ATL developing a tyre industry specialism

Following the news that logistics service provider ATL officially opened a new ‘ATL Midlands Hub’ in Foston on 6 September 2018, Tyres & Accessories reflects on the company’s strategic decision to move towards the tyre industry. As we have already seen, before Jon Ward Joined ATL in April 2018, he previously worked as managing director for two major automotive companies, including one of ATL’s customers – Mitas Tyres. During his time at Mitas, Ward reportedly doubled turnover in three years, whilst increasing profit and encouraging a cohesive team culture.

As managing director at ATL, Jon Ward’s strategic focus is on taking ATL in a more commercial direction and growing the business to take it to the next level. His ultimate aim is to achieve £50 million turnover within five years. The interesting part of this for the tyre industry is how the company is aiming to achieve its goals.

ATL already has good connections to the wider automotive industry. Nearby JCB, for example, is one of the company’s key contacts. However, as Tyres & Accessories discovered talking to various guests during the course of the new warehouse open day, ATL also has contracts with Pirelli as well as Bridgestone (where the firm handles certain specialist earthmover and industrial products).

And it is this specialist but high quality end of the market that ATL has set its sights upon. Moving forward, T&A understands that the distribution company wants to create long-term relationships with quality and value-focused brands. They may not be the biggest firm out there, but they are growing – as the recent expansion demonstrates – and the firm’s mid-range size means it is able to be more flexible and reactive to customer demands.