After 10 years working in the company, Chris Welch is to become managing director this month while his father, Jim, “will move across to focus specifically on the group”.
From one vehicle in 1934, Welch’s Transport now runs 85 vehicles across three depots, plus cranes and support vehicles. Founded in 1934 in Foxton by Gordon Welch, the transport company was run by his son Roger until he retired in 2000, at which point the leadership role went to Jim, who is currently in charge and has been with the company since 1984, and now to Chris – the fourth generation at the steering wheel.
2024 sees Welch’s Transport celebrate its 90th year providing logistics support to clients across East Anglia and the UK.
“Welch’s Transport has always made a special effort to look after our customers, our staff, and the people in the community around us,” said Chris. “Our mission is very simple: ‘Let’s make this part of the world as good as it can be,’ and that statement drives everything we do.”
One of Chris’s first priorities this year is to consolidate the various services that the Welch Group offers to make them easier for customers to access.
They currently provide transport services, warehousing, eFulfilment, contract logistics, specialist movements, crane hire, and truck servicing and repairs.
“It’s time to make sure our customers know exactly what services we have available to support them with their logistics needs,” says Chris, “and that means communicating clearly at every opportunity. I see a huge part of my role being to join up the dots so that everyone understands what Welch’s do and how we can help, from contract logistics to net zero solutions.”
Over the past year, Chris’s team has been growing the net zero side of the Welch Group, employing AI in their route optimisation, investing in one of the UK’s first publicly accessible HGV superchargers, their fully electric rigid with two 40t units on order.
Chris has been supervising the build of a net zero urban consolidation centre (UCC) at the company’s transport depot in Duxford. As a result, Welch’s is proud to be one of only a few SMEs invited to join the prestigious e-freight 2030 consortium, which is funded through Innovate UK.
As a member of the consortium, Welch’s joins the government’s Zero Emission HGV and Infrastructure Demonstration (ZEHID) programme, which aims to kickstart the uptake of zero emissions HGVs. The e-freight 2030 project was forged to demonstrate how battery-electric HGVs can replace conventional HGVs at scale.
“It’s exciting times,” continues Chris, “both in the logistics industry and at the Welch Group specifically, so keep an eye out for more news from us.
“Of course, I feel the responsibility of taking our well-respected family business into a successful future, but with our positive history of great customer service and a clear strategic plan in place, I’m confident we’ll continue to thrive.”
Chris’s brother David, who joined the company in 2021, will become group operations manager to continue his training and “to eventually run the company alongside his brother”.
