What’s happened to warehousing flexibility?

Economists predict that the UK economy will show a dramatic recovery from the pandemic – but this could be curtailed by a simple shortage of warehousing space, writes Matt Whittaker, Commercial Director at Bis Henderson Space.

Our clients tell us of a serious market failure, yet, extraordinarily, in the government’s recent White Paper on planning, there was not a single reference to the land and space needs of supply chain and logistics industries.

Even before the pandemic, the UK was significantly ‘under-warehoused’. According to estate agency Savills, a record 50.1 m sq ft of space was taken up in 2020. Some 20 m sq ft of that was new build – half of which was ‘speculative’ and usually snapped up long before completion. Amazon alone took a quarter of the available space, the 3PLs are also active, and, say Knight Frank, another agent, ‘The UK only has 10 months’ worth of warehouse supply available at current growth rates’ – and much less in London, the South East, and the near-urban locations needed to support on-line last mile.

Rental rates are soaring and even the 40 million sq ft that Knight Frank expect to see completed in 2021 may not restore a functioning market. Demand for space is only going to increase.

Every £1 billion extra spent through e-commerce generates need for 750,000 sq ft of extra space, and ecommerce is just one competing need for warehousing. In both retail and manufacturing we see businesses abandoning the dominant lean, Just-in-Time, low inventory, procurement-led supply chain model. With increasing risk from events such as, Covid, Brexit, trade friction with China, flooded Taiwanese chip-makers, and the Suez Canal blockage, businesses are facing greater uncertainty and are looking to build resilience into their supply chains. And that means holding more inventory which in turn puts further pressure on available warehouse space.

Flexibility is a sound bulwark to uncertainty. So most businesses, our clients included, don’t want or need vast new empty sheds. They need operational, workable space that they can move in to and use from day one, to accommodate increased inventories of raw material, work in progress, and finished goods but also for kitting, picking, packing, returns processing and a host of other tasks. They need services, and at least a minimum of fit-out, already installed. Their current requirements are strictly tactical – they need to be able to move out again as strategies become firmer.

But most new development is aimed at flagship brands and 3PLs making long-term commitments to big sheds where long leases and multi-million investments are needed to equip a warehousing facility. A 100,000 sq ft shed counts as ‘small’ even though that is 20% larger than the playing surface at Wembley. New spaces are drip-fed from the developers’ land banks, keeping rentals high and ensuring further yield compression.

The smaller and mid-size businesses we meet, the heart of the UK economy, are manufacturers and retailers, not property companies. Their balance sheets can’t support such long-term liabilities. And most new build sheds are offered as just that – a bare shed. The tenant has to fit out and equip the facility, from automation to basic services. It could be six or nine months before the business can ship its goods in, perhaps longer. Businesses don’t have that money, or that time.

Timescales are critical. Savills say that last year 12% of transactions were for ‘short’ leases – but we know this greatly understates the need for high quality, yet flexible, warehousing. To developers, a five-year lease is ‘short’, but many companies are pushed to see clearly for five months out. They need short-term provision, to buy breathing space while they develop their longer-term strategies, or to keep the business operating while new solutions are applied to existing warehousing.

They need to move in quickly and, when appropriate, move on. They need something akin to space-as-a-service, not an investment. Most property companies are reluctant to have that conversation. As such, businesses are turning to well-connected warehouse operational space brokers like ourselves to develop a solution that meets their immediate and quite often longer-term needs whilst avoiding an expensive long-term lease agreement.

Over many years we’ve developed a wide network of warehouse suppliers – we introduce businesses with a need for additional capacity to providers who have spare operational space available on a flexible basis. Often facilitated deals are as short as 3-9 months, (although in practice these can roll over for several years) but any term of less than three years is better than can be obtained in the current investor-driven market.

Such premises will usually have at least a basic, perhaps even a quite sophisticated, fit-out, suitable for immediate occupancy for little additional capital outlay. Shared labour and services can sometimes be an option. A further advantage for many companies is that as a short-term service agreement there is no five-year liability hanging over the balance sheet.

For any company considering how to rebuild their supply chain to combine flexibility and resilience, this approach could be a game changer. Any business that needs to take care of cash as they trade out of the present crisis, that needs a short-term tactical solution while working out the long-term strategy, or that needs to trial new markets or business models without overstretching, can find a viable and well-proven alternative to a constrained, rigid and uncompromising property market through working with a well networked broker. Look no further.

