INTERROLL Limited, incorporated in 1981, is today Great Britain’s and Ireland’s most recognised supplier of conveyor technology for both small and large OEM’s and systems integrators alike. Our company values include being passionate about our customers, always respectful, adopting a long-term thinking approach and being committed to delivering on excellence. Quality, robustness, global standards and availability, are only a few adjectives that describes our offering, and separates Interroll from alternatives.
Managing Director at Interroll Ltd
Our strategy is a complete solution-based offering, connecting conveyor elements, engineered on a standard platform, to transport safely, efficiently and reliably goods from as light as a small parcel or polybag, weighing as little as 150 grams, to pallets with weights up to 1500 kg’s. Interroll is the most neutral partner within our area. With many rollers, drives and conveyors installed worldwide, our Global Lifetime Services activity ensures that our over 28,000 global customers enjoy peace of mind when choosing Interroll.
Hilton Campbell, Managing Director of Interroll Ltd spoke to Warehouse & Logistics News.
What products or services does your company offer?
We manufacture and supply conveyor products, conveyor modules and sorters for the internal materials handling sector. Our leading brand is recognised by the industry with well-known titles such as RollerDrives, PalletDrives, Conveyor Rollers and Drum Motors as well as Modular Conveyor Platforms, Modular Pallet Platforms and most recently Modular Hygienic Platforms.
Which industries do your customers operate in and which sectors are growing fastest?
Our solutions are commonly found in industries such as Food and Beverage, Couriers Express Parcel, Warehousing & Distribution, Airport Industry and Fashion.
What are your most recent product innovations?
Over the past years, Interroll has launched a few innovative products. The Smart Pallet Mover is a combination of gravity roller track and a Mover. The robot/mover is programmed with the defined movement pattern, moving empty or full pallets weighing up to 800kg’s with a throughput of approximately 15 movements per hour, replacing the need for a forklift or manual pallet jack. The system is cost effective, drives up productivity and is efficient and modular.
Furthermore, we launched a new Split Tray Sorter. The sorter is suitable for throughputs up to 8,000 items per hour, weighing up to 12kg’s and can sort into many destinations. The system supplied by Interroll is complete with hardware and sorter control.
Another innovation is aimed at the food sector. In 2022 we launched the Special Hygienic Transfer, a solution to transfer chicken pieces from an overhead conveyor, safely with the highest regards to hygiene, onto a belt conveyor below. The main benefit being the increased hygienic properties pertaining to poultry processing.
What are the major trends and developments affecting your category and your customers, and how are you responding?
The ongoing, however slightly improved shortage of raw material has been suppliers largest challenge. Demand remains high, mostly driven by the need to further mechanise because of missing labour, and switch to more energy efficient solutions, considering the energy crises and social responsibilities. In speaking with our customers, solutions that are energy efficient, scalable and readily available are today’s talking points.
Interroll’s global presence and global supply chain strategy is a benefit coming to sourcing and second sourcing when required. We have identified that customers today demand a much higher value proposition, therefore it is important that suppliers like Interroll highlight such benefits and value that translate into real operating savings for both direct and indirect customers.
Can you tell us about any recent customer contract wins and how you helped the customer meet their challenges?
At the height of the global shortage of semi-conductors, we had to fulfil a delivery demand on our conveyor modules, where our direct customer, the system integrator, had a contractual delivery promise they could not miss. Interroll had several orders like this, all of which were negatively impacted by missing materials.
We were able, with special effort from the development engineers and procurement resources, able to source a third-party product that was available and fit this for the purpose for the application. The factory required a new fast and proven process to include the third-party product into our deliverables. We managed this with scale within a very short time and was therefore able to meet the promise with minimum delay to almost all our customers.
Our direct customer was in turn able to meet their customers’ requirements, albeit the industry has been very understanding about the challenges and the environment we have had to operate within.
What is your strategy for succeeding in the current climate?
Companies today must be able to adapt, move outside their comfort zone and go the extra mile. The highest possible level of service is our simple strategy, we will work on the simple things, doing it right, efficiently with regular feedback. It’s not hard to know what customers expect, we are all customers to someone, so do what you would expect and then more.
Having represented the Interroll brand for as long as I have, I find this attitude easy to adopt as this is part of my own DNA, and I lead Interroll Limited with this attitude.
The manner I believe is here to stay, meaning the buying behaviour of our customers. Expectations and demands that we see today are the new norm, and we simply need to continuously improve.
What training do you provide for your staff?
The Interroll Academy is available to both our employees and our customers. Employers enjoy courses like on-boarding, product training, and the development of their soft skills. For our customers, they can also partake in training. This training can cover application know-how, servicing or using the Interroll propriety tools. In some cases. Training, development and education is critically important for Interroll and their employees.
Interroll also has an ambassador program for talent people within the global group, who are targeted to be the leaders of tomorrow.
What is the company’s commitment to social responsibility?
Interroll makes a significant contribution to the performance and further development of global logistics, which plays a central role in the development of prosperity. It is important to us to make this contribution even more sustainable in the future. To this end, we engage in an even more intensive exchange with our employees, customers, suppliers and investors. We set high standards for ourselves and will publish a sustainability report that will meet the standards of the Global Reporting Initiative. This report will focus on the three areas of environment, society and governance.
What improvements have you made to your customer service recently?
We are living in a digital era! Interroll’s digital strategy is about improving service to our customers, it’s that simple.
We have done some very basic things; we have also made some significant investments. On the simple side, customers can today reach out to Interroll directly through the Interroll website’s internet chat facility. This is available during typical operating times, a fast and efficient interface to reach customer service, and not a robot but a person! Something I’m very pleased about. Furthermore, we have the Webshop, which makes Interroll contactable 24/7. With an active account and a customer material number you can order your exact needs on-line!
If you want more, on the website customers can download the Cad blocks for almost all our products, in varying formats. There are helpful tools like Belt-Drive matchmaker that helps you choose the right drive for the application, available 24/7.
Just one significant investment was the establishment of our spares’ distribution warehouse in the western part of Germany. With both this location and a SAP interface underpinned by a service organisation, a picked from stock part can be delivered within Europe on express within 48 hours or less.
Will you be exhibiting at any major trade shows over the next year?
In 2023 you will find Interroll at Intralogistex, now moved to the NEC in Birmingham. Later in the year we will be at Propak 2023, also at the NEC. At this event we will showcase the new Interroll Modular Hygienic Platform and associated products.
How would you sum up your company in three words?
Quality – speed – simplicity.
INTERROLL LTD
01536 312770
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