SPONSORED COLUMN: Location, location, location

By ensuring operating sites are close to end delivery points, Cert Octavian greatly reduces customers’ carbon footprint

The trend for greater environmental awareness and respect is moving in one direction only and is unlikely to slow down. Logistics is an obvious area for anyone in the drinks industry looking to reduce their carbon footprint to explore. And possibly the most obvious but not necessarily the easiest elements of logistics to get right are warehouse location and vehicle fill.
By operating sites optimally placed for end deliveries, the total miles traveled are minimised, as are the total number of vehicles needed. For example Cert Octavian’s new Hoddesdon site is ideally placed for the London HORECA sector and the Lutterworth site ideally placed for supermarket and cash and carry deliveries. The new site replaces the former Hoddesdon/Kemble set up, which now means that the percentage of all Hoddesdon-based customers orders delivered within one hour of the Hoddesdon site has increased from 3% to 48.48%. If customers were moved to Lutterworth, only 2.5% of orders would be within one hour’s drive, which as driver time is limited, would greatly increase the number of vehicles.
In addition, by using a hub and spoke system for its national distribution, Cert Octavian can combine 100 orders on a large vehicle and then trunk them to a closer network site, meaning that the final delivery usually travels less than one hour. Being closer to the centre of gravity ensures that this wasted mileage is significantly reduced.
Helping customers to take advantage of delivery consolidation across the network and using the correct vehicle for the size of drop ensures greater vehicle utilisation and better efficiencies. This equates to less delays, fewer hold ups, less waiting time, less congestion, fewer miles, less fuel, lower costs and better environmental impact – all very attractive benefits.
It’s not rocket science, but getting the ‘trucks and lorries’ aspect of your operation right can significantly impact upon not only your carbon footprint, but also your bottom line.