Delivery Co. Celebrates First-Year Achievements

The Delivery Co., the logistics company launched last year with collaboration from parent company PaperlinX, is celebrating significant achievements in its environmental performance and in improvements in service levels to its customers.

Delivery Co. was established last year as a separate operation within PaperlinX UK. Its aim is to bring together the current logistics activities of PaperlinX's three UK paper merchanting businesses of Robert Horne, Howard Smith Paper and PaperCo, by whom it will be jointly owned, whilst at the same time not affecting any of the respective businesses or their competitive advantages.

Since Delivery Co. went live in its first region of East Anglia in November last year, the company has delivered over 30,000 tonnes of paper and board, routed and dispatched 6,500 vans and completed 75,000 deliveries.

This consolidation and more efficient routing of deliveries in the region has resulted in the elimination of 10,000 individual deliveries during the period, equivalent to 40 less per day.

As Toby Marchant, PaperlinX's Regional President UK, Ireland and South Africa points out, significant environmental benefits and energy reductions have been achieved in the first year, which was one of the aims of the business when it was established.

Marchant states, "It's not often that you get the opportunity in business for such a significant Win Win Win, but The Delivery Co is now clearly delivering one. We have measurably improved customer service, reduced the cost to serve and generated environmental benefits. Importantly, we have been able to do this without in any way disrupting the unique and very different value propositions of each of our Operating Companies."

The creation of Delivery Co. has reduced the kilometres traveled by its combined delivery fleet by 25% thereby reducing its carbon emissions by some 200 tons in this region alone in its first year of operation.

Equally important has been the level of service provided to customers throughout this first year, with 98% of deliveries being completed on time, 30% competed by 8am, 70% by 10am and 95% by 12noon, these impressive statistics being captured and monitored in real time through the Delivery Co.'s unique mobile data solution that enables the Sales Teams of the three merchants to track delivery progress of individual orders.

But as John Ball, Director of the Delivery Co. emphasized, the most important element is the customer, and the new organization's ability to deliver these important and significant environmental and service benefits without in any way reducing or restricting customer choice.

And what better endorsement to have than that of the customer, Alan Pearce, Managing Director designate at The Good News Press explains how the Delivery Co. has worked for his organization "We have been working very hard during the past few years to improve our green credentials. We are in the top dozen or so printers to obtain FSC accreditation and have now added PEFC and ISO14001. Our working relationships with Masons. Smiths and Hornes has always proven to be successful and we were able to keep the bulk of our paper purchasing with the same three suppliers but best of all our stock would arrive on one lorry with Delivery Co. A win, win situation for all concerned, our customers, suppliers, us and the environment."

The roll-out of the Delivery Co. is a three-year program, integrating the delivery operations of the three UK paper merchanting businesses, and is set for completion in late 2009.

SOURCE: PaperlinX