"Artics" and I Is Each in Role
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TN 1948, TimothyWhites and Taylors, Ltd., put their
distribution system under review and decided that a C-licence fleet could reduce by approximately 20 per cent. the annual cost of using railways or hired haulage. At that .time a few A.E.C. lorries were being used in the South "and a number of Guy and Thornycroft 5-ton petrol vehicles in the north.
' Timothy Whites and Taylors and associated companies are an amalgamation of two principal organizations, Timothy Whites, of Portsmouth, and the Taylors group of companies which grew up around a headquarters in Leeds. Timothy Whites, from their commencement, combined an oil and drysaltery business with that of chemists and druggists, which is now reflected in most modern form in houseware stores and chemists' shops, particularly in the south pf England. The Taylor group, on the other hand, tended to confine itself to the chemist business, more particularly in the north of England.
The business today is still based on the two axes resulting from this merger, one geographical in that Aldershot and Leeds are the two poles from which supplies radiate, the other commercial in that the goods sold are a combination of pharmaceuticals and a wide range of domestic hardware.
Three Times Extended This is'shown by the pattern of the distribution system, Aldershot having replaced Portsmouth as the southern centre. The Portsmouth premises were blitzed, and until a new warehouse was built at Aldershot in 1948 all business was carried on from Leeds and temporary premises in the south. Aldershot was selected as a site for several reasons: the area was relatively undeveloped; it was within an 11-hour run from Leeds; it was conveniently situated between concentrations of shops in Landon and the south coast; and housing accommodation was made available for key personnel. The 250,000-sq.-ft. warehouse, which has been extended three times since first building, stands on drained marshland and is all on one floor except for sorrie offices at first-floor level.
It has two banks—possibly among the longest inthe. country—each just over 200 yd. long. One extends along. the rear of the building and is for receiving from outside suppliers by road or via the local railhead, and the other at the front for loading and the receipt of empties. There are 150 bays each representing a different destination. The doors to the banks are of the concertina type.
The two banks are connected by lateral lines along which goods move through the various stages of initial stacking and sorting, and the assembly and packing of orders. Hardware is dealt with on one side of the building and chemists' supplies on the other. Light-alloy cases are used for packaging bottled products and general drug merchandise. Wickerwork baskets, made by the blind, have been found far more satisfactory for hardware than any other kind of container, even those made of more solid material. They are light and in five years fewer than 100 have been worn out. Several thousands are in use.
The baskets, and other goods which do not lend themselves to packaging, are taken out to the bank by men with trolleys. A mechanical-handling system was tried but was found to be more expensive and less flexible than the traditional manual methods. Other parts of the warehouse use mechanical handling, the receiving section using 10 Mailing 3,000-lb. battery-electric trucks.
The layout of the Leeds warehouse does not afford the same ease of transport working, although mechanical conveyors are used to transfer goods between buildings and from warehouse to dispatch section. The company have a factory at Leeds and their products are sent in the first instance to the local warehouse. These premises are the centre for the distribution of chemists' supplies to about 400 retailers from the Scottish Lowlands to Birmingham.
Shops south of this line are served from Aldershot, and there is. a regular night trunk service from Leeds to Aldershot with bulk supplies. Distribution of hardware _ merchandise is from Aldershot only. Vehicles run to over . 300 pharmacies in the south and to about 225 hardware establishments.
Goods distribution from Leeds is under the control of the assistant transport manager, Mr. W. Hughes. Gooch dispatched from Leeds each week total about 260 tons anc are entirely chemists' supplies, whilst Aldershot's weekl) average tonnage of 400 is made up with both chemists supplies and general hardware, and this total represents 1)3 far the greater part of the goods sold in the shops. Boa chemists' and hardware stores receive a small proportion ol goods direct from manufacturers. Two main types of vehicle in operation by the company are 4-6-ton rigids and 8-ton articulated outfits, the rigids mainly for chemists' supplies and the" artics " for hardware because of the large capacity of the boxvan bodywork. Hardware largely comprises goods of awkward shape that do not lend themselves to dense loading. Chemists' supplies, on the other hand, normally being packaged in square boxes and cartons, can be loaded in relatively smaller bodies up to chassis weight rating& The Aldershot " artic " fleet has 25 Bedfords, of which 24 have Perkins P6 engines, two Bedford-R6, two Thornycroft Nippy Star tractors, and 34 semi-trailers, each of 1,250 cu. ft. The bodies were built by E. J. Baker (Dorking), Ltd., and J. H. Sparshatt and Sons, Ltd. They have apertures at the rear and sides, those at the sides having sliding doors. Vehicles are loaded side-on to the loading bank, and as goods taken in through a central aperture may be placed either at the front or rear of the vehicle, the procedure is speedier than might be the case with loading solely through the rear.
