2000
The 1990s were a period of huge growth in turnover, staff and product range. In May 2000 Rapid moved to a new custom-designed distribution centre on Severalls Lane, Colchester, with 35,000 sq ft of warehousing and 10,000 sq ft of offices.
The move enabled the company’s expansion and the provision of new automated packing, handling and storage facilities. A significant innovation was the installation of a conveyor belt in the main warehouse, increasing the speed at which orders could be picked, packed and despatched.
The company’s first education catalogue was produced in 2001, a website was launched in 2002, and a Trade Counter was opened in 2007 with the capacity to stock 4,000 products.