Services

The joy of new neighbours

01-Mar-2010

Jasper has left me another parcel, right between the rose bush and the daffodils. Now and again, I come across his unpleasant and unwanted gifts....

Put wasteful buying on ice

05-Feb-2010

I lifted the lid of our second freezer and asked my wife: "what do you see?" She looked puzzled as I pointed at the frozen packs of sausages, peas...

The perils of pyramid silos

05-Jan-2010 By Hugh Williams

'You see, Barak,' I said, while his wife Michelle served the soup, 'businesses are structured in a way that's not logical to the product and money...

Pallet firm Chep to broaden out Premier Foods initiatives

05-Jan-2010 By Rod Addy

Premier Foods' work with Chep, the pallet and container pooling firm, to cut costs and road miles will form part of a wider initiative on CHEP's part...

Let supply chain games commence

05-Jan-2010

A contest is being launched in several nations this year, pitching teams against each other in a race to turn around the supply chain of a fictional...

Bonuses for shooting aliens

30-Sep-2009

The little boy concentrated on his portable Nintendo, his fingers frantically pressing the buttons. The tip of his tongue stuck out of his mouth...

Tetley cuts costs to beat Eastern promise

28-Aug-2009

Tetley Tea is having to cut supply chain costs as a result of fierce competition from low-cost production in Eastern Europe, according to operations...

Confectionery firm is on the right wavelength for control

28-Aug-2009 By Rod Addy

Confectionery firm Swizzels Matlow has overhauled its supply chain operations, rolling out radio frequency scanning and supply chain software...

Can I borrow your secateurs?

28-Aug-2009

There I was: ready, prepared, and motivated. It was a sunny Saturday afternoon and the garden needed some attention. My wife and I had consulted on...

It takes real genius to hit your targets

28-Jul-2009 By Hugh Williams

I rang my doctor's surgery recently. I could not get an appointment for that day or the next. So they asked me to call back two days later. I...

Inovis boosts UK work as it harmonises food sector data

24-Jul-2009 By Rod Addy

Supply chain systems giant Inovis is expanding global data synchronisation (GDS) in the food sector, having clinched a five-year deal between The Bay...

Return of the mage

30-Jun-2009

Simplicity and visibility are key as financial pressures prompt suppliers and retailers to work together using common systems, as Rod Addy discovers

East Midlands probes fifth party logistics

30-Jun-2009

A working party investigating the concept of fifth party logistics has been launched in the East Midlands.The group grew out of an event organised by...

Do you feel a bit paranoid?

30-Jun-2009 By Hugh Williams

Sometimes you get the feeling something is not quite right. Your gut is telling you to watch out, but your head is trying to convince you that you...

I'm lovin' it

26-May-2009 By Elaine Watson

McDonald's head of supply chain Dean McKenna talks to Elaine Watson about life working under the golden arches

M&S and Gist sign £2bn supply contract

26-May-2009

Marks & Spencer (M&S) has signed a 10-year contract with supply chain specialist Gist worth £2bn.Gist has provided supply chain services for...

Muntons spearheads drive to safeguard UK barley supplies

26-May-2009 By Rod Addy

An initiative to ringfence thousands of tonnes of malting barley for UK brewers, coordinated by collaborative networking group Farexchange...

Just remember not to forget

26-May-2009

What's the average memory span of a business? Judging by how quickly they make the same mistakes again, I would say six months. In fact, six months...

The forecast for tomorrow is...

27-Apr-2009

Of all supply chain planning processes, sales forecasting often causes the biggest headaches.Ideally, everyone should work from the same numbers,...

Digital mapping brings firms closer in the north of England

27-Apr-2009 By Rod Addy

The Regional Food Group for Yorkshire and Humber (RFG) is promoting collaboration between processors in the region as its Flow project begins to bear...

Bottlegreen cuts road miles in local deal

27-Apr-2009

Gloucester-based Bottlegreen Drinks Company is saving more than 30,000 road miles a year by outsourcing warehousing and distribution to logistics...

Waiting for the sign from above

01-Apr-2009 By Hugh Williams

I wait for this moment with great anticipation. I know someone will say it. Most of them have been thinking it for a while. Suddenly one of them is...

Weather highlights issues for Wales and south west supply

01-Apr-2009 By Rod Addy

Wintry conditions in February failed to undermine food and drink availability in major supermarkets, but revealed supply chain weaknesses in Wales...

Bigger lorries a mixed blessing

24-Feb-2009 By Hugh Williams

Andrew Tinkler, chief executive of Eddie Stobart, recently revealed on Radio 4 that he was talking to the transport secretary about plans to increase...

NFT extends shared use to M&S suppliers

24-Feb-2009

Pastries specialist Brioche Pasquier and Kavli, maker of spreadable cheeses, pâtés and dairy products, are using NFT Distribution's shared user...