The rigid vehicles at Aldershot number 23, 16 of which are Thornycroft Nippy Star 4-tonners, mainly with Sparshatt bodywork, and three B.M.C. 3.4and 5.1-litre vans supplied by Jackson's Garage (Guildford), Ltd., with light-alloy bodies by Alex. J. Marsh, Ltd., and Marshalls of Cambridge, Ltd., and two Guy Vixens. The Leeds-based vehicles comprise five Guy Otter 6-tonners with Gardner engines, four Thornycroft Nippy Star 3-tonners, and 15 Sturdy 6-tonners, some of which are older petrol types in course of replacement by oil-engined versions of the current model.
Plastics Roofs
In addition there is a new Thornycroft Trident 7-tonner with Bannister composite bodywork of 920 Cu. ft. This vehicle has been introduced on the night trunk•run from Leeds to Aldershot, a 30-m.p.h. journey previously limited to smaller vans of less than 3 tons unladen. Recently put into commission are some Sparshatt and Bannister 950-cu.-ft. bodies based on Thornycroft Swiftsure 17-ft. 6-in.-wheelbase chassis, and such vehicles are being used on the longer journeys. Translucent plastics roof panels introduced after a trial yielded an unexpected benefit in that labels were less frequently misread because of the admission of more light into the body.
The Trident makes five round trips every two weeks, so that in one week it brings down three loads of supplies from Leeds to Aldershot and takes back three of hardware for redistribution to household stores in the north. The following week it makes two similar trips. Its southward loads are 7-8 tons, but those of hardware are rather lighter and it is returning 15 m.p.g.
There is a weighbridge at Aldershot but not at Leeds, and to avoid overloading at the northern terminal the vehicle is weighed on arrival at Aldershot so that the densities of various kinds of load can be checked and overloading prevented.
An articulated outfit normally carries a supply of hardware sufficient for three or four shops, but some of the larger stores require two or three complete loads. When a new shop is stocked up before opening, six or seven loads of hardware and four or five of chemists' supplies may be delivered.
The " artics " frequently score over rigid vehicles of similar capacity owing to their manceuvrability. As all vehicles can be unloaded from either side, one-way streets present no problem. These factors make for quicker deliveries, although Mr. J. L. Bozward, general transport manager, is concerned over the effect of bans on the unloading of vehicles.
B26 I asked him whether the problem might be tackled by establishing a series of small satellite warehouses which, supplied from Leeds or Aldershot, could readily arrange for delivery of goods to shops in their locality at short notice at convenient times. This is an idea which I have had put to me by a number of transport managers recently, but Mr. Bozward scotched it. Buildings were expensive to erect and operate, he said.. It was far cheaper to carry goods over long distances from a large central warehouse even before extra handling costs were considered.
The fleets of rigid vehicles based at Leeds and Aldershot each average 500,000 miles a year, and the articulated 700,000. From each depot the daily journeys are so arranged that the journeys become shorter towards the end of the week, Furthermore, comparatively few shops are supplied on a Friday as stores require good time to unpack goods in readiness for heavy Saturday trading, when far more goods are sold than on any other day.
On a Monday, vehicles run from Aldershot to Cornwall and the more northern parts of the West Country, but some deliveries may also be performed in the locality of the warehouse. Tuesday's work covers Devon, and the zone may overlap Monday's. The distribution radius contracts in this manner the following days. Overall there are daily trips to London.
Hardware lorries go to the north on Monday and Tuesday, the Midlands and east coast on Wednesday, to South Wales and the south of England on Thursday and Friday. There are 10 shops in the Isle of Wight and each week during the summer two vehicles, and in winter, one, cross to the Island by the Portsmouth-Fishbourne or Lymington-Yarmouth ferry. Leeds vehicles run to Scotland and the Midlands during the beginning of the week, and around Lancashire and Yorkshire towards the end.
The timing of delivery, as mentioned, is important, and in some towns where streets are exceedingly narrow vehicles may have to deliver at 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. before the general public is on the move and city traffic starts to flow. This is the rule in Guildford, Basingstoke, St. Austell, Falmouth and Durham.
Local police are co-operative and, knowing when vehicles will be arriving, contrive to clear parked vehicles out of the way in good time, a necessary procedure at some seaside towns in the summer. In one town they even allow a one-way street to be negotiated in the wrong direction because of the difficulty in which a driver would be involved in making a turn.
