Buckle Shipping new warehouse near Ipswich, Suffolk

Freight forwarder Buckle Shipping (Ipswich) Ltd - launched 52 years ago and owned by the Buckle and Cusworth families - cemented its future with a state-of-the-art storage facility at the prestigious Port One Logistics Park at Great Blakenham.

The ground floor footprint of the new-build carbon neutral shed measures 78,000sq ft with mezzanine floors above to hold "uglies" - or the more unusual storage items.

The special design enables the warehouse to store more than a more traditional unit - or in excess of 12,000 pallets, with racking up to eight pallets high.

An on-site container lift provides the business with a unique selling point. The new building also has HMRC accreditation as a fully bonded warehouse - and the business is aiming for BRC certification to enable it to handle food.

The company specialises in customs clearance, port health, freight forwarding  by road and sea across Europe and further afield - and now storage.

It was started more than half a century ago by partners John Cusworth and Ian Buckle. 

Sadly, the pair didn't live to see the next stage of the business's expansion but their widows, Judith Buckle from Essex and Marion Cusworth from Suffolk were there, along with their sons - Tom Buckle and Andrew Cusworth - who have continued the company into the second generation.

Andrew is managing director and Tom is also a director taking an active role in the business. They are supported by Tom Maddison, who is operations director. A third generation - Andrew's daughter Maria - has joined the business.

Mr Maddison - who joined the company in 2015 - welcomed the launch of the site to meet the needs of the company's freight clients.

"The opening of our bespoke-designed warehouse is a testament to our unwavering commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction," he said.

"Our journey began with freight forwarding, and today, as we proudly unveil our cutting-edge warehouse, we demonstrate our versatility and dedication to the highest standards of service."

Mr Cusworth said many of the customers who were there when the company was formed are still with them today, and appreciated the personalised service they offered.

The business started in London as shipping and forwarding agents, before moving to Ipswich then the Port of Felixstowe.

Mr Cusworth took over as MD in 2009 as his father retired. He recalled how the partnership between the two families began in London.

"My father had known Ian from a previous company and just happened to pop his head in one day to say hello and was offered a job in London. They got a big contract to import tyres in Ipswich," he said.

The pair set up in Ipswich as Buckle Shipping Ipswich Ltd at a time when the Port of Felixstowe was still small and Ipswich's port bigger.

"In 2017 we decided to join the two companies together - Buckle Shipping (Ipswich) and Buckle Shipping (London)," explained Andrew.

Since 2017 they have faced challenges including problems at the Port of Felixstowe when a new nGen operating system was introduced. "It brought the port to a standstill," said Mr Cusworth. 

Then the industry was hit by a massive driver shortage - which pre-dated the pandemic - and Brexit.

But Brexit brought a huge increase in demand. "All of a sudden companies that had been trading in Europe needed us for customs clearance," explained Andrew.

At that time they would sub-contract their warehousing to other companies. "All of a sudden we were rationed to how many containers we could unload. We decided to investgate opening our own warehouse in late 2021 and made the big decision to invest."

They are now on a long-term 15-year lease - investing £1m to £2m in the company's latest diversification.

"We can now fully control everything we used to sub-contract to people. We are now completely in control of it but we can also attract much more new business as we can offer pallet storage and warehouse operations."

The business currently employs 29 people, but Mr Cusworth expects the workforce to increase significantly over the coming years.

Buckle Shipping was advised by family-run consultants Murray Gibson Associates of Rushmere St Andrew on how to create a bespoke warehousing space to meet their needs.