Reigate Warehouses knows what lies in store
Page 28
Page 29
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
FROM A SINGLE warehouse to a major storage and distribution company, that's the achievement of Reigate Warehouses, of Leatherhead in Surrey.
Its success in transporting foodstuffs to major supermarkets and chain stores in the South of England and Wales has been won through 35 years of steady graft, which culminated in three new depots, the latest one at Leatherhead being opened in February 1982.
This expansion was a watershed in the company's history for, at the same time, it overturned its fleet arrangements by calling in Mitchell Cotts Transport Services and asking it to supply its vehicles on a contract-hire basis.
These new depots — one each in nearby Epsom and Leatherhead and the third in Tetbury, Gloucestershire — were necessary because it had proved impossible to obtain planning permission for further expansion 3f its original base in Reigate.
The Leatherhead and Epsom depots have a combined fleet of 31 vehicles, with four further lorries providing a back-up service while the regular vehicles undergo maintenance. Tetbury has 22 vehicles in its fleet, and as we shall see later, more emphasis is placed here on storage than on distribution.
The company chose an allBedford fleet, comprising TKs and eight new TL 1500s, although a new Mercedes 1625 artic has recently slipped in.
"We don't like mixing the fleet, but it would have been a long wait for the delivery of a Bedford artic," William Walker, transport manager of the Leatherhead depot said.
"We looked at several vehicle makes, including Leyland and DAF, but in the end chose a Mercedes, as Mitchell Cotts has a franchise for them so the price was good."
The Bedfords give a good service but have not been troublefree, Mr Walker pointed out. The workshop, run by Mitchell Cotts, is kept fairly busy. Under the contract, Mitchell Cotts takes care of all the maintenance and employs three fitters to service the vehicles on a six-weekly or mileage basis. Two of the fitters were formerly employed by Reigate Warehouses and have been kept on by Mitchell Cotts. Every month a list of vehicles wanted for servicing will be given to Mr. Walker. "This is when our relief vehicles come into good use," he said.
The company leases the vehicles on a regular basis over a five-year period, at the end of which all vehicles are made redundant. By this stage, each vehicle will have completed about 133,000 miles, an equivalent of 510 per week.
Employing the services of Mitchell Cotts eased a cash-flow problem for the company and allowed more money to be spent on the warehousing and handling side. However, the company still retains its own 0-licence and keeps the drivers on its own payroll. "We have our independence," Mr Walker stressed. "If we want to go back to doing our own distribution then we can.' The company has no immediat plans for this, he added.
Vehicle livery remains the Re gate Warehouse's blue an white shield painted onto th Tautliner vehicle bodies. Th company's older vehicle bodie are supplied by King and Taylor of Godalming, Surrey, whil seven of the new vehicles hay the Boalloy Tautliner bodies.
"Mitchell Cotts supplied u with a number of demonstratio vehicle bodies, but Boallo turned out to be more suited t our operation and more rm noeuvrable," Mr Walker said.
Tail-lifts are not used, as th company has no large or difficu loads to deal with. "Some of th larger shops which we deliver 1 have their own handling facil ties anyway," he pointed ou However, that said, the compan will be looking at the Boallo Link-Liners range of tail-lifts i the near future.
The warehousing side of th business is the same at all thrE depots. Goods from manufactu ers such as General Foods an Four Square Catering are di livered to the warehouse throughout the day, althoug larger loads arrive in th morning.
The goods are unloaded 1 fork-lift trucks and then storE on a rotation system accordir to date by which the goods a to be sold.
The Leatherhead depot hi seven fork-lift trucks, three wi double-reach, and four standa trucks used for loading and u loading vehicles.
The loaded vehicles the await delivery. Company drive start at 7am, but an earlier sta is allowed, should the driver f. wish. Each lorry will comple
3etween 15-20 drops in London 3nd the Home Counties, arriving Jack at the depot around 5pm. ihe lorries are then loaded .eady for the next day.
The Epsom depot is almost -will the site of the Leatherhead veration at 25,000sqft. The two lepots work side by side and if he Epsom warehouse reaches :apacity, goods can be accom-nodated at the Leatherhead site. ihe Leatherhead depot has a ;econd warehouse on the inlustrial site where it is based. klthough this warehouse is not )wned by the company, it has he option to move in if trade ncreases.
Tetbury, because of its iistance from its sister depots, is riore independent. It is the argest depot, with three ;epa rate units covering 120,000sqft. Its 22-vehicle fleet s comparatively small, and em)hasis is placed more on sto.ag e, than on distribution. 'Rates are cheaper in Tetbury Ind so storage is a more viable )roposition," Mr Walker ex
plained.
The Leatherhead warehouse contains products ranging from Birds Angel Delight to Gillette Shaving Foam. Coffee and tea make up a large proportion of its intake, as these are such reliable commodities. "People tend not to cut back on these items, as they are not seen as luxuries," Mr Walker said. "Other food pro ducts may be sacrificed in times of hardship, but not often does coffee or tea take a battering."
The products end up on most of the smaller chain stores in the South of England and Wales, although the company can also boast contracts with International, Tesco and Waitrose.
Delivery schedules are good, thanks to adequate road access. The A3, M3 and M4 are within an hour's drive of the two Surrey depots, while the Leatherhead site is a stone's throw from the semi-built M25 London orbital route. The site was chosen with that in mind, and when completed, the motorway will be a real advantage in speeding up the distribution network.
With faster delivery times, has the company thought about cold storage? "It is rather a specialised business," Mr Walker said. "But if someone came up with a proposition involving cold storage, there would be no reason why we should not look into it."
The roots of the company are firmly planted in the South and it has no immediate plans to change this. "The South is more densely populated than other parts of the UK. This is our main reason for being here," he said.
Moving into pastures new would perhaps be a bit unwise in these recessionary times, although the company has so far had few problems. Competition has increased but the fittest and best-run operations will survive, Mr Walker believes.
"The recession has taken its toll on many distribution companies, but rates have become keener while the customer gets the same good service," Mr Walker said.
"Customers are now ordering less and so their stocks are smaller. Our deliveries have increased in number, as customers have to make more orders for the products."
The future of Reigate Warehouses is safe enough in the eyes of Mr Walker. "After all, everyone needs food."