Shifting Gears to Customer-centric Logistics

26 August 2024

In between raw materials and the final product reaching consumers hands, logistics serves the crucial purpose of obtaining, storing, and moving goods to the right place at the right time. With an increasing demand for efficient and sustainable solutions, Swedish logistics company NTEX has, since its establishment in 2003, stood out a mile in the industry. Their key to success? A green, customer-centric approach – and a knack for solving problems before they escalate.

Founded in 2003 by Thomas Ström, NTEX is rapidly making waves in the transport and logistics sector with its straightforward but powerful ambition: be easy to work with and listen to the customers. Although it may seem simple, Managing Director of the UK, Malcolm Thorpe, firmly believes that this is what sets them apart in a crowded market.

“We try to pre-empt problems just by communicating, from the ground level staff over to the clients. For us, it’s all about trying to go that extra mile in terms of trying to find a solution.”

Although NTEX is still a fairly new player in the game compared to its industry peers, this philosophy has helped the company build a solid brand, attract new customers, as well as retain existing ones.

“Quite a few of our clients have been with us all the way since we started. We believe this is the best proof of the benefits of our ‘close to the customer-concept’ – that clients stay with NTEX for a very, very long time,” says David Forsberg, Business Unit Manager UK & Ireland. 

Nordic and local expertise
With proactive communication as a solid cornerstone, NTEX eventually established in the UK – a market central to their growth strategy since day dot. Here alone, a staff of 250 ensures that NTEX can deliver efficiently and reliably on a daily basis, whether it’s a single pallet or a full truckload.

As of now, NTEX has expanded their UK footprint with offices in Bristol, Nottingham, Glasgow, and Immingham, enabling a regional approach with quicker response times and better customer relationships. 

“Having a local regional profile and presence means that we can tap into the local industries in those areas, and ultimately increase exports and imports in whatever direction that we do. On the whole, we find that it works much better than for example me trying to ring a Scottish customer – they’ll might hear my accent and put the phone down,” Malcolm jokes with a laugh. 

Steering towards a green and tech-driven future
NTEX does not only take pride in keeping close to the costumers. When it comes to working towards a greener logistics sector, David highlights the importance of working closely with clients, suppliers, and even competitors in order to make this a reality.  

“There is definitely an increased demand from clients looking to find greener transport solutions. The logistics and transport industry hold huge responsibility in offering sustainable supply change solutions. Once we provide it – it’s up to each actor to adopt it. On the whole, I think long term collaborations and partnerships are much needed to justify different investments, because it entails that you’re working towards a shared goal,” says David. 

As an example, NTEX uses Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) to power trucks in Sweden, cutting CO2 emissions by approximately 90% - an eco-friendly practice they’re now pushing to bring over to the UK.  Besides this, NTEX is betting big on technology to stay ahead of the curve. Not only are they upgrading IT systems to boost transparency and communication with clients, they’re also adopting GPS tracking on their trailers, to keep clients informed every step of the way. Ultimately, this tech upgrade promises even better service and stronger customer relationships.

Looking ahead
NTEX journey from 2003 to this date is a story of dedication and unwavering commitment to customer satisfaction. With this solid foundation, Malcolm has a keen eye on the future.

“People out there know the brand and we’re up there when it comes to choice of employer. When you ask people the question ‘why is that?’, it’s because they are familiar with the brand, and we do have that quality profile. Going forward, we must keep that ingredient in our recipe for success.” 

Regardless of what the future holds in terms of new technology reshaping the industry, the dependence on the transport and logistics sector is unceasing. Whether it is the transition of the coffee bean to a high street latte, dense forest to a book, or the monumental move of an entire urban area such as Kiruna city in northern Sweden – few sectors can take pride in making the modern day-to-day life go around to the extent of transport and logistics.