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Amey Group Expand at Frome with
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:IN Depot -r-HE warehousing and dis
tribution function, which in recent years has become closely integrated, is well exemplified in the new Frome depot of the Amey Group Ltd., which was formally opened by CHr. R. H. Jones. chairman of Frame UDC, on Wednesday.
The new depot, on a developing trading estate close to the Frome-Shepton Mallet A361 road, will serve a large area in the West Country, extending to Swindon and Bristol in the north, to Andover and Salisbury in the east, covering a long coastal strip in the south including Lymington. Bournemouth, Weymouth and Lyme Reek. and in the west a belt of territory stretching through Chard, Taunton. Minehead and Weston-superMare.
In conjunction with associated Amey depots at Oxford and Cheltenham, each serving comparable areas allowing out • and home deliveries, it is apparent that Amey's are very much "on the ball" in the sphere of efficient distribution of stocks to shops and warehouses.
Amey's have been established at Frome since 1959 but the Gipsy Lane Depot, a convened grass-drying plant, was clearly inadequate for their expanding activities. The large new depot, with plenty of room for expansion, commenced operations early in August and already shows obvious indications of improved operating efficiency; the same staff is handling appreciably more work thanks to the modern layout and equipment provided.
The surface area of tarmac surrounding the depot seems adequate for all future contingencies, and it includes an area reserved for employees' car parking. This, I gather, is very welcome in view of car parking problems at the old depot.
The goods inwards side of the depot has six large doors opening at lorry tailboard level, whence gravity roller conveyors aid off-loading. On the dispatch side, opposite, there are 12 similar roller shutter doors which open to ground level.
In addition to Filon corrugated roof lights the depot is well lit with fluorescent strip lights which are specially noteworthy above each door.
The double-bayed building, which provides some 22,500 sq. ft. of uninterrupted floor space, is extensively equipped with pallet stacking racks by Boltless A26 Systems Ltd., Uxbridge, Middlesex. The racks can be assembled and adjusted quickly with one tool—a mallet—and Amey's who have not used this type of racking before—are well satisfied with its utility. Up to five tiers can be stacked with the aid of two 30-cwt. capacity battery-powered Lansing Bagnall stacking trucks which. I noted, were fitted with overload indicators.
Two battery chargers are installed, protected by an array of fire equipment. Incoming goods arrive on pallets from customers, who include J. Bibby and Sons and many nationally known food manufacturers. They are methodically stored to await distribution instructions, and stocks are correctly rotated—an important factor where fats are concerned. Customers' instructions are sent by post—Bibby's orders from Liverpool perhaps taking two days to arrive—and 95 per cent of the orders are made up for delivery the following day. An inter-depot trunk vehicle helps to balance or augment stocks as necessary.