Industry targets Robin Hood as a global distribution hub

24-Feb-2009 By Rod Addy

Use of Doncaster's Robin Hood Airport as an international food and drink distribution hub was debated at an event organised by the Regional Food...

Keep the noise down please

27-Jan-2009 By Hugh Williams

In the Williams household, the amount of bread we consume is stable and predictable. Around Bank Holidays, we stock up beforehand. But even that...

Nestle signs supply deal for LPR pallets

27-Jan-2009

Nestle has elected to grant the pallet-pooling operator LPR approved supplier status for all its European divisions, including three based in the...

Hull University finds ways to make gains out of Total Loss

27-Jan-2009 By Rod Addy

Hull University Business School is examining product loss in the supply chain in a cross-disciplinary project, dubbed 'Total Loss', in partnership...

The great crate debate

02-Jan-2009

Returnables have been the backbone of many supply chains for decades. But is it time to reassess the real costs and benefits? Paul Gander reports

Look to the north for more sustainable distribution

02-Jan-2009 By Rod Addy

PD Ports has added its voice to growing numbers of logistics and supply chain service providers pressing the government to ease the system of...

How to reel in the big cheese

01-Dec-2008 By Hugh Williams

How dare you waste your chief executive's time, talking about supply chain opportunities? This is of no interest to him. Surely, it is your job to...

Slow burn for Dentressangle

01-Dec-2008 By Rick Pendrous

Transport operator Norbert Dentressangle is tightening its belt in anticipation of the economic slowdown, with the objective of becoming a leaner and...

Burning down the house

29-Oct-2008 By Hugh Williams

Let's be quite clear from the outset: arson is a crime. So why do we persist in lighting fires in our own businesses? Have you ever wondered how many...

Food and drink distribution strategy has 'fatal flaws'

29-Oct-2008 By Rod Addy

Major flaws in the food and drink industry's ethical distribution strategy have been highlighted in a Food Ethics Council report published this...

Improved insulation panels aimed at food use

29-Sep-2008

Kingspan Controlled Environments has moved to new facilities in Sherburn, North Yorkshire, to allow it to manufacture an improved insulation panel...

Green is the goal

29-Sep-2008 By Rod Addy

Incentives for making factories more sustainable keep multiplying but there's a lot more to it than installing a wind turbine, says Rod Addy

Who is in and who is out of the chain?

29-Sep-2008 By Hugh Williams

If you had asked me a few years ago which function would be the last to embrace supply chain thinking, I'd have got it wrong.Over time and despite...

Consolidation will bring big savings for Spar suppliers

29-Sep-2008 By Rod Addy

Spar UK suppliers are set to benefit from substantial savings and sales uplifts thanks to the launch of a major distribution programme: the National...

How the fittest survive

29-Aug-2008 By Paul Gander

The war is on. Supermarket chains have declared it and are fighting it with their army of price cuts and special offers. This is putting enormous...

Consolidation saves Kellogg food miles

29-Aug-2008

Kellogg has consolidated all its cereals and food warehousing onto Trafford Park in Manchester to be managed by logistics company TDG in a five-year...

Sustainable distribution soon to hit centre stage

29-Aug-2008 By Rick Pendrous

Sustainable food distribution is set to take centre stage next month when independent advisory body the Food Ethics Council (FEC) publishes the...

Chain gang chat

29-Jul-2008 By Rick Pendrous

Supply, demand and retailer promotions. Industry peers discussed supply chain issues at Food Manufacture's recent event. Rick Pendrous reports

Delve deeper into the chain

29-Jul-2008 By Hugh Williams

Last month I attended a conference, which was supposedly about the latest trends in supply chain management. The tone was set by the chair whose...

Major retailers are on the road to greener deliveries

29-Jul-2008 By Rod Addy

Major retailers announced eco-friendly initiatives at supply chain consultancy Scala's annual logistics debate last month.Delegates gathered at...

The modern alternative to 3PL

30-Jun-2008

One of the fastest growing trends is the outsourcing of logistics to so-called third-party logistics (3PL) operators. The reason is that companies...

Is your maintenance engineer a bright spark or an explosion risk?

30-Jun-2008

An increasing number of forklift trucks operate in potentially explosive atmospheres. Explosion protection specialist Pyroban argues that factory...

Robot is the star of stack handling

30-Jun-2008

Changing consumer habits, environmental pressures and traceability requirements are making efficient logistics ever more important.Freshness and food...

Walkers makes a crisp job of palletising snacks in Coventry

30-Jun-2008

Pallet logistics systems supplier CSi has completed a £3.7M project to design and install an automated sortation and palletising system for Walkers'...