Page 34 November 1st 2<strong>01</strong>0Email: warehouse@flame1.com THE INTERVIEW - QTSTel: <strong>01</strong>923 272960QUBE TRANSPORTATION SUPPLIESFIRST FOR FLEXIBLE WAREHOUSE SOLUTIONSAfter seven years of successfultrading QTS, the independentlyowned warehouse equipmentprovider, has won itself an envied reputationfor its flexibility as a supplier of rollcages, wire mesh decking and anti-collapsesystems to the UK warehouse andtransport industry. QTS works with someof the best-known names in retail and distribution,providing a flexible andinnovative product range, backed up byfirst-class service.Founded in 2003, QTS started outselling roll cages to end users, which it stilldoes, but now it also sells racking accessoriesand a growing number of otherstorage-related products both direct to endusers and through distributors. In recentmonths, QTS has been investing in developingadditional new products, increasingits production capacity in China andopening a new warehouse in the UK whichwill enable it to hold a larger stock of newand existing products, reduce lead times formajor orders and capture a wider audience.Bringing the story up to date, Novembersees QTS making its debut as an exhibitorat IMHX 2<strong>01</strong>0. Shaun Ingram, ManagingDirector of QTS, spoke to Warehouse &Logistics News.Warehouse & Logistics News – First ofall, Shaun, what do the initials ‘QTS’stand for?QTS stands for Qube TransportationSupplies Limited, the formal name of ourholding company. We use QTS as thetrading device. ‘Qube’ refers to how ourequipment helps users to maximise use ofspace - the cube - in the warehouse and inthe supply chain. The transportation elementof our name comes from the initialproducts, which were generally centred onroll cages.WLN - Who were the founders ofQTS??I founded QTS in 2003, with a businesspartner. In 2007 I took the daunting stepsof buying out the partner as part of ourpush into new products and markets. QTSremains privately owned by myself.WLN - What were you doing beforethat?I had previously worked in the officeinterior business until the late 1990’s, afterwhich I got involved in the storage industry,utilising my knowledge of low cost engineeringproducts coming from EasternEurope and the Far East and bringing themto the UK market.WLN - What does your role as MDinvolve?My role as MD differs daily, if not by thehour. Ultimately along with my managementteam here in the UK and in China weare constantly looking at areas to improveour offer to the customer and develop QTSinto a worldwide brand.WLN - Who else is in the senior managementteam?Abi Owen has recently been appointedGeneral Manager for the UK, and is aname many of our customers will recognise.Abi and her team have a greatunderstanding of the requirements of thecustomers, and aim to offer a first classservice as well as a first class product.Abi’s promotion now allows me to spend alittle more time on developing our manufacturingfacilities in China, in readinessfor future growth.WLN - Where is your UK headquarters?QTS’ UK headquarters is now based inHinckley. We have moved from our traditionalbase in Lutterworth, as we took thedecision to undertake our own warehousingas opposed to using third party storage aspart of our development.WLN - How fast are yougrowing?QTS, like most in the industry, had setbacksduring the recession. However, whatis pleasing for me is that our flexibility hasallowed us to continue our plans for growth.With the new products we are launching atIMHX, we expect 2<strong>01</strong>0-2<strong>01</strong>1 to be the bestyear ever. Directly through our Chineseoperation, our products are now becomingestablished in Australia, North America andSouth America.WLN - You’ve come a long way since2003, when you started out selling rollcages to end users. It’s a great successstory. Can you talk us though it?Our success has been down to goodhonest business practices, with good customerservice at the forefront ofeverything we do. The main ingredientfor me is the people I haveemployed who share my visionand enjoy coming to work, as thiscan be seen in our day-to-daydealings with customers. Wehave a low cost supply base inChina, and I am convincedthat our customers appreciatethis, coupled with ourservice culture. We have gone onestep further than most by investing inChina with our trading office in Shanghaiand factory in Nanjing, which gives usgreater control over quality and leadtimes.WLN – You’ve also got ISO90<strong>01</strong>:2008accreditation. What difference does thatmake?We gained the ISO90<strong>01</strong> in 2007 underthe old 2003 version and in 2008updated this to the new version, alongwith many of our procedures. It is animportant part of our business, as wehave encountered the “oh is it made inChina?” scenario, but once people reallyunderstand our quality control proceduresand network in China, they arequickly assured that the products wesupply will meet their requirements andin many cases exceed them.WLN - Can you talk us through yourcurrent product range? Which are yourbiggest selling products?QTS has generally been seen as a meshbasedmanufacturer, and as such ourlargest sellers are the Easyshelf, a highquality wire mesh deck system and our Qsystem Anti-Collapse mesh. Roll Cages ofcourse are a big seller, but generally we onlysell these on a project by project basis, notday to day like our other products. Our newranges of upright protectors