Europe proving a big draw for Langver

Thirsk-based Langver has aspirations to grow in Europe and is currently in advanced talks with a major trailer manufacturer in Germany.

Scott Taylor, managing director of Langver, told The Yorkshire Post: “The curtain sided truck business is massive in Europe. It’s probably about four times the size of the UK, with the amount of products that get moved around by truck and trailer.

“At the moment we’ve got maybe 10 per cent of Europe. So if we can get a little bit of a percentage of the rest it will keep us ticking over.”

The German firm they are in discussions with is “very, very big”, says Mr Taylor, manufacturing 56,000 trailers a year.

Langver’s biggest customer in the UK is 8,000 trailers a year, Mr Taylor said. In addition to that there are many other smaller manufacturers, who may also provide opportunities.

Mr Taylor said: “Then in Germany, there will probably be another 30 to 40 trailer manufacturers doing a little bit less than that so you can see why we’re heading to Western Europe.”

The domestic market has been heading for a record year for Langver. However, Mr Taylor sees that dropping off in the coming years.

He said: “In two years’ time I think UK trailer sales for us will level off and maybe take a little bit of a dip because of the amount of trailers that are getting manufactured at the moment.

“We’ll reach a peak where everybody will say we’ve got enough new ones now, we’ll just sit back a bit.

“That’s why I’m getting ready for branching into Europe. With the amount of trailers they make they will always need new ones.”

Despite the referendum on the EU and the possibility of a Brexit, Mr Taylor doesn’t see their expansion plans into Europe being affected.

The German company it is in talks with has not raised any concerns, Mr Taylor said.

The expansion could see up to five jobs created and another building also being acquired.

Currently, Langver employs 28 people and has two units on Thirsk Industrial Park.

Mr Taylor said: “We are currently quoting for 25,000 curtain siders which will be a lot of tensioners and that will push us up 50 per cent.

“We’ll be investing even more and providing a lot more jobs for local people.”

The company, which has a turnover of £2.8m, last year invested £190,000 in new machinery, including a new robot welder.

Langver plans on investing between £80,000 and £100,000 a year to keep up to date.

Mr Taylor says the company’s bespoke offering makes it stand out from its rivals.

He said: “In Europe there’s only two competitors for us. They expect the trailers to be made to fit their tensioners, so we put a twist on that and said we’ll make tensioners to fit your trailers. That’s what has got us into Europe.”

Langver exports to other parts of the world as well, such as Canada, America and Australia. There have also been enquiries from New Zealand but the business’s eyes are firmly set on Europe. Mr Taylor said there was no plans to diversify due to the opportunities in the current market.

Surviving the ‘scary times’

Langver was set up back in 1971 by Reg Glover and Clive Langstaff.

Scott Taylor joined as an apprentice in 1996 and led a management buyout in 2005 along with Claire Matten. The business has grown since, though the recession proved to be difficult.

“In 2009, me and Claire thought what have we done,” Mr Taylor said. The firm ended up going down to four-day weeks and looking for other work to carry out.

Mr Taylor says they were “scary times”.

However, they managed to keep hold of their staff and since 2010, they’ve seen growth.

“We’ve just flown since then. Every month has been better than the next,” says Mr Taylor.