MEGA FORTRIS UK
SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED
MEGA FORTRIS UK
WE LEARN HOW MEGA FORTRIS UK IS BRINGING INNOVATION TO THE LOGISTICS SECTOR.
SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED PROJECT MANAGED BY: DAVID TAVERNOR
Mega Fortris opened for business in the UK in 2002 as a division of the Mega Fortis Group, a Malaysian company that is one of the largest manufacturers of security seals supplying the logistics, food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical and retail industries, amongst others. In 2008, Mega Fortris launched a sister company, Fortris Load Secure, to sell loadsecuring equipment such as lashing systems while synergising with Mega Fortris’s own security seals products, particularly in the Mega Fortris-dominated drinks industry. This year both companies came together under one banner, creating a fullservice solutions provider for the logistics sectors.
2 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
“F
or example, if you’re shipping pallets in a container, we can supply the strapping for strapping down the pallets, dunnage bags or lashing to secure products in the container and a sensor which will monitor location, light, temperature, moisture and shock. We can then also offer a range of security seals to secure the outside of the container,” explains Keith Edgar, Managing Director of Mega Fortris UK.
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
MEGA FORTRIS UK
“We’re a full-service solutions provider offering a full range of products which is especially important where blue-chip companies are trying to reduce the number of vendors.” “We’re supplying a full package for any logistic supply chain from start to finish,” adds Debbie Hardy, Mega Fortris UK’s National Sales Manager. Mega Fortris UK boasts some big names among its customers, includes companies like Nestlé and DPD. The customers are drawn to Mega Fortris due to a number of factors, including the second-to-none level of customer service and a suite of advanced equipment that allows them to customise their products to individual customers’ needs, such as the bespoke security seals they can offer with their laser marking machines. “As a group, we’re innovative, forward-thinking and invest in a lot of R&D at a group level. This then enables us to offer new products, new solutions and
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
new systems,” Edgar explains. “our customers appreciate that we’re not standing still and we’re trying to develop the market on our own, not simply following trends.” Indeed, Mega Fortris’s products are crafted to the highest standards, with innovative new ideas that are leading the way for others in the industry.
A BIODEGRADABLE SEAL
To see how Mega Fortris works it’s worth taking a look at one of their more recent innovations, a biodegradable security seal. While the idea might sound counter-intuitive at first, the truth is it’s a product direly needed across a wide number of industries. “Everyone’s a lot more conscious about plastic waste and the damage it’s doing globally, and a lot of companies are recognising that and coming under pressure to adopt a more sustainable approach,” Hardy tells us. “As they’re more
environmentally conscious of the impact single-use plastic has, that comes into our area of responsibility because security seals are single-use plastic seals. So we’ve been finding a way to address that requirement. A lot of research and development has gone into developing an environmentally friendly solution.” For Mega Fortris it was important not just to develop a biodegradable seal, but a range of biodegradable seals that would suit the needs of a wide range of clients and industries. “That hadn’t been done before,” Hardy recalls. “We needed a range that didn’t compromise on shelf-life or quality. That took a lot of development and we came up with a range that didn’t compromise on those elements. The compostable plastic security seals can be biologically broken down into their base compound when in contact with naturally occurring microbes.”
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 3
e.d.s. couriers
WHEN IT MUST BE THERE. Over one million parcels are handled by e.d.s each year. We treat every single parcel with the same high levels of care and attention your products deserve.
Parcels
Same Day
Pallets
International
Your parcels are sent anywhere in the UK using the country’s largest next-day delivery network.
When your documents, parcels or pallets need to be there today, we are ready to deliver.
Your pallets & bulk items are sent anywhere in the UK and mainland Europe via 100 depots.
An efficient, time-saving and informative solution to your International needs.
Every parcel we handle is treated with care and attention. We know your reputation depends on us getting your goods to your customer on-time and arriving in perfect condition.
www.edscouriers.co.uk
Email: sales@edscouriers.com
Tel: 01543 435 149
E.D.S. COURIERS EDS is a family owned group of businesses based in Staffordshire that has seen significant year on year growth over recent years. This growth has been achieved by taking a unique customer care perspective, providing bespoke solutions to SME distribution problems in a market where the logistics giants cannot and do not wish to compete. At EDS we try and take a holistic view to client challenges and work closely with our clients to ensure that all logistical issues are covered so the client can remain solely focused on their core business. Working with a number of strategic partners, EDS sources and channels freight through the most appropriate carriers, streamlining and minimizing client time. Offering both Domestic and International solutions, our nationwide International service is seeing double digit growth and we are actively seeking out new clients to work with in this area. With Brexit adding in a new set of hurdles for us all to overcome in the coming months, we consider ourselves well placed to react to the inevitable rake of changes to come. EDS caters to a broad scope of industries and is currently working through a growth and acquisition strategy to bolster its service offering with new investment into associated logistical services for both the existing and new clients. Covid 19 has brought massive challenges to the logistics and distribution industry in 2020 and with no clear end in sight EDS are developing new strategies to accommodate the changes in personal spending online. The express parcel sector has been hit particularly hard by this, with consumer spending dynamics, changed, probably forever. Whilst this is proving very positive in terms of some record numbers coming through, it also provides a number of distinct challenges in trying to maintain the high level of customer service that we as a business, pride ourselves on. EDS continues to adapt to the now constantly changing trading environment to ensure its clients continue to receive excellent service with minimal disruption. Chief Strategy Officer - Colin Nonis said: “The strength of our business comes in both its agility, and its adaptability for our clients. We firmly believe these are the key factors for surviving and prospering in the evolution of ours, or any industry. Maintaining those core factors, will always remain as the beating heart of our growth strategy”.
