It was more than forty years ago that Steve King started his transport and removals company. Steve Jordan went to see him to find out his story.

The inspiration came from a chance meeting in Harlow in 1974.  Steve offered to transport stock for a well-known babycare company, despite his only vehicle being an MGB sports car.  The sports car was sold in favour of a Ford Transit and Kings Transport Services was born.

From the modest beginning the company has grown, changed, ridden economic roller coasters, and succeeded amid tough competition.  It’s a company that has built up a good reputation within its local community but has also embraced the transport industry providing haulage and storage for many household name companies.

It was transport that Steve provided to the businesses in Harlow when the company started.  But that left vehicles idle at weekends and he was quick to spot the opportunity of making some extra income doing removals on Saturdays and Sundays. Although the company has always stayed loyal to its haulage roots, the moving business has remained important to this day.

Having started life in Harlow, the company moved to various locations in Bishops Stortford before moving to its present premises on a prime site in the corner of the historic North Wield Airfield.  Its address, Merlin Way, pays testimony to the engines that powered the Spitfires in the Battle of Britain and changed the course of the war in 1940.  It’s an affluent place where people can afford to buy what they want and it is possible to make reasonable profits for a job well done. But its location has not always played into Kings’ hands. 

Martin King, Steve’s son, joined the company from the banking industry ten years ago.  It was a poignant time for him to become involved particularly in view of the challenges that were just around the corner.  He had only been with the company a short time before the recession kicked in.  “It was the only recession that hurt us,” said Steve.  “We were very close to going under.”

At that time the company was heavily involved in removals but the property market collapsed. “We had to focus more on the transport side at that time,” said Martin.  “There’s not much you can do to stimulate removals business if people aren’t moving.  But there are always transport contracts around if you are prepared to work hard enough to get them.” Things started looking up, but then came the next blow.

The LEZ (Low Emission Zone) was introduced within the M25.  The company was located immediately outside the LEZ so it could hardly step a foot out of the yard in anything but a Euro 3 vehicle.  “I don’t think we had any compliant vehicles at that time,” said Martin.  He explained that the company had always prospered without using credit.  Steve had a principle of buying only what he could pay for.  But the coming of the LEZ changed all that.  The entire fleet had to be changed.

There was little choice but to get more business.  Steve and his trusted business partner, Keith Borrett were out driving and running the business while Martin was knocking on industrial estate doors for all he was worth looking for haulage business.  “It was a difficult time,” said Martin, “but eventually the contracts started to come in.”
Steve explained that the company was able to see significant expansion and sustain stability when becoming a franchise for Palletline, the pallet distribution network. Today the franchise represents a large proportion of the company’s business and Steve recommends any company to give it a try. “There are many requirements and standards to be met, but if a company is well run, with good, knowledgeable staff, Palletline would welcome applicants in the right areas,” he said.

With the removal side now picking up, and transport contracts aplenty, it is now time for Kings Transport and Removals to strategically plan for the future - learning from the past. Quality of service, company efficiencies and risk reduction are just some of the company's objectives.

“Our company has always provided good service but now wants to go further by adding premium offerings to removals ensuring our customers a truly pleasant moving experience,” said Martin.  He also highlighted the importance of investment and training of staff to maintain quality. “Many competitors in the market may have chosen the opposite approach to maintain profits. It's all too easy to compete on price and drive profits down. We would rather lose the occasional job but make sure we do a really great job on the ones we win – making the correct margins for a sustainable business. We like to encourage a self-fulfilling prophesy of repeat business, referrals and recommendation.”

Steve and directors also feel that to maintain quality and maximise profits, efficiencies and best practice is needed. It was decided that gaining the accreditation ISO 9001 was a solid starting point. With this accreditation, the company also met many requirements needed to tender for and win larger contracts such as Sainsburys and Sony that brought prestige and recognition to the company.

Risk reduction is also a key objective focussed on to ensure the company is well prepared should another economic roller coaster return. Kings is spreading its risk across various products (domestic and commercial moves, transport and storage) and different client types. The company has also poured its profits into a property company to reduce its tax burden and provide a buffer should capital be needed in the future.

The company is doing well now, but despite all the hard work and business acumen that has gone into the business, Steve puts his love of sport as one of the main reasons for success. Steve played football for Bishops Stortford and has been lucky to remain friends with so many he met during his time there. All directors play golf competitively amongst other sporting activities they enjoy. Steve said: “Football, and sport in general, not only encourages teamwork, but fosters an attitude that failure is not an option, a mentality not to be beaten, keep going until you succeed. It is a great leveller and a common interest amongst many. Once you start talking about sport, relationships (and therefore business) will flourish.”

The directors would like to thank their staff for the hard work and support during the tough, and prosperous times, especially Jason, General & Warehouse Manager and long-standing loyal employee.

www.kingstransportltd.co.uk



Photo: From top - Steve King; Directors Steve King, Rob Evans, Martin King and Keith Borrett; company logo on the premises at the North Weald Aerodrome; much of the company's business comes in the shape of road haulage.




North Weald Aerodrome

North Weald Aerodrome was established during WW1 by the Royal Flying Corps, the forerunner of today’s RAF. The airfield played an important role in the defence of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. 

RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires based at North Weald saw action over the beaches of Dunkirk and in the Battle of Britain in 1940.  After the war the aerodrome became home to the now disbanded Black Arrows aerobatic display team and was later used by both the Royal Navy and British Army, before being sold to Epping Forest District Council in 1979.

A museum located at the former RAF Station Office holds a display of photographs and artifacts along with military vehicles and historic aircraft.

North Weald Aerodrome remains open as a civilian airport with over 20,000 aircraft movements a year.