Smart Solutions, one of Wales’s leading outsourced services specialists, has enjoyed its most successful year in business with a record turnover of £56 million for the last financial year.
The Newport-headquartered company, and previous Fast Growth 50 winner, has seen a leap in income of 35%, an increase of more than £10 million in 2013-14.
Smart Solutions chief executive, Nathan Bowles, attributes the firm’s success to strong growth in the local Welsh market having become Wales’s largest independent business in the recruitment sector.
Smart Solutions has also won a host of national contracts and expanded its core services to include permanent recruitment and a driving division, increased its range of personal development and training services as well as waste management consultancy. In addition, the business has seen a large increase in second tier management through vendor management services and national accounts.
“We’ve seen historic clients bounce back from recession, particularly in the manufacturing sector, and this has enabled us to consolidate supply for many of our clients to be the main or sole supplier of labour,” said Nathan Bowles.
“There have also been exceptional success rates in the growth of our national accounts, predominantly in the waste process and municipal markets. This year we’ve further developed our relationship with integrated waste management business, Biffa, and now provide outsourced services and labour to 25 Biffa sites across the UK. Consolidating this relationship, and other national waste clients, certainly strengthens our position as the leading brand and labour provider in the waste and recycling sector.”
Record growth has also been enjoyed by Smart Solutions Training, formerly trading as Smart Development, who feature as Wales’s eleventh fastest growing business in the 2014 Fast Growth 50 chart. Smart Solutions Training delivers pre-employment training, NVQ qualifications, leadership and LEAN training throughout Wales and England as well as the European market.
Smart Solutions has grown from its traditional area of waste and recycling and now operates its services in a cross-section of sectors such as manufacturing as well as food and high-tech manufacturing, retail, automotive, aerospace, commercial and the public sector.
Nathan Bowles points to future expansion through organic growth and acquisitions as key to Smart Solutions’ continued success.
Mr Bowles added: “This year we have established a driving and a construction division and next year will see Smart Solutions launch an LGV driver training centre. To support this growth we’ve also invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in technology as we continue to expand our geographical footprint.
“We’ve also set up a central commercial division, bringing in experienced tender bidders, which has already resulted in us winning several local authority tenders across England and Wales.
“And as we’ve been working to expand our logistics offering, we are looking to acquire a logistics focussed recruitment firm in the north of England to provide a better presence and improved client service, which will bring with it new staff, onsite accounts with blue chip clients and the opportunity to better service recently awarded national contracts.
“We certainly have bold growth plans for Smart Solutions; looking ahead to the next year we already have a strong forecast in place, which presents long-term planning opportunities for us to review the business structure and ensure we’re delivering to the needs and demands of our clients.”
The growth strategies put in place have seen Smart Solutions expand its workforce from 120 employees to more than 172 within the last year, with 22 new vacancies actively being filled at present.
Mr Bowles said: “We’ve needed to increase the company’s headcount to meet operational demands, and in return we have created a full-time, dedicated internal training programme called ‘Smart Academy’. We want to ensure that we’re helping our employees reach their full potential as well as delivering a consistent service to our clients throughout the UK.
“And the investment in our staff doesn’t stop there. On the back of this year’s success we have promoted staff internally, and introduced a number of new employee benefits such as a flexible private healthcare scheme. All changes that we hope will help us to attract and reward talented staff within our sectors.”
As a result of the expansion of its services, target sectors and significant tender wins, Smart Solutions is on course for another record year, with the company in position to meet next year’s target of £80 million by the end of the 20014-15 financial year.