January 31, 2024
AGI News
2023 was certainly another busy year for the team here at AGI, and we wanted to reflect on the year that was 2023. So welcome to our 2023 highlights!
Our Team
Throughout the year, we made a number of Director appointments across a number of our offices.
Karl Edwards and Lloyd Dennis were both promoted to Directors to support the continued development of our Immingham office, working alongside Jesse Ramirez and the team. Both Karl and Lloyd have worked for AGI for a number of years, and bring a wealth of experience in the logistics industry.
Hassan Raza (pictured top right), joined the business as a Director of our Pontypridd office, supporting Garry White and the team. Hassan has over 6 years experience in the industry, and will be working with Garry to support the growth of the office.
In October, Georgia Stowell (pictured) was promoted to a Director of our Bristol office. Georgia joined us as an apprentice in 2014, and has held a series of managerial positions prior to this appointment. Georgia is now working alongside Scott Showell, who was also appointed as a Director of our Bristol office; Scott remains the Director of our Birmingham office, supporting the growth and development of both offices.
There were a number changes at our Glasgow office, with the office moving, and us also welcoming Ray Ormiston as a Director, who has over 19 years experience in logistics. Susan Whyte was also promoted to the position of Director, having joined the business in March 2022.
It was all change at our Newcastle office too, with Chloe Docherty (pictured bottom right) & Simon Dow both being promoted to the position of Directors, having both worked for the business for a number of years.
The final appointment of the year was Derek Baker, who was appointed a Director alongside Matthew Leek at our Heathrow office, and Derek’s appointment adds over 20 years industry experience to the team in Heathrow.
The new appointments have been made to continue the growth of the business, and we are pleased to report that the changes have already had a positive impact!
Apprenticeships
During 2023 we continued our successful apprenticeship programme.
12% of our current team originally joined us as apprentices, and they have all gone on to build careers at AGI. This year we have 7 apprentices working towards completing their Level 3 International Freight Forwarding apprenticeships, and we look forward to supporting the development of their future career paths with us.
Watch this space for updates on our apprentices later on this year too!
Our Cabs & Trailers
20 new trailers were delivered to our Immingham office during 2023, as well as a number of cabs too!
Jesse Ramirez, one of the Directors of AGI Immingham commented: “The latest addition of these 20 new MEGA trailers coupled this with our recent recruitment of Drivers, really shows our commitment to offering an excellent service to our UK and Scandinavian customers.”
If you didn’t spot one in 2023, keep your eyes peeled for our new trailers out and about making deliveries for our customers in 2024!
New Premises
Due to our continued growth, 5 of our offices moved to larger premises during 2023.
In May, our Southampton office moved to a larger office in the same building, supporting the growth of Phil Hoare’s team.
During the summer, Paul Dyer, Jay Lockett and the London team moved to new premises. The new office is based in Basildon, 8 miles from the London Gateway Port, and close to Tilbury Docks and the Thames Estuary.
The last few months of the year saw our Derby, Manchester & Glasgow offices move into new homes!
Dale Cross and the Derby team only moved down the corridor, but to an office with a 3,776 sq ft footprint. The team now has the required space to grow in line with the plans for 2024.
The next office move of the year was completed by Tom Wright and the Manchester team. Like the Southampton and Derby teams, the office remains in the same building, but with significantly more space for team expansion during 2024.
The final move of the year saw our Glasgow office move to the Strathclyde Business Park. Ray Ormiston, Susan Whyte and the team are settled in their new home, and looking forward to a fantastic 2024!
ISO 9001
Following our external audit in June 2023, we were delighted to retain our ISO 9001 certification.
Retaining our ISO certification shows our commitment to driving improvements across the business, with some exciting changes coming in 2024!
Customer Feedback
We are always looking at ways to improve our service, and one way we measure this is through the collection of customer feedback.
Throughout 2023 we collected customer feedback on our company Trustpilot page, through Google reviews, and we also introduced a customer survey.
We’re incredibly proud of the reviews we have been left, and if you would like to leave us a review, please click here to visit our Trustpilot page.
Digital Brochure Launch
At the start of August we launched our brand new brochure, including our first ever digital brochure!
The brochure is packed full of air freight, road freight and sea freight solutions, as well as our customs clearance and distribution services.
You can view the brochure by clicking here, or you can contact your local office to request a printed copy!
The Environment
Our impact on the environment continues to be a focus for us here at AGI, and we continue to partner with Ecologi, offsetting the carbon of our Folkestone office.
Throughout 2023, we funded the avoidance of methane emissions from landfill in Brazil, supported the distribution of cleaner cookstoves in Kenya, and assisted with a wind power project in Thailand.
A tree planting campaign is currently being worked on too, so watch this space!
Digital Improvements
Throughout the year, our Marketing team have been working on various enhancements to our website, and improving our social media presence.
The changes are certainly working, with website recording twice as many visitors in 2023 than 2022, and generating three times as many customer leads!
Talking of increases, the number of followers on our company LinkedIn page has more than doubled, significantly increasing our reach on the platform.
Keep your eyes peeled for more digital enhancements in 2024 too!
And Finally…
It wouldn’t be a year in review without recognising the accomplishments of Paul Dyer and Jay Lockett, the Directors of our London office, who completed a half marathon in June, and Chris Clarke, our Marketing Manager, who completed 6 triathlons and a Tough Mudder during 2023!
A huge congratulations on completing these events – we’re out of puff just thinking about it!!!
2024 and beyond!
So as you can see, 2023 was certainly a busy year for the team, and we’re ready for an even busier 2024!
We have lots of plans for 2024, and we look forward to working with our customers, suppliers and colleagues to make 2024 our best ever year!
So how can we help you?
The shipping of goods all around the world can be a complicated process, and that’s where we come in! Here at AGI, we specialise in the safe transport of cargo, providing you with professional air freight, road freight and sea freight solutions. To find out more about our logistics services, and how we can help your business, please get in touch. And for all of the latest AGI news, don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook!