Warehouse space strategist, Bis Henderson Space, has taken yet another step into the right direction by being named a supplier on the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) Storage, Distribution, Kitting and Associated Services (RM6282) Framework Agreement. As part of this agreement, Bis Henderson will have access to a wider pole of customers, having been awarded positions on three lots: Storage, Kitting and Fulfilment Solutions and Services, and Transport and Distribution.

“We’re delighted to be named as a supplier on this framework and to have the opportunity to build on our excellent track record working with Government and the Public Sector. As an SME, this framework agreement allows us to open up our services in storage, kitting and transport to Crown Commercial Services customers, which is pivotal to our business direction and growth,” said Steve Purvis, Managing Director at Bis Henderson Space.

The commercial agreement, which was launched this year in February and will last for four years, gives public sector organisations in the UK, such as central and local government authorities, emergency services and the NHS, access to a wide range of storage, distribution and kitting solutions and services. The agreement includes UK and international storage and transportation, quality control of items and specialist collection and delivery services.

The Crown Commercial Service is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, supporting the public sector to achieve maximum commercial value when procuring goods and services. In 2020/21, CCS helped the public sector to achieve commercial benefits equal to £2.04 billion, supporting world-class public services that offer best value for taxpayers.

For public sector organisations, the CCS agreement delivers significant and sustainable cost savings through its commercial activity and aggregated procurement arrangements. Suppliers are carefully evaluated during the tender process, and pre-agreed terms and conditions offer clients sound contractual safeguards.

The framework is available to all central Government departments and other UK public sector bodies, including local authorities, charities, executive agencies, the health sector, police authorities, fire and rescue services, education providers and the devolved administrations.

The UK’s leading retail supply chain business, Clipper Logistics, has partnered up with Segura, a supply chain transparency specialist, to ensure sustainable and ethical operations throughout its supply chain, as part of Clipper’s broader sustainability goal to be carbon net zero by 2035. Through this partnership, Segura will deliver its supply chain mapping and visualisation system which provides transparency across the entire supply chain.

“As supply chains become more global and complex, and data reporting alongside legislative requirements increases, it is vital to have access to real-time, accurate information,” said Karen Leppard, Clipper Logistics head of sustainability and ESG.

The system that is put in place by Segura will enable Clipper to actively mitigate and map the risk of supply chain interruption, including environmental factors and those potentially caused by unethical practices. The system will also enable Clipper to manage its internal health and safety systems, alongside its ethical trading and emissions due diligence.

“Segura enables us to provide our stakeholders with increased confidence in supply chain transparency. In the current climate, where legislative compliance and enforcement is imperative, Segura’s ability to capture and enable us to monitor our emissions and understand human rights adherence is of the utmost importance,” explained Karen. “Understanding impacts and opportunities associated with environmental and geopolitical events in the wider supply chain through Segura will be of huge benefit not only to us, but our customers as well.”

At the moment, all of Clipper’s service providers are being invited to the platform to sign-up and to align with the company’s global business standards. Moreover, the service providers will able be able to work directly with Segura through this platform to mitigate any supply chain risks that arise through order management of raw materials, components and services.

“Segura’s real-time and continuous due diligence throughout the up and downstream supply chain can support the reduction of lead-times and waste, helping customers to achieve specific ROIs,” added Peter Needle, Segura Founder and President.

“We are delighted to partner with innovative organisations like Clipper. Our aim is to help brands positively impact people and the planet, interrogating supply chains gives us a real opportunity to help businesses achieve key sustainability and governance pillars,” Peter concluded.

Logistics firm Unipart has announced the successful win of a major contract with JCB, one of the world’s top three manufacturers of construction equipment. As part of the contract, Unipart will manage the manufacturing giant’s World Logistics warehouse in Staffordshire, its UK in-plant operations and additional off-site JCB UK warehouses and packer operations.

“Unipart is very pleased to be awarded this important contract to work in partnership with Maersk to deliver supply chain excellence across the globe to support JCB’s success and growth plans. Unipart’s heritage and expertise across manufacturing and production supply chains, combined with our innovation and our proprietary system for continuous improvement, The Unipart Way, will enable us to drive and deliver sustainability targets across JCB’s UK operations,” said Ian Truesdale, Unipart Logistics Managing Director.

“The cultural alignment shared by our companies, our approach to employee engagement, and Unipart’s strong reputation for providing learning and development opportunities for colleagues will further enable us to optimise the UK operations for JCB and its customers.”

