System & Hargreaves merge to form 'UK's largest logistics training company'
Sep 01, 2010
A company claimed to be the largest logistics training organisation in the UK has been created following the merger of two existing providers. System Training and Hargreaves Training Services have combined to form a business that will operate from a national footprint of 20 training centres, and will have a workforce of over 300 employees. The consolidated turnover of the new entity is 16m - and is predicted to double over the next three years.
While the two existing companies will continue to operate on a standalone basis until a re-brand brings them both under the same banner, in the long-term the new combined firm will look to build upon an existing customer base that includes national retailers, logistics providers and hundreds of SME clients and owner-drivers nationally. Training will be offered to a wider range of industries including road transport, logistics, motor vehicle repair, accountancy, health & safety and construction. The combined business will have a broader strength and product offering, allowing greater access to both regional and national delivery profiles and new training markets.
Robin Brown, founder and current Chief Executive of System Training will head the new company as Chief Executive. Ian Peacock, the current Managing Director of Hargreaves Training Services will become Chief Operating Officer of the new business. Key personnel from both System Training and Hargreaves Training Services will form the new management team.
Road hauliers and transport companies will benefit from the merger by being able to take advantage of high quality training via a nationally recognised network that actually makes a real and tangible difference to their operations and profitability.
As the clear leader in the market, the merged company will be the UK's largest provider of Driver CPC solutions. It will work towards delivering Driver CPC training to over 100,000 drivers annually through direct contact training and instructor models and will also deliver ADR, FLT and training for HGV licences.
The new business is also ideally placed to deliver Apprenticeships to young people nationally in line with the Government's agenda. These will include Apprenticeships in Logistics, Motor Vehicle and Accountancy. The business will aspire to deliver Apprenticeships to thousands of young people across the UK.
Major stakeholders such as the Skills Funding Agency, the National Apprenticeship Service and the Department for Work and Pensions will benefit from the enhanced capability of the combined business via the achievement of real skills development on a larger scale. It will offer a significant support mechanism to help accelerate the objectives of sector skills councils, such as Skills for Logistics and Go Skills, and in particular will support the aims and objectives of the national and regional logistics academies.
Robin Brown, Chief Executive of System Training, said: "This is an exciting time for everyone at System Training as the new business will be considerably stronger than the two individual companies and allow us to offer an enhanced service to our clients and provide training to new markets. System Training will now be able to offer its award-winning Driver CPC training model, which has already saved clients millions of pounds, on a national basis. The new business will also provide opportunities to work closely with sector skills councils to support them and help them achieve their objectives."
Ian Peacock, Manager Director of Hargreaves Training Services, said: "We are bringing our strong regional and national presence to the new business and the company will now be able to offer a greater number of services to a larger geographical area. Hargreaves has extensive experience in work-focused training and up-skilling both employed and unemployed people. But this new entity will have a real strength in delivering training and developing skills in line with nationally recognised policies and will benefit clients, stakeholders and the logistics industry as a whole."
