A BURNLEY haulage firm has overcome the coronavirus crisis by growing to accommodate new customers and by helping to transport PPE and medical supplies.

EFS Global, which was founded in 1996 and boasts over 325 employees with a 200 strong fleet of vehicles, already covers Burnley, Colne, Nelson, Clitheroe, Oldham and surrounding areas.

This new expansion will now see the firm take on customers in Stockport, a success which managers attribute to the space lockdown gave them to rework company strategies.

EFS Global business development manager Martyn Stanworth said: “The one thing lockdown gave us was more time to readdress our way of working so we could accommodate additional postcode deliveries.

“The next six months will be a challenge to adapt to the new world we find ourselves in, adjusting to the new systems of working which applies to ourselves and our customers.

“However, as things slowly start to return to normal, we are confident we have strengthened the EFS group.”

EFS Global specialises in services including air and sea freight, European road freight, haulage, pallet and parcel deliveries as well as refrigerated transport and specialist pharmaceutical, medical and hazardous freight.

This new development comes just nine months after the firm joined Palletways, Europe’s largest and fastest growing palletised freight network, and part of the Imperial Logistics group, which spreads across Europe and Africa and has 115 independent transport providers as part of its UK network.

Not only has the partnership and expansion into Stockport been good for business, but the firm has also contributed to efforts to contain the spread of coronavirus, thanks to a proportion of the firm’s customers supplying face masks and sanitiser products including wipes and gels.

Meanwhile, one customer in Bromborough is assisting in screening NHS staff and is distributing vital testing kits.

EFS Global’s customers have also seen increases in online purchases for items such as gardening, building and cleaning materials.