What’s happened to warehousing flexibility?

Economists predict that the UK economy will show a dramatic recovery from the pandemic – but this could be curtailed by a simple shortage of warehousing space, writes Matt Whittaker, Commercial Director at Bis Henderson Space.

Our clients tell us of a serious market failure, yet, extraordinarily, in the government’s recent White Paper on planning, there was not a single reference to the land and space needs of supply chain and logistics industries.

Even before the pandemic, the UK was significantly ‘under-warehoused’. According to estate agency Savills, a record 50.1 m sq ft of space was taken up in 2020. Some 20 m sq ft of that was new build – half of which was ‘speculative’ and usually snapped up long before completion. Amazon alone took a quarter of the available space, the 3PLs are also active, and, say Knight Frank, another agent, ‘The UK only has 10 months’ worth of warehouse supply available at current growth rates’ – and much less in London, the South East, and the near-urban locations needed to support on-line last mile.

Rental rates are soaring and even the 40 million sq ft that Knight Frank expect to see completed in 2021 may not restore a functioning market. Demand for space is only going to increase.

Every £1 billion extra spent through e-commerce generates need for 750,000 sq ft of extra space, and ecommerce is just one competing need for warehousing. In both retail and manufacturing we see businesses abandoning the dominant lean, Just-in-Time, low inventory, procurement-led supply chain model. With increasing risk from events such as, Covid, Brexit, trade friction with China, flooded Taiwanese chip-makers, and the Suez Canal blockage, businesses are facing greater uncertainty and are looking to build resilience into their supply chains. And that means holding more inventory which in turn puts further pressure on available warehouse space.

Flexibility is a sound bulwark to uncertainty. So most businesses, our clients included, don’t want or need vast new empty sheds. They need operational, workable space that they can move in to and use from day one, to accommodate increased inventories of raw material, work in progress, and finished goods but also for kitting, picking, packing, returns processing and a host of other tasks. They need services, and at least a minimum of fit-out, already installed. Their current requirements are strictly tactical – they need to be able to move out again as strategies become firmer.

But most new development is aimed at flagship brands and 3PLs making long-term commitments to big sheds where long leases and multi-million investments are needed to equip a warehousing facility. A 100,000 sq ft shed counts as ‘small’ even though that is 20% larger than the playing surface at Wembley. New spaces are drip-fed from the developers’ land banks, keeping rentals high and ensuring further yield compression.

The smaller and mid-size businesses we meet, the heart of the UK economy, are manufacturers and retailers, not property companies. Their balance sheets can’t support such long-term liabilities. And most new build sheds are offered as just that – a bare shed. The tenant has to fit out and equip the facility, from automation to basic services. It could be six or nine months before the business can ship its goods in, perhaps longer. Businesses don’t have that money, or that time.

Timescales are critical. Savills say that last year 12% of transactions were for ‘short’ leases – but we know this greatly understates the need for high quality, yet flexible, warehousing. To developers, a five-year lease is ‘short’, but many companies are pushed to see clearly for five months out. They need short-term provision, to buy breathing space while they develop their longer-term strategies, or to keep the business operating while new solutions are applied to existing warehousing.

They need to move in quickly and, when appropriate, move on. They need something akin to space-as-a-service, not an investment. Most property companies are reluctant to have that conversation. As such, businesses are turning to well-connected warehouse operational space brokers like ourselves to develop a solution that meets their immediate and quite often longer-term needs whilst avoiding an expensive long-term lease agreement.

Over many years we’ve developed a wide network of warehouse suppliers – we introduce businesses with a need for additional capacity to providers who have spare operational space available on a flexible basis. Often facilitated deals are as short as 3-9 months, (although in practice these can roll over for several years) but any term of less than three years is better than can be obtained in the current investor-driven market.

Such premises will usually have at least a basic, perhaps even a quite sophisticated, fit-out, suitable for immediate occupancy for little additional capital outlay. Shared labour and services can sometimes be an option. A further advantage for many companies is that as a short-term service agreement there is no five-year liability hanging over the balance sheet.

For any company considering how to rebuild their supply chain to combine flexibility and resilience, this approach could be a game changer. Any business that needs to take care of cash as they trade out of the present crisis, that needs a short-term tactical solution while working out the long-term strategy, or that needs to trial new markets or business models without overstretching, can find a viable and well-proven alternative to a constrained, rigid and uncompromising property market through working with a well networked broker. Look no further.

