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Handling other people's goods is a growth area

16th January 1976
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Page 43, 16th January 1976 — Handling other people's goods is a growth area
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

stowe. Goods bound for European markets frequently go into the Mendlesham "transit camp."

The mainstay of the Anglia business, I believe, is local grocery distribution and occupies 12,100 sqm (130,000soft) of warehousing. From this complex they deliver with a fleet of 30 X 7.5-ton Bedford vans to most retail outlets in an area between The Wash and the Thames joined by a line running through Peterborough, Huntingdon, Baldock, Hertford and Chigwell.

Goods are delivered on customer's orders, which are also used as initial stock control documents. These documents are fed through Anglia's stock control room and the stock is reduced automatically.

Goods are stocked by product brand name and when a vehicle is fully loaded it can be carrying as many as 20 different manufacturers' goods to 14 drops in one day. Each vehicle is loaded with up to 550 cases by lOpm on the night before delivery and each run covers about 130 miles. The farthest out drop is the first off.

Although there are many aspects to warehousing and distribution Anglia places the emphasis on stock control. The movement of goods into, through and out of the warehouse is closely monitored. The crews handling them at each stage of the movement are easily traceable and, according to Mr H. J, Barnard, the warehouse and distribution director, 'losses and breakages are minimal."

Anglia has no written contracts with its 20 customers who include many nationally known food manufacturers. It handles 16,000 cases per day, totalling 1,000 tons each week..

Such an enormous movement for so many large companies with their own meticulous cost controls and high demands for service undoubtedly stretches the Anglia management. But it is a young management team and well able to cope, it seems, How

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else could a profitable, " no contract" operator succeed. "I don't often choose to use cliches," said Harley Barnard, "but we've built and retained our business merely on service."

He stressed that detailed and secure stock control of goods was not the only aspect of good warehousing. "So much harm can be done and so much money lost if pallet movements are not properly monitored."

Anglia started pallet collection and sorting in 1972. As goods are delivered into Mendlesham on pallets their movement is recorded, through the warehouse, to and from the retail outlet and back into Anglia's yard. Here they are sorted and returned to the manufacturer each week. Harley Barnard explains : "Obviously we lose a few pallets each year; normally this is something we can sort out in discussion with the customer, but big losses would lead us into protracted arguments, bad customer relations and a possible loss of work, with us having to pay at the end of the day."

The 50 per cent of Anglia's Mendlesharn warehouse not used by grocery-related producers is used for housing nondutiable imports and exports. They are generally .confined to chemicals, tiles and floor covering. The imports are stored until the importer calls the goods off. This is where the third unit in the company comes into play.

In addition to the two warehousing companies there is a haulage company—H. G. Taylor Haulage Ltd. It has two operating bases, one at Mendle sham, the other at Irlam near Manchester.

Although each of the companies is an autonomous unit and can choose whether to work or not for the others, inevitably they do so for most of their time.

The H. G. Taylor fleet is engaged on trunk haul work carrying imports from Felixstowe docks or the warehouses to all over Britain. The fleet of 41 x 32-ton Mercedes Benz and 10 x 16-ton Bedfords is under the control of Mr P. J.

Left : The map of East Anglia shows the area of local distribution covered by Anglia Warehousing and the location of the Mendlesham depot, Top: Andy Carter has the task in 1976 of starting to put some of Anglia's 3,200 stock lines on to computer control.

flight: Jack Barnard : it was his foresight in 1958 that turned a disused hangar into a 400,000sqft warehouse complex in 1976.

Below : The Anglia warehouse vehicles have custom-built bodies with two roller-shutter doors each side. They are loaded by warehousemen in drop order between 6prn and lOpm.

Before a trunker leaves Suffolk it invariably has a return load to an Anglia warehouse. The load has been ordered either by Philip's brother Harley or his customer. Yet there is no guarantee that Philip will get the traffic. Nevertheless, the "loose arrangement" works out to more than 85 per cent back loadings. The nine Irlam 32-tonners are engaged c + d work in the area with occasional trunk hauls to Suffolk.

The name H. G. Taylor is well known in East Anglian haulage circles. Herbert Taylor and Jack Barnard, with their combined skills and contacts, form a formidable partnership.

Mr Taylor is the company's research and development director. But where will the company develop next? It on

Bristol joined the fleet. Now he's handing over the maintenance records to the society.

The artic will not be mothballed: preservation secretary John Miles says the Society hopes to run it in rallies.


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