“During these 10 years, we have faced huge challenges such as Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic, but I’m incredibly proud of how our team navigated these difficulties, turning adversity into opportunity without making redundancies or placing anyone on leave—demonstrating resilience, unity, and extraordinary commitment when it mattered most.”
Baxter Freight, Conqueror member in Birmingham, UK, has reached a significant milestone: its 10th anniversary. Over the past decade, the company has grown from a small operation into a thriving logistics leader, renowned for its customer-centric approach, innovative solutions, and strong company culture. In this interview, Ian Baxter, the Chairman of Baxter Freight, and Peter Isler, Managing Director, reflect on their remarkable journey, offering an in-depth look at the core values that set their business apart, the challenges they’ve navigated over the years, and their ambitious vision for the future.
Q. What was the vision behind Baxter Freight’s development?
A. Having worked in the logistics industry for most my life, I knew what I wanted to concentrate on when creating Baxter Freight, and that was to focus entirely on our customers needs, and proactively develop how we serve them. We understand that our customers’ needs are not just local, but global. So in order to provide them with the best possible solutions, we decided to be non-asset based, as this offers maximum flexibility.
Q. How important are relationships within logistics?
A. We’re a global business, and we have the capability to move any goods to any place, and that is largely contributed to all the long-standing relationships we’ve built along the way, and continue to do so every day. Being a part of Conqueror Freight Network has been a game-changer for us in this regard. Through Conqueror, we’ve been able to connect with reliable partners across the globe, opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations. These partnerships not only help us expand our reach but also enable us to navigate the complexities of international logistics with greater agility and confidence.
“We understand that our customers’ needs are not just local, but global. So in order to provide them with the best possible solutions, we decided to be non-asset based, as this offers maximum flexibility.”
Q. What are your standout moments since the creation of Baxter Freight?
A. For me, it has to be the way our team dealt with Brexit and the Covid-19 pandemic. Both of these things were such difficult times to navigate for so many, but we managed to turn a negative into a positive. I’m really proud that we were able to work through Covid without making any redundancies, or putting our employees on furlough. Then, during a global pandemic, Brexit was happening. It was announced we were leaving the EU on the 31st December, so not only did we have a short amount of time to prepare for huge legislative change, that change was happening during Christmas too! During these turbulent times, our resilience and values were tested a lot. I witnessed stand out performances from all of the team, who were able to turn chaos into order – in a word, they were extraordinary.
Q. What changes have you seen to the logistics industry in the last 10 years?
A. The world is always changing, and no industry notices that more than logistics. Supply chains are becoming more complex, but it’s our task to simplify them. I think it’s fair to say that there are too many trucks on the road right now, and it’s our aim to improve utilisation for sustainability and productivity. This is something I recognised whilst developing Baxter Freight 10 years ago, and is one of the biggest reasons we work through a non-asset model.
Q. How has Baxter Freight evolved over the last 10 years?
A. I’m so proud of the values that we’ve developed over the last 10 years, as they’re truly a testament of what we stand for and what we believe. Our values act as both a reflection of who we are and a reminder to always live by them. Since the creation of Baxter Freight, I’ve also witnessed our team grow and evolve. I’m really proud that so many people have been with us from the very beginning, and they’ve felt empowered to take the job and run with it and make it their own.
Q. Which were some of the most interesting shipments you have handled in the last 10 years?
A. Well there’s been so many it’s hard to remember! Although, moving a delivery for Air Force One for President Obama is definitely up there. As a freight forwarder you constantly need to be imaginative, and without assets we’re free to use our imagination all the time – so anything we put our hand to, there’s always an injection of creativity.
Q. Where do you see the future of Baxter Freight?
A. The pace of change is always accelerating, and I have full faith that we’ll be able to get ahead of any changes that come our way. Technology is one of our top priorities to improve efficiencies in everything we do, and to help us navigate new solutions to topics like climate change. Our values have been designed to encompass everything we do, so I know that even in the next 10 years, we’ll always be creative, authentic, own it and be better together.