Lynx wins auto deal
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by Juliet Parish • Component distributor LE Chapman is to close three of its four satellite branches and dispose of 45 vans after awarding NFC parcels arm Lynx a contract worth up to ,E150,000.
Lynx beat off bids from ANC and Securicor for the business, which entails moving 1,000 parcels a week.
The 12-month contract went into action earlier this month. Chapman components are taken directly from a central warehouse in Leicester to about 1,000 motor factor and component wholesaler outlets. Until now Chapman supplied its customers from regional sites at Haydock on Merseyside, Beckenham in Kent, Bristol and Glasgow using a fleet of Ford Escorts and Transits. Each regional site was supplied with a weekly delivery from Leicester.
Glasgow will be the only regional site to remain open; it will be fed with supplies from Lynx.
Chapman's general manager Ken Baker says the move will reduce running costs by doing away with the in-house fleet and reducing the company's network of sites. It will also be easier to control stock levels, he says: "It will ensure a much higher first time pick rate across our complete product range." Baker will not comment on how many jobs will be lost as a result of the switch away from an in-house fleet which it has run for the past 15 years.
IT Lynx has re-opened its branch in Inverness which closed in April, after increased demand for next-day deliveries in the Highlands. The parcels carrier has also introduced an express service for customers who regularly send parcels to specific sites.