We started the year with an impressive order book, amounting to over £32 million. During 2022 we have installed over one million sq m of decked mezzanine, plus 250,000 sq m of open-grid support structures for sorters and conveyors. These systems have been for customers right across the UK, as well as several interesting projects in Europe – in Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Poland and Spain. The mezzanine solutions supplied have been predominantly for the e-commerce, postal and parcel sectors but have also covered a diverse mix of other industries.
With a brake put on some e-commerce logistics investment during the year, we have seen a number of 3PLs and 4PLs coming into the market to take up the slack. These offer great potential for MiTek – along with many SMEs, which are also able to get their e-com plans underway now there is capacity in the market.
Key orders secured
Notable orders secured during 2022 include our first project for a particular global integrator. Due to be installed next summer, the multi-level 26,000 sq m mezzanine ranks as one of our all-time top 5 projects in terms of revenue. Alongside this, we are currently tendering for a second project for the same customer that will mirror the first, scheduled for delivery in 2025. Pleasingly, this integrator partnered with us due to our technical expertise in approaching what is a highly complex project.
We are also working on two major orders in grocery retail, one in the UK and the other in Eastern Europe. The latter is for a brand-new customer, while both end users are new to MiTek. Another important order was secured from our customer, Noatum, for a mezzanine solution in a new facility in Bedfordshire. The warehouse will be used to serve a major international fashion brand and the MiTek team will begin work on site in January.
Sales teams expanding
All media reports and information from trade organisations suggest that 2023 will be a more challenging year. Keeping our sights focused on securing larger and more complex projects, we are expanding our sales teams in both the UK and Europe. Here in the UK, we recently welcomed Derek Scott and Richard Wilby – who have almost 40 years’ combined experience in the intralogistics industry – and Nicola Ward joins us in January, bringing over 10 years’ experience from the materials safety side of the construction industry. In Europe, where we see excellent growth opportunities next year, Torsten Rinklin has joined our sales team and Lars Vogd will join in January. Both Torsten and Lars have experience in the handling and storage sector and will be dealing with a healthy pipeline of enquiries for projects in France, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Holland and Belgium.
We will be exhibiting at LogiMAT in Stuttgart (25-27 April), so do come and chat to us if you have any projects that you would like some advice on. All in all, 2023 is shaping up to be another busy year for the Sales department and the wider MiTek team.
