opinion
AMHSA opinion l Adapt to grow
In this month’s article in the series from members of the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA), Karen McBride, marketing manager for Joloda International, considers how her company has adapted to market forces to achieve 50 years in business in 2012.
T
raditional wedding anniversary gifts run from paper for the first year to gold for the 50th year, with a full rage of milestones on the way. As each year passes, each of the partners in the marriage has to keep aware of the relationship and adapt if necessary in order that the marriage can survive and grow. The same is true of any business. As the years pass, a company needs to judge its market position, strengths, weaknesses (yes, all companies have them!) and threats and then adapt and evolve to ensure growth and even survival.
As Joloda has just reached its 50th year, it is a good time to reflect on the keys to our longevity and the lessons for other businesses.
Continual innovation Like most successful companies, Joloda started with a good idea: Mr Johnstone invented the track and skate system to load delivery vehicles, which won the prestigious British Design Award. The curtain-sided lorry had not yet been invented so the choice was either a flat-bed lorry or a box van with doors at the back. The new system allowed pallets loaded at the rear of a box van to be lifted by the skate and pushed on the tracks to the front of the van. The later invention of the curtain- sided vehicle could have severely dented Joloda’s business. Fortunately, the company’s management had not
rested on its laurels and had already identified other market areas with growth potential for loading systems. This drive for product innovation and market development is a strategically important element in every successful business.
Economies of scale
Joloda progressed upwards into fully automatic lorry-loading systems and airfreight-handling systems and downwards into the ‘white van’ trade, where carrying just two pallets had become a major market. At the same time, however, the company had the courage to attack export markets, often a key factor in achieving economies of scale in production and thereby ensuring competitive advantage. Exporting to markets such as the USA, Japan and Europe helped to consolidate the company’s position.
Of course, when we began 50 years ago, few would have guessed that airfreight would become such a major business – today FedEx is one of our biggest customers, using some 5,000 of our airfreight roller bed systems daily.
Listening is vital
Is there any factor that can be singled out as vital to business success? The key lesson from Joloda’s history seems to be that it is imperative to listen to your customers.
Today, we often refer to this as
‘networking’ but – whether you do it at a trade show, through membership of a trade association such as AMHSA, by reading industry magazines, through visiting your customers or by chatting to them on the ‘phone – the key part is the listening.
“Is there any factor that can be singled out as vital to business success? The key lesson from Joloda’s history seems to be that it is imperative to listen to your customers. “
This simple act is what informs your business of its market position, strengths, weaknesses and threats.
AMHSA Symposium
In particular, exhibitions and industry events afford the opportunity to judge trends and what the next business hurdle is likely to be. With this in mind, I would
recommend that anyone wanting to evaluate the role of automation in their handling should attend the AMHSA 2012 Symposium on 2nd May at Silverstone. With an impressive line-up of presentations – including a keynote speech by Lord Digby Jones – this event will give company owners, directors and senior managers an insight into the technology that will be exploited in future logistics solutions, as well as the opportunity to debate these developments. ●
www.amhsa.co.uk
www.PressOnShD.com March 2012 ShD 39
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