Shropshire courier firm celebrates five years of delivering the goods

Dex’s Midnight Runners (DMR) is entering its sixth year in business following a hugely successful past few months, which has seen it appoint a new senior member of staff, gain an internationally-recognised accreditation due to its standards of service and professionalism, and secure a string of contract wins across a variety of sectors, including a deal to deliver all away supporter match tickets for Shrewsbury Town Football Club.

The Shrewsbury-based firm was founded in September 2007 by Derek Bennion, a hugely experienced logistics professional who has worked in the industry for more than 15 years at some of the most renowned names in the sector. Working alongside core senior staff Office Administrator Sue Williams and new Operations Manager Paul Hole, along with a team of hugely experienced delivery drivers, the firm has quickly become a same-day courier company that stands by its philosophy of being ‘not normal’.

“Since we started five years ago, our core culture has been focused on not just meeting customers’ needs, but on how we can go that extra mile and exceed those needs,” Derek Bennion explained. “Qualities such as speed and reliability should be regarded as ‘normal’ for any courier company. By getting right underneath the surface of our clients’ requirements and really understanding not just obvious needs, such as making sure a package is delivered safely on time, but also the needs and wants they themselves might not realise they actually had, we provide a service that consistently delivers above expectations.

“It might be that after studying our real-time courier tracking software, our back office team proactively reschedules or reprioritises deliveries to a more effective timetable. Or perhaps when out on a delivery, one of our drivers has to think on their feet and be flexible to get the job done. It’s not simply about getting things from A to B, it’s about thinking of ways to get them there quicker, better, or more efficiently, an approach that is embraced across the entire business.”

This ethos has seen the firm build up an extensive portfolio of clients from both Shropshire and UK-wide, covering sectors ranging from environmental sampling and refrigerated food and drink, through to solicitors, engineering firms, and healthcare providers.

Due to this success, earlier this summer DMR appointed Paul Hole, who has served as both Transport Manager and Fleet Manager in the British Army, as its new Operations Manager to head-up the firm’s team of drivers and fleet of ambient and refrigerated vans. This followed on from the company also securing ISO9001 certification after proving it had implemented an effective Quality Management System across its entire day-to-day operations and is fully committed to ‘quality, customers and improving efficiency’.

“We have made fantastic strides in our first five years in business, particularly in such a challenging economic climate. Our ongoing commitment to going above and beyond the usual customer expectations, as proven by our shortlisting in the Outstanding Customer Service category at this year’s Shropshire Business Awards, stands us in good stead to capitalise on these foundations in the years to come,” Derek concluded.