CONTROLLING TRANSPORT OPERATION
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Simons and Co. Ltd.
by David Lowe MInsTA AMBIM
iGHT HUNDRED retail deliveries before 30 am. An accomplishment which would ; rated highly creditable by any transport ierator but for Simons and Co Ltd, of italfields Market, London, it is both a ;cessity and a regular daily achievement roughout the year.
This level of service is a necessity for two asons. First, because traffic congestion ler 8.30 am would not allow anything like is number of shop deliveries to be made id, secondly, because your wife, like my ife and most other housewives, prefers to iy her fresh fruit and vegetables soon after e shops open in the morning.
Deliveries are made mainly to 'oolworth's stores — from Land's End to .hn o' Groat's — for whom Simons, rough its subsidiary United Fruit Ship:rs Ltd. is the national agent for supplies fruit and vegetables, and to four of the w-style Woolco stores where UFS holds e concession for running the fruit and getable counters.
lorldwide reps Simons' principal trade is fruit importing d although the company owns no farms, 3ducing sources, or retail outlets, and its Iribution is confined to one major stomer, this does not imply that it is by y means a small company. It has its own iresentatives in all fruit-growing countries the world and offices in Valencia and New York; and it certainly is not a young company, having celebrated its 125th anniversary in 1967. Simons operates 110 vehicles from 11 depots throughout the country, and, unlike many own-account operators who look upon their transport as a necessary evil tolerated only at great sufferance, it considers itself to be very much in the transport business. For this reason the group transport manager, Mr A. E. "Geordie" Elvin, is able to acknowledge considerable support and encouragement from his chairman, Mr John Simons, executive director Mr Graham Simons, and the board, The company's 11 depots are within an area bounded by Glasgow in the North, Tavistock in the South, and Ely in the East, with its main London depot recently replaced by much larger new premises at Tonbridge, Kent.
Each depot has its own allocation of vehicles under the control of a manager, who is responsible for the distribution function. Produce is supplied from growers or importers direct to the depots either by the company's own trunk vehicles or by other vehicles. The traditional concept of fruit and vegetables sold through the markets does not apply in Simons' activities. Its methods of direct distribution saves time and, therefcre, provides the consumer with a much fresher product. For example, vegetables cut at farms in Kent in the afternoon are on Woolworth's counters when they open next morning. Very little storage is involved, although the depots have cold stores: These are used to keep fruit in prime condition, particularly the exotic ones such as avocados, pineapples and melons, which arrive in refrigerated vehicles, for the transit period awaiting delivery — never more than 24 hours. Twenty-four hours is also the maximum time in which all home-grown produce takes to reach the point of sale wherever this may be, from the growing area.
Minimum costs The secret of this speedy and efficient operation is the overnight distribution system. This system has its advantages and disadvantages, but the former predominate. There is little or no traffic congestion, so deliveries are made easily and quickly, keeping transport costs to a minimum; vehicles are available throughout the day for servicing, maintenance and, in some cases, loading ready for the night's deliveries. The disadvantages are very few, the principal one being the possibility of damage to fruit by early morning frost.
Team of regulars I imagined that finding drivers for this type of work would also rate as a disadvantage, but this is not the case. Mr Elvin assured me that the company has a
good team of regular drivers working six nights weekly from 11 pm but well within the legally permitted hours — in fact, many average only 40 hours a week, and they seem to belong to a breed of driver with s preference for being at home during the day.
What is obviously a considerable help it achieving and maintaining this admirablt standard of reliable and stable type of drivel is the company's attitude to them and tht transport operation as a whole. Any drive] can, at any time, ask to see the grout transport manager, the executive director or the chairman, to discuss his job or hi personal problems and such requests an never refused. Mr John Simons make himself available to any of his employee who wishes to see him. A regular montht meeting is held with the driver' representative to discuss any matters c common interest, It is this line c communication from the shop floor level t the top management which Mr Elvi considers so vital and which he has founc through his activities with the Nationt Guild of Transport Managers, to be s lacking in many companies.