and barriersare developing well, and we expect ourlongspan system to be as successful in theUK as it has been in Australia andSouth America.WLN – Do you also make ‘special’ productsto meet specific customerrequirements?Yes, we do. Our customers have oftenasked us what other products we make. Wesee ourselves as supporting the rackingindustry and have good relationships withmany of the European manufacturers ofracking. Our aim is to support these manufacturersand their distributors withancillary items vital for a successful projectwhich are expensive to produce here in theUK. Such products include our Easyshelfand Q System, along with our new rangeof racking protection in the form of barriersand upright protection. When developingnew products we try to design them with allthe major racking manufacturers in mind,and as such our products are then availableto a wider range of customers. In additionto our own range of products we welcomevolume enquiries for Original EquipmentManufacturer (OEM) products to matchspecific requirements.We pride ourselves on our flexibility. Itwas once said to us that a shelf is a shelf,and to us that is like saying a car is a car. Ofcourse we have stock product available fromour warehouse for general requirements,however we believe our products have littleabout them that is “standard”, as it is alldown to how they will be used and wedesign these products accordingly.WLN – What are the minimum orderquantities for specials? What are the leadtimes?We don’t have a minimum order requirement,having our own factory. Our lead timeis generally anywhere between six to eightweeks for specific manufactured productsand one week for stock items.WLN – Do you sell your productsdirect, through distributors or both? Canpeople order your standard products online?Our products cross over all saleschannels. For instance 99% of our rollcage sales have gone direct to the customer,as the market is socompetitive and technically specificthere is little room for a distributor tooperate. For our racking accessoriessuch as the Easyshelf and Q system,we recognise that these will form just oneelement in an overall project, so they aregenerally sold through distributors. Weare working on a new website at themoment which will have the ability forsome online trading, but this will befor small volume requirements, as wefeel our customers get the best valueby talking to us so as we can thenspecify exactly the right product for theapplication, and not just an off the shelfproduct.WLN – Do you supply your equipmenton long-term hire?We try to avoid long term hire of ourequipment as we have seen and heard ofhorror stories where a customer has hired200 cages, only to return 100 after oneyear’s rental, and then being charged fullmarket rate for the lost 100. We understandthe commercial reasons for suppliers to dothis, but we feel such situations candamage a long-term relationship.WLN - Do you supply your equipmentwith tags of any kind, so it can be trackedand traced?All our products are distinguishable byour own in-house systems: each order istracked from manufacture through todelivery and the items are traceable in theevent that the customer has any questions.We are careful with our branding so as tonot affect our distributors’ relationshipswith their clients.WLN - Do you offer a maintenanceand repair service?We do offer a repair and maintenanceservice on our roll cages, and also on othermanufacturers’ equipment if required. Thelevel of service is dependent on individualcustomers’ working environment andrequirements, but we can generally suggesta cost effective workable solution.WLN - Where are your productsdesigned? Where are they made?Our products are designed in the UKusing up to date AutoCad and Solidworksdesign programs. Our products are thenmade in our own facilities in China, with thewhole process being managed from the UK.WLN - When did you open your Chinafactory?We originally started sourcing productfrom China in 2004 and like most peopledid this through a Chinese-based agent.Although we had success with thismethod it took a lot of management timeto achieve the results we wanted. I tookthe decision in 2007 to begin the processof opening up a new company registeredin China - an interesting experience initself - to represent QTS and provide supportin managing our orders from thirdparty factories. As our demands for manufacturedproduct grew, we realised thatagain we need more management time tocontrol this. We therefore took the nextstage and invested in our own plantwhich serves QTS here in the UK andnominated distributors in other areas ofthe world.WLN - You’ve also just opened a newUK warehouse. Can you tell us about it –where is it? What previous facility does itreplace?As our product range developed, wefound that our third party warehouse, whichhad served us well over the last five years,would find it difficult to accommodate theincrease in stock, as well as the increasein tasks. Without moving too far wefound a modern warehouse withoffice facilities in Hinckley,Leicestershire, which now housesall our stock.WLN - What difference will thenew warehouse make for you and yourcustomers?The new facility allows us to hold morestock of our existing range to serve morecustomers on our one week lead time, aswell as to house the new products we arelaunching, such as barriers and uprightprotectors. We have also allocated somespace in our warehouse