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Sponsored story
Douwe Egberts
Flexible multi-temperature warehousing and distribution
Douwe Egberts is an international brand and part of the global Sara Lee Group, one of the world’s largest coffee roasters.
Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems has developed unique coffee systems to suit the needs of customers in the out-of-home market, including multiples, wholesalers, high street shops, offices, schools, sports clubs and hair salons, providing coffee products and machines nationwide.
We look for a proactive approach from our logistics provider and a willingness to work in partnership with us to achieve our objectives, namely to improve customer service through flexibility and to continually reduce our costs. Norbert Dentressangle provide us with vital visibility of our supply chain and enable us to maintain the highest levels of customer service, on which we have built our reputation.
Keith Dunn
Supply Chain Manager,
Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems
Supply Chain Manager,
Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems
THE CHALLENGE
• Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems supplies approximately 3,000 customers in the UK with widely diverse profiles.
• About two thirds are national accounts, such as contract caterers or retail chains, requiring bulk deliveries to their Regional Distribution Centres (RDCs).
• The remainder are comprised of small independents that account for over 90% of 700 deliveries and up to 10,000 cases weekly.
• With a range of 150 different product lines, around 20% frozen and 80% ambient, the challenge for Norbert Dentressangle was to meet Douwe Egbert’s requirements for flexibility in daily deliveries of mostly small, dual temperature consignments, as efficiently and as cost effectively as possible, whilst prioritising customer service levels.
OUR SOLUTION
• The high cost base for Douwe Egberts Coffee Systems is driven by the large number of deliveries of small consignments across a wide geographical area. Therefore much of the focus for Norbert Dentressangle has been to consolidate routes, giving drivers responsibility for maximising daily route efficiency and supporting the dedicated 15 vehicle Douwe Egberts fleet with Norbert Dentressangle’s shared user network.
• Vehicles are based in different parts of the country to increase flexibility and reduce costs, with 9 based in Northampton, 3 based at Bury in Lancashire, 1 in Motherwell, Scotland and 2 in Borehamwood, London. To achieve greater efficiency still, vans are used in and around the London area (inside M25).
• By utilising shared user warehouses – both frozen and ambient – Norbert Dentressangle has further reduced overheads and increased flexibility. The warehouse management system can operate 24/7, 364 days a year, providing complete stock control, stock rotation and product traceability, all linked to Douwe Egberts’ order system.
THE BENEFITS
• Norbert Dentressangle takes pride in a culture of continuous improvement and has proved a proactive partner for Douwe Egberts, highlighting areas for potential service improvements and cost savings.
• Norbert Dentressangle achieves over 99% accuracy in deliveries on a continuing basis, despite growing volumes, thereby exceeding the target KPI.
• Through shared user and efficiency savings, costs have been driven down year on year, for each of the last eight years since Norbert Dentressangle won the contract, and this trend is set to continue.