Established in 2010, PD Industrial has now become a trusted brand for offering warehouse storage solutions and services for some of the UK’s largest companies. We work with clients to offer products and services that increase productivity and storage requirements using our vast access to products/services across the marketplace. We strive to give our clients a service they deserve regardless of the size of project which has been instrumental in us growing as a business.
Managing Director at PD Industrial
We are a UK based company but have carried out many projects in Europe over the years. Our custromer base is very diverse but the majority of our work is carried out for retailers, Manufacturers and logistics companies.
We currently work for many of the UK’s largest companies and offer a true one stop shop experience for them from changing one damaged upright to carrying out a multi-million pound fit out project. Darren Hardiman, Managing Director of PD Industrial spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
What products or services does your company offer?
PD Industrial offers a wide range of products and services for the warehousing and industrial sectors. We specialise in pallet racking, mezzanine floors, shelving, racking repairs and inspection services for storage equipment.
Which industries do your customers operate in and which sectors are ones growing fastest?
Our customer base is diverse and includes warehousing, retailers, production and logistics service providers.
The warehousing and logistics sectors have seen some demanding times with many of our clients rushing to make the most of their often limited space by increasing storage capacities, along with implementing changes to how they operate as a business.
What are your most recent product innovations?
This year has seen us launch ‘Theia’ our free cloud based portal for SEMA racking inspections and repairs. This has allowed us to group clients repairs together saving them large sums of money whilst giving them a platform to monitor their sites in realtime. We have seen over the years how racking repairs are carried out by clients, without the ability to use that data for stopping damage from happening in the first place. Theia shows when and where damage occurred so we can offer advice on how to stop it from happening again in future.
Our experienced team of fitters now use the software for carrying out all of our repairs. A primary benefit of Theia for our clients is the fact they know which fitter carried out the repair and when. Why is this so crucial? Because the customer can see the trail of progress and knows the liability sits with us to make sure all repairs quoted for are carried out.
Compared to stacks of paper and spreadsheets, Theia is a more versatile platform for our clients to manage their inspections and repairs. Accessed from the cloud it syncs seamlessly via the app or the web portal. It lowers the amount of paper waste in the workplace and raises our clients’ health and safety compliance. With over 300 clients using the portal for inspections and repairs, its a real game changer for our business. Which industry sectors are growing fastest for you?
Retail E-com continues to grow and enquiries for automated sites are rising at a high rate. This is also driven by the fact that we have installed some of the largest bespoke designed mezzanine floors for AMR use in the UK.
Can you tell us about any recent customer contract wins and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?
2022 has seen us acquire many new clients who want a supplier that can truly offer a one stop service for their needs. What many competitors claim to be able to offer, is something we have taken as our number 1 priority over the years to acheive. We’ve built a team that takes a project from initial design stage to a fully run CDM site, using directly employed staff with the required skills to implement a project regardless of its size or complexity.
How were business levels in 2022 compared to previous years?
Although I believe 2022 has been our toughest trading year to date due to the demands in the supply chain globally, we have still seen a 15% increase in turnover from 2021 which was our most successful year previously. 2023 looks to be our busiest year on record with committed orders already exceeding that of 2022. This is evidence that we are giving our clients the products they need along with providing a service they deserve.
In what areas are you making technological advances?
We make it our mission to try and launch a new innovative product or service every year that benefits the industry. From our award winning Reloskate product to our new inspection portal Theia, we are always leading the pack in our industry with new ideas and products. Keep a look out for 2023 which will see us launch a new patented product into the market.
What training do you provide for your staff?
Training is key to any business and we have seen a dramatic improvement over the years when investing in our staff. As a recognised Sema Distibutor Group Company we make sure all our staff are trained to a high standard allowing them to do their jobs at the highest of levels. We are also investing in young talent by setting up our own apprenticeship scheme.
What is the company’s commitment to social responsibility?
One of the great things about having your own business is the capability to help others in need and improve things within your community. We have helped out many charities over the years by sponsoring and organising social events to raise money.
One of our proudest moments was when we supplied and installed a warehouse project for free, to the new distribution centre for the Royal British Legion for distributing the poppy appeal. I can think of no better way to say thank you to the brave people that have given up so much for us all.
What improvements have you made to your customer service recently?
This is where I believe we outshine the competition and the reason that many of our clients have stayed loyal to our business. Its never been more important than over the last 3 years to communicate effectively with clients and keep them updated, no matter what size of order they have placed. This is why we built our own cloud portal and CRM system, for managing projects effectively. Our team can access the required information at their fingertips, giving a better experience to our clients.
Are you helping customers boost the level of automation in their business?
Yes to date we have carried out many designs and projects for automation and each project has its unique problems to solve.
We are excited to announce that we have formed a strategic partnership with Locus Robotics who we believe offer great products suited to meet our customers’ warehouse fulfilment needs by helping solve the labour shortage and control costs. Locus’s robots work collaboratively with people, dramatically improving productivity and improving the workplace quality, using the existing workforce. This is what we believe the vast majority of clients will choose as it gives a greater degree of flexibility to quickly deploy and easily scale to meet current and future needs without massive investments in time and money that other automation solutions typically require.
Do you help customers maximise the use of their existing warehouse space?
Yes, we have completed hundreds of projects using our award winning product Reloskate, which enables us to offer clients a new warehouse layout without the need to dismantle their pallet racking. It’s a reliable tool for saving clients money and allowing them to carry out projects that would otherwise prove too expensive and create too much downtime to their operation.
How future proof is your business?
We’ve always operated a business that offers many products and services allowing us to react to different market demands.
Most companies don’t realise how extensive our capabilities are. Our core business is fit out work but we’ve also carried out some of the largest demolition projects across the UK and Europe which has included national property exit plans.
How would you sum up your company in three words?
Simply The Best
PD INDUSTRIAL
0800 612 8025
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