As part of the five-year deal the logistics firm will collaborate with Maersk, which has been recently appointed lead logistics provider for JCB’s global supply chain. Maersk will be responsible for managing the Unipart operations in the UK. Moreover, the logistics firm will also operate a 30-vehicle transport fleet, and oversee the implementation of a new warehouse management system.

“JCB’s business is going through a period of unprecedented growth around the world and as we grow, keeping production lines supplied with parts and components on a just-in-time basis is imperative. The appointment of Maersk Logistics as JCB’s global lead logistics provider, along with Unipart Logistics, will bring about a transformation in our global supply chain operations and support our manufacturing growth plans,” commented Mark Turner, Chief Operating Officer at JCB.

More than 400 employees will transfer to Unipart Logistics when the contract starts in early 2023.

“Unipart and JCB are iconic, world-class British companies, and we are very pleased to be working together to support JCB’s global logistics capability and their drive for growth,” concluded Unipart Chairman and Group Chief Executive John Neill.

Warehouse management software (WMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software expert Principal Logistics Technologies (Chess Logistics Technology) reports significant growth across all divisions following strategic business acquisitions and related hirings. The company entered the Brexit and Covid period with a headcount of 16 and now has over 70 highly experienced staff. The latest round of hirings includes specialist software developers, project managers, business analysts and technical consultants.

Founder and managing director, Wellington Dhumira commented: “With growth brought about by increased customer orders across all industry sectors, two strategic business acquisitions, bringing with them new product lines and an increased headcount, we’ve now the additional capacity we need to deliver more customer projects. To help support this growth, I’m delighted to welcome Lance Ayerst as our Group Operations Director to help keep available resources and customer requirements in sync.”

Business highlights:

• Headcount grows from 16 to 70+ (337% increase) during Covid lockdown
• Sales order processing and cloud-based WMS technology added
• Enterprise-level WMS capabilities increased
• Pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors footprint enhanced
• New Chief Product Officer and Group Operations Director hired
• New Manchester, UK office supporting growing customer base

The company’s technology portfolio now includes on-premise and SaaS based enterprise-level warehouse management software (WMS) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. These technologies optimise warehouse operations and support purchase and sales ordering processing, reducing OpEx and increasing revenue. Current customer engagements span 3PL, manufacturing, foodservices, wholesale, retail and packaging operations and involve technologies including warehouse automation, artificial intelligence, business intelligence and analytics, robotics and route optimisation integration. The company’s expertise has also been increased across the pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors.

In addition to its Dublin, Ireland headquarters, customers are now supported from the company’s Manchester, UK offices. A number of strategic business acquisitions are currently under review.

Wiltshire furniture retailer Furniturebox celebrates opening their state-of-the-art purpose-built warehouse in Chippenham with big plans for its continued growth through the use of the latest warehouse technology. 

Furniturebox’s new warehouse has been a passion project culminating in a 15m tall building on an 88,000 square foot plot. The building is located on the M4 Chippenham junction, with a roof covered in solar panels, a bank of electric car charging points, 5 floors of stock storage and cutting-edge stock-picking technology. 

Furniturebox’s Warehouse Operations Manager, Rob Dean, says: “The new warehouse has taken 18 months to build from the ground up. We came up with the concept for our innovative 5-floor pick tower ourselves to massively increase efficiency by almost 5 times. It will help us better serve our customers as we’ll be able to hold more stock, get it picked and shipped faster and offer a much later next-day delivery cut-off time of 8pm, which is later than any other furniture retailer in the UK. It’s incredibly exciting!” 

The team have also invested considerably in brand new technology solutions. Head of eCommerce, James Ewens, says: “Our unit has been purpose-built for us. We brought in SSI Schaeffer to consult and supply the racking, who agreed with our pick tower concept and then provided the schematics for the building. We’ve also got ourselves a snazzy new Warehouse Management System via Peoplevox which will control the movement of stock around the warehouse and allow our operatives to pick, pack and ship items. It also allows for almost immediate identification of stock locations, which will change how we do stock takes and make those so much more efficient, too. It’s been a huge project and seeing it all come together has been amazing.” 

One of Furniturebox’s logistics partners, BJS commented: “The Furniturebox story is utterly inspiring and BJS Two Man Delivery are proud to support their success, both now and in the future.” BJS Head of Sales, Neil Hannify. 