Trakm8 clears the way for fleet improvements at Autoglass

Operating a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles the length and breadth of the UK, Autoglass is the UK’s favourite vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration company. As part of a drive to enhance driver safety and efficiency fleet-wide, Autoglass partnered with Trakm8, the UK’s foremost vehicle technology solutions specialist, to implement cohesive telematics solutions across its estate of technician vans.

Serving over one million motorists every year, the fleet at Autoglass transverses the country 24/7, providing an essential, world-class service. With a reputation for excellence, Autoglass decided to partner with Trakm8 in 2018 in a drive to further pursue high quality in its fleet of vehicles.

Trakm8 provides market-leading telematics products that address common problems faced by fleet managers. Products such as the Trakm8 Connect 330 help prevent expensive downtime by alerting managers to minor faults before they develop into major ones, encourages safer driving practices and can save dozens of work hours lost to byzantine route management systems and spreadsheets. Trakm8’s discreet Roadhawk dashcam can help protect businesses from reputational and financial damages caused by accidents.

For Autoglass, whose skilled technicians are the heartbeat of the company, driver behaviour and performance is directly linked to reputation. Telematics provides a simple and cost-effective way to help drivers drive more safely, thereby protecting the reputation held by Autoglass for excellence in every aspect of its business.

The Results

Trakm8 telematics products were the perfect solution for Autoglass, offering the data needed to drive improvements in driver behaviour in a cost-effective package.

Andrew Ertl, Fleet Manager at Autoglass, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say our collaboration with Trakm8 has been transformative for our fleet. Our technicians travel the country every day and as the customer-facing part of our business, it’s paramount that they maintain their great reputation for customer service while on the road, too.”

Enabled by Trakm8’s comprehensive data, Autoglass designed a scheme to recognise and reward drivers that consistently achieve perfect scores in driving behaviour, speed limit compliance and idling time, contributing to an even greater improvement in driver behaviour. Since 2018, Autoglass has:

  • Reduced speeding events fleet-wide
  • Reduced average idle time per vehicle by over 50%
  • Markedly improved driver behaviour from an already excellent starting point
  • Improved insurance claim handling with the use of dash camera evidence

Autoglass achieved these impressive results through the use of two Trakm8 products – the Connect 330 and the RoadHawk Dash Cam.

The Connect 330 is a device you can fit in the palm of your hand, but one that packs a powerful technological punch. Designed and manufactured in the UK by Trakm8, the plug-in device is easily fitted into a vehicle’s OBD (on board diagnostics) port, and streams tracking, CANbus and driver behaviour data to enable fleet managers to act even sooner.

The Trakm8 devices provide drivers with a number of indicators that will help them drive safely and more efficiently. In just two years since the partnership began, Autoglass has consistently improved and has now achieved a speed limit compliance score of 98%. Overspeeding, however, is far from the only indicator for the need to improve fleet performance. Vehicle idle time is another important metric to consider when a fleet is aiming to cut costs and decrease carbon emissions.

Using the data provided by the Trakm8 telematics system, Autoglass have cut their average vehicle idling time by 50%.

The Trakm8 Connect 330 also makes it easy for Autoglass to ensure that only those drivers authorised to use their vehicles personally do so. The Connect 330 has given Autoglass the ability to enforce their policy.

Dashcam benefits

The other side of the collaboration with Autoglass and Trakm8 is the RoadHawk Dashcam. The Roadhawk range of dashcams are proven to cut fleet at fault accident rates by up to 20% and reduce insurance premiums by up to 10%, providing positive ROI in a matter of months.

They are also a flexible range of products able to provide only the data needed by fleet managers. Autoglass did not require the Dash Cam’s audio capabilities, so this was disabled, providing reassurance to drivers while still providing crucial video footage in the event of accidents and insurance claims.

Andrew continued: “The Trakm8 Connect 330 has helped our fleet make gains in many areas. We’ve improved our fleets’ overall driving score to an industry-leading level, while reducing costs accrued from accidents, insurance claims and vehicle idle time. We’ve been highly impressed with how these products have worked and with their high ROI and we’re looking intensely at how we can further integrate Trakm8 telematics into our wider fleet management systems.”

