Question: Hi Mark, what is your role within Moran Logistics please?
Answer: Group Chief Executive Officer
Question: How did you get into the temperature-controlled distribution sector?
Answer: After completing 23 years in the parcel sector with TNT & FedEx, I decided it was time for a change and made contact with Moran Logistics after seeing the impressive business that had been built in only 15 years. Upon seeing the high-quality solutions they offered to numerous major food manufacturers and retailers, I was keen to get involved and bring my corporate experience to provide structure to allow the business to scale up.
Question: Can you firstly tell us what temperature-controlled services Moran Logistics offers please.
Answer: Moran Logistics provide cost-effective, high quality logistics solutions for food retailers, manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies. All services are underpinned by BRCGS at AA standards, including our award winning, carbon neutral warehouse operations.
We service all of the large supermarkets and many of the largest food manufacturers in the UK, with temperature-controlled storage, case picking, contract packing, Full Load transport, a national consolidation transport network and full suite of ambient services. This provides our customers with a one-stop shop for all logistics services, delivering a true partnership to enable mutual value creation.
Question: Can you tell us what temperature-controlled vehicles Moran Logistics operates please.
Answer: We operate a fleet of Scania, Renault and Volvo vehicles and have Gray & Adams trailers that are designed to meet the changing needs of our customers, these include artics, rigids, dual-temperature and double-deck trailers. In total we operate more than 330 units and 450 trailers across the entire network.
Question: What has been the most important technical development in your temperature-controlled trailers and refrigeration systems in recent years and how has it impacted on your operations within Moran Logistics?
Answer: The introduction of floating floor, double-deck temperature-controlled trailers has been a significant change in our operating model in recent years. This has allowed us to remove over 200 tonnes of CO2 per annum and this will increase further as we continue to implement this strategy in 2025/26.
Question: Are you using telematics across your fleet currently? If so, what advantages do you see this gives your clients?
Answer: A first-class telematics system is an important element of our fleet strategy due to the high number of assets we now operate.
This provides numerous tools to increase safety, efficiency, cost reduction and therefore improves the end-to-end service we deliver for our customers. The current telematics system also links with our driver hand-held devices that are being rolled out across the entire fleet in 2025, providing even more safety features and end-to-end visibility for our customers.
Question: Customer needs are constantly changing, so what are you finding is now the biggest request from your customers?
Answer: Due to the challenges in the current economic environment, we need to continually strive for operational efficiencies to support our customers in providing cost-effective solutions to minimise the impact on food production and logistics.
We are just in the process of introducing a new planning and optimisation tool that will provide even more data and insight to ensure we are taking the best route to market for each specific customer, whether that is full loads through our growing consolidation network that uses multiple hubs to minimise delivery miles and therefore reduce CO2.
Question: What environmental measures does Moran Logistics incorporate to ensure best practice?
Answer: In addition to the sustainability changes we are making in our transport operations, we work closely with a partner called True to build a strategy for reducing energy consumption across all of our operations.
This partnership has allowed us to develop a very clear roadmap of initiatives that clearly demonstrates the benefits and timelines of each initiative. We fully understand the impact that logistics operations have on the UK’s CO2 output and we need to take every action possible to minimise this.
Question: If you could give one piece of advice to a newcomer to our industry, what would it be?
Answer: Take the time to understand what actually goes into making sure we get products into the right place, in good condition and on-time. This enables you to see the supply chain for the important machine that it is when we play our role in feeding the nation.
Question: Lastly, would you like to share any news about your company that you feel would benefit the TCS&D readers?
Answer: To ensure we can provide even more services to our customers, we completed an acquisition of an ambient warehouse and transport business in 2024. This was previously called McGregor Logistics Ltd and has now been re-branded to Moran Logistics (Ambient) Ltd. Therefore we can now provide ambient storage, a full suite of picking and packing solutions as well as full ambient loads and access to the UK’s largest pallet network, meaning our customers do not need to use multiple suppliers for their complex operations.
