Everest takes business to new heights with Exel
Everest, the household name in the manufacturing and supply of windows and doors and conservatories, has extended its logistics contract with Exel, As a result of these, Everest has enjoyed a significant decrease in transportation costs over the past five years – despite growth in business that has increased volumes of goods moved by 25%. (4/7/2003)
Exel manages the total transportation process including front-end scheduling and all associated paperwork. Critical to the operation are the 16 trailers, owned and customised to Everest’s specific needs by Exel. These are designed to hold ’barrows’ – bespoke metal frames on wheels onto which product is placed in the factory. These can be fork lifted onto the trailers, each barrow destined for a particular installation centre in a delivery process that places great emphasis on speed of service and minimal product handling. The trailers have rear mounted forklift trucks (FLTs) to facilitate quick and easy removal at the installation centres and, once the barrows are unloaded, the trailers return with them ready for the next transport.
The schedule is for 2,500 deliveries and some 2,000 collections per annum, although this is invariably exceeded to ensure rapid delivery programmes – reducing storage holding costs in the process. Exel collects product from the two Everest manufacturing plants in South Wales and Kent and delivers to 25 installation centres throughout England, Scotland and Wales. The operation is handled out of Exel’s West Bromwich site; a shared-user centre where some cross docking is handled for Everest. The centre has provision for up to 40 Everest barrows, although the reality of the fast-moving supply chain means that it is rare for more than 20 barrows to be stored at any one time.
One of the latest initiatives to drive further efficiencies into the supply chain, has been the introduction of a trans shipment centre at West Bromwich to receive mixed barrows from the Welsh manufacturing site. Exel then sorts these with product apportioned to the Kent barrows according to the specific requirements of each installation centre before onward delivery. As a result, it is now possible to move 20% more stock from Wales without additional transport.
The partnership between the two companies is also robust. The contract is run on an open book basis, facilitating full visibility of costs, and the Everest and Exel teams meet monthly for pro-active exchanges of new ideas for additional improvements and cost saving. Currently, they are assessing options for future investment in equipment.
