It’s not only the improvements in performance that the equipment and software upgrade carried out by Logistex for Arco’s Hull NDC that impressed the company. It was the way they handled the project and built a positive and rewarding partnership between the companies.
As Joan Irving, Arco’s Supply Chain Director, explained: “From the early stages the Logistex team made us feel valued as a client, showing us they understood our business and shared our vision. They soon became more a partner than just another supplier, and they have continued in the same vein since the project was completed. They react quickly to anything that needs attention, our potential capacity is up by 40% and we have better than 99% pick accuracy.”
“There’s a lot more flexibility built into the system so we can easily cope with any downtime and we have been able to reduce our labour costs. We are currently completing around 17,000 picks and shipping 10,000 packs of goods per day. ”
“Logistex have helped deliver a state-of-the-art distribution and fulfilment centre to match our growth ambitions, including the rapid increase in Internet sales – and ensure we maintain the highest levels of customer service.”
The UK’s leaders in safety clothing, work wear, safety boots and safety equipment, Arco currently holds around 22,000 different products distributed through 40 local branches and increasingly through Internet sales. As the company’s business had developed and evolved, the original design and materials handling configuration of the Hull NDC was progressively less able to meet the volumes and standards of service required.
Incumbent supplier Logistex was asked to recommend an upgrade programme to provide greater flexibility and resilience, with the additional capacity to keep pace with Arco’s business growth. They identified a number of pinch points where congestion at peak times risked causing delays, as well as a number of opportunities to bring the equipment and software up to current standards of performance and efficiency.
As Logistex provides full service support with on-site, residential staff, the company installed a new mezzanine floor level providing fast and safe access to upper levels of the installation, so that repair and maintenance tasks can be carried out more quickly and effectively.
The upgrade work was carried out around Arco’s 24 hour, five day business, with limited time available to carry out work and to operate on the conveyor system. The companies prudently developed extensive plans well ahead of the project to minimise any disruption and successfully managed to avoid any downtime that might have affected Arco’s high levels of customer service.
Logistex
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