Peter Mansfield, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Trakm8, said: “We’re really proud that Trakm8 products have had such a transformative impact on an established and well-regarded fleet operator, proving that telematics can have a significant positive impact on fleets of every size and shape.

“Our teams worked with Autoglass every step of the way on their recent drive to improve fleet standards and were in constant contact during the initial stages of installation to provide advice and guidance. We look forward to working with them in future as they bring the latest technology to bear in their drive to increase standards.”

Trakm8 clears the way for fleet improvements at Autoglass

Operating a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles the length and breadth of the UK, Autoglass is the UK’s favourite vehicle glass repair, replacement and recalibration company. As part of a drive to enhance driver safety and efficiency fleet-wide, Autoglass partnered with Trakm8, the UK’s foremost vehicle technology solutions specialist, to implement cohesive telematics solutions across its estate of technician vans.

Serving over one million motorists every year, the fleet at Autoglass transverses the country 24/7, providing an essential, world-class service. With a reputation for excellence, Autoglass decided to partner with Trakm8 in 2018 in a drive to further pursue high quality in its fleet of vehicles.

Trakm8 provides market-leading telematics products that address common problems faced by fleet managers. Products such as the Trakm8 Connect 330 help prevent expensive downtime by alerting managers to minor faults before they develop into major ones, encourages safer driving practices and can save dozens of work hours lost to byzantine route management systems and spreadsheets. Trakm8’s discreet Roadhawk dashcam can help protect businesses from reputational and financial damages caused by accidents.

For Autoglass, whose skilled technicians are the heartbeat of the company, driver behaviour and performance is directly linked to reputation. Telematics provides a simple and cost-effective way to help drivers drive more safely, thereby protecting the reputation held by Autoglass for excellence in every aspect of its business.

The Results

Trakm8 telematics products were the perfect solution for Autoglass, offering the data needed to drive improvements in driver behaviour in a cost-effective package.

Andrew Ertl, Fleet Manager at Autoglass, said: “It’s no exaggeration to say our collaboration with Trakm8 has been transformative for our fleet. Our technicians travel the country every day and as the customer-facing part of our business, it’s paramount that they maintain their great reputation for customer service while on the road, too.”

Enabled by Trakm8’s comprehensive data, Autoglass designed a scheme to recognise and reward drivers that consistently achieve perfect scores in driving behaviour, speed limit compliance and idling time, contributing to an even greater improvement in driver behaviour. Since 2018, Autoglass has:

  • Reduced speeding events fleet-wide
  • Reduced average idle time per vehicle by over 50%
  • Markedly improved driver behaviour from an already excellent starting point
  • Improved insurance claim handling with the use of dash camera evidence

Autoglass achieved these impressive results through the use of two Trakm8 products – the Connect 330 and the RoadHawk Dash Cam.

The Connect 330 is a device you can fit in the palm of your hand, but one that packs a powerful technological punch. Designed and manufactured in the UK by Trakm8, the plug-in device is easily fitted into a vehicle’s OBD (on board diagnostics) port, and streams tracking, CANbus and driver behaviour data to enable fleet managers to act even sooner.

The Trakm8 devices provide drivers with a number of indicators that will help them drive safely and more efficiently. In just two years since the partnership began, Autoglass has consistently improved and has now achieved a speed limit compliance score of 98%. Overspeeding, however, is far from the only indicator for the need to improve fleet performance. Vehicle idle time is another important metric to consider when a fleet is aiming to cut costs and decrease carbon emissions.

Using the data provided by the Trakm8 telematics system, Autoglass have cut their average vehicle idling time by 50%.

The Trakm8 Connect 330 also makes it easy for Autoglass to ensure that only those drivers authorised to use their vehicles personally do so. The Connect 330 has given Autoglass the ability to enforce their policy.

Dashcam benefits

The other side of the collaboration with Autoglass and Trakm8 is the RoadHawk Dashcam. The Roadhawk range of dashcams are proven to cut fleet at fault accident rates by up to 20% and reduce insurance premiums by up to 10%, providing positive ROI in a matter of months.

They are also a flexible range of products able to provide only the data needed by fleet managers. Autoglass did not require the Dash Cam’s audio capabilities, so this was disabled, providing reassurance to drivers while still providing crucial video footage in the event of accidents and insurance claims.

