Our #madeinsandwell Monday star this week is family firm Sheldon Clayton Logistics of West Bromwich.

Established in the 1970s, Sheldon Clayton Logistics has moved with the times to become the transport and haulage giant that it is today. The company featured at number 43 in our Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies Index 2017, with a solid 3.8 per cent growth in turnover.

The company started out as a two-man haulier operation and has steadily grown and diversified to survive challenging financial times. Now Sheldon Clayton employs over 100 people and works with various industry services to offer complete logistics solutions for the efficient physical handling and movement of goods.

Sheldon Clayton Logistics has a substantial fleet of trucks and delivers to varied customers across all parts of the UK and its offshore islands. It is involved with many projects, including Cross Rail, HS2, wind farms, oil and gas, and the motor industry, as well as having contracts with the MoD.

The company believes that its Sandwell headquarters are the perfect location: at the heart of the British motorway network, with satellite depots strategically located around the UK to deliver competitive professional services to customers.

The firm’s turnover has risen over the last few years through growth by acquisition but it has achieved significant growth in revenue in the last year due to investment in new technology. Sheldon Clayton’s new IT systems have helped it to attract new customers and provide a better service to existing customers.

When recession hit businesses in 2008 Sheldon Clayton Logistics formulated a five-year plan to restructure its operations and grow – using a target of £20m per annum to achieve a pre-tax profit of eight to ten per cent.

It also developed services other than haulage and now offers storage and handling. It is able to store in excess of 15,000 pallets in its new warehousing facilities on its 14-acre site on the Black Country New Road.

A policy of ‘better business not more business’ has helped Sheldon Clayton to deliver a high standard of services to customers while maintaining a sustainable level of growth. This control is essential to allow for the correct amount of financial support and the company feels it is important not to sacrifice stability for the sake of turnover.

Group chairman and founder David Sheldon said: “Our sales ledger boasts in excess of a thousand customers and none of them exceeding four per cent of our turnover. This strategy ensures us of no peaks and troughs.”

In the future the company hopes to continue to build customer relationships, both existing and new, while retaining good working relationships with contractors and other associates across the borough, helping it to provide top-level services.

Its associates include Sandwell Council, whom Sheldon Clayton Logistics has worked closely with on planning and development. The firm says it has received good advice and support from the council and it hopes to continue this working relationship in the future.

#madeinsandwell Monday is a celebration of the talent and diversity of businesses in our borough. If you’re interested in being considered for a #madeinsandwell Monday profile, read this.