Driving ambition pays.

Byline: Anastasia Weiner

During the past 53 years the Stiller Group has grown from a "one man, one wagon" operation to one of the UK's leading transport contractors.

The Stockton-based firm boasts a fleet of about 400 vehicles and 900 trailers, warehousing totalling 600,000sq ft, and distribution depots throughout the UK including Bridgend in Wales, London Docklands, Wolverhampton and Barnsley.

Employing about 750 staff, the ambitious company has enjoyed impressive growth during the years both organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions.

Made up of three divisions - Stiller Tankers, Stiller Warehousing and Distribution and Stiller Transport - the company also operates Fleetcare Truck Services, a 24/7 in-house maintenance division complete with a remote Vehicle and Operators Services Agency (VOSA) vehicle testing station that also caters for third party fleet operators.

It's also a member of national pallet distribution network Pallet Line, and is responsible for distributing and collecting pallets in the TS and DL postcodes.

Since its foundation the company has established an enviable reputation for both specialist and general haulage including abnormal loads, but its ambitions don't stop there.

According to Paul Stiller, Stiller Group's executive chairman, the haulage firm is looking to create even more specialist services with expansion into the waste and recycling sector.

"We are looking to launch Stiller Environmental Services over the coming months with a view to acquisitions as the way forward," he says.

"And this month we launched our new import/export facility on Teesport. There is already a lot of international freightage coming into the port, and we've been working very closely with PD Ports to actively bring more business into the port.

"This means that companies shipping into Southern ports such as Felixstowe can then move goods to Teesport, which we then distribute. A far more environmentally-friendly option than transporting goods the length of the country by road."

Continual investment in both new vehicles and IT systems has also helped keep the Stiller Group ahead of the field.

In October last year, the company announced it would be investing pounds 2m in expanding the fleet with new high specification tanks and tractor units. But it's not just about new vehicles. According to Mr Stiller health and safety and environmental responsibility are key drivers behind the investment.

"They are our brand," he explains. "The new tankers have street level controls, which means that the drivers don't have to get up on top of the vehicles.

"They also conform to the latest EU environmental legislation, and we're looking at going beyond that. We're also doing some research and development with environmentally friendly field."

All this seems a far cry from the days when Gunter Stiller - a former German prisoner of war who married and took residency in the UK after his release from Teesdale Camp - bought his first lorry in 1954.

As well as taking jobs all over the country, Mr Stiller senior became a regular contractor for firms such as British Steel. Indeed the group still works for Corus today.

Seven years later the family moved to Middleton St George, and by 1966 had moved into its first official depot - an old gasworks site in the village.

In 1994, the haulage firm decided to relocate and move to purpose-built premises at Preston Farm in Stockton.

"We'd outgrown Middleton St George, and Stockton was a better location for us," recalls Mr Stiller.

"It was also an opportunity to have something purpose built. When it was finished, it was officially opened by Tony Blair."

Growth continued and in 2000, the company acquired Carline Transport, a steel haulage operation in Wales. In the same year, Stiller Group also consolidated its position as a bulk liquid distributor by taking over Sadler Tankers.

The acquisition trail continued and by 2002 the group had added a West Midlands-based operation, Starr Roadways. Since then a Barnsley-based logistics specialist has also become part of the Stiller empire.

But even though the firm boasts petroleum and chemical clients such as Petroplus, Terra Nitrogen, and Degussa, resting on its laurels isn't an option.

The new import/export distribution facility at Teesport features value added services - in other words not just storage or distribution but repacking, reworking, re-branding, pricing, and labelling.

Stiller Group is also developing a "best practice" driver-training academy - which also offers services to third party drivers as well as catering for its own in-house needs.

With the logistics sector becoming ever more competitive, innovation and professionalism are vital for survival. "We pride ourselves on what we do," added Mr Stiller. "We employ very professional drivers and they are committed to doing the best job they can."