Sustainable Business Plans

The new warehouse and headquarters for the company (branded fastest-growing business in the South West by the Sunday Times 100 for 2022) will be located at St. Modwen’s Park, Chippenham. It’s been incredibly important to the founders of Furniture to stay in Wiltshire. Founder Monty George says: “WIltshire is home for us, and we hope it will be for years to come. It’s been a real community effort to get to where we are now, and we want to give back to the local economy that helped us to grow in the first place.”

The new HQ will also be a step forward for the company’s sustainability goals, with plans to cover the whole roof in solar panels, 9 electric car charging points, staff sustainable travel initiatives including signing up to the Government’s cycle to work scheme, and reduced impact on the public from our courier vehicles due to the site’s close proximity to Junction 17 of the M4. 

Co-Founder Dan Beckles says: “Growing our business sustainably is incredibly important. We want to try and do our best for the planet, so a lot of thought’s been put into the site layout and on reducing our carbon impacts with green initiatives. There’s lots of green space, too, so our staff can take walks during their lunch, eat outside, and socialise with other companies on the site.” 

The Future Looks Bright 

For a company that just 7 years ago was operating with two 17-year-olds out of a their parent’s homes in Salisbury, things are looking bright. Dan Beckles and Monty George now employ 52 staff across their Wiltshire and Bristol offices as well as the new Chippenham unit. 

In fact, after winning Wiltshire Life Business of the Year twice, making it onto the Sunday Times 100 and Brightpearl Lightning 50 as fastest growing South-West business, and its founders being invited to join the Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ 2022 cohort, it seems this ‘local business done good’ isn’t about to slow down any time soon.

Selazar, an e-commerce fulfilment provider, has announced the opening of a new, high-tech warehouse in Hellaby, Yorkshire, operated in partnership with business processing outsourcing experts Parseq. This expansion will see the UK-based rapidly growing fulfilment company increase its reach across the north of the UK.

“Our new Hellaby warehouse will ensure that Selazar can provide even greater levels of support to medium-sized and bespoke eCommerce retailers across the UK. It also marks the latest phase in our UK and international expansion, with further warehouses to be added in the near future. Up to 50 local jobs could be created as a result of this latest warehouse opening. We’re very pleased to be partnering with Parseq in this venture,” commented on the opening of the new warehouse, Jack Williams, CEO of Selazar.

With a surface of 2,427 square metres, the new Hellaby warehouse was designed to meet the ever-increasing needs of Selezar and facilitate 6527 pallet spaces. It was created to allow for high-speed, high-volume operations that would ultimately lead to developing the UK’s most accurate fulfilment service. This new UK warehouse opening is part of a phased expansion in the UK, Europe, the US and Latin America, following a £20 million growth investment in Selazar in November 2021.

Selazar, which was founded in Belfast and also has offices in London and Leicestershire, has been on a solid growth trajectory since its launch in 2018. The company has developed a highly innovative proprietary eCommerce fulfilment platform and primarily services medium-sized and bespoke retailers throughout the UK. According to Statistica, the UK has the most advanced eCommerce market in Europe and is expected to have nearly 60 million e-commerce users this year. This new warehouse will service the ongoing eCommerce growth in the UK.

“With Selazar, we’re able to put customer experience at the heart of our business from the outset. The new Hellaby site supports our expansion plans and is an exciting opportunity for our company,” commented on Selazar’s fulfilment services at the Hellaby warehouse, luxury footwear brand Macian’s founder and CEO, Silvia Olcese.

Invar, a leading independent software developer and integrator of advanced warehouse automation, has announced it will be showcasing its warehouse solutions at the UK’s IMHX 2022 show – 6th to 8th September 2022, NEC Birmingham. At the stand, visitors will be able to see Invar’s intelligent WMS software, world-class robotic order picking solutions, as well as the latest technology in warehouse automation.

As an independent integrator of warehouse technologies, Invar offers a wide range of options and an unbiased approach to finding the optimum solution. Moreover, Invar has the in-house expertise to provide clients with the software, integration and controls elements of a project, so that the business can efficiently bring together best-of-breed technologies in a seamless solution.

“We are witnessing a technological revolution in the warehouse – AI and robotics is transforming operational performance, particularly around dense storage, order assembly and packing. High CapEx automation, where conveyors and shuttles are bolted to the floor is no longer seen as flexible enough for the fast-changing world of ecommerce and logistics,” commented Craig Whitehouse, Managing Director of Invar Group.

