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FR NCH CONN CTIONS

21st June 1986, Page 48
21st June 1986
Page 48
Page 49
Page 48, 21st June 1986 — FR NCH CONN CTIONS
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

This fast-moving French company is keen to extend its imessagerie' fast delivery service to the UK, but British operators seem reluctant to work in tandem

• "Thirty pianos from Exeter to Morlaix. Are they crated so that we can double stack them") No problem. We'll collect and your customer can have them on Wednesday."

We were eavesdropping on a telephone conversation between Didier Recourt, freight manager of Transport Le Calves in Brest and a customer. Within two minutes, his excellent English was again in use.

"How much? Only four hundred quid for a load like that? We ought to get nine hundred. OK. Six hundred and we'll do it. Get it down to Plymouth for tonight's boat. The trailer number is 8980N29. Yes, we will help you tranship and will deliver to Rennes before noon tomorrow. Guaranteed. No, its not a full load, but we have a regular client who will take up the remaining space, that's why we can do it so cheap and fast."

The pace was breathtaking, particularly in a country not generally renowned for its attention to detail, but the French operator has a dynamic approach to marketing, reliability and comprehensive service to a wide range of customers and a determination to succeed.

Jean-Jacques Le Calves, a third generation director of the family company explained his company's philosophy: "if it concerns the movement of goods, we want to be involved in it. We are also very interested in our own customer list and expansion. In this game, to stand still is really to go backwards as your competititors overtake you and grab your trade."

It is this attitude which has converted a horse and cart operation within the town of Brest into an outfit with 350 vehicles, 100 employees, and an annual turnover of 140,000 Francs. (i:14 million). About 60'.'4 of this business is Inessagerie' a fast delivery service of packages from 1 kg up to three tonnes.

Over the past five years, the demand for this service has expanded rapidly and Le Calves has gone with it both as collector and deliverer in Brittany's four Departments. The monthly payload is 100,000 packages totalling 6,000 tonnes, routed through specially created depots in five centres. Small vans collect from clients each day arid each evening the 38-tonne 'trunkers leave for similar depots operated by other companies in half a dozen regions of France. They backload goods for Brittany, which Le Calvez delivers next day.

Among the 1,100 regular clients which Le Calves has in Brittany there are a number who would like to see the service extended to Great Britain. The French would love to find a UK transporter willing to work in tandem with them. It depends on having enough hardware or sufficient contacts with vehicles in other areas to effect rapid delivery no matter where the customer is.

• BRITS 'UNINTERESTED' So far, all their efforts have been in vain. 'The Brits do not seem interested in doing the work to make the large profits which would be possible with a reciprocal arrangement,says Le Calves.

The only company interested enough to visit Brest for discussion simply assumed that Le Calves would provide an interpreter. An accompanying translator would have cost very little, and both would have provided prestige to the company, and courtesy to the hosts. It would also have ensured that all dialogue was accurately explained.

The realisation that language proficiency is an essential marketing tool partly explains why Le Calvez is successful in Britain.

The company's heavy international fleet comprises 30 vehicles between 21 and 38 tonnes, of which 10 are always ir Britain during any one week. They folks the classic Brittany Triangle.

"We always try to despatch via Plymouth using Brittany Ferries because they are very efficient and because this area needs them. The ferry company is essential to our economy, so we suppori them whenever we can. Our trucks travel up through West and Central England into Scotland and return via Dover to deliver in North France. That done, they pick up any loads for near here and return home," says Le Calves.

Regular cargoes include 3,600 tonnes ( cigarette papers per annum, batteries to Liverpool and Hemel Hempstead, fishmeal to Bristol, Fleetguard filters, teabags to Crewe, tyre cables from Michelin (Vannes) to Michelin (Aberdeen) and tyres to Stoke-on-Trent Franceline, a Manchester based company has been set up by Le Calves and three other haulage companies to ak after their interests in Britain, idier Recourt himself used to live in itain. so he knows the country and is mill& with its attitudes, expectations id the general way in which it operates. le present incumbent is Gilles ellinger, whose prime responsibility is back-load the vehicles of the four rticipating companies.

