Relay Technical Transport celebrates 50 years of specialized transport for fragile and valuable equipment
Providers of high-value equipment, such as computer hardware, medical equipment, printers, copiers, and other fragile items, trust Relay Technical Transport (Relay) as their transport partner of choice. Indeed, this specialist transport services company serves as a market leader in the careful planning, scheduling, collection, handling, storage and movement of delicate and valuable electronic equipment. With well-equipped and highly trained two-person delivery crews, as well as additional transportation specialist personnel available when required, Relay ensures safe transportation, avoiding damage to its customers’ assets. We learn more about the organization’s operations from Dan Rangecroft, Sales Director.
Specialist services
“As a specialist logistics company, we excel in two-person delivery, collection, and relocation services for delicate equipment. To that end, we have a fleet of 60 Mercedes-Benz lorries, which are tailored for transporting high-value items. The vehicles are equipped with air ride suspension and tail lifts, as well as specialist and carpeted load locking systems to safely secure goods. They are also temperature controlled to maintain warmth during transit, protecting items from cold temperatures. Each vehicle is manned by a minimum of two people, as our role is not only to safely deliver items to their destination but also to position them within the site, whether it be an office, school, or any other environment. For instance, when delivering a photocopier to an office, we place it in the exact location where it will be utilized, unpack it, remove the packaging from site, set it up and leave it operational for immediate use by the customer, thus eliminating the need for an on-site engineer to attend. The variety of equipment we transport spans vending machines, medical devices, AV screens, fridges, freezers, and other large, valuable items that require specialist care,” he opens.
Memorable milestone
According to Dan, the successful concept of Relay was originally born in the 1970s and was refined shortly thereafter. “This year will mark our 50th anniversary, as we were founded in 1975 by the mother and father of our current Owner and Managing Director, Hugh Reid. In the beginning, Hugh’s father used his van to deliver basic van transportation services. One day, someone asked him to transport a model oil rig from London to Aberdeen. As this was a to scale model oil rig, the client had spent around six months building it and could not afford for it to get damaged, so it needed to be transported safely and delivered in one piece. At the time, our founder was not equipped to transport such delicate items, leading him to buy some blankets and strapping points to transport the model oil rig safely. In a light bulb moment, he realized that transporting delicate and valuable equipment needing specialist care could be a premium transport service, something different and niche than what he had been doing so far. This is when the idea for our business was formed and since then, we have grown massively. Today, we have four depots in Iver, an account management and sales office in Northampton, as well as depots in Warrington and Coatbridge,” he narrates.
To mark its 50th anniversary and complete its existing fleet of 60 vehicles, Relay is looking at introducing some new trucks into its fleet, including a special golden truck. “This year, our goal is to add 12 new vehicles to our fleet not only to grow it, but also to maintain a modern, eco-friendly standard across our fleet. In celebration of our 50th birthday, we have ordered a gold colored, 18-ton Mercedes-Benz truck as gold symbolizes this milestone. Likewise, when our business turned 40, the color of our commemorative truck was ruby red. Our new gold truck will be highly tailored with Alcoa alloys, serving as a festive tribute to our anniversary,” Dan reveals.
Agile operations 
While reflecting on this important milestone, Dan provides insights into the factors that have set Relay apart from its competitors and contributed to its longevity. “One of the main considerations is our ability to move a wide variety of equipment. This way, when one market is not particularly active, another sector we are involved in is still busy. Different sectors experience varying activity levels throughout the year; for example, fridges and freezers are popular deliveries in the summer but less so in the winter months, when the medical sector experiences increased demand. All in all, our capacity to deliver such a diverse range of equipment and adapt to seasonal demand fluctuations ensures continuous business for us all year round. As a privately owned family business, we are agile in responding to changing market conditions. Naturally, external events like the pandemic have had a real impact on our operations, as many companies we handle deliveries for were temporarily closed. However, our adaptability and scale empowered us to accommodate these challenges. Our size and operational structure afford us the agility to make crucial business changes when needed to respond to evolving market conditions,” he emphasizes.
Its flexibility allows Relay to rapidly embrace and comply with industry trends and regulations. At the moment, the company is heavily focused on fostering more environmentally responsible logistics, as Dan points out. “All of our fleet is now Euro 6 compliant and modernized. However, the technology for adequate electric vehicles (EVs) is not yet viable enough for use by logistics businesses like ours, considering the need for long-distance travel and high mileage, which makes EVs impractical. For our primary client, Konica Minolta, a leading manufacturer of print hardware, we operate with dedicated vehicles for collection and trunking. These vehicles are powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), resulting in emissions reductions of over 90 percent. We use these trucks for the daily collection from Konica Minolta’s facility in Basildon and the nightly trunking of equipment from Iver to Warrington. In other words, a significant portion of our work is carried out in an environmentally friendly manner, given that Konica Minolta is our largest customer.
“Furthermore, we are ISO 14001 accredited, demonstrating our commitment to the environment. A large part of our operations involves unpacking the equipment we deliver and subsequently removing the associated packaging and recycling it on behalf of our customers. To facilitate this process, we have on-site cardboard balers, ensuring that shrink wrap, wood, and all other materials are separated before they are recycled. As a result, our clients also operate in an environmentally friendly manner through the sustainable handling of packaging materials we remove on their behalf.”
Thanks to its sophisticated fleet and commitment to the environment, Relay redefines the standards of delicate goods transportation. Its journey from modest beginnings to market leadership is a testament to the company’s innovative spirit and relentless focus on customer satisfaction.