DHL Exel Supply Chain has opened its third distribution centre in the UK that it will manage onbehalf of Unilever UK Foods. The centre is the latest stage in a ten-year international
relationship between the two companies.The new 40,000 sqm centre in Cannock, Staffordshire, staffed over 200 DHL employees, uses thevery latest technology to store, pick, repack and despatch goods to stock around 2,000 storesacross Britain. Stock includes some of the UK’s best known brands, such as Hellmann’s, PG Tips,Knorr and Lipton.
Speaking at the opening, Unilever’s chairman, Kevin Havelock, said: “We worked very closely withDHL to develop these operations which are located close to transport links and manufacturers acrossEurope. The technology you see here, managed and operated by DHL, is key in Unilever’s ability tomanage the last stages in our supply chain – often the most complex and time critical.”
John Pattullo, Chief Operating Officer, DHL Exel Supply Chain, Europe, Middle East and Africa,said: “This site uses the very latest systems to ensure that each UK store has the right quantityof individual Unilever products at any given time. Our co-packing facility, operated by DHL, alsomeans that we can prepare specialist store promotions of particular products. This is key toremaining ahead of the game in an increasingly complex and competitive consumer food market.”
Industry estimates suggest that in the UK alone, the co-packing market is worth around £1billion each year. Food manufacturers are increasingly turning to logistics providers to outsourcepackaging activities to enable them to concentrate on their core business.
Using automated conveyor belts and cranes, which are programmed to know exactly how to sequenceoperations and where to move and store the goods, each pallet is picked according to the needs ofstores in the region using electronic sensors, without the need for pen and paper.
