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Day: 5 January 2022

WMS helps Watch Gang achieve 0% shrinkage

Posted on by David Priestman

A six-month warehouse-wide hard-count inventory audit by luxury and collectable online watch retailer, Watch Gang, has registered a 0% shrinkage rate for the first time and highest-ever customer service levels.

Since switching to technologically advanced cloud-based WMS SnapFulfil, the rapidly expanding e-commerce retailer has a more streamlined, optimised and cost effective fulfilment solution that has dramatically reduced the processing time of an average order.

Sam Christian, SVP of Operations at Watch Gang, said: “SnapFulfil consistently saves us both time and money.  Being a luxury brand, service levels are now meeting our very exact standards, which support our ambitious growth strategy. SnapFulfil now serves as both the pilot and the plane within our organisation.

“It’s also functionally rich, which facilitates speed and tracking accuracy, as well as improved productivity. I particularly like the AutoMode feature for task allocation to warehouse associates, because each new task is assigned dynamically by the system, so that the daily workflow maintains flexibility throughout an ever-changing warehouse workday.

“A single RF user can be seamlessly guided from picking 30+ orders and dropping at a pack station, to replenishing a separate pick slot from our bulk area, to auditing the count of a location, and beginning the receiving of new product that has just arrived – all without external guidance.”

Today, Los Angeles-based Watch Gang handles thousands of closed tab shipments and subscription orders in days – rather than weeks – and there’s also been a perfect count on SKUs from day one and not a miss-shipment since.

WMS helps Watch Gang achieve 0% shrinkage

Posted on by David Priestman

A six-month warehouse-wide hard-count inventory audit by luxury and collectable online watch retailer, Watch Gang, has registered a 0% shrinkage rate for the first time and highest-ever customer service levels.

Since switching to technologically advanced cloud-based WMS SnapFulfil, the rapidly expanding e-commerce retailer has a more streamlined, optimised and cost effective fulfilment solution that has dramatically reduced the processing time of an average order.

Sam Christian, SVP of Operations at Watch Gang, said: “SnapFulfil consistently saves us both time and money.  Being a luxury brand, service levels are now meeting our very exact standards, which support our ambitious growth strategy. SnapFulfil now serves as both the pilot and the plane within our organisation.

“It’s also functionally rich, which facilitates speed and tracking accuracy, as well as improved productivity. I particularly like the AutoMode feature for task allocation to warehouse associates, because each new task is assigned dynamically by the system, so that the daily workflow maintains flexibility throughout an ever-changing warehouse workday.

“A single RF user can be seamlessly guided from picking 30+ orders and dropping at a pack station, to replenishing a separate pick slot from our bulk area, to auditing the count of a location, and beginning the receiving of new product that has just arrived – all without external guidance.”

Today, Los Angeles-based Watch Gang handles thousands of closed tab shipments and subscription orders in days – rather than weeks – and there’s also been a perfect count on SKUs from day one and not a miss-shipment since.

BIFA joins calls to investigate container market

Posted on by David Priestman

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has written to the UK government  asking it to investigate the state of competition within the current deep sea container shipping market.

The UK’s main trade association for freight forwarding and logistics companies says that its members are concerned that certain practices undertaken by the principal container shipping lines, as well as easements and exemptions provided to them under competition law, are distorting the operations of the free market to the detriment of international trade.

In a letter to Robert Courts MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, BIFA‘s Director General Robert Keen expresses the trade association’s concern that during a period of well-documented chaos within the container shipping sector, commercial power is becoming increasingly concentrated, resulting in diminished market choice and competition, and distorted market conditions.

Keen said: “BIFA members fully accept that a free market economy is open to all, but are increasingly concerned that the activities of the container shipping lines, and the exemptions from legislation from which they benefit, are distorting the operations of that market to the shipping lines’ advantage, whilst adversely and unfairly affecting their customers, especially freight forwarders and SME businesses.