Service levels in this trade are critic because of the highly perishable nature c the goods carried and for Simons they at particularly so, because the company deal ith such a large-scale national outlet. It is 1st not acceptable for a Woolworth's store open without its fruit and vegetable aunters fully stocked. Co-operation 2.1ween individual store managers and the mnpany's depot managers ensures that ich disasters do not happen. Last orders ir next-day delivery are accepted up to pm this used to be noon but a ghtening up of the distribution system has • ovided store managers with an extra two )urs in which to order. If an order is not ceived when it is expected Simons' anager telephones the store as a ecaution against forgotten orders.
Simons sees this aspect as part of its total rvice to provide information to store anagers on the state of the market, price ictuations and such like, and to maintain a archandising staff and a team of display iff to advise and educate store staffs on ;play and selling techniques. A further rvice is involved, ensuring that all produce in good condition when it leaves the mpany premises; this is done by quality ntrollers, who also examine produce livered into the depots. It is on their y-so that goods are accepted or rejected. Deliveries take place mainly in the early nning hours with drivers making between le and 30 deliveries each. In central .ndon, for example, a driver may cover 10 Its within a 40-mile journey, but deliver average of 400 to 500 packages and up 800 at a peak period. Packages vary in ipe and size, from a 3Ib chip of ishrooms to a 60Ib box of oranges and o include cartons, trays, sacks and nets. Drivers have to know how to handle this wide variety of produce and to recognize the different brands of a produce from very small markings on boxes. This applies particularly in the case of oranges and apples.
Route planning Route planning and loading sequences are left for drivers to determine for themselves. They are given a sheaf of orders when they clock on, and in the case of vehicles which have not been pre-loaded they sort them into a delivery order. A load checker then ensures that the vehicle is loaded in the sequence chosen by the driver. Drivers with the longest journey to cover are given priority in getting away.
Two particular questions came to mind when discussing these nocturnal activities — first, the problem of noise, and secondly, that of security. I was told the company has had noise complaints, but very few. Deliveries are mostly in shopping areas away from housing, and so, too, are the depots, but in any case drivers are instructed to take care to make as little noise as possible. Present-day vehicles operated by Simons are much less noisy than their predecessors, I was told.
Security is not a serious problem. The few losses incurred are far outweighed by the economic advantages of night-time deliveries -it is estimated that 50 per cent more vehicles would be required to make the deliveries during normal working hours. Co-operation with the police and local crime prevention officers has done much to eliminate what small problem there was, and co-operation with store managers to gain access to the backs of premises where these are available, has helped. Drivers are not permitted to have keys enabling them to enter any of the stores. The police accept the risk of theft as removing another problem which they would have to deal with during the day-time, namely, traffic control. In any event, Simons is not the only firm making night-time deliveries. Bread and milk are the two other major products delivered at these times.
Seven years in transport The company considers itself fortunate to a certain degree in having been in transport only for the last seven of its 130 years in business, because it has grown up with the new legislation affecting transport and has not had to suffer the agonies of a transition from the old style of operating to the new, or suffer prejudices inherited from the past. The whole transport system has been established in accordance with the Road Safety Act, and the Transport Act of 1968.
When the 1968 Act was passed the company circulated all its depot managers with written explanations detailing exactly how it affected them and what they had to do. This was followed up by sending them all on a one-day FTA seminar on the Act.
New documentation to meet the legal requirements was devised and this was checked in each instance with the staff of the LA's office in the traffic area where the company had vehicles based. In most cases the discussions, mainly concerning drivers' records, and maintenance records, were held with the chief traffic and chief vehicle examiners and from these discussions Simons was able to ascertain what each LA's particular interpretation of the Act was likely to be. Mr Elvin found this most helpful in determining maintenance schedules.
A standard system of maintenance documentation is in use at all the company's depots except two which are too small to do this work, but the outside repairers are required to complete the forms in the same way as Simons' own workshop staff. All the documents carry a notice that they must be filed and kept for 15 months.