“Agile systems such as AMRs combined with intelligent software and pick-to-light technology can boost order picking performance from under 100 units per hour using traditional methods, to up to 600 picks per hour. As independent integrators we are free to specify and supply the most appropriate and cost-effective technology for the task – and attending IMHX 2022 presents us with a fantastic opportunity to engage with businesses, to explore what’s possible.”

Headquartered in Cranfield, Invar is focused on delivering complete turnkey warehouse automation solutions using advanced technologies such as industrial robotics, AMR goods-to-person solutions, pick-to-light technology, sortation systems, as well as conventional warehouse automation.

The Group comprises: Invar Systems, a developer of warehouse control and management systems; Invar Integration, a front runner in solutions design, hardware integration and project management; and Invar Controls, specialists in the design, implementation and maintenance of PLC software and hardware. Invar Group has supplied systems to many of the world’s leading brands, such as: SuperDry, Games Workshop, Bentley, Coca Cola, and Nike.

Combilift, the largest global manufacturer of multi-directional forklifts and a leading provider of long-load handling solutions, has announced a partnership with Infor. As part of it, the company will start sing using Infor Coleman AI-driven parts recommendations, in combination with Infor CloudSuite Industrial, in order to boost equipment uptime and customer service while increasing employee satisfaction.

“With new hires and less experienced staff in the parts department, we knew that there were missed revenue opportunities because of inaccurate quoting,” said Kenny Gilmour, Global Parts Manager at Combilift. “For example, if someone wants a water pump, a trained employee knows to add a gasket. But a new hire would not, leaving the customer to go to another vendor to purchase a gasket. We are excited about the parts recommender getting smarter and smarter, so we can bring in more revenue while keeping our customers happy with a first-time fix.”

Combilift has 60,000 unique trucks in operation and being bale to manage such a diverse set of trucks creates servicing complexities and requires expertise to accurately quote the right set of parts to ensure a first-time fix. The company seized on the opportunity to leverage Infor Coleman AI with Infor CloudSuite Industrial, to further improve the customer and employee experience by having the AI system, utilising three years of historical data, help generate the right set of parts for service quotes.

“Our global parts department relied on a knowledge-based, manual process in determining the sum of parts needed to service a truck,” Gilmour added. “This approach is not always accurate and consistent, especially with less experienced staff. With the global staff shortages, trying to recruit people who are already trained is quite difficult. But with Infor Coleman AI, we can train the system and, in-turn, it can train us.”

Within 60 days of the solution being deployed, Combilift predicts a 30% increase in first-time fixes, a 40% reduction in costs for service jobs, and a 30% increase in revenue per transaction. With Combilift continuing to grow rapidly, Coleman AI can not only improve the efficiency and accuracy of parts recommendations, but it also can scale the service quote process, which can help reduce stress on staff and can help ensure first-time fixes for customers.

For the future, one of the company’s key initiatives, according to Combilift’s Global IT Manager, Fearghal McCorriston, will be vendor performance tracking with Infor Coleman AI to help improve the supply chain. Through this technology, the company will make sure parts arrive on time to meet growing production schedules.

The biggest dedicated parcel delivery company in the UK, Evri, which has been formerly known as Hermes UK, has announced its plans to relocate the Newmarket depot to a site in Bury St Edmunds. Aiming to create over 50 new jobs in the area, this new facility is part of the company’s commitment to continuing to invest in its infrastructure to ensure it is able to support the growth of online shopping.

Located in the Suffolk Logistics Park to better serve the local area, the new 77,000 sq ft facility will start being operational later this month. The depot is double the size of the Newmarket location providing an increase in capacity from 120,000 to 180,000 per day, to support the business’ expansion strategy. Evri have worked with the developer from the initial design stage allowing them to create a purpose-built warehouse that meets all of their operational requirements.

“We are extremely excited to be opening our new depot in Bury St Edmunds. The site will allow us to process more efficiently and provide the team with an outstanding work environment. This exciting new depot will also provide new jobs into the surrounding Bury St Edmunds area in addition to moving the vast majority of our existing staff across from Newmarket,” said Nora Kiss-Burrows, Depot General Manager at the new Bury St Edmunds site.

The new jobs created by Evri at the depot include warehouse operatives, van drivers, HGV drivers and a number of management roles, with 95% of existing permanent workers moving to the new site. Moreover, to support Evri’s ESG commitments the new depot comes complete with an EPC A rating and is built to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ certified specifications.