LABELS AND LABELLING - Onecoms.co.uk

to and from another location for
packing. This service is helping
several of our customers make
their supply chains even more
cost efficient and sustainable.
We have also addressed one
of the inefficient geographical
logistics gaps – Ireland – by
creating a joint venture with the
SHS Group to provide food, drink
and grocery manufacturers in
Britain with a seamless supply
chain solution into, out of and
across the whole of Ireland. For
the first time, the operation provides
the sector with a cost efficient
supply chain infrastructure to fully
exploit the potential in Ireland.
Culina SHS will also provide a
highly efficient logistics operation
in the other direction for goods
leaving Ireland for the UK markets.
During the last two decades,
supply chain management
has become more and more
sophisticated, driven largely
by leading edge technology.
Online tracking is expected, and
customers are now looking at
additional ways in which IT can
help quicken the supply chain,
such as systems that can help
optimise transport routes and
maximise vehicle utilisation.
Despatching nine million cases
a week across ten distribution
centres with average stock
turnarounds of eight days for
chilled products and 20 days for
ambient, is no easy feat, and at
Culina we have invested in an
innovative IT infrastructure to
underpin such a demanding
operation. A bespoke warehouse
management system that ensures
automatic stock replenishment
and complete visibility of order
status throughout the entire
supply chain is just one example
of the highly sophisticated
technology we currently provide
our customers.
Responding to the sustainability
challenge is a tricky one for logistics
providers that rely on fleets of lorries
moving across the road networks.
However, there are ways of tackling
this. Investment in new technologies
and a strategic geographical network
of depots is paramount. Optimising
the logistics challenge
transport planning, sophisticated
reverse logistics operations and
improving backhaul opportunities
to ensure minimum food miles
travelled, are just some examples
of how providers can help customers
meet the sustainability challenge.
The Future
The current economic climate has
been testing for all business sectors,
the food and drink sector is no
exception. There is every indication
that the next 12 months will
continue to be challenging, which
means the logistics sector has to
respond by providing customers
with a highly efficient, sustainable
and cost effective supply chain
solution. ■
FMCG News 23