Award-winning dangerous goods specialist targets North-east growth

Evolution Forwarding is targeting growth closer to home after winning a major award for its achievements overseas

An award-winning dangerous goods specialist is targeting growth in the North-east after winning a major award for its achievements overseas.

Teesside firm Evolution Forwarding topped the Supporting Export category at the recent North East Exporters’ Awards after achieving a ten-fold increase in export turnover to almost £750,000 in two years.

It was a second awards success for the Middlesbrough-based business, which provides a speedy cargo service for dangerous goods and earlier this year picked up the Tees Valley Best New Business gong.

While the company has increased export sales rapidly, from 40% to 90% of overall turnover in the past three years, fewer than 6% of the businesses it deals with are based on Teesside.

Now, though, the firm is focused on building greater market share locally by building on its North-east customer base, which includes Stockton fire protection specialist Hawkes Fire and Middlesbrough-based global tank transportation firm Bulkhaul.

Evolution MD Terry Goldspink said: “It’s ironic that we have won a prestigious award for supporting our region’s exporters when, in truth, the majority of businesses we support are actually based outside the region.

“Our biggest disappointment is that we’re not servicing more North-east clients to the extent that we know we could.

“We are in a prime position to help exporters and importers with their logistics for chemicals, or indeed any other dangerous goods, so our target for the next 12 months is to increase our customer base throughout the North-east.”

Mr Goldspink launched Evolution with his wife Amanda three years ago after gaining 20 years’ experience in the forwarding industry. Since then the company has made its mark in overseas markets by winning a clutch of contracts.

Recently the firm extended its partnership agreement with Shanghai Milky Way International Chemical Logistics Group, a Chinese freight forwarder and logistics business. The six-figure deal will see Evolution continue to handle all of Shanghai Milky Way’s shipments into the UK and Ireland for the next three years.

The company also expects to recruit two more dangerous goods specialists in the next 12 months.