for assembly andpacking. This allows us to assemblelongspan frames before delivery, if ourcustomer wishes.Shaun Ingram, Managing Director of QTS.WLN - How do you sum up the QTS propositionas it now stands? What sets you apartfrom other warehouse equipment companies?QTS is a service driven company who arepassionate about getting it right first time,every time. If we do not meet our customers’expectations for any reason, we never walkaway, and I believe this distinguishes us fromother suppliers in the industry. QTS is a rapidlydeveloping company. The products beingoffered to existing customers is increasing at thesame time as new markets become available.QTS has embraced the low cost manufacturingfacilities that China can offer byinvesting in facilities and people to ensurethe service driven culture we have is maintained.I know other companies use Chinafor manufacturing, but I do not know of anyin our industry that have gone as far as wehave in having our own setup in China,which brings greater flexibility and controlof product and lead times to our customers.WLN – What effect has the recession hadon your business? Is business picking up now?We have been affected by the recession,as we saw the larger projects we were workingon being put onto the back burner. The goodnews is that these projects are now appearingon the radar again, so we are very optimisticfor the future. Other areas such as Australiawere less affected by the recession at the sametime as us but have subsequently found thingstougher as things here have started to pickup, so all in all our strategies have helped usover the worst and well positioned to push on.WLN – You’re exhibiting at IMHX 2<strong>01</strong>0.This is your first time at the show. Is thispart of stepping up your marketing activity?This is the first time at the IMHX asexhibitors for QTS, and it has been an eyeopener for us with all the organising. Wefelt it was the right time for us to beexhibiting, given our expanded range ofproducts, which I am sure will be wellreceived by our customers new and old.WLN - What are you exhibiting on yourstand at IMHX? What are you hoping forfrom the show?We will of course be showing our regularproducts such as the Easyshelf and the QSystem, but with a twist! We will also beshowcasing some of our new product rangessuch as the new longspan system, uprightprotectors and barriers. I am looking forwardto welcoming our customers onto ourstand, and using the show as a springboardto build upon our success to date.WLN – Finally, where do you see QTSgoing from here?We have a five-year plan for steadygrowth. The areas of growth we are lookingfor are in areas that we have yet to becomeestablished, such as mainland Europe. I amalso expecting some good growth of the newproducts into our existing markets, andhopefully we will be at all future IMHX’s withmore new products and stories of success.STAND: 19L137QTS TEL: <strong>01</strong>455 203 2<strong>01</strong> WWW.QTS-LTD.CO.UK
November 1st 2<strong>01</strong>0 Page 35Tel: <strong>01</strong>923 272960LOGISTICS NEWSEmail: warehouse@flame1.comMEACHERS GLOBAL LOGISTICSINVESTS £500K IN NEW TRAILER FLEETMeachers Global Logistics, one ofthe UK’s leading independentproviders of logistics services hasannounced the purchase of 20 newtrailers at a price tag of almost £500,000.The significant investment by theSouthampton based business, willprovide the Company with capacity tomove 250,000 tonnes of freight peryear by road. Meachers GlobalLogistics operates a modern substantialfleet of over 70 vehicles.The purchase follows MeachersGlobal Logistics recently announcingtwo high profile contracts. In July thisyear it entered into an agreement withRed Funnel Distribution, to supportthe company with its UK collections.The Company also recently announcedsigning a trunking deal with internationalbusiness-to-business expressdelivery provider TNT to trunk freightovernight from TNT’s regional facilityin Southampton to its national sortinghub based in the Midlands.Commenting on the acquisition,Gary Whittle, Meachers GlobalLogistics, Commercial Director said:“The acquisition programme for newtrailers comes at a time whenMeachers Global Logistics hasannounced a series of significant newcontracts and has experienced astrong period of growth.Meachers Global Logistics is one ofthe UK’s leading independentproviders of logistics services. Forover 50 years, the company has builtan enviable reputation by providingcustomers with complete solutions totheir Freight Forwarding, SupplyChain Management, Warehousing,Distribution, Logistics and ContractManagement, Training and Advisoryrequirements.Meachers Global Logisticswww.meachersglobal.co.ukEURO 5 FUSO CANTER TAKES THE HIGHFIELD ROADDevon-based Highfield Garageruns six Canter-based recoverytrucks but the latest is its first cleaner‘greener’ Euro 5 model.Like all new Fuso Canters, itsengine and exhaust system meets notonly the latest mandatory emissionsstandard, but also the voluntary, andeven more stringent, EEV (EnhancedEnvironmentally-friendly Vehicle)limit.The 7.5-tonner is powered by arange-topping 175hp (130kW) versionof the new, 3.0-litre engine thatpowers all Euro 5 Canters. This drivesthrough a six-speed transmissionwhich is also new - it retains thespace-saving, dashboard-mountedgearstick, but the previous ‘dog-leg’first gear arrangement has now beendropped and replaced with a conventionallayout.As a