A family firm from Essex says landing a major deal with Europe’s biggest trailer company will turbocharge growth and create new jobs.
SB Trailers, based at Reddings Farm in Asheldham near Southminster, has secured the sought-after distributorship from global operator Ifor Williams Trailers in a big boost to the business.
The company says the agreement marks the start of an ambitious new chapter, opening the door to expansion, investment  and increased services for customers across Essex and surrounding areas.
The company is a new division of the SB Machinery Group, run by husband-and-wife team Ben and Susannah Skeggs, which already supplies machinery and runs a specialist haulage operation.
Marketing manager Molly King said the SB Trailers team were hugely impressed by the “sheer professionalism and quality” of what they saw when they visited the Ifor Williams factories in North Wales to see first-hand the world-leading work that goes on at the sites.
Molly said: “We are all ecstatic about the agreement which is a major coup for us.
“As a whole team and as a business we are incredibly proud to be working with Ifor Williams and to have won the dealership.
“As part of the distributor process we were invited to North Wales to visit all the different Ifor Williams sites.
“We learned about their trailer ranges and experienced first-hand the professionalism and efficiency of their operations.
“The launch of the new distributorship involved extensive preparation, including creating a new showroom area showcasing a wide range of trailers, establishing a Genuine Parts store, and adding servicing bays within our existing workshop.
“We are excited to grow this part of the business and continue providing outstanding products and services.
“We offer the full range of Ifor Williams trailers, Genuine Parts, servicing and repair work in our workshop that’s been approved by the National Trailer and Towing Association.
“The distributor arrangement goes hand-in-hand with our existing company selling machinery.
“Our customer base crosses over very well into the supply of trailers.”
Linking up with Ifor Williams Trailers has brought a jobs boost and further investment at Reddings Farm, including a new display area, Molly said.
She said: “We hired new workshop technician Freddie Joslin who does all our trailer services and pre-delivery inspections.
“There has also been financial investment to upgrade our site to accommodate the trailers and the servicing.
“We have created a show area and we have about 90 trailers here.
“We can put the entire range of trailers we have on display so people can come and have a look at them.
“We already had an on-site workshop for our machinery work, that was already set up, and because of the Ifor Williams deal we have invested in creating some servicing bays and bringing in new equipment for the trailers.
“We are also proud to be a supplier of Genuine Parts for Ifor Williams Trailers and we can do in-person sales or can post parts out.
“Overall in the company we employ nine people and we regularly use a team of subcontractors too and the Ifor Williams distributorship gives us further opportunities for growth.”
Molly said the firm was proud to be a family-run business, and its ethos of friendly customer service and excellent quality of work fitted perfectly with the Ifor Williams brand.
She said:  “We are based at the Skeggs family farm, Ben’s mum and dad Jenny and Tone’s farm, and the business runs across two generations.
“Ben has worked on the family farm his entire life, he knows everything there possibly is to do with machinery.
“Before coming to join the business in 2019, Susannah had a high-flying career in London finance.
“It’s a real family business – Ben’s dad Tony helps out here, customers will see him around the yard all the time.
“And that goes for Ben and Susannah too – the family are incredibly hands-on with the business. We all feel we are family here, which is really nice.
“We all get on well, we have a great laugh and take pride in what we do, and that is reflected in the customer service we provide.
“We really care about our customers, I know everyone says that, but it’s genuinely true – customer service is at the forefront of our business.
“Customers always come first and that is so important to us.”
SB Trailers covers an extensive territorial area for Ifor Williams Trailers under the new distributor arrangements.
The firm’s territory stretches from the east coast of Essex to eastern areas of London, taking in towns including Chelmsford, Southend, Maldon and Basildon.
Molly said: “We want everyone in Essex looking to buy a trailer to come to us and see what we have on offer.
“We offer all three services here – sales, parts and servicing – and also do a collection and delivery service for servicing work.
“We have the complete range of Ifor Williams products for customers to choose from.”
Dave Robinson, Group Head of Commercial Operations at Ifor Williams Trailers, said: “The family-run ethos at SB Trailers and the commitment to excellent customer care fits perfectly with the Ifor Williams Trailers culture.
“The team at SB Trailers are rightly hugely proud of the business they have developed and the trust they have created with their customers.”
Ifor Williams Trailers (IWT) has global reach with its market-leading products – made in its six factories in Denbighshire and Flintshire, in North Wales.
They are sold in outlets across Europe and as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.
First established in 1958, it is Britain’s largest manufacturer of trailers up to 3500kg gross weight, delivering trailers for a wide variety of purposes.
It invests heavily in research and development to produce the most sought after trailers designed to meet the needs of real people doing real jobs.”