Day: 20 April 2020

Manchester-based software specialist Avail Technologies claims it is revolutionising the logistics industry and largely reducing its clients’ driver agency costs. Avail’s CEO Erin Short explained: “The temporary employment industry is currently dominated by the outdated traditional agency model where hauliers are still employing agencies to contract HGV drivers and paying over the odds, and that’s not right. We offer everything a normal agency does and more with a reduced cost.”

Avail Technologies has set out to disrupt this by offering hauliers large savings in a time when they will need it most due to the disruption of services caused by the onset of the pandemic. “Using avail for you agency drivers will, 100% make your contracts more profitable, and increase the driver’s wages, its a win, win,” she promised.

Avail’s technology has previously had notable features by Microsoft for the implementation of the dynamics 365 and Azure cloud systems in their software. Microsoft Azure is currently being used by the avail platform for advanced security and to assure compliance with industry regulations.

The disruption of the traditional agency model is what  Avail says makes it innovative and needed in the logistics industry, it says. Their straightforward platform spans across web, app and tablet formats enabling hauliers to manage their drivers instantly from any device, 24/7. This is point of focus as the current regulations set out by the government surrounding businesses and the movement of individuals are continually changing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Avail’s CEO Erin Short explained how the platform can help hauliers adapt to current circumstances by the pandemic through the “User ease and friendly functionality of the platform” which is causing Hauliers are “move away from traditional agencies to Avail”.

The process to employ temporary drivers is streamlined and transparent using Avail’s Platform. Their intelligent algorithms match HGV drivers to job’s based upon the Haulier’s preferences and requirements. A selection of drivers are then provided, detailing their driving experience, and Avail star rating. Once selected the driver completes the job, after which the haulier rates the driver and has the option to favourite the driver for repeat employment.

Through the reduction of the high fees paid to traditional agencies, hauliers can save on average £4,000 per temporary driver a year. This is a large saving to Hauliers affected by COVID-19, as it will free up resources to be used on developing their fleet as well as paying drivers a higher rate than agencies if they see fit.

Avail are currently offering their services with an introductory free trial day for all hauliers whether they are suffering losses due to COVID-19 or not.

For more information on how avail can reduce costs visit https://availhub.com/hauliers

A fulfilment provider from the UK’s North-West is keeping its fulfilment warehouses open during the coronavirus crisis to support its customers offering essential products as online demand continues to grow.

3PL, whose headquarters are in Wigan, will continue operating with a reduced workforce to ensure that the supply of baby products, health, household, and personal care products reach homes across the country as the lockdown continues.

The company partners with several growing brands in the essential items sector that have experienced an unprecedented surge in demand for their products from online shoppers who are housebound during the outbreak.

While other fulfilment centres are closing, and Amazon is shutting down its services to thousands of marketplace sellers the fulfilment business is continually adapting to remain functional and minimise disruption to its operations as the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the nation.

The company says it has taken considerable steps to safeguard the wellbeing of its employees by adopting home working for large swathes of its central team whilst social distancing measures have also been introduced within its warehouses in line with Government guidelines.

“As a third-party warehousing and logistics business, we are ultimately the custodians of livelihoods not only of our employees but also our customer base. We take great pride in embracing key worker status. Our business and its people have proved resilient in the past and will do so again this time around,” Ian Walker (above), Managing Director at 3PL, explained.

“We have big warehouses and against a backdrop of a significantly reduced workforce, our employees can work safely and in line with Government guidelines. In doing so we continue to provide continuity of service at a time when our customers need us the most. Unlike Amazon UK we haven’t applied a selective approach to who we service during this time as loyalty is a core value and our extended commitments will be remembered long after COVID-19 has passed. With a further extension to lockdown announced recently, we will again reassess the impact and adapt accordingly to ensure we continue to provide the high level of service our customers have come to expect from 3PL.”

Gefco is transporting around 1,000 medical beds weekly to destinations across Europe for Hillrom, a leading European manufacturer of medical devices and surgical equipment.