To achieve this he is often out and out visiting potential customers and is a ■ nstant telephone marketeer.

Recourt joins him in England look up long-standing customers: "To ake sure we keep them, to call on les we have lost and to make new [ditions to the client list. They can put '.es to the voices when a job is being rashed out on the phone. You can gays work more easily with people you lye met."

As a freight manager it is also rriforting to know that you do not have worry about back loads or to try to range them by remote control. Once e Manchester office has a client, it texes to Brest for acceptance of the iods and price. It is also useful that the ivers are not on their own. If a oblem occurs, a back-up is to hand and skilled in the ways of Britain. Working the British routes is not 'pular with some Le Calvez drivers. ',ere are many who simply refuse to do They are apprehensive about driving the left and worried about the oblem of communication. Above all they e apprehensive about its finicky laws.

'HARD' POLICE ) a man, all French "routiers" think at the British Police are very hard on em. They relate many stories of ivers being taken into custody for a mole one hour violation of a time or St period rule. French hauliers do not iderstand why it is necessary for a ember of their staff to drive all the way .an Manchester to Exeter to pay a 4000 fine in cash before a driver and rry could be released, when in France ey could send a cheque.

The situation is aggravated because any offences which "cop" a very heavy le in Britain would rate only a few mcs in France. Only rarely will the Ilice arrest a driver. More often they sort to taking the keys and his licence oil the problem is resolved, but they 'riot deprive him of his liberty. A rther irritant is that our banks close uch earlier than those in France, so a iver who is taken in by the police after )30 on Friday, often cannot be released ail after the special court hearing on onday.

It is sad to report that British clients e. also a reason for driver discontent. It ,en happens that a British customer will telephone at six hours' notice to say that he has been unable to meet his production and delivery schedule. By that time, the driver may be well on his way to the pick-up point, so the company is unable to re-route him. "After that, because we speak the language and the supplier mostly does not, the French customer waiting for his goods telephones here and puts the boot into us," say he Calvez.

On the credit side, both the administrative staff and the drivers are full of praise and thanks for the assistance they are given by ordinary English people and especially by British drivers.

Le Calvcz drivers who regularly operate in Britain are mostly the senior ones. They will have started with the two full-time instructors which the company employs and through whose hands all new drivers pass, even those operating the small delivery vans.

They are checked out and taught what the company considers to he safe driving according to the load and road conditions and to ensure the security and safe arrival of that load. There is also strong emphasis on driving with fuel economy in mind.

Almost all the international drivers have come up the company's localdelivery, long-distance then overseas ladder.

Even so, the first couple of journeys to England are made riding shotgun to someone who knows the ropes.

A French driver's pay. is slightly above the national average, but is nowhere near the supertax bracket. An average take-home figure is £650 per month, plus any residue from about 1:270 driving expenses. There are also a number of

company bonuses and fringe benefits.

A major incentive for drivers to join the international team is that they get the best vehicles. Most tractive units are retained in-house for five years, but are downgraded to internal .iourneys after two years or so.

• COMPREHENSIVE WORKSHOP This is not a comment on vehicle care. All French lorries are, anyway, subjected to an annual inspection by a visiting engineer, sent free of charge by the state. All routine maintenance and tyre fitting is done by the companv's own mechanics in a very comprehensive workshop at the Best headquarters.

This is also typical of the way in which the company works. On its 2.2 hectare Brest site, it has set up a large vehicle washing point and an associated company to build pallets and shipping crates. The complex houses a huge stored furniture warehouse and a number of areas set aside for storage of major customers' products. A number of overseas producers leave goods in the company's care ready for onward transport to clients as the orders come in. One tyre company even has its own office on the site.

The Le Calvez house motto is "Rien de cc qui concern' le transport ne nous est etraizger." (Nothing which concerns transport is beyond our interest.)

Messagerie and freight apart, the house removal side is very strong. To this can be added the long and short term hire of vehicles and drivers. Both BP and a domestic gas company are among the users. Le Calvez delivers vehicles and has a concession to move marine freight containers. This diversification is a safeguard against the peaks and troughs to which the haulage trade is subject according to currency variations and the meddling of politicians. E


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