“The Ghost of Christmas Past”

With the countdown to Christmas underway, the availability of delivery drivers will be a key focus for any business, trying to make sure they maximise their seasonal returns by ensuring retailers’ shelves are full of their products. Recruitment solutions specialist, de Poel One Source, is therefore urging logistics and operations managers to plan now for the Christmas peak.

Many organisations will be assessing the impact of supply, demand and their operations, especially following last year’s ‘CPC storm’, and the potential of a shortage in qualified labour – an issue that still ‘haunts’ them and which is of paramount importance at this time of year.

This year, the pre-Christmas peak is set to be more challenging than most for hauliers and logistics companies, so there is likely to be a strong focus on the capacity of agency drivers and subcontractors to fill the void.

Keith Poole, operations director at recruitment solutions specialist, de Poel One Source, explained: “We all remember last year when there was an 11,000 shortfall of competent drivers. The problem is, like ‘The Ghost of Christmas Past’; something that won’t go away until we change our ways.

“With the increase in online retailing, traffic volumes driven up further and flows harder to predict, it becomes clear that this holiday season presents a huge challenge. In light of this, it is now more critical than ever to be able to respond to sudden surges in demand; this will be the acute success factor for logistics companies. It is vital to ensure that you have sufficient capacity to meet increased demand from retailers.

“Although the countdown is underway, it is not too late to make small changes that can maximise the commercial opportunities for your business in the next two months of peak trading. The Black Friday and Christmas spikes are a fact of modern life in the logistics world, but with careful supply chain planning they should be seen as real opportunities rather than threats.”

Keith has 12 helpful tips to help you plan for the seasonal peaks:

1. Appoint a core team with representatives from operations, HR, stock inventory, transport planning and security to oversee the whole planning cycle

2. Give responsibility for Christmas strategy to one person; the team should be under the control of a single, responsible manager

3. Set weekly meetings with a clear agenda

4. Make forecasts based on last year’s actual figures, adjusting for changed circumstances

5. Keep plans as flexible as possible: there may be an agreed timetable with set dates, but it could be out by days or even weeks

6. Estimate when increased demand is likely to begin

7. Start thinking about your inbound logistics now

8. Check that facilities are in place to cope with an influx of temporary workers

9. Talk to de Poel One Source – who will liaise with agencies on your behalf – about your requirements

10. Consider testing your capability by replicating an hour’s worth of peak trading two or three weeks before the anticipated increase in volumes

11. Make preparations for an increased level of returns

12. Post-Christmas, collect feedback from your staff. Make a poster of key takeaway lessons and put it up next time during the preparation stages.

onesource.depoel.co.uk