“The facts speak for themselves. During a period that has seen EU block exemption regulations carried forward into UK law, there has been huge market consolidation.

“In 2015, there were 27 major container shipping lines carrying global containerised trade, with the largest having a 15.3% market share. Today, there are 15 shipping lines, organised into three major alliances carrying that trade, with some analysts observing that the market share of a single alliance on certain key routes could be over 40%.

“The pandemic has highlighted and accelerated this development, which has also contributed to dreadful service levels, and hugely inflated rates, with carriers allocating vessels to the most profitable routes with little regard to the needs of their customers.

“Drewry recently issued a profit forecast of more than US$150bn for 2021 for the main container shipping lines for which financial results are available.

“To put that into perspective, this is more than has been achieved in the previous 20 years combined, and many BIFA members consider it to be a case of blatant profiteering.”

BIFA is joining a growing number of organisations, including CLECAT and FIATA, the US Federal Maritime Commission, and the Australian Productivity Commission, in calling for governments at a national and pan-national level to give careful consideration to the evolving business arrangements in the container shipping market to see whether they are in breach of competition law.

 

 

BIFA joins calls to investigate container market

Posted on by Keith McKinley

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) has written to the UK government  asking it to investigate the state of competition within the current deep sea container shipping market.

The UK’s main trade association for freight forwarding and logistics companies says that its members are concerned that certain practices undertaken by the principal container shipping lines, as well as easements and exemptions provided to them under competition law, are distorting the operations of the free market to the detriment of international trade.

In a letter to Robert Courts MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, BIFA‘s Director General Robert Keen expresses the trade association’s concern that during a period of well-documented chaos within the container shipping sector, commercial power is becoming increasingly concentrated, resulting in diminished market choice and competition, and distorted market conditions.

Keen said: “BIFA members fully accept that a free market economy is open to all, but are increasingly concerned that the activities of the container shipping lines, and the exemptions from legislation from which they benefit, are distorting the operations of that market to the shipping lines’ advantage, whilst adversely and unfairly affecting their customers, especially freight forwarders and SME businesses.

“The facts speak for themselves. During a period that has seen EU block exemption regulations carried forward into UK law, there has been huge market consolidation.

“In 2015, there were 27 major container shipping lines carrying global containerised trade, with the largest having a 15.3% market share. Today, there are 15 shipping lines, organised into three major alliances carrying that trade, with some analysts observing that the market share of a single alliance on certain key routes could be over 40%.

“The pandemic has highlighted and accelerated this development, which has also contributed to dreadful service levels, and hugely inflated rates, with carriers allocating vessels to the most profitable routes with little regard to the needs of their customers.

“Drewry recently issued a profit forecast of more than US$150bn for 2021 for the main container shipping lines for which financial results are available.

“To put that into perspective, this is more than has been achieved in the previous 20 years combined, and many BIFA members consider it to be a case of blatant profiteering.”

BIFA is joining a growing number of organisations, including CLECAT and FIATA, the US Federal Maritime Commission, and the Australian Productivity Commission, in calling for governments at a national and pan-national level to give careful consideration to the evolving business arrangements in the container shipping market to see whether they are in breach of competition law.

 

 

Briggs commits to ongoing environmental strategy

Posted on by David Priestman

Briggs Equipment, one of the UK’s premier asset management and engineering services specialists, has underlined its ongoing commitment to sustainability by becoming an officially accredited carbon neutral business. The company will also be implementing a wide-ranging environmental strategy that will ensure Briggs and its customers can continue to operate in a sustainable fashion moving forward.

Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, Briggs is offsetting its carbon footprint via approved projects that contribute towards protecting the environment and supporting communities across the world with sustainable development. Additionally, Briggs is pledging to plant a tree for every new machine it sells. This activity will see thousands of new trees planted in the UK each year.

To support this initial work, the company is exploring a wide range of transformational infrastructure projects. This includes investigating the installation of green energy options like solar and wind power for onsite storage, the continued roll-out of hybrid and electric vehicles in its company fleet, the installation of electric charging points at Briggs locations, ongoing promotion of green technology and much more.

