More than 40 jobs are to be created over the next 12 months at a Bradford-based transport and distribution company which is opening up significant new links with China.

Advanced Supply Chain, which employs around 400 staff in Bradford and Halifax, has formed a new partnership with China’s largest logistics business Sinotrans.

The move is part of plans to grow turnover by around 20 per cent to £25m by the end of this year.

The Bradford company, which provides distribution and freight-forwarding services for many of the UK’s major retailers including Matalan, Asda, Makro and DFS, says the partnership will create growth of between ten and 15 per cent a year.

State-owned Sinotrans will work with Advanced Supply Chain to offer UK customers services for the movement of goods to and from Asia.

Mike Dandy, a former Damart executive who runs Advanced Supply Chain, said the deal with Sinotrans was forged in response to China’s increasing global presence which has seen the country’s economy grow to become the world’s second-largest.

Sinotrans has more than 100 distribution centres across China, with road, rail and river connections covering most of inland China. This means products can now be sourced cost-effectively from all over the country and not just from coastal areas, which has been the major problem for buyers to date.

Advanced Supply Chain is part of the Advanced Processing Limited group, based on the Euroway Trading Estate.

Mr Danby began his career 27 years ago as an apprentice. He specialised in quality management working in the technical departments at clothing firms Burtons and Bingley-based Damart.

Over the past ten years, Mike and his partner Glyn Rogan have transformed their company from a small garment processor into an industry leader specialising in end-to-end supply chain.