In this category the judges looked for excellent personal and professional qualities, which are reflected in an efficient operation, optimum warehouse productivity, and a highly motivated and flexible team.

DANNY EARP, BOUGHEY DISTRIBUTION LTD

When Boughey’s Danny Earp was promoted to Warehouse Controller in October 2015 it continued his rise from Boughey’s shop-floor to senior management. He now oversees three Sub- Managers, 15 Supervisors, 160 Operatives, and a weekly throughput of 30,000 pallets. He also controls Boughey’s IT Department.

According to Boughey’s MD, Keith Forster, optimising use of operational resource has been the hallmark of Danny’s leadership, but it is his holistic approach to operations that has brought the most tangible benefits to Boughey’s wider business performance.

These benefits include: • A 50% improvement in processing times for stock delivered inwards on Boughey fleet, optimising customer stock and trailer availability;]

• A 30% productivity increase following the development and implementation of improved WMS putaway strategy analysis and execution tools;

• A 5000 pallet increase in warehouse capacity through consolidation of racking space, and product profiling to maximise warehouse fill and storage revenue;

• A 10% increase in on-time load readiness through driving improved planning, and labour flexibility across Boughey’s 15 warehouse depots;

• An A+ BRC grading achieved after Danny personally implemented and drove through a number of HSQ initiatives and culture changes;

• A £30K p/a saving through implementing improved delivery scheduling software.

Keith Forster says of Danny: “During the last 13 years I have watched Danny meet every challenge he has faced head on. His initiative and drive are the reasons why he is succeeding. To work from the shop floor within Boughey to the very top of the company and, indeed, the industry has always been Danny’s goal, and I believe that for everything he has achieved so far he would be a very fitting recipient of this award.”

JOHN SHEARS, MINICLIPPER LOGISTICS

John Shears has worked at a number of Miniclipper’s warehouse sites creating teams, implementing new processes and, most importantly, managing new client migration into Miniclipper’s facilities.

John joined Miniclipper from a small coffee business in 2015, to open up the company’s new Houghton Regis warehouse. He helped plan racking and layout and oversaw customer migration in, including the integration of 20 TUPE staff to create a new Miniclipper team.

The following year, when Miniclipper acquired a new undeveloped and unracked warehouse in Dunstable, John managed the migration of a 2000 pallet customer and built a team of warehouse pickers, managed forklift training and set health and safety procedures in place.

In June 2016 John was on the move once again, this time to Miniclipper’s 89,000 sq ft Leighton Buzzard warehouse to prepare for a new customer implementation which, thanks to the customer’s moving targets (volumes increased fourfold from the client’s original budget!) was less straightforward than it might have been.

The customer placed its own QC team on site and John and his team integrated exceptionally well with them creating a feel good factor in what was an extremely stressful and pressurised working environment At peak, the client’s inbound volume was 12 x 40’ containers in per day and John and his team worked day and night and weekends to ensure that customer’s targets were met. MIniclipper’s sales director, Jayne Masters, comments: “We are proud of John and his commitment and expertise that he has brought to Miniclipper and the teams that work with him and have no hesitation in recommending him for this award.”

EMMA NEWMAN, IMPORT SERVICES LTD

Before joining Import Services Ltd, Emma Newman served in the British Army as a Movement Controller and a Port Operator within the Royal Logistics Corps. On leaving the military, Emma started her career with Import Services as a lift truck driver, but her broader logistics experience soon stood out and it wasn’t long before she was given the opportunity to run one of the company’s DCs.

Having made a success of this role, Emma was transferred to Import Services’ flagship site – the Docks DC – to oversee a peak period in the absence of the manager. Once again, Emma excelled in her role and in January 2015 she was appointed to the position of Warehouse Manager at the busy Docks site.

Import Services’ client service director, Mike Thomas, speaks highly of Emma. He says: “Emma is a great role model for upward mobility. She is highly organised, an effective communicator and a respected leader. She is client focused and has considerable commercial acumen. “Emma sets the bar high for herself and her team and encourages and supports others. She is always willing to be in ‘the trenches’ but equally adept at planning and runs our most challenging operation to an exceptionally high standard ensuring her team is with her.

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