Aycliffe Today Business PNE1578_AycliffeTodayBusiness_Issue28_WEBhighres | Page 25
The magazine for Aycliffe Business Park | 25
Stiller Warehousing and Distribution managing
director Matthew Stiller with commercial
co-ordinator Lizzie Brophie and the firm’s new
£70,000 Iveco trucks.
Distribution firm Stiller
invests £280k in new
ultra-safe trucks
Stiller Warehousing and Distribution has invested more than a quarter
of a million pounds in a new batch of ultra-safe trucks.
By Martin Walker
The Newton Aycliffe family-run firm has
spent £280,000 on the four new vehicles
which include a number of state-of-the-art
safety features.
The 18-tonne, 36-feet long trucks, each
costing £70,000, are curtain-sided and built
to the latest diesel omissions as standard.
The Iveco vehicles are also fitted with
the latest body work built and tested to
German engineering standards. Fitted to
the rear of the trucks are lifting platforms
used to deliver pallets to ground level which
have been specified to nearly double the
normal size and fitted with collapsible safety
barriers to help prevent falls from height. The
trucks also come equipped with a bespoke
reversing camera system.
Stiller’s latest investment in equipment,
people and facilities – including two new
warehouses costing more than £1.8m
between them – takes the company’s total
spent to almost £7m in the last three years.
Managing director Matthew Stiller said:
“It’s another sound investment after a
period of steady and positive growth for
the company, which reflects how well the
business is doing.
“Two of the new trucks are replacing
old ones, while two will be new additions
to our fleet, and they’re really state-of-
the-art vehicles which will further improve
efficiency.
“They will be used to deliver to homes
and small businesses throughout the North
East usually in areas a full size articulated
truck cannot reach.”
Stiller spent more than £1m on a range
of new vehicles, including state-of-the-art
longer semi trailers (LSTs), three years ago.
And in November 2014 the firm spent
another £350,000 on a fleet of eight new
vehicles, including two 12-tonne vehicles,
two urban trailers and four long double-deck
trailers, followed by a further investment of
£125,000 on five new trailers in December
2015.
Stiller has also invested heavily in its
20-acre site, situated at the heart of Aycliffe
Business Park in Newton Aycliffe, in recent
years.
More than £1.1m was spent on a new
state-of-the-art, 40,000 sq ft warehouse,
increasing the company’s warehousing
capacity to 200,000 sq ft, in 2015, and
last year it invested another £750,000
in a 40,000 sq ft extension, which was
completed earlier this year.
Stiller reported a turnover of just under
£12m at the end of 2016, which Matthew
Stiller says was a strong financial result for
the company formed more than 60 years
ago.
And staff numbers at Stiller have steadily
grown to 138 along with the firm’s continued
investment programme.
“We’re committed to expanding our site in
Aycliffe while improving our existing facilities
and vehicles to make sure we’re performing
to the best of our ability,” added Matthew
Stiller.
“And we have plans to invest more in
the site over the years as we continue
our ambitious growth plan to create more
employment for the local area.”
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.
Its Aycliffe site stores goods and parts for
well-known national brands as well as local
businesses including Gestamp Tallent and
3M.
More about Stiller can be found at
www.stiller.co.uk