MEGA FORTRIS UK
“WE NEEDED A RANGE THAT DIDN’T COMPROMISE ON SHELF-LIFE OR QUALITY. THAT TOOK A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT AND WE CAME UP WITH A RANGE THAT DIDN’T COMPROMISE ON THOSE ELEMENTS. THE COMPOSTABLE PLASTIC SECURITY SEALS CAN BE BIOLOGICALLY BROKEN DOWN INTO THEIR BASE COMPOUND WHEN IN CONTACT WITH NATURALLY OCCURRING MICROBES.” OPEN TO NEW IDEAS
Of course, developing a product like this requires a team with a great deal of talent and expertise. Finding and nurturing talent is a cornerstone of Mega Fortis’s strategy, not just in research and development, but in every aspect of the business. “We work with several recruiting agencies to identify talent and what we look for is someone who can grow with the company, not someone who finds a role and stays there,” Edgar says. “We invest in coaching, identifying talent within the company, often on a one to one basis, to nurture the talent we have and get the best out of people we can. We’re happy to reinvest money in expanding what people can do.”
www.edscouriers.co.uk
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 5
Specialists in cargo damage prevention All products certified by DNVGL and Dekra The highest quality standard for Professionals
Our sales partner for the UK Mega Fortris
Veltkamp BV, Witte Paal 28 – 30, 1742 NL, The Netherlands | Tel: +31224274010 | Email: sales@veltkamp.pro | www.veltkamp.pro
MEGA FORTRIS UK
“WE INVEST IN COACHING, IDENTIFYING TALENT WITHIN THE COMPANY, OFTEN ON A ONE TO ONE BASIS, TO NURTURE THE TALENT WE HAVE AND GET THE BEST OUT OF PEOPLE WE CAN. WE’RE HAPPY TO REINVEST MONEY IN EXPANDING WHAT PEOPLE CAN DO.”
To get the most out of its people it is absolutely essential that people feel their ideas will be listened to and considered, and this is an important aspect of Mega Fortris UK’s culture. Hardy tells us, “We’re always open to new ideas and different ways of looking at things. People aren’t brought on board and made to stick within the current system.”
Repsco is built on recycling. While a lot of people are talking about building Green Initiatives, Repsco is busy doing it. At REPSCO, we are experts at customizing polymer blends and sheet specifications to meet your unitized load size, weight, and application requirements. Further, we implement our rigorous quality control program through each step of the materials acquisition, manufacturing, and shipping process. We have recycled over 160 mln pounds of materials in the last 20 years alone. You will always receive the highest quality slipsheets that precisely meet your needs. Our HDPE slipsheets efficiently replace wood pallets in logistics, saving millions of dollars in the process. Repsco is built on recycling, but we don’t stop there. Our Green & Gold program is a Green Initiative to encourage our clients and their partner companies and vendors to recycle used slipsheets, reusing former waste products again and again, saving money, conserving resources and reducing their environmental impact in the process. Our Green to Gold program includes buyback scheme of used slipsheets.
REPSCO, 5300 Claus Rd. Building 2, Modesto, CA 95357 | Phone: +1 888 737 7261
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
www.repsco.com
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 7
MEGA FORTRIS UK
Keith Edgar, Managing Director of Mega Fortris UK. “We have an open approach where anyone can come to us and say anything,” says Debbie Wheaver, a Director at the company. “We don’t dictate how people work. If they have got better ideas, we’ll listen to them and take them on board if they’re feasible.” Over the last year and a half, Mega Fortris UK has invested a six-figure sum in its UK production facility, installing new laser machines, better workstations, and improving working conditions. They’ve also invested in their staff, providing coaching and upgraded IT and CRM systems,
8 | BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE
as well as a new cloud-based phone system. These new systems couldn’t have arrived at a better time, as nothing forces a business to consider “different ways of looking at things” like a global pandemic. “We invested in a cloudbased phone system at just the right time,” Edgar admits. “Staff can go home, plug a phone into the router and it’s an extension of the office. So we could operate safely during COVID-19 without disrupting the customer experience, helping us get through the whole pandemic. The phone system made
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
MEGA FORTRIS UK
everything a lot easier. We have a lot of staff working from home now. We separated the production and office staff to create two bubbles. We’ve been extremely busy and a lot of our customers deal in healthcare and food and logistics, so we’re not letting customers down.” Even in the midst of the pandemic, Mega Fortris UK has been showing healthy levels of organic growth this year. Edgar is in no doubt why this is the case. “That is down to the employees, who continue to be our biggest asset,” Edgar tells us. “We’re only going to get bigger, in the future possibly through acquisitions. We’re not resting on our laurels.”
“WE’RE ALWAYS OPEN TO NEW IDEAS AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS. PEOPLE AREN’T BROUGHT ON BOARD AND MADE TO STICK WITHIN THE CURRENT SYSTEM.”
BUSINESSFOCUSMAGAZINE.COM
BUSINESS FOCUS MAGAZINE | 9
MEGA FORTRIS UK
WWW.MEGAFORTRIS.COM