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Success Stories Success Stories
EIC Survive& &Thrive Thrive IX EIC Survive 2025
July July2025 2025
Story type #digital & AI (main category) #collaboration, #optimisation, #resilience, #service & solutions
Benefits
Transcar Projects Big enough to deliver, small enough to care
▸ TRANSFREIGHT system has allowed Transcar Projects to achieve a competitive advantage, covering a significant portion of its operating costs. ▸ Revenues have increased from a 2020 low by over 300% in 2023 and 2024.
Key findings
Dean Rossiter Managing Director
How is Transcar Projects thriving? Established in 1977, London-based project and logistics management consultancy Transcar Projects is fast approaching its 50th anniversary year with much to shout about. From regionally strategic bases in the UK, Belgium, Qatar and Australia, the company has redefined its market position through digital innovation, a bold rebrand, and a strategic shift toward mid-tier EPC and OEM clients. After navigating significant industry disruption, Transcar has returned to sustainable growth – tripling revenue since 2020 and positioning itself as a smart, agile alternative to multinational providers. The challenge – Following the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, a collapse in oil prices, and escalating volatility due to global conflicts, Transcar Projects was confronted with a dramatically altered market landscape. Several large multinational competitors had capitalised on the disruption, expanding through opportunistic acquisitions and increasing their market dominance. As a result, the company encountered significant and unfamiliar barriers to re-entry. Projects had grown substantially in size and complexity, demanding the involvement of firms with the financial capacity to provide extensive credit lines and performance bonds. With a reduced revenue base and a weakened balance sheet, Transcar Projects was struggling to meet these demands. Projects that had once aligned with Transcar’s core capabilities, typically valued between US$5m to US$50m, were now valued at +US$50 million and being awarded exclusively to larger players. Further, clients were increasingly risk-averse, unwilling to entrust complex, high-value logistics contracts to smaller operators, despite their capabilities. The financial impact was stark. Transcar Projects saw its revenue decline precipitously from previous highs by 75% in 2020. The solution – In response, Transcar Projects undertook a comprehensive strategic transformation. As large-scale projects began to re-emerge in late 2023 – often in new, consolidated formats
– the company recognised that its reduced revenue history and weakened balance sheet would no longer provide the commercial credibility required to progress beyond the Request for Information (RFI) stage. Simply put, Transcar was no longer qualifying to receive Request for Quotation (RFQ) opportunities, which necessitated a fundamental reassessment of its business model. Having seriously evaluated all options including external partnerships and venture capital investment, the firm elected to pursue a two-stage transformation program aimed at both first ensuring its survival and then latterly maximising sustainable longterm growth, all without compromising its independence or core identity. The initial phase focused on operational renewal and brand revitalisation. Significant investments were made in IT infrastructure, website redevelopment and social media presence, resulting in a refreshed brand identity that repositioned Transcar as a modern, agile alternative to larger multinational logistics providers. Internally, management also conducted a thorough review of the company’s client base in order to better align service offerings with the evolving needs of second- and third-tier clients. A key innovation was the integration of API technology for the first time. Transcar’s legacy tracking system, though internally developed, was outdated and not cloudbased. Under the guidance of Managing Director Dean Rossiter’s strong IT background, the company collaborated with its Australian sister company, APHEX, to build a new, cloud-based logistics operating platform called TRANSFREIGHT. Launched in mid-2024, the TRANSFREIGHT system is fully mobile-compatible, intuitive to use, and highly integrative, offering advanced reporting capabilities and seamless API connectivity. This includes real-time data exchanges with clients, third-party systems, shipping lines, and even CO2 emissions monitoring tools. At the same time, the company also moved away from targeting large scale projects, instead leveraging its extensive EPC logistics expertise to serve medium-sized clients where its scale, flexibility, and personalised service have offered a competitive advantage. With, a significant amount having been spent on the development of TRANSFREIGHT, and thousands more during the brand refresh, Transcar Projects is now reaping the rewards of its investments.
For young people
▸ Remain creative and proactive so that we can continue to provide solutions that differentiate and add value.
For industry
▸ Sit with clients first, then adapt digital solution to deliver it, not the other way round.
For government
▸ Support SMEs, to grow into domestic and international markets.
Transcar Projects at a glance: Key products and services: project and logistics management.
Main industries served: ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸ ▸
Oil and gas – 50% Conventional power – 10% Nuclear power – 5% Offshore renewable energy – 5% Onshore renewable energy – 5% Hydrogen – 5% Carbon capture – 5% Others (energy) – 10% Others (non-energy) – 5%
Headquarters: London, UK Year established: 1977 Number of employees: 21 Revenue: £5m Revenue from exports: 70%
The new operating model now generates sufficient revenue and margin to cover a significant portion of operating costs, with full coverage projected by the end of the current financial year. Further, revenues have rebounded from previous lows in 2020 up by 300% in both 2023 and 2024, with the firm’s value proposition of “big enough to deliver, small enough to care” resonating strongly with its client base. A key contributor to this success has been staff continuity. As a family-run business, Transcar boasts an average employee tenure of 17 years, this helping to preserve valuable institutional knowledge and ensures consistent service delivery – an asset highly valued by clients. Indeed, this is the true definition of a survive and thrive story, with Transcar Projects truly having innovated effectively to revive itself during an incredibly challenging moment in the firm’s 48-year history.