Andrew continued: “The Trakm8 Connect 330 has helped our fleet make gains in many areas. We’ve improved our fleets’ overall driving score to an industry-leading level, while reducing costs accrued from accidents, insurance claims and vehicle idle time. We’ve been highly impressed with how these products have worked and with their high ROI and we’re looking intensely at how we can further integrate Trakm8 telematics into our wider fleet management systems.”

Peter Mansfield, Group Sales and Marketing Director at Trakm8, said: “We’re really proud that Trakm8 products have had such a transformative impact on an established and well-regarded fleet operator, proving that telematics can have a significant positive impact on fleets of every size and shape.

“Our teams worked with Autoglass every step of the way on their recent drive to improve fleet standards and were in constant contact during the initial stages of installation to provide advice and guidance. We look forward to working with them in future as they bring the latest technology to bear in their drive to increase standards.”

The Rack Group acquired by IWS 

IWS Group, The Industrial Workspace Specialists, has acquired The Rack Group, a leading provider of pallet racking safety, inspection, repair and maintenance solutions.

The move will see The Rack Group become part of a growing family of specialist, market-leading businesses that currently includes impact protection solutions provider, Brandsafe, and visual communication solutions supplier, Beaverswood.

IWS Group provides essential services and supplies to the logistics, warehousing and material handling sectors in the UK, across Europe and beyond. The acquisition will further strengthen its position in core markets, extend the scope of the existing offering and open up opportunities to provide customers with additional product solutions and services.

Established for over 40 years and based in Barnsley, The Rack Group supplies its innovative racking protection products, such as Rack Armour, and its racking inspection, repair and maintenance services to some of the largest brands in retail, warehousing, logistics and material handling.

Management of both businesses believe that there is a uniquely complementary fit between the companies in terms of product ranges, services, people and expertise. Under the terms of the deal, The Rack Group will continue to trade as usual under its existing brand.

Jeroen van den Berge, CEO of IWS Group, said: “We are excited to welcome The Rack Group to the IWS family. We have known The Rack Group for some time and, as a business that has built a market-leading reputation for quality and expertise in racking safety, with a long-standing, multi-site customer base, it represents a strong and natural strategic fit for IWS Group.

“The warehousing, logistics and materials handling sectors have seen unprecedented growth due to new shopping behaviours and IWS Group is bringing together businesses built on specialist expertise and customer centricity to serve these sectors with essential products and services. The addition of The Rack Group provides further opportunity to broaden the scope of services and solutions each of the IWS Group companies can offer their customers. We look forward to a bright, prosperous and successful future together.”

Jenny Charlton, director at The Rack Group, said: “This is an extremely positive development for both organisations, bringing new opportunities to add greater value to customers in terms of product solutions, technical capabilities and enhanced customer service.

“Our market presence will remain as strong as it has always been. Indeed, an attraction of linking up with IWS Group means that we can benefit from the additional resources, infrastructure, and product offering that it brings, without loss of brand identity or the core values that have contributed to our success over four decades.”

The Rack Group acquired by IWS 

IWS Group, The Industrial Workspace Specialists, has acquired The Rack Group, a leading provider of pallet racking safety, inspection, repair and maintenance solutions.

The move will see The Rack Group become part of a growing family of specialist, market-leading businesses that currently includes impact protection solutions provider, Brandsafe, and visual communication solutions supplier, Beaverswood.

IWS Group provides essential services and supplies to the logistics, warehousing and material handling sectors in the UK, across Europe and beyond. The acquisition will further strengthen its position in core markets, extend the scope of the existing offering and open up opportunities to provide customers with additional product solutions and services.

Established for over 40 years and based in Barnsley, The Rack Group supplies its innovative racking protection products, such as Rack Armour, and its racking inspection, repair and maintenance services to some of the largest brands in retail, warehousing, logistics and material handling.

Management of both businesses believe that there is a uniquely complementary fit between the companies in terms of product ranges, services, people and expertise. Under the terms of the deal, The Rack Group will continue to trade as usual under its existing brand.

Jeroen van den Berge, CEO of IWS Group, said: “We are excited to welcome The Rack Group to the IWS family. We have known The Rack Group for some time and, as a business that has built a market-leading reputation for quality and expertise in racking safety, with a long-standing, multi-site customer base, it represents a strong and natural strategic fit for IWS Group.

