JJX Logistics hope Black Country looks ‘closer to home’ for suppliers and partners in 2024

25 Jan 2024

Published in: Member News

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The Black Country Chamber of Commerce speaks to the Marketing & Communications Manager at JJX Logistics.

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In the latest Ready for 2024 interview, Edward Martin, Marketing & Communications Manager at JJX Logistics, says the logistics specialists hope fellow Black Country firms will do more business locally to enable the regional economy to grow this year.

As part of Ready for 2024, we are profiling members who are ready to deliver on their exciting plans during the 12 months ahead on the Chamber website and social media channels to get their views on the opportunities ahead during the next year.

Based in Kingswinford, JJX Logistics provides tailored transport and warehouse solutions for clients across Europe. Edward believes the Black Country has a greater profile than some may realise as it “accommodates companies leading the way in a wide variety of industries on the global stage”.

What will your business be focussing upon in 2024?

While already working closely with companies in the aerospace, technology, FMCG and dangerous goods market, 2024 will see JJX focus on a whole new market with the alcoholic beverage industry having become one of the few excise approved warehouses in the West Midlands back in November. This will allow companies to benefit massively with their cash from suspending excise duty payments until the goods are ready to be entered into general circulation. Furthermore, we are hoping that this latest offering will help us continue to expand our fast growing European operations which accounted for nearly 30% of our revenue in 2023.

What are your hopes for the Black Country economy and its businesses in 2024?

I hope that businesses in the Black Country will continue to look closer to home when choosing suppliers and partners, helping one another and the local economy to grow. We work with a lot of companies in the region and it is always a special feeling to mutually benefit with those that have shared values in the same local community as us.

Why will the Black Country be a great place to do business in the 12 months ahead?

The excellent work from the BCCC is helping to drive success and attention for the Black Country, providing a great opportunity for companies to share ideas and knowledge, collaborate and grow despite the economic struggles impacting the whole country. Ideally located in the centre of the UK, the Black Country has incredible history as the birthplace for the industrial revolution and today still accommodates companies leading the way in a wide variety of industries on the global stage.

What will you use your Chamber membership for in the year ahead?

Last year for us was about understanding many of the organisations that we are a part of including the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in the UK, Transported Asset Protection Association, the Bonded Warehousekeepers Association, Institute of Export and International Trade and of course the Black Country Chamber of Commerce. This new year will now see of focus on using our membership to work closer with companies in the region both to network ideas and operational efficiencies, new business development and ESG collaborations, something we have already begun doing after connecting with many companies at the BCCC's main events last year.

What do you hope will happen for the UK economy as a whole?

With revised figures showing the UK economy at risk of entering into another recession, we hope that a core belief in meeting customer demands with a real British quality offering will help drive business growth as the 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out to have the world's most effective border, one that enables prosperity and enhances security for a global United Kingdom. As a nation, we already have so much to offer the world. As an example, we are also members of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance, the third largest regional aerospace alliance in the world behind the Aerospace Valley around Toulouse and the Aerospace Cluster around Lyon. This shows just you how much strength the region has considering that we do not actually make any aircraft in the Midlands.

What does your company do?

We are a logistics company providing tailored transport and warehouse solutions from our 175,000 sq ft excise approved facility in Kingswinford, specialising in delivering time critical high value and ADR regulated dangerous goods across the UK and mainland Europe. Visit www.jjxlogistics.co.uk to learn more.

Address: Unit 66, Pensnett Trading Estate, Kingswinford, DY6 7GA