Transport Optimization
Working with a commercial vehicle parts delivery, the remit was to deliver a new Target Operating Model (TOM) providing a re-structured transport network to ensure a business valuable proposition enabling reduced lead time to depot and therefore a competitive edge with business rivals. Full traceability of consignment with introduction of innovative SaaS based TMS. (Transport Management System). Ultimately improving customer experience whilst delivering 30% reduction of operating costs.
Warehousing
Business transformation, removal of costs, improving operating provision, enabling enhanced customer experience are often singular or collective drivers and desired outcomes can be the reason to seek expert consultation. Choosing the Lion Group for this expertise, means choosing a boutique consultancy, therefore delivery of the agility that comes with a smaller consultancy, more focussed, tailored project approach. And we don’t simply provide the roadmap to a project, solution architecture, we are there to help project manage, right down to implementation and ensuring the delivery.
E-commerce
An eCommerce company selling UK goods to Vietnam, was very much challenged by the cost of shipping. Having understood their requirements, together with the service level committed by them to their customers, we were able to provide a solution which not only simplified their operation, but it also gave their customers a faster service, and with a saving of 86.75%, enabled them to really grow their business.
Time Critical
There was a UK airline with an ACMI contract to position one of its aircraft in South East Asia for a start-up airline. Engineering was required to set up a small spares store at the aircrafts base and were totally unaware that the country had no mirror of an End Use procedure, thus costing them very heavily. We were able to provide a solution whereby spares were sent to a destination and taken on board as flying kit, which also provided the conduit for return of consumables under their PBH contract.
E-commerce
A client based in South Africa with a start-up eCommerce business was procuring products from the UK but was experiencing major problems in receiving the stock, sometimes taking 15-21 days. We provided a full B2C solution from the UK, implemented on an incremental basis, giving stability, visibility, and the capability to increase their sales. Additionally, the solution gives the client an incredible amount of agility to add/swap service providers within 7 days with zero negative impact to them or their customers.
E-commerce
We have noticed a trend in Amazon sellers moving away from FBA, taking the cost saving route of FBM. A client with a niche product was in this very position and due to their location, to bring it back inhouse, would mean a much earlier cut off, with an expected decrease in sales.
The solution was a with an overnight delivery franchise that had a fulfilment operation as part of their portfolio, meaning they were able to provide a later cut off with reduced charges for delivery and fulfilment.
Warehousing
An example of this focussed approach was delivered with a transformation of Accrol Group Holdings PLC. A change programme involving removal £7m Warehouse and Logistics costs, with closure of outsourced CDC, returning the operating model to direct despatch, from 3 manufacturing sites (4 warehouses) between Blackburn and Leyland. This required a complex solution design of warehousing (35k pallet locations), essentially re-designing 4 warehouses, uplifting capacities. These capacity uplifts were achieved around a 24/7 manufacturing environment upskilling people to innovative MHE solutions and pallet racking designs alongside a new Warehouse Management System (WMS) implementation.
Key highlight: Warehouse infra-structure including Wi-Fi/ RF flooding. Pallet racking solution to offer maximum pallet density/capacity. Migration and depletion of existing outsourced central distribution centre (CDC). Re-budgeting of cost savings to demonstrate to auditors/city investors. Innovative pallet re-design and MHE choice. Implementation of WMS. Cost reduction of shunting and Transport costs to ‘direct despatch’ model. TUPE of staff from outsource to in-house solution.
General Cargo
There was a UK client who always received manufactured stock from the USA on a Monday and shipped out their distributor in South Africa the following weekend, (because the forwarder told them that was when they get the best rate). The South African distributor was encountering a problem because they had to receive the goods on a Monday afternoon (and bring in casual staff), enter them into stock with a pick, pack, and dispatch on a Tuesday night to their retail store clients, who were constantly battling with customer demand against their desire for JIT stock. What came up in conversation was the importer/distributor was in a situation where on a Friday their fulltime warehouse staff, were very much just standing around. The truth of the matter was that the volumes of cargo the client was moving, meant they did not need a forwarders consolidation (the forwarder needed it to make a consolidation). The solution was to ship out from the UK on a Wednesday (which got a cheaper rate also) and goods were received on a Friday morning, meaning they were entered in to stock same day, without any additional staffing costs. Pick, Pack, and dispatch was done on a Friday, meaning the retailers got the stock on the shelves earlier giving an extra two-day sales a week for these products. The net result was lower costs throughout the chain and an increase in sales.