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mooth Logistics services are essential for holiday park operator Pontins
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not just during the summer peak, ut all-year round for its special events.
rhe summer provides a huge boost to holiday iark operator Pont ins and its live sites around the UK hould currently be teeming with happy punters.
But making sure they enjoy their stay is no easy matter rom a logistics point of view and the company must nsure a smooth flow of food. drink and laundry products hroughout the busy period.
Sales and marketing director Jason Brindle comments: 'It is an absolute necessity to get delivery right because if ,rou don't, people won't want to come back."
He says an efficient supply chain is also essential in wiping Pontins' staff to do their jobs properly. "It is key -or our business to deliver the right levels of service — we ;ee our head office as a support centre for those at the :oalface," he says.
But it is not just family holidays that the supply chain las to service, as special events now make up around 40% )f Pontins' business. These take place all year round and :heir diverse nature creates huge spikes in the volumes of :ertain products. They vary from dance music events to -ockabilly festivals, religious retreats, chess tournaments Ind ballroom dancing.
The amount of beer sold can increase Jramatically during folk festivals and Northern Soul gatherings, for instance. By contrast, some parks put on Fitness Fiestas, which lead loan increase in demand for salads and fruit juice, or 48-hour dance weekends, which need to be supported by supplies of bottled Water. Others. such as classical proms. can create a general increase in demand for a wide range of products.
Phil Martin. general manager of the Camber Sands Holiday Park in Sussex. explains: "The events are different sizes and it could be that we actually have two on in different rooms at the same time, each with different requirements."
Rather than having one supplier for every aspect of the business, deliveries are made to the parks by specialists. For example. Sunlight provides laundry, Brakes brings in catering supplies, while Scottish & Newcastle delivers drinks. Nisa Today's services the on-site grocery stores, Nisa Today's has a three-year contract but the remainder of the services are reviewed on an annual basis. This avoids Pontins being locked into a contract if it feels cost and delivery performance levels are not up to scratch.
Working together
Brindle comments: -These days. managing suppliers is not about contracts, it's all about building mutual trust and working together. We want to get the best distribution we can and my view is that if a company is providing a great service the annual review shouldn't be a problem."
Working closely with suppliers is certainly vital in order to cope with the peaks and Pontins has to give them sufficient notice if it can see unusual demand patterns on the horizon. For example. with laundry there is a fourstage supply chain and, at any one time. some linen will be on hand for changing beds, some will already be in use, some will be being transported and some will be being cleaned. "If you've got 3.000 people staying, there is an obvio. potential for things to go very badly wrong, particularl) you've just moved from a quiet period into a busy one,' Brindle explains.
Some of the laundry is owned by Pontins and some is hired. Either way, the company must keep its supplie fully informed, providing forecasts and then continual,: reviewing what is going to be needed and when.There similar pattern with food and drink, and what is being delivered must correspond with the profile of the guest as Martin explains.
"There are many aspects to factor in, such as the number of kids and adults who will be on site. In the summer, when there are many families staying. we mig Phil Martin, general manneed products like popcorn, hot dogs, burgers and fami ager of the Camber Sands meals and breakfasts to be delivered. It's a question of Holiday Park in Sussex y good planning and having the right experience," he
explains. There is no central Pontins warehouse and goods arc distributed through the suppliers' transport networks. Deliveries into the parks are spread across the week. For example, at Camber Sands there is a weekly drinks delivery, with chilled and frozen food receiving three deliveries a week, while ambient food and laundry are each supplied twice a week.
Once inside the parks, the products are sent to specific areas within the complex. Beer barrels go straight to the cellars of the different bars, while there is a central store for bottles and accessories such as glasses. These are then ordered by the bar managers and checked out as they are needed. Similarly. there is a catering store that includes large walk-in fridges and freezers.
Products are taken in on pallets, which are put into storage or broken down and distributed as required. If there are large amounts of product that need to be moved about the parks, manually-pulled trucks are used to wheel the goods around.
Spreading deliveries throughout the site Groceries arc usualk delivered directly by Nisii.lOdtly'S to a main store and then often distributed further, as the size of parks means that shops must he spread around. For example. Camber Sands has a large store near its entrance but also subsidiary outlets around the 29-acre site.
The storage facilities in the parks arc designed to be large enough to cope with the peaks. and when times are busy, each delivery will involve increased volumes rather than there being extra drops.
-The frequency of the deliveries doesn't really alter, it's more that the supplier company will send two vans instead of one." Martin explains.
It may also be necessary to use extra staff to take in a larger delivery, but this can be fairly easily achieved by, for example. temporarily moving kitchen porters from the restaurants to the catering store room.
Another factor helping Pontins to cope with the peaks is closely-controlled stock levels within the storerooms and there is a target for how much of each product is kept in stock. "Because we have regular deliveries for many products, we wouldn't have more than two days' worth of stock. We've never had a problem with handling increased volumes in fact, it all runs a bit like clockwork," Martin comments.
Dealing with unusual deliveries
Some events require unusual deliveries. Although Pontins creates a number of the themed events itself, outside organisations will often book the park for a set number of days and will sometimes want to bring their own stages or lighting and in certain cases their own seating. These deliveries are unloaded at night so that the room they are put in can be arranged as specified the next day. If necessary. cranes are used to winch equipment from the delivery vehicle to upstairs rooms.
Regular deliveries to the parks arrive during the day via the main entrances, which are also used by the guests. However, there is no inconvenience to them as there is only a limited number of cars going in and out for most of the week only when guests check in or out on set days are there significant numbers doing so.
-Most people don't use their vehicles once they've put them in the car park, so there is no disruption to them whatsoever from the deliveries," Martin says. •
With up to 70 free activities on Pontin's Holiday Parks, there are plenty of new activities for all ages. Your energetic young explorers can discover a safe place to bounce, jump and swing in Captain Croc's Adventureland, and from face painting to making a splash in our Swimming Pools, they'll be happy and busy until bedtime.
In the evenings Pontin's offers a host of glittering cabaret acts, top tribute bands and spectacular Bluecoat shows in the entertainment venues, or you can even opt for a quiet drink in The Queen Vic, Whichever you choose, you are guaranteed to have a memorable and outstanding value for money break.