it, with both units creating storage space
for more than 10,000 pallets.
And just months after spending £1.7m on
a fleet of new trucks, this latest development
will increase Stiller’s capacity further still, and
takes the firm’s total investment in property,
facilities and people to £11m in the last four
years.
At the end of 2018, Stiller revealed it had
invested £1.7m in new vehicles to keep their
truckers motoring millions of miles around
the country, refreshing its fleet of 45 trucks
with 20 new Mercedes Across tractor units.
Earlier the firm completed work on a £2m
40,000 sq ft palletised distribution centre,
which improved its vehicle loading times,
taking the company’s total investment in
property, facilities and people to £11m in the
last four years.
Stiller has seen sales rise by more than
20% to £14.8m, while staff numbers have
jumped from 149 to 174 in the last 12
months.
Formed in 1954, Stiller provides cost-
effective warehousing and distribution
services to businesses in the North-East
region as well as commercial property
lettings and is also a member and major
shareholder in Palletline, a national co-
operative network of 70 companies
specialising in overnight palletised freight
distribution.
More about Stiller can be found
at www.stiller.co.uk