“The warehousing, logistics and materials handling sectors have seen unprecedented growth due to new shopping behaviours and IWS Group is bringing together businesses built on specialist expertise and customer centricity to serve these sectors with essential products and services. The addition of The Rack Group provides further opportunity to broaden the scope of services and solutions each of the IWS Group companies can offer their customers. We look forward to a bright, prosperous and successful future together.”

Jenny Charlton, director at The Rack Group, said: “This is an extremely positive development for both organisations, bringing new opportunities to add greater value to customers in terms of product solutions, technical capabilities and enhanced customer service.

“Our market presence will remain as strong as it has always been. Indeed, an attraction of linking up with IWS Group means that we can benefit from the additional resources, infrastructure, and product offering that it brings, without loss of brand identity or the core values that have contributed to our success over four decades.”

Menzies joins Transaid in bid to improve road safety

Menzies Distribution Group has become the latest supporter to show its commitment to improving global road safety standards by becoming corporate members of international development organisation Transaid.

Menzies has pledged its support for an initial three-year period, just months after it acquired one of Transaid’s founding members Bibby Distribution (now Menzies Distribution Solutions).

The partnership will see Menzies contribute time, expertise, and resources to help Transaid deliver professional driver training programmes, transport management systems and provide rural access to transport in sub-Saharan Africa.

Alice Broster, Group Health & Safety Manager at Menzies, has also committed to joining Transaid’s Road Safety Advisory Board.

Greg Michael, Chief Executive Officer of Menzies, welcomed the news, saying: “Our colleagues from Menzies Distribution Solutions (MDS) did a fantastic job supporting Transaid for more than two decades, and we are excited to be continuing this strong association.

Transaid’s commitment to global road safety is an issue close to our hearts at Menzies. With almost 5,000 employees and 4,000 vehicle assets operating across the UK, we recognise the huge value training plays in keeping our drivers and other road users safe. We firmly believe all drivers around the world should have the opportunity to build the skills they need to transform their future.”

The vital unrestricted funds provided by corporate members allows Transaid  to test and implement new projects, which have allowed it to develop longstanding HGV and PSV driver training programmes in both Tanzania and Zambia.

As a direct result of these projects, Transaid recently secured significant external funding to take its HGV training into West Africa for the first time, with a new three-and-a-half-year project starting in Ghana.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, explains: “The support we receive from our corporate members means a huge amount, and is crucial to ensuring we can deliver many of our life-saving projects on the ground.

“Knowing we have the strength and support of Menzies and its nearly two centuries of supply chain experience behind us is amazing. We are really excited about the opportunities to work closely together.”

Menzies joins Transaid in bid to improve road safety

Menzies Distribution Group has become the latest supporter to show its commitment to improving global road safety standards by becoming corporate members of international development organisation Transaid.

Menzies has pledged its support for an initial three-year period, just months after it acquired one of Transaid’s founding members Bibby Distribution (now Menzies Distribution Solutions).

The partnership will see Menzies contribute time, expertise, and resources to help Transaid deliver professional driver training programmes, transport management systems and provide rural access to transport in sub-Saharan Africa.

Alice Broster, Group Health & Safety Manager at Menzies, has also committed to joining Transaid’s Road Safety Advisory Board.

Greg Michael, Chief Executive Officer of Menzies, welcomed the news, saying: “Our colleagues from Menzies Distribution Solutions (MDS) did a fantastic job supporting Transaid for more than two decades, and we are excited to be continuing this strong association.

Transaid’s commitment to global road safety is an issue close to our hearts at Menzies. With almost 5,000 employees and 4,000 vehicle assets operating across the UK, we recognise the huge value training plays in keeping our drivers and other road users safe. We firmly believe all drivers around the world should have the opportunity to build the skills they need to transform their future.”

The vital unrestricted funds provided by corporate members allows Transaid  to test and implement new projects, which have allowed it to develop longstanding HGV and PSV driver training programmes in both Tanzania and Zambia.

As a direct result of these projects, Transaid recently secured significant external funding to take its HGV training into West Africa for the first time, with a new three-and-a-half-year project starting in Ghana.

Caroline Barber, Chief Executive of Transaid, explains: “The support we receive from our corporate members means a huge amount, and is crucial to ensuring we can deliver many of our life-saving projects on the ground.

