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LOGISTICS
“I firmly believed that there was an
opportunity to create a specialist
MFP logistics and transport company,
that had customer-centricity at its
heart,” he said. “When I mentioned
this to one dealer I had a good
relationship with, he said ‘do it’. I
then spoke to my father who gave
me the push I needed. So back in
2004, I bought a van and set out to
prove that I could provide a better
service than was currently available.”
Barber’s attention to detail and drive
for excellence quickly paid off. “I really
enjoyed being on the road, travelling the
length and breadth of the country and
meeting people,” he explained. This hands-
on, customer-facing approach meant that
the company grew very quickly, with new
business coming in via word of mouth
recommendations.
Full service
Based in Bedfordshire, Quest Logistics
has nationwide coverage and has also
completed moves for customers across
Europe. The company’s services are
comprehensive. “One of the most common
jobs that we undertake is the collection
and relocation of copiers. We offer a full
service that covers collection, relocation
and installation and we conduct site
surveys to assess relocation needs to ensure
the process runs smoothly,” Barber said.
Uniformed two man crews decommission
devices onsite, safely pack and label them
before transporting them to the new
location in one of the company’s eight-
strong fleet of specially padded vehicles.
The machines are then installed at the new
location, the crew also carry out a demo as
well as remove and dispose of all packaging.
“As the business has grown we’ve
expanded our offer to meet customer
demand,” Barber said. “We have a client
After six years working for a company that specialised in installing printers and
copiers nationwide, Nick Barber was toying with the idea of setting up shop on
his own. He mooted the idea to a reseller he had worked with, who responded
positively and it was this that promoted him to set-up Quest Logistics
Moving MFPs from A to B
base that covers dealerships large and
small, some of whom don’t have the
warehousing capacity to store machines
pre-delivery or the specialist equipment
such as stairwalkers to transport and install
at their customers’ premises.” To address
this need, the company also offers short-
and long-term storage facilities for used
and new machines in a gated facility with
24-hour security.
In addition it also provides a full
PDI service. “Our customers can sell
the machines and we can take care of
the rest – from receiving the delivery,
storing the devices, full PDI, delivery to
the end customer, installation including
any networking onsite, and for those
companies looking to recycle or dispose
of legacy devices, we also offer a cost-
effective disposal service, which adheres to
the WEEE directive.”
Quest Logistics has extensive
experience in high value office equipment
relocation services and has expanded its
collection and relocation service to include
other items such as vending machines,
medical equipment, safes and security
equipment and servers and IT equipment.
Barber added that dealers can choose
the level of service they require. “We are
wholly flexible, some of our customers
pick up devices from our warehouse and
handle the rest in-house, others opt to
outsource all to us – we customise our
offer based on individual requirements.”
Sustained growth
The company’s raison d’etre is to deliver
a first class, professional service at a
very competitive price point - one that
is wholly flexible and which promises
quick turnarounds. And this attention
to customer service has paid off. The
company has increased turnover twelve-
fold since it started.
“We have grown consistently year on
year, and whilst we had a bit of a plateau
during the recession, the past three years
has really been strong. We are continually
picking up new work, the bulk of which
comes from referrals. I guess if you do
what you say you are going to do and
deliver great service – then that’s the
result!” Barber said.
With Barber’s time increasingly
becoming swallowed up in the day to day,
he has appointed Paul Cooper as Service
Director to take the mantle in terms of
managing existing customer relationships
and communications between the crews
and the office. “I’m very excited about
this new hire, it will be great to have
an industry specialist in-house focussed
solely on looking after our customers and
ensuring that the service they receive is
second to none.”
He added. “In this business, managing
the peaks and troughs is always a
challenge. There are key times of the year
when the number of jobs we have to
handle increases exponentially. We have a
plan in place to ensure we accommodate
each and every customer. This includes a
number of technicians who are available
on a contingency basis to provide extra
manpower when required.”
March and April have been the busiest
months in the firm’s history. “We have
had unprecedented levels of new business
enquiries which is great,” Barber said.
Quest
Logistics has
extensive
experience
in high
value office
equipment
relocation
services and
has expanded
its collection
and
relocation
service
Nick Barber
