THE ART OF SURVIVAL: F KNOWLES & SON
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F Knowles & Son works mainly on container traffic to and from railheads and ports, including Felixstowe and Southampton. It depends on the sort of jobs that do well when international trade is flourishing but do badly when it is not. Today, international trade is certainly not flourishing.
But Knowles, which operates 14 trucks, is keeping going, despite the hard times. It briefly laid off one driver, but has now taken him back on again, albeit part-time.
In John Knowles' own words: It is just about survival at the moment."
For this firm, survival means making the most of the work that is there, relying on customers for whom they have worked for years and ensuring that it is making every penny count.
But should the company be thinking about diversifying? The chance would a fine thing, says Knowles, adding: "It's hard to diversify because there isn't much to diversify into. Everybody has been hit, big and small, hauliers and customers."