The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Diversification the name of the game for P.S. Ridgway
Managing director says not having all its eggs in one basket is sensible for future growth of Dundee transport firm
Dundee company P.S. Ridgway is probably best known as a haulage firm, but it also has a variety of other business interests.
The long-established operation also has three other divisions - one offering warehousing/storage; another providing rental space for other transport firms; and the third runs Tayside Truck Stop lorry park.
Managing director Mark Ridgway told Business Matters that not having all its eggs in one basket was a sensible strategy for the family firm, which began diversifying in the 1980s.
Mark said it was a hard environment in the haulage game, with long hours and tight margins.
He said the biggest challenges were keeping the existing customer base and winning new work.
However, haulage still remains the biggest division of P.S. Ridgway and that is not expected to change.
Mark, 48, has been with the firm for 15 years and has spent the last seven as managing director.
His father, Donald, is the company chairman.
P.S. Ridgway has 32 vehicles – a mix of 44-tonne lorries, 18-tonne lorries and vans – as well as more than 50 staff.
The business was founded in 1970 by Mark’s uncle, Philip, and Donald joined the operation in 1972.
The firm relocated to Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate in 1999.
Its haulage operation is made up of three areas – general haulage of goods such as textiles and engineering equipment in Britain; newsprint haulage in the UK; and Palletways.
P.S. Ridgway joined Palletways, Europe’s largest provider of express palletised distribution services, in 2008.
Every night, the Tayside firm sends two trailers to Birmingham loaded with pallets carrying goods from customers in the Perth and Dundee regions headed for other parts of the UK or even abroad.
The vehicles then return north with fresh deliveries for customers.
Mark said the trailers carried anything that could fit on a pallet – ranging from bathroom suites to engines and sweets.
He is delighted at how successful his firm’s link up with Palletways has been – and that it was officially recognised in the summer.
P.S. Ridgway picked up a Platinum Club Award from Palletways, which handles more than 30,000 pallets daily.
The honour recognises outstanding performance, operational excellence and firstclass levels of service for customers.
Mark said: “The award is a tribute to all the hard work put in by all members of staff at P.S. Ridgeway over the last year.
“It means a lot to the team especially as we are one of the furthest members from the Birmingham hub, which presents extra challenges to overcome.”
Mark said P.S. Ridgway had a “steady as she goes” strategy but said Palletways and warehousing/ storage service as being two areas had good expansion potential.