“Knowing we have the strength and support of Menzies and its nearly two centuries of supply chain experience behind us is amazing. We are really excited about the opportunities to work closely together.”

woom digitises supply chains for faster availability

Austrian children’s bike producer woom, based in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, has commissioned German company Setlog to set up and implement its OSCA cloud-based supply-chain-management software. The goal is to achieve secure procurement of products and managing rapidly growing procurement volume due to accelerating business growth at woom.

The abbreviation OSCA stands for Online Supply Chain Accelerator. The staff in Klosterneuburg is relying on this software to speed up procurement processes and slash procurement times. Moreover, the solution will make all of the procedures along global supply chains more transparent and efficient.

“I am convinced that OSCA will give us major support as we tackle the current challenges in the supply chain,” says Guido Dohm, Managing Director of woom. “The cloud-based technology will improve the reliability of statements about the availability of the bikes. Real-time information and more efficient communication will cut procurement times.”

“We are pleased that the young and innovative company, woom, is relying on OSCA to manage their value chain.” says Ralf Duester, Managing Director of Setlog: “The focus of the implementation will be to create transparency along the entire supply chain and accelerate processes through collaborative work on a single platform between all of the partners involved.”

Over the coming months, departments at woom will be networked with suppliers, factories, warehouses, freight forwarders, shipping lines and quality assurance personnel through the platform of its German partner. Order tracking, including document exchange, will be fully automated and paperless – container transport will be optimised. All communication will be handled directly through the dialogue function of the platform.

The woom supply-chain team in Klosterneuburg can centrally manage and control all procurement procedures – from supplier selection to price negotiations and allocation of production orders, through to production and shipping management.

“The new digital supply-chain management not only means cutting procurement times and better service quality for our customers, but it also encourages the steady integration of social standards into our operational procurement activities and will help us to be more conscientious in our use of resources,” says Dohm.

The digitalisation of supply-chain management is just one of a range of measures designed to improve reliability in procurement and raise sustainability at woom. Another measure is a gradual shift of production for the European market to Europe. Since the beginning of this year, at a factory owned by the German company Sprick Cycle GmbH located in the southern Polish town of Świebodzin, woom Original bikes – the classic woom 1 through 6 children’s bikes – have been rolling off the production line.

woom digitises supply chains for faster availability

Austrian children’s bike producer woom, based in Klosterneuburg near Vienna, has commissioned German company Setlog to set up and implement its OSCA cloud-based supply-chain-management software. The goal is to achieve secure procurement of products and managing rapidly growing procurement volume due to accelerating business growth at woom.

The abbreviation OSCA stands for Online Supply Chain Accelerator. The staff in Klosterneuburg is relying on this software to speed up procurement processes and slash procurement times. Moreover, the solution will make all of the procedures along global supply chains more transparent and efficient.

“I am convinced that OSCA will give us major support as we tackle the current challenges in the supply chain,” says Guido Dohm, Managing Director of woom. “The cloud-based technology will improve the reliability of statements about the availability of the bikes. Real-time information and more efficient communication will cut procurement times.”

“We are pleased that the young and innovative company, woom, is relying on OSCA to manage their value chain.” says Ralf Duester, Managing Director of Setlog: “The focus of the implementation will be to create transparency along the entire supply chain and accelerate processes through collaborative work on a single platform between all of the partners involved.”

Over the coming months, departments at woom will be networked with suppliers, factories, warehouses, freight forwarders, shipping lines and quality assurance personnel through the platform of its German partner. Order tracking, including document exchange, will be fully automated and paperless – container transport will be optimised. All communication will be handled directly through the dialogue function of the platform.

The woom supply-chain team in Klosterneuburg can centrally manage and control all procurement procedures – from supplier selection to price negotiations and allocation of production orders, through to production and shipping management.

“The new digital supply-chain management not only means cutting procurement times and better service quality for our customers, but it also encourages the steady integration of social standards into our operational procurement activities and will help us to be more conscientious in our use of resources,” says Dohm.

The digitalisation of supply-chain management is just one of a range of measures designed to improve reliability in procurement and raise sustainability at woom. Another measure is a gradual shift of production for the European market to Europe. Since the beginning of this year, at a factory owned by the German company Sprick Cycle GmbH located in the southern Polish town of Świebodzin, woom Original bikes – the classic woom 1 through 6 children’s bikes – have been rolling off the production line.

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