For Dale Paterson, managing director of Exporta Global, a chance observation during a visit to Scandinavia led to a complete change of direction for the family business. From a background in print management Exporta Global has emerged as one of the UK’s leading suppliers of plastic pallets and is currently implementing ambitious growth plans.
The change came about in 2002 during a tour of a local IKEA factory in Copenhagen when Dale and his father noticed some unusual packing materials. Following an explanation of how these collars were being used to protect materials in transit they saw their potential and purchased 50 from the manufacturer, becoming one of the first companies in the UK to market the product.
“Launching wooden collars proved successful and we quickly added plastic versions and plastic pallets,” explains Paterson. “We went on to buy a manufacturer in 2005 and have continued to build our product range to more than 1,000 storage and handling materials. Even after all this time the benefits of plastic collars are not as widely known as you would think. We provide a consultancy service to companies looking for logistics savings and for many it can be a simple case of introducing plastic collars or plastic pallets to reduce product breakages in transit.”
In spring 2015 the company moved to a three-acre site with purpose-built premises in Kinross and recorded a 38% growth in turnover.
“Moving could have been seen as risky but we would not have been able to plan for future growth,” continues Paterson who runs the business with his brothers Michael and Daniel.
The company’s main customer base is south of the border and it has ambitious UK and European expansion plans.
“Since 2002 we’ve steadily grown year-on-year to group sales of £6.5m but are now investing in a step change. Economic development agency Scottish Enterprise has recognised this and invited us onto their programme for high growth companies which provides excellent advice and support.
“We are reinforcing our business-to-business customer base and have entered the consumer online market by investing in flexible online sales. We are making it even easier for customers to buy from us including single products when they don’t want or need to bulk buy.”
Furthermore, the company has appointed a product development manager to implement a series of product launches starting with the recent introduction of its new super slim F-crate for food distributers. This latest appointment is part of a big effort that has gone into building the right team to support growth.
“I know it is not the case in all family businesses but I enjoy working with my brothers. We have an understanding and confidence in each other and are there when we need to share ideas or ask advice.
“It is too easy to get distracted from the long-term goals by day-to-day pressures. Having the right team and family advice makes it easier for us to focus on our financial plan and ensure we continue to invest.”
A further key ingredient in the company’s success is the excellent long-term relationships it has built with customers and suppliers including manufacturers in Europe, China and Israel.
“We still buy collars from the Scandinavian factory we first bought from way back in 2002,” concludes Paterson.
