(openPR) - Rhys Davies Freight Logistics offers a uniquely tailored warehousing, distribution and handling service across its eight operating centres across the UK. Here we reveal why Rhys Davies’ service extends to more than just transport, providing its customers with value added, cost saving services allowing them to offer a more efficient and reliable service to their end-point customers.

Industry specific services
With clients operating in industries ranging from healthcare products to hazardous chemicals, Rhys Davies offers unique and differing services to each ensuring a comprehensive service that goes above and beyond simple distribution.

One example of this is the paint mixing service that Rhys Davies provides for European paint manufacturer PPG at its Birmingham warehouse. This process includes a fully traceable quality sampling and testing process, where samples are taken, measured and sent to the customer for recording purposes. Gary Phillips, Commercial Manager of Rhys Davies Freight Logistics, said, “Because PPG is based in Belgium it makes more sense for the paints to be mixed at our warehouse rather than them shipping paint colours speculatively. It saves them time and money.”

Rhys Davies also offers its clients in the steel industry a unique service which amounts to more than just transport. Many transporters simply unload steel lintels at the entrance of a site, leaving it to the builders and labourers to separate and distribute the lintels needed for each individual plot. But times are changing and Rhys Davies is at the forefront of this change, picking and banding individual house packs in its yard before delivering the product to the correct plot on each construction site. “We put the packs together depending on what each plot on a site needs.” Gary said. “One house may have two small windows, four double windows and a garage so we would pick the different lintel lengths to suit.” This service has led Rhys Davies to adapt its trucks to include a butterfly deck, a second deck which drops down to give extra space

For the electronics industry Rhys Davies test and re-work faulty electrical components, “Currently that means a lot of Christmas lights and decorations being tested in the warehouse.” Gary said.

Sampling
A number of Rhys Davies’ customers require a goods inward sampling process. This varies from sending a full box to the customer for them to test, through to Rhys Davies opening sacks of products, removing a small sample, and testing for size, colour and texture against agreed parameters. Gary said, “We have to provide some customers with sample products from every batch we receive. This may be the removal of a single box, or in the case of herbs and spices, we may need to remove a small amount of coriander or saw off a small part of a root to send to the client.”

Specialist picking and palletisation
Often it is necessary to separate pallets into smaller quantities to meet the demands of the retailer or the end-point user. Rhys Davies provides a range of clients with this specialist picking service, breaking consignments down into smaller quantities and re-packaging them for delivery.
The constant drive to have the best product at the best price has also led retailers to demand constantly changing point of sale requirements to catch the consumer’s eye and make a sale. This has resulted in the need to swiftly customise product ranges to meet special offer promotions, such as multi-buy packaging and give away items.
“Products may need moving from one packaging type to another,” Gary said. “Potentially this means re-labelling, re-boxing and re-tagging as well which can all be done at our warehouse without the need for the client to get involved.”
‘Point of need’ delivery
Trusting the delivery of your product to an external contractor is a big leap of faith. Not only are you putting your products in their hands and trusting them to deliver them in one piece, you are also allowing them to represent your business to your customers. Sometimes this means delivering, not to the warehouse door, but actually delivering the product to the point of need within the building.
A good example of this is the service that Rhys Davies provides to The Value Healthcare Group, delivering mobility scooters to various end points. Mark Richmond, Managing Director of Rhys Davies said that because of the kind of products The Value Healthcare Group provide, Rhys Davies staff often delivers to the elderly or infirm. “You have to be considerate of the customer in situations like this. You can’t just dump the product at the end of the driveway and expect them to find a way of getting it into the house. You have to deliver the product to a sensible place.”
Rhys Davies also offers a comprehensive service to those dealing in liquids, carrying a pump on their vehicles to pump out the product from the Intermediate Bulk Containers (IBCs) on the vehicle into the customer’s tank. For example, Rhys Davies deliver chemicals on behalf of Water Treatment Products, and they often have a requirement to pump product directly into the their customer’s on-site tanks.

Mark continued, “Delivering the product to the address on the delivery document is not the end of the job. Ensuring that the product is unloaded at the desired area of the site, on time and in perfect condition by a helpful driver is the difference between an okay service and a great one.”

‘More than just transport’

Rhys Davies Freight Logistics is a national network employing 400 staff, operating 170 vehicles through eight operating centres throughout the UK. It offers a uniquely tailored warehousing, distribution and handling service that extends to much more than just transport. These services include: re-working, re-packing, quality control, auditing and across-the-threshold deliveries to businesses and private residencies.

Charlotte Freestone
The Words Workshop Ltd,
26 Swanwick Lane, Milton Keynes, MK10 9LD.
Tel: 01908 695500 Fax: 01908 690099
E-mail: charlotte@thewordsworkshop.co.uk
Web: www.thewordsworkshop.co.uk

All business enquiries to:

Gary Phillips
Rhys Davies Freight Logistics
Moy Road Industrial Estate
Taffs Well
Cardiff, CF15 7QR
Tel: 029 2081 0587 Fax: 029 2081 5109
E-mail: gary.phillips@rhysdavies.co.uk
Web: www.rhysdavies.co.uk