Logistics

A new warehouse in Poland - pitfalls and opportunities

melanie — Tue, 06 May 2008 09:59:26 +0000

In recent years more businesses have been lured to Eastern Europe (particularly Poland) by the low cost and relative proximity to core European markets.

Read more….a-new-warehouse-in-poland.pdf

11th Logistics & Distribution Forum, Stanstead 21st - 22nd April 08

melanie — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:53:10 +0000

THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS will be attending The Logistics & Distribution Forum.

On 21st & 22nd April 2008 The Logistics & Distribution Forum will play host to the most senior logistics and supply chain executives in the country. This is two day event, comprises numerous workshops and supplier meetings. Simon Tomlinson, Director of THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS and Jeff Rees Senior Consultant, will be attending the event as a Supplier.

The Language of Logistics

melanie — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:07:10 +0000

Whoever first coined the phrase ‘two nations divided by a common language’ when talking about the relationship between the UK and USA could just have well been talking about the language of logistics.

Maybe its because its still a relatively new discipline or perhaps because there are so many self taught practitioners who have had to develop their own terminology. Or maybe its we Consultants who like to come up with new names to make it look like we’ve suddenly had a brilliant idea. The truth is that logisticians do not use a common language and this can cause confusion, getting in the way of real progress.

Read more…. the-language-of-logistics.pdf

MandM Direct

melanie — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:28:13 +0000

In the year 2000 THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS helped MandM transform its distribution operation from one designed to achieve a few £millions of sales to one capable of many tens of £millions. In 2007 we were approached once again to help plan the next transformation to several hundred £million.

Don’t forget the handshake

melanie — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:52:09 +0000

As consultants we are frequently asked to help Clients tender for capital equipment and IT systems. These can often involve large sums of money and can be quite stressful experiences if not managed appropriately.

There are numerous approaches to tendering. At one extreme we have the gentleman’s handshake where the process is about building trust and confidence that the supplier is going to do thier best for the client and that the client is going to treat the supplier well in return. This approach is rarely seen now in this country although it is more prevalent in Germany where there are many more privately owned, sizeable companies less encumbered by the oversight of shareholders and ‘the city’. At the other extreme we have the traditional procurement professionals whose main aim is to gain maximum commercial advantage for the customer no matter what.

Transport Efficiency & Environmental Audit

melanie — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:46:02 +0000

There has been a greater need within our consultancy work to include advising our clients on their transport and environmental efficiency. With this in mind Jeff Rees our Environmental expert has designed key workshops and audit programmes to assist our clients. These workshops have given our clients the opportunity to review not only the environmental implications [...]

Questions, questions, questions. But what is the answer?

melanie — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 08:53:04 +0000

The world of business is largely about asking the right questions and coming up with the right answers. It is the process by which we respond to and take advantage of change. As the rate of change grows and the world becomes an increasingly uncertain place the problem for many is that the questions are becoming harder to answer and the consequences of a wrong answer more serious. No longer is ‘gut feel’ and past experience a sufficient guide to the future. So what is to be done?

Zone Manager Benefits And Features

nick — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 11:50:49 +0000

Zone Manager is a delivery management system for construction sites.

Delivery Management is a key element of a modern logistics operation on today’s construction sites. It is a vital part of the service to your customers enabling you to: -

Reduce waste - physical and time
Schedule & use resources
Improve running of a site
Reduce day to day management
Put the effort into planning
Contribute to improved safety - through tracking and control
Deliver improved profitability

Zone Manager can provide all these benefits, and more, in a simple to use, yet powerful software package. From a one-man team using a standalone installation on a PC or laptop to a multi-user multi-project site, there is a Zone Manager package to suit your requirements. And if you want online management, you can have that too.

What does Zone Manager do?

Zone Manager is a multi-user diary for booking Trade Contractor deliveries, material removals or any other vehicle movements on and off site. You can make the diary available to anyone who needs it via printouts, large screen displays, over the network or via the internet.

You can book Deliveries, muck and waste removal, Crane time, Hoist time, Loading Platforms, Fork lifts etc.

The reporting functions let you print Gate reports, Crane schedules and Trade Contractors booking lists.

Against any delivery you can record the actual arrival time or, if the times are not logged, just that it was a ‘no-show’, or had to be turned away. Unplanned Deliveries can be recorded too. Armed with this information Zone Manager can produce Trade Contractor performance reports.

For larger systems the Zone Manager Entry and Exit module enables vehicles to be booked on site or into a holding park in real-time. The simple interface automatically registers the time of arrival and can be used to track actual delivery quantities.

Take a closer look at the key features of Zone Manager

Too much waste - the continuing story of UK construction

melanie — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 16:11:25 +0000

According to WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) typically 10 to 15% (and sometimes up to 45%) of the materials delivered to site for construction projects are either unused or end up as waste. There are many reasons for this, including bad planning and poor site control, but much of the problem can be attributed to the lack of good logistics practices in the construction sector.

Developments in retail and manufacturing over the last 20 years or so have shown how improvements can be made to the business processes through the good application of logistics practices. Improvements can be made in productivity and customer service as well as offering benefits for the environment. With a few notable exceptions the construction industry has so far failed to adopt good logistics and supply chain practices and has therefore failed to reap the benefits.

Bit by bit this is changing and The Logsitics Business has been at the forefront of developments in this field. For example, our Zone Manager software has been widely adopted as the leading method for management of vehicle flow and resources on construction sites and the system has now been used on just about every type of major construction project in the UK. More recently, with the assistance of The Logsitics Business and technical services provider, Jacobs, WRAP has developed a Good Practice Guide to the development of site Materials Logistics Plans.

Kelloggs Europe

melanie — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:56:02 +0000

Kellogg’s are developing new manufacturing lines in Europe and require a warehousing facility to hold Finished Goods stock and production materials. THE LOGISTICS BUSINESS have been commissioned to develop the requirements for this warehouse and provide a number of designs to meet the operational requirements.

The work includes analysing the production capacities, developing the peak and average flows of all materials and undertaking the concept and detail designs of the warehouse. As a part of the work labour models, operational and capital costs are to be developed as a part of the business case for the project.