InBond proves the drinks trade cannot neglect logistics
From its base in Teesside, InBond has developed a powerful excise management solution, informed by decades of expertise and the services the drinks trade needs.
In the drinks industry, it is easy for product to become the main talking point. With passion and heritage driving the trade forward, people are understandably enthusiastic about what they sell.
Yet, as in any industry, choosing a logistics partner is a vital choice for any drinks producer, distributor or retailer. In fact, it is even more important, with the added challenges of correct storage, complex tax regimes and labelling requirements to overcome. You have to be confident that your logistics partner is up to the task.
For InBond, it is a combination of prime positioning, sector expertise and drinks-specific services that sets it apart. Its impressive logistics offering handles the process from warehousing to transport, including options such as ecommerce fulfilment and document management.
Having honed its third-party logistics services over more than 30 years, InBond has become a reliable partner for the UK drinks trade. As many leading drinks businesses have discovered, partnering with InBond means a collaboration that goes well beyond a simple service offering.
Prime positioning
InBond is a proud northeast success story. You see it in the company’s history, which began by focusing on air and sea cargo from its Teesside Airport base. You also see it in a clear mission to invest in its people and, through patronage of The Teesside Charity, its local community.
This generosity, in itself, is an attractive selling point for potential clients. The Teesside location, however, is not solely about staying true to InBond’s roots. It also offers a competitive advantage.
Its site’s excellent transport links mean that InBond can deliver easily across the UK. It is just a short drive from the A1, the crucial north-south artery that runs from London to Edinburgh and also connects to the M1 at Leeds. Meanwhile the A19 services North East England and the A66 connects it to the M6 for easy access to England’s western side.
For access to the major hubs of the UK, InBond is therefore very well positioned. Anyone with ambitions of nationwide distribution would find themselves catered for.
InBond’s location has a further advantage. While local access to London, for example, is appealing on paper, the associated costs are less attractive. With considerably lower overheads thanks to its northeast location, InBond can offer highly competitive pricing to its clients.
Expertise and accreditation
InBond can point to 30 years of experience as evidence of its expertise and carefully developed services. Over that period, it has worked with key players from diverse sectors.
In that period, it has also achieved various certifications and milestones to further evidence its market leadership, even when dealing with a diverse range of products.
That began – crucially for its drinks offering – with its registration as HMRC Excise Bond Approved in 2000. With the ability to store products with duty suspended, it emerged as a well-positioned partner for the drinks trade. That has been doubly important in developing its storage capabilities, with wines or whisky barrels able to mature without the need to pay tax on them.
InBond has also achieved BRCGS AA+ certification in storage and distribution. As a globally recognised standards certification body, BRCGS carries weight in its accreditations and this represents the highest possible award. The AA signifies the top grade, while the + shows that the inspection was unannounced, proving that standards are high year-round.
In achieving ISO 9001:2015, InBond has a proven track record for quality management. The internationally recognised standard demonstrates the company’s continued commitment to high quality. This is a vital vote of confidence for any new partners, who can be assured that InBond is not resting on its laurels.
Specialised drinks services
For drinks companies, choosing the right logistics partner is essential because there are a number of specialised services you may need. A generalist may not cut it in the complex world of drinks.
Since it was Excise Bond Approved in 2000, InBond has developed a full range of services tailored to those complex needs.
Its storage options are comprehensive, accommodating the wide range of formats that clients might wish to warehouse. This ranges from the large (intermediate bulk containers) through full pallets of bottled stock to the smallest products (RTDs).
As mentioned above, there is also ample space for cask storage, with stable conditions that allow spirits to mature and develop slowly over the course of years or decades. Likewise, bottled wines may be stored until they hit their drinking window.
Once those products are needed, InBond can pick by the case or by bottle, a service which is particularly useful when an individual bottle may command a very high price.
Yet its offering is not just a question of storage. The company handles raw materials for processing – packaging and empty bottles, for example – and also offers rework services, such as repackaging or printing new barcodes, on-site. That means that InBond can handle stock from pre-production through any amendments to final product production, a full service for its clients.
These specialised, considered services are perhaps the most obvious evidence of InBond’s approach. Rather than viewing its work as purely commercial endeavours, it approaches them as partnerships. Indeed, InBond’s approach is to see itself as an extension of the client’s work, fostering a collaborative attitude.
For anyone unsure what the right logistics partner can offer, the case is clear. Logistics may not be the headline service of the drinks trade, but InBond’s high standards and attention to its partners’ needs show that choosing the right partner is essential.
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