Sustainability forms a key part of the company’s overall business strategy moving forward, which means customers can build their carbon strategy with Briggs in the confidence that their equipment partner is fully committed to sustainable working.

In recent years there have been significant technological advancements in battery technology, bringing electrification to more and more applications and larger and larger equipment. This applies across the spectrum from warehouse operations to ports and container handling. These developments have enabled Briggs customers to invest with confidence in electrification across their equipment fleets and as a result they’re experiencing significant environmental benefits and uncompromised performance.

Briggs Equipment’s Group Managing Director, Pete Jones, commented: “We’re incredibly passionate about our environmental responsibilities and recognise the importance of operating as a sustainable organisation. This new programme of activity is a natural evolution for our business as for many years we’ve provided our customers with various tools to reduce their, and our, environmental impact. Our certification and offsetting initiative with Carbon Neutral Britain provides an umbrella for all these activities to come together as a comprehensive approach. We are pushing forward with a wide range of projects and initiatives that will deliver significant benefits and allow our customers to build their carbon strategy in partnership with us.

“We’re also exploring various infrastructure projects for renewable energy generation at our premises that will contribute significantly to our green objectives.  The phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles from our company fleet, switching to hybrid and electric vehicles is already well underway.

“Many of our customers are also embarking on their own ‘green journey’ and we are pleased to see the industry responding to the challenges ahead. Briggs is here to support those companies as they evolve towards a more sustainable model of working.”

Briggs commits to ongoing environmental strategy

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Briggs Equipment, one of the UK’s premier asset management and engineering services specialists, has underlined its ongoing commitment to sustainability by becoming an officially accredited carbon neutral business. The company will also be implementing a wide-ranging environmental strategy that will ensure Briggs and its customers can continue to operate in a sustainable fashion moving forward.

Working with Carbon Neutral Britain, Briggs is offsetting its carbon footprint via approved projects that contribute towards protecting the environment and supporting communities across the world with sustainable development. Additionally, Briggs is pledging to plant a tree for every new machine it sells. This activity will see thousands of new trees planted in the UK each year.

To support this initial work, the company is exploring a wide range of transformational infrastructure projects. This includes investigating the installation of green energy options like solar and wind power for onsite storage, the continued roll-out of hybrid and electric vehicles in its company fleet, the installation of electric charging points at Briggs locations, ongoing promotion of green technology and much more.

Sustainability forms a key part of the company’s overall business strategy moving forward, which means customers can build their carbon strategy with Briggs in the confidence that their equipment partner is fully committed to sustainable working.

In recent years there have been significant technological advancements in battery technology, bringing electrification to more and more applications and larger and larger equipment. This applies across the spectrum from warehouse operations to ports and container handling. These developments have enabled Briggs customers to invest with confidence in electrification across their equipment fleets and as a result they’re experiencing significant environmental benefits and uncompromised performance.

Briggs Equipment’s Group Managing Director, Pete Jones, commented: “We’re incredibly passionate about our environmental responsibilities and recognise the importance of operating as a sustainable organisation. This new programme of activity is a natural evolution for our business as for many years we’ve provided our customers with various tools to reduce their, and our, environmental impact. Our certification and offsetting initiative with Carbon Neutral Britain provides an umbrella for all these activities to come together as a comprehensive approach. We are pushing forward with a wide range of projects and initiatives that will deliver significant benefits and allow our customers to build their carbon strategy in partnership with us.

“We’re also exploring various infrastructure projects for renewable energy generation at our premises that will contribute significantly to our green objectives.  The phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles from our company fleet, switching to hybrid and electric vehicles is already well underway.

“Many of our customers are also embarking on their own ‘green journey’ and we are pleased to see the industry responding to the challenges ahead. Briggs is here to support those companies as they evolve towards a more sustainable model of working.”

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