Gefco France has been managing urgent deliveries throughout Europe to help Hillrom cope with particularly high demand for medical beds and devices during the COVID-19 crisis.

Every week, a dedicated Gefco control tower in Rennes, France, coordinates and tracks deliveries of more than 1,000 beds, air mattresses and other accessories from Hillrom’s production plant in Pluvigner to medical centers, clinics and hospitals in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Gefco France has been working with Hillrom for several years, supplying its Pluvigner factory with parts and raw materials from France and other European countries. The multimodal provider also delivers demonstration medical devices from the factory to hospitals and retirement homes.

AMP, Belgium’s largest media distributor, was looking for an efficient and reusable packaging solution for the distribution of magazines and newspapers. AMP decided to contact DW Reusables, formally DS Smith Injection Moulded Products, to design & develop a reusable box that would meet specific requirements.

The Challenge
The distribution of magazines and newspapers to supermarkets, petrol stations and press & bookshops takes place at the crack of dawn, before all outlets are open. Full boxes with new magazines and newspapers are delivered at the same doorstep, where returned boxes with unsold copies of the previous day, are picked up. AMP needed a sealable tote to prevent magazines from being taken by passers-by. In addition, the box had to meet a range of ergonomic and technical requirements capable of yielding efficiencies in material handling and distribution logistics.

The Approach
DW Reusables designed & developed a durable and reusable tote that complied with AMP’s requirements. Some of the features applied to the design include lid opening on the short side of the tote to allow side-by-side totes to easily open and close in-place during loading; and grooves at the sides and bottom of the tote allowing fingers to easily slide under magazines for unloading. Because the boxes can be nested with the lids open, an ergonomic handle was added at the bottom of the tote, instead of at the sides. Finally, a sleeve was added to the interior of the lid where the order form can be placed and an insert on lid, to visibly locate additional documents.

The Result
The implementation of these reusable boxes has improved efficiencies throughout the entire AMP distribution chain. Some of the efficiencies come from a reduction of stolen editions, as a result of having sealed boxes; labour and time saved by the quick access of orders inside lid sleeves or on top, while the box is closed. The sustainable material, from which the new reusable totes are manufactured, is hygienic and easy to clean. Due to their low weight and ergonomic handle at the bottom, the boxes are user-friendly. The reusable totes are cross stackable to improve safety, and when they are empty and turned 180° horizontally, they become nestable which saves 70% of warehouse space. The boxes last up to 15 years, reducing tonnes of one-way packaging waste, and can be reground into new boxes after their useful long lives.

An ultrasound sensor which real-time tracks people and assets in warehouses has won the Arco Innovation Award.

An exciting process saw 36 of the best new start-up companies in health and safety technology shortlisted to five. Sonodot’s indoor location-tracking systems for warehouse assets and workers was deemed the solution which would bring the most benefit to the health and safety market.

Sondot develops ultrasound sensors for the real-time tracking of people and assets in warehouses, providing services such as forklift tracking and 24/7 visibility of a company’s high value assets. The solution also offers a software platform to analyse operational performance and make recommendations to optimise equipment use and avoid accidents. This allows facilities managers to make better decisions around safety, human labour and fleet utilisation.

Arco is now engaging with the Sonodot team to discuss next steps in taking Sonodot to Arco’s extensive customer base across the UK.

An ultrasound sensor which real-time tracks people and assets in warehouses has won the Arco Innovation Award.

An exciting process saw 36 of the best new start-up companies in health and safety technology shortlisted to five. Sonodot’s indoor location-tracking systems for warehouse assets and workers was deemed the solution which would bring the most benefit to the health and safety market.

Sondot develops ultrasound sensors for the real-time tracking of people and assets in warehouses, providing services such as forklift tracking and 24/7 visibility of a company’s high value assets. The solution also offers a software platform to analyse operational performance and make recommendations to optimise equipment use and avoid accidents. This allows facilities managers to make better decisions around safety, human labour and fleet utilisation.

Arco is now engaging with the Sonodot team to discuss next steps in taking Sonodot to Arco’s extensive customer base across the UK.