Day: 7 October 2020

Leading contract packer APS has successfully migrated to Nulogy’s advanced and flexible cloud-based software for co-packers, enabling it to respond more quickly and effectively to customer demands. Given the constraints of lockdown, Nulogy implemented the solution entirely remotely, handling the change management process from APS’s legacy systems through a combination of video-based conferencing and its robust online learning platform.

Based in the North East of England, APS is a well-established market leader in contract packing, working with blue chip brands since its formation. The business had been using a combination of manual processes and ERP systems and recognised the need to improve traceability and visibility of materials and labour productivity across its operations. David Howes, operations director at APS, said: “To execute successfully on our growth strategy for the business, it was clear that we had to modernise our systems. Nulogy presented a clear vision of the benefits available from digitalisation through its cloud-based solution, and while we had some concerns about migrating to a new software system virtually during a pandemic, the team at Nulogy made the transition possible with continued support and guidance throughout. We are currently operating at peak volumes and the system is working well. As soon as things settle back a little, we will review what we have learnt so far about the system and then seek to exploit it further, with the support of Nulogy.”

Josephine Coombe, Managing Director, Nulogy UK, said: “We’re thrilled to be welcoming APS to the community of Nulogy-powered co-packers in the UK and delighted that our teams worked together successfully to enable a smooth remote implementation given the constraints posed by the pandemic. As FMCG brands increasingly seek highly collaborative and responsive external supply chain partners, a robust digital backbone for co-packing operations is increasingly a competitive advantage. We look forward to helping APS reap the benefits of this advantage and deliver the agile performance required to meet their customers’ operational and quality standards, even during these uncertain times.”

The pandemic has meant many FMCG-focused contract manufacturing and packing providers have had to adjust and evolve their operations. Recognising this, Nulogy moved quickly to ensure its software not only provides robust labour management, inventory and traceability controls, but also allows contract packers to better manage infection control protocols on the shop floor.

Express palletised freight network, Palletways has launched the industry’s first palletised freight product specifically for home deliveries.

The new Pallets to Consumers (P2C) service is for companies who sell directly to the end consumer and need a reliable delivery partner to get their product to its destination. It aims to improve the efficiency of product deliveries and offer much-needed flexibility for those end consumers. It enables retailers to integrate their systems and website with Palletways’ platforms to offer their customers a seamless service, incorporating a set of delivery options from Premium AM, the fastest possible delivery through to economy.

One of the main benefits of P2C, is the new industry first digital book-in platform which offers increased flexibility and choice. Customers who have booked the standard economy service will be offered the option to change their delivery time and date after they place an order and when the pallet is in transit, should the existing delivery allocation be inconvenient. The fact they can do this via the platform after receiving the notification provides them with more convenience and choice than has ever been offered before from the palletised freight industry.

Rob Gittins, managing director of Palletways UK, said: “The main driver behind the growth of B2C deliveries is e-commerce and there are correlations between the increasing number of people shopping online and the growth in delivering palletised goods to residential addresses.

“We know there’s the expectation that products ordered online should be delivered to customers at a time to suit them, rather than them having wait around. It’s important there are as few barriers to purchase as possible so delivery flexibility and convenience is now becoming an important part of the overall buying experience.

“We’ve spent many years meeting the transportation needs of B2C companies from DIY equipment to garden supplies, home accessories to furniture. We have robust processes in place along with unrivalled service excellence to ensure that retailers looking for a reliable, capable partner can now deliver products safely to customers’ homes with P2C.”

 

Community Food Business, Regather saw demand for the fruit and veg boxes grew during the lockdown earlier this year and so space became a premium. Initially, a marquee was put up to extend space outside the building, but this was not a suitable long term solution.

‘It came to a point where we either needed to move premises or look for other solutions to reconfigure the building’ says Gareth Roberts founder of Regather. ‘Due to the pandemic moving the business was not a viable option. After much consideration, we decided to repurpose the event space upstairs into another working area. The problem then was getting the 600 – 700kg of produce safely between floors’.

Regather only had a very small area for a goods lift to be installed due to the main entrance and a staircase. Goods Lift Design Engineer Umar Lodhi was up to the task and created a MezzLift design that not only fits the space but does not block the entrance to the building when the doors were open. Another challenge faced by both Regather and Penny Hydraulics was the installation of goods lift during the pandemic. Social distancing was adhered to and the lift was able to be installed on-time with little disruption.

Penny Hydraulic’s MezzLight goods lift can safely move up to 250kg of goods between floors, providing Regather with the flexibility to reconfigure their workspace. This has helped the business to grow in line with the increased demand, without the need for downtime or the huge expense of moving.

“From the initial enquiry to on-site construction through to training and handover, the service from Penny Hydraulics was fantastic. Special thanks to the build team for their respect of social distancing measures at this challenging time and especially the Directors for personally supporting a local, not-for-profit social enterprise. I would strongly recommend Penny Hydraulics any time. Thank you!” said Gareth Roberts.

 

 

Community Food Business, Regather saw demand for the fruit and veg boxes grew during the lockdown earlier this year and so space became a premium. Initially, a marquee was put up to extend space outside the building, but this was not a suitable long term solution.

‘It came to a point where we either needed to move premises or look for other solutions to reconfigure the building’ says Gareth Roberts founder of Regather. ‘Due to the pandemic moving the business was not a viable option. After much consideration, we decided to repurpose the event space upstairs into another working area. The problem then was getting the 600 – 700kg of produce safely between floors’.

Regather only had a very small area for a goods lift to be installed due to the main entrance and a staircase. Goods Lift Design Engineer Umar Lodhi was up to the task and created a MezzLift design that not only fits the space but does not block the entrance to the building when the doors were open. Another challenge faced by both Regather and Penny Hydraulics was the installation of goods lift during the pandemic. Social distancing was adhered to and the lift was able to be installed on-time with little disruption.

Penny Hydraulic’s MezzLight goods lift can safely move up to 250kg of goods between floors, providing Regather with the flexibility to reconfigure their workspace. This has helped the business to grow in line with the increased demand, without the need for downtime or the huge expense of moving.

“From the initial enquiry to on-site construction through to training and handover, the service from Penny Hydraulics was fantastic. Special thanks to the build team for their respect of social distancing measures at this challenging time and especially the Directors for personally supporting a local, not-for-profit social enterprise. I would strongly recommend Penny Hydraulics any time. Thank you!” said Gareth Roberts.

 

 

‘People. Products. Productivity’. For Yale Europe Materials Handling, this philosophy is integral to how it does business. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, Yale prides itself on providing its customers with tailored solutions to suit their individual needs, helping them to drive forward efficiency and productivity. In order to reach the ideal state for a new prospect, Yale industry experts use the New Product Blueprinting methodology to uncover challenges customers face, and guide them towards the best solution.

Yale believes that an understanding of its customer’s industry helps its experts to seek out effective strategies and products for business operations. This is a key component to the New Product Blueprinting process, as Yale industry experts are able to combine a customer’s anecdotal evidence with their own knowledge of the specific industry to suggest a range of Yale materials handling products to improve
their operations.

“At the start of the New Product Blueprinting process, it is important to understand customer challenges and what the future of their business looks like before we begin to discuss what YaleⓇ products could help them,” explained Robert O’Donoghue, Solutions Director, EMEA. “Our Solutions Department focuses on deeply understanding the applications of each industry and ensuring that customer needs are optimised.”

Yale segments the market into ten different industries which make up about 90% of the materials handling market. Our role as Industry Managers is to use our knowledge of those applications and put the customer at the centre of it, to make sure that we’re developing products and solutions that the application or industry actually needs,” said Robert.