In addition to long-distance transport, the company have to provide local-delivery services. Thirty 10-cwt. vehicles, Austins, Bedfords and Thames, are based in various parts of the couiitry; each vehicle serves a group of shops. At Launceston a complete service is provided even to the remote and almost inaccessible farms around Bodmin• Moor. One vehicle here—a Bedford 3-tonner—has been converted into a paraffin tanker and combined delivery van.
The company have their own garages both at Leeds and Aldershot and vehicles are docked for a complete inspection every 12.weeks—a somewhat lengthy period explained by the fact that the use of Marfak obviates the need for taking vehicles off the road more frequently for greasing. All drivers make out weekly reports concerning their vehicles: running repairs are done weekly. Some of the vans based at retail shops are serviced locally. The
• remainder are brought in every eight weeks for inspection and repair. Tecalemit Syndromic chassis lubricators have already been fitted to four vehicles and are specified for all new types other than light vans.
The chief engineer, Mr. H. Parfitt, at Aldershot is in charge of the garage and has a staff of eight to look after 87 vans and cars. Mr. A. Day is chief engineer in Leeds, a position he has held for 36 years. He has two assistants to maintain all the lorries and cars based there. There is storage for 8,000 gal. of oil fuel and 4,000 gal. of petrol at Aldershot, and 2,000 gal. and 1,500 gal. respectively at • Leeds (supplied by Shell-Mex and B.P.). An inspection pit has been filled in at Aldershot as the use of a Skyhi 3-ton and a Bradbury 5-ton electric hoist has been found more convenient, particularly as with a hoist a vehicle can be nicely elevated to any height suitable to the operator.
Booster-lighting Set A , Tecalemit compressor is installed and there are two portable greasing appliances. A useful piece of equipment is a Gloworrn generating set cum battery booster, a product of the Wroxliam Engineering Co.,Wroxham, Norfolk. It comprises a Villiers 98 c.c. four-stroke engine _driving a dynamo, and any output up to 20 amp. can be obtained by throttle regulation. A flat battery can be charged sufficiently to start an engine within a few minutes, and if staff have to go out to a breakdown at night they take it with them and couple it up to a lighting set incorporating three 25v. 80w. bulbs. Other equipment includes.a Pilot floor crane and a Lucas Beamsetter. Paintwork is limited to touching-up.
At one time the company rebuilt engines but now obtain reconditioned units. Perkins P6 engines are found to last up to 100,000 miles, and slower-running Thornycroft engines for 150,000 miles. Engines of the Thames 10-cwt. vans last for 35,000 miles. Shell Rotella oil is used for oil engines and is changed at 3,000 miles, filter elements being replaced at 9,000 miles. Injectors, checked during servicing and overhauls, in a number of cases have run 40,000 miles.
Bedford-P6 articulated vehicles average 12.2 m.p.g., and Bedford R6 types 16 m.p.g. Thornycrofts return 22.2 m.p.g. and Guy-Gardner 4LK models 22 m.p.g., whilst the B.M.C. vans average 17.6 m.p.g Blue Peter retreads are used on rear wheels, and tyre life for rigid vehicles is usually about 40,000 miles, whilst for tractors it is 40,000-45,000 miles for front covers and about 10,000 miles less for the rear. The Alliance Tyre Co., Aldershot, provide an inspection service.
The object of the company's vehicle-costing system is to compare individual vehicle performances as a basis for the selection of the most suitable models, and to check transport expenditure. Costs are allocated under the following headings: fuel, oil, repairs (labour and materials), tyres, wages, subsistence and meal allowances, and parking fees and toll charges. These are termed the running costs.
Depredation Method
Depreciation, which combines interest on capital, a further heading, is calculated according to Parry's tables, which take account of interest at 6 per cent. on original outlay and redemption of capital over 10 years. In practice it involves dividing the initial outlay by 6.7 for an annual allotment for each of 10 years. Residual value is discounted as vehicles are disposed of for small sums. Tax and insurance complete the standing charges, but overheads and garaging are kept as separate items unrelated to vehicles as they do not reflect performance.
Each vehicle's cost is worked out quarterly and there is also an annual return. In 1956 the cost per mile (excluding overheads and garaging) for rigid oilers was 12.29d. and for articulated 19.6d., a sum which is higher not only because the " artics " are bigger, but because the drivers of these vehicles are paid more than those of rigids. The comparable figure for vans based at branches was 13.36d. All drivers are well remunerated and there is a low labour turnover. There is a contributory pensions fund.
The public have noticed the modernization of the shops of Timothy Whites and appreciate the company's policy of greater efficiency in retailing. Transport management follows the same pattern. Already the company have succeeded in pegging their distribution costs by intelligent ancillary operation, and it is envisaged that this will grow as the volume of goods handled increases.