Canter 7C18D model,Highfield Garage’s latest truck alsocame with a factory-built Double cab,capable of carrying a driver and fivepassengers.The vehicle was supplied byTewkesbury-based Mercedes-Benzdealer Mudie-Bond - the Germanmanufacturer’s dealer network is alsoresponsible for sales and servicing ofthe popular Canter light truck rangein the UK.It underwent conversion byrecovery systems specialist RogerDyson Group, of Droitwich,Worcestershire, which fitted thechassis with its Enforcer 2 roadsiderescue lifting equipment. Thehydraulic tilting ‘spectacle’ system hasa lifting capacity of 2,500kg and isfully radio controlled for simple andsafe single-operator use.Highfield Garage’s five otherCanters are all fitted with RogerDyson bodies - some have ‘spectacle’lifts, others are transporters withHydraloader slideback platforms.The Highfield fleet comprises 14recovery trucks with payloads of upto seven tonnes, as well as three roadsiderepair vans.Highfield Garage proprietor JonCox said: “The Canter is ideal for thisjob. Its relatively compact dimensionsare a key attribute, because they allowthe vehicle to get into and out of areasthat others in the same weight categorymight struggle to access.“Payload and towing ability arealso very good, while we’ve alsofound our Canters to be superbly reliable.The new engine is particularlyimpressive too - the power rating isunchanged but our new Canter seemsto have a lot more ‘get up and go’than the truck it has replaced.”He continues: “The fact that theCanter is backed by the Mercedes-Benz dealer network only adds to ourpeace of mind.”MASTERNAUT LAUNCHESWORLD’S FIRST ALL-IN-ONE VEHICLE TELEMATICS SYSTEMMasternaut has launched theworld's first vehicle tracking systembased around a single intelligentmobile communication unit. Thesystem comprises a MobileCommunication Centre (MCC) combiningvehicle tracking, GPS satellitenavigation, hands-free mobile communicationsand real-time job schedulingand messaging in a single unit.Masternaut already has 150,000telematics units installed across Europewith over 65,000 subscribers in the UK.The new all-in-one unit eliminates theneed for separate Sat-Nav, mobilephones and hands-free equipment. Italso integrates with Masternaut’s ThreeX mobile workforce applications, as wellas Microsoft Outlook and MicrosoftCRM providing a wireless link to importantbusiness data while on the move.As well as breaking new ground insystem design and user ergonomics,the MCC is believed to be the mostcost-effective in-vehicle solution onthe market. The unit is designed forquick and easy installation reducingvehicle downtime. There is no softwareto install as the MCC links to theweb-based Masternaut service, whichupdates instantly and wirelesslywithout disrupting the user.The system is available withMasternaut’s optional CANbus enginemanagement application. This monitorsdriving behaviour and detailed engineactivity in real time, including rpm, fuelusage, vehicle speed, journey distancebetween stops and duration, andbraking as well as acceleration levels.Two sizes of touchscreen displayare available - standard 3.5 inch and a6.5 inch version suitable for HGVapplications. The MCC uses the highlysecure and virtually indestructibleMasternaut mobile collection unit; thisis the brain of the MCC and continuesto track the vehicle even if the touchscreenis damaged or stolen. Thetouchscreens are replaced easily in theevent of accidental damage or loss.The system also includes its ownspeaker so that drivers can continue tocommunicate with their HQs in theevent of an accident and loss of vehiclepower. The handy button pad includesthe microphone for hands-free telephonyand it also has a privacy button allowingdrivers to switch between personal useand business use for mileage recording.For mobile workforce management,the MCC provides seamlesswireless job scheduling and reportingusing Masternaut’s web-based schedulingsoftware. Jobs are scheduledand updated and sent in real-time tothe unit. As jobs progress, mobileworkers update the system using thetouchscreen to keep back office systemsconsistently up to date.“The new Mobile CommunicationCentre is a breakthrough in in-vehicletechnology. It gives fleet operatorseverything they could possibly need in asingle cost-effective unit. As a fully integratedsystem, it reduces cost ofownership removing the need for extraequipment, installations and maintenance.Drivers - the users - will alsoappreciate that they only have to use asingle device and will prefer the familiarlook and use of the touchscreen,” saysMartin Port, MD Masternaut Three X.Masternaut Three XMartin PortTel: <strong>01</strong>13 281 4000Email: media@masternaut.co.ukwww.masternaut.co.ukYODEL OPENSNEW SORT CENTRE TO SUPPORT GROWTH AMBITIONYodel, the fresh new brand inparcel delivery, has acquired the freeholdto a purpose built distributioncentre to meet the needs of ambitiousgrowth plans for the company.Ideally located at a prime site inWednesbury, West Midlands, it combinesan excellent UK location foroperational and transport requirements.The facility, in association withYodel’s other sort centres will supportnetwork capacity for the coming years.When complete, the premises willprovide an intelligent, state of the artsystems platform, with machineryinstalled by a world class industryleading supplier to optimise benefitsfrom improved parcel handlingprocesses to linehaul optimisation.
Change language