Own-design records
Simons use its own design of drivers' record book, approved by Licensing Authority staff, and copies are produced in triplicate — one remains in the book, one is kept at the depot and one is sent to hq for further checking. Depot managers check their copies and a group transport clerk in London checks the copies he receives. Any irregularities or errors are reported back to the depot manager.
On the introduction of the new hours and records regulations, all drivers were issued with a letter explaining the regulations and requiring a receipt • to the effect that they have read and understood the requirements. These receipts are kept by the depot managers. A personal record is also kept on each driver, containing details of his driving licences; the driver signs the record to the effect that he has read all the necessary instructions and understands their contents and the consequences of not observing them.
A system of driving licence checking is in operation. Drivers are sent, from head office, a reminder when their licence is due for renewal and their depot manager is also advised, so that he does not schedule a driver for driving work on the day after the licence expiry until the renewed licence has been produced for inspection.
Testing and plating arrangements are made by head office and the depots are given two months' prior warning of the due test day. Depot managers have instructions to ring head office immediately a vehicle returns from its test with the test result. The test certificates are kept at head office but copies are made and returned for depot reference.
Great care is taken to advise all depot managers of the maximum payloads of vehicles in their care and if vehicles are transferred between depots a note goes to the manager receiving the vehicle advising him of its weight.
Costing of vehicle operations is another factor which receives a great deal of attention. Each manager is provided with details of the standing costs of his vehicles and he calculates the running costs and wages and sends these to head office as a monthly return. Allied to this is a three-monthly check on transport performance which results from returns sent in by managers showing mileages, loads, number of packages, and fuel used; combined with the cost figures these returns reveal a measurable performance factor.
Vehicle maintenance presents few problems but this does not imply that equal care is not taken over its organization to that of any other aspect of Simons' operations. All but two of the depots have their own maintenance facilities and the reason why this company, unlike many others, has few maintenance problems is owing to the simple fact that all the vehicles are available throughout the day — an enviable situation in the eyes of many operators.
FTA scheme Despite its own highly organized system, Simons nevertheless believes in taking the additional precaution of having all vehicles inspected quarterly under the FTA scheme. I recall that one of Simons' vehicles was the very first to be inspected by the FTA, when that Association started the service. By arrangement with the FTA, an extra copy of the inspectors' report is made, so that one copy is retained at the depot and one at head office.
Simons' vehicle policy is one, like many others, based on experience and availability. For years the four-cylinder Albion CH3 Chieftain was ideal for the company's purposes but this vehicle is no longer available. A change was made to the Leyland Comet without too much success, but the Leyland Boxer 14.25-ton-gross model is currently proving very successful for delivery work. These vehicles are fitted with Simons' own design of body with double sliding side doors and a roller shutter on each side — no rear opening is necessary because there is no bank loading. A payload of 9 tons is possible on these vehicles. Also on delivery work are a batch of three new Leyland Terriers operating at 6.5 tons gross, giving about 4 tons payload. These vehicles were chosen as a standard to replace Ford Transits and some 3to 4-ton payload Commers and Bedfords. The Terriers fitted with Arlington lightweight bodywork have also been found very successful and can be driven by non-hgv driving licence holders. These vehicles have roller shutter rear closures and side doors.
For trunking operations 16-ton-gross Leyland Super Comets and AEC 26-ton-gross artics are used.
Progress by the company has enabled a move to be made to a large new warehouse at Tonbridge, Kent, on a liacre site. Thh replaced a depot at Newhaven and two ir London, Silwood Street and Moroccc Street, which have been closed.
Spitalfields hq
The management of the company remah in the Fruit Exchange in the heart o Spitalfields Fruit Market. It is from hen that Mr Elvin administers his fleet, but he i: not deskbound or stapled to the paperworl by any means — that is not his function He is a practical man, who knows he is bes able to carry out his function and serve thi company by being out and about, seeini and talking to the people at all thi company's depots who make the transpor operation tick. And I am sure they tick al the better for his keen interest in seein; transport efficiently organized and in seein: people properly treated. He firmly believe that it is the people who matter most in th operation. Look after them, and the rest wi: be all right may be judged to be hi philosophy — and a good one it is too.