Our #madeinsandwell Monday spotlight this week falls on Oldbury firm Direct Corporate Clothing Plc (DCC). Having topped our Top 50 Fastest Growing Companies Index in 2019, DCC is set for another bumper year in 2020.

DCC (www.directcorporate.co.uk) supplies many of the UK’s largest businesses with workwear, uniform, safety footwear and specialised head-to-toe personal protective equipment (PPE). Its customers include BT, Openreach, XPO Logistics, Yodel, Veolia, Kier Group and Morrison Utility Services.

At its headquarters in Oldbury it can create a complete uniform collection around each customer’s individual brief and brand. Having its own manufacturing facilities gives the company the ability to offer fast bespoke sampling, special measure and small order lead times.

Last year the company reported pre-tax profits of £3.4m, as well as a £5m increase in like-for-like turnover on the previous year. The workwear manufacturer, founded by local brothers Gini and Sam Sohal, went from making a loss to making an impressive profit. The board attributed this to a structural overhaul, including a review of business processes.

Joint managing director Sam Sohal accredited DCC’s incredible growth to an “extensive product portfolio, continuous innovation and consistently excellent customer service”, enabling the company to win, retain and strengthen customer relationships.

As well as its 72,000 sq. ft. purpose-built warehouse in Sandwell, DCC has a 40-acre site in Sri Lanka, where it produces over 50,000 garments each week to the highest quality and labour standards.

Gini Sohal explained: “Our manufacturing capability in Sri Lanka sets us apart from our competition, offering our customers complete flexibility, guaranteed expertise and totally transparent labour standard oversight.

“We also have an amazing supply chain partner portfolio with whom we are continually bringing new streams of innovative products to market”.

Established in 1999, DCC celebrated its 20th anniversary last year and the cherry on its birthday cake was not only being ranked number one in our Top 50 Fastest Growing businesses index but also being named in the ‘1000 companies to Inspire Britain’ report compiled by the London Stock Exchange Group.

The report is a celebration of the UK’s fastest-growing and most dynamic small and medium sized businesses, with companies representing over 40 sectors and spanning every country and region across the UK.

To be selected for the list, businesses had to demonstrate not only positive revenue growth over the last three years but also had to outperform their sector peers.

DCC is also proud to be a Sedex member and supplier, as it is committed to sourcing responsibly and improving ethical standards in business.

Sedex (Supplier Ethical Data Exchange) is a not-for-profit membership organisation for businesses committed to the continuous improvement of ethical performance within their supply chains. It is used by more than 50,000 members in over 150 countries and provides practical tools, services and a community network to help companies improve their responsible and sustainable business practices, and source responsibly.

Alongside Sedex, DCC is also verified by numerous independent industry bodies providing further assurance to all of its supply and client partners.

DCC is optimistic that it will continue to grow in 2020 and remains focused on increasing revenues with existing as well as new customers. It aims to double the size of the business in the next five to seven years through organic growth, new customers and possible acquisition.

Congratulations to DCC on its growth and on achieving its recent accolades.