Newton Aycliffe logistics firm Stiller Warehousing and Distribution has invested further in the company to create another huge new warehouse.
After opening a state-of-the-art, £2m freight distribution centre and office block at its 22-acre premises on Aycliffe Business Park last year, Stiller is now converting its former logistics centre into warehousing to meet rising demand.
The 50,000 sq ft warehouse has been fully refurbished and, when completed, will accommodate up to 6,000 pallets.
High-performance resin screed, recladding and LED lighting has brought the old building up to 21st Century standards as Stiller continues its hefty investment programme.
The firm spent £1.1m in a brand new 40,000 sq ft warehouse building in 2015, and in 2017 added another 40,000 sq ft extension to it, with both units creating space for more than 10,000 pallets of storage.
And just months after spending £1.7m on a fleet of new trucks, this latest development will increase Stiller’s capacity further still, and takes the firm’s total investment in property, facilities and people to £11m in the last four years.
Local contractors are being used in the fit-out of the latest new facility, with Bishop Auckland firm G Smith Electrical supplying the lighting, and they have been helped by a grant provided by Durham County Council’s BEEP energy programme.
Local firm Scott and Scott is providing the cladding and racking, while Newton Aycliffe – based Kolorspray has also been drafted in to re-paint internal areas.
Managing director Matthew Stiller – pictured above (left) with his father Paul with warehouse manager Gary Auston (right) inside the firm’s newly-refurbished facility – said: “It’s a full top-to-tail refurbishment to bring the building up to the highest spec possible, and which is very much part of our long-term investment plan and growth strategy.
“We’ve seen an unprecedented rise in the demand for storage space over the last year and we’re expanding to meet that demand.
“The new warehouse is almost completed, and we’re already starting to fill the space up, which is very encouraging.”
At the end of 2018, Stiller revealed it had invested £1.7m in new vehicles to keep their truckers motoring millions of miles around the country, refreshing its fleet of 45 trucks with 20 new Mercedes Across tractor units.
Earlier the firm completed work on a £2m 40,000 sq ft palletised distribution centre, which improved its vehicle loading times.
Stiller – which was named Company of the Year at Aycliffe Business Park’s Make Your Mark awards in May – has seen sales rise by more than 20% to £14.8m, while staff numbers have jumped from 149 to 174 in the last 12 months.
Formed in 1954, Stiller provides cost-effective warehousing and distribution services to businesses in the North-East region as well as commercial property lettings and is also a member and major shareholder in Palletline, a national co-operative network of 70 companies specialising in overnight palletised freight distribution.
Stiller’s site stores goods and parts for well-known national brands as well as local businesses including Gestamp Tallent and 3M.
More about Stiller can be found at www.stiller.co.uk