GEODIS Focus issue 3 by Geodis UK

Issue 3 2015

FOCUS YOUR NEWS FROM GEODIS UK

HELLO & WELCOME Jamie Cuthbert Managing Director

Welcome to the third edition of our GEODIS UK newsletter and the last for 2015.

Since our last issue, the industry has continued to be challenged by the problems caused by the ‘Calais Crisis’. Although measures such as ‘Operation Stack’ are currently not in place, delays to and from Calais continue to impact our business without warning. Whilst we have moved some business to the east coast ports, this is not viable for all business and we continue to provide additional resources to minimise the impact for our customers. You can read on Page 2 how we have worked with one client to reduce the risk of business interruption. We have also been working hard to improve the service levels available in the UK network activity. We have introduced a new premium AM delivery service between 09:00 and 10:30 am in most areas of the country. In those areas where such a service is not physically possible due to remoteness, we have changed our booking systems to ensure clients can see more transparently when their customers can expect delivery. More and more of our customers are talking to us about customs and logistics services. The services we provide are always client specific and therefore bespoke. Our customs team in particular has the expertise to propose solutions which can save cash outlay. With more and more clients seeking a one-stop-shop logistics solution, these services are more and more important. You can read more about these services on Page 3. As always, our mission at GEODIS is to support your growth by working to overcome your logistical constraints and we do this with commitment, passion, innovation, solidarity and trust – our five core values. You can read more about our values on the back page. If you would like more information on any of the articles featured or on other GEODIS services, please get in touch and I would be delighted to explain more. Finally, as this is the last issue for 2015, I would like to take this opportunity, on behalf of all my colleagues in GEODIS, to thank you for choosing to work with us. Our mission is to help you succeed and I trust we can use the experience we have gained through supporting our diverse customer base to further assist your business in 2016. On behalf of everyone in GEODIS we wish you a very merry Christmas. Best Regards, Jamie Cuthbert Managing Director Tel: 07977 123 977 Email: jamie.cuthbert@geodis.com

GEODIS WINS NEW CONTRACT WITH CHIVAS BROTHERS GEODIS UK has won a major new two-year contract worth in excess of £1.5 million with renowned whisky blenders, Chivas Brothers. GEODIS’ Stirling branch, a specialist in whisky distribution, has worked with Chivas Brothers for a number of years supporting their export business to France, Andorra and Switzerland. The award of the new contract followed a tender process which saw our territories extended to include a further site in France and additional deliveries to the Netherlands. With a heritage dating back to 1801 Chivas Brothers, now part of Pernod Ricard, is renowned for its Chivas Regal line comprising 12, 18 and 25 year old blends. It is a company with a global reputation for excellence and one which therefore expects its partners to meet its own exacting standards. The Chivas Brothers partnership with GEODIS has gone from strength to strength. As part of the new contract, which commenced on July 1st this year, GEODIS will be carrying 1040 loads over the next 12 months, an increase of 265 loads on the previous year. GEODIS has assigned a dedicated team to ensure the smooth running of the account. Each week the account management team receives advance notification of the loads to be covered and manages the total distribution process including the necessary customs entries, specifically required for deliveries to Switzerland. Delivery cycles are between three and four days dependent on location. Kevin Huskie, GEODIS Regional Manager for the North and Scotland, commented: “We are delighted to continue working with Chivas. It is a company with a global brand and one which strives for perfection priding itself on achieving world recognition for its Chivas Regal blends. “We have always had a tremendous relationship with Chivas and the fact that they have further extended our contract demonstrates the level of confidence they have in the service that GEODIS provides.“

STACKING THE ODDS TO MEET GE HEALTHCARE’S NEEDS The Channel Tunnel and the Port of Dover handles 90% of road freight traffic between the UK and Europe. This is a critical transportation route for GE Healthcare and the quickest way to cross the English Channel, vital for their Life Sciences products. Minimising delays in reaching mainland Europe is critical as their diagnostic radio-pharmaceutical products can have a short life-span and need to be used immediately after delivery. A delay in transportation can mean a delay in diagnosis and potentially life-saving treatment for patients. Therefore, it is vital everything is done to ensure delays are reduced as much as possible. During the periods when Operation Stack is invoked, GE Healthcare and GEODIS UK work together with the authorities to ensure they can deliver to Europe as quickly as possible. GE Healthcare came up against Operation Stack for the first time 15 years ago. GEODIS lorries carrying life-saving cancer treatments were set to face huge delays. On contacting Kent Police and explaining that the products needed to be delivered to hospitals for next-day patient care, GEODIS trucks were provided with a police escort to the Eurotunnel check-in booths.

OPERATION STACK IN DETAIL When services across the English Channel are disrupted, for example by bad weather, industrial action, fire or derailments in the Tunnel, the local authorities invoke a procedure called Operation Stack. This involves lorries being parked (or ‘stacked’) on the M20 motorway in Kent and brought forward in a controlled manner. By stacking lorries, an additional 3,000 parking spaces for freight can be created. Lorries are parked on the carriageways in phases, depending on the circumstances and all other traffic diverted onto the A20. The decision to implement each phase of the programme is taken in conjunction with Kent Police, the Port of Dover and Highways England Phase 1: Coast-bound from Junction 11 (Hythe) to 12 (Cheriton)

Since then, the process has been refined and key contacts have been established. GE Healthcare provides GEODIS drivers with documentary evidence that consignments are urgent. The drivers are also trained to contact police control 30 minutes before they arrive at the back of an Operation Stack queue.

Phase 2: Coast-bound from Junction 8 (Maidstone) to 9 (Ashford)

This process, implemented by GE Healthcare and GEODIS UK, proved to be critical this summer when an escalation in Europe’s migration crisis meant Operation Stack was invoked every day for a month.

Phase 4: Coast-bound from Junction 8 (Maidstone) to 12 (Cheriton)

If you have specialist freight for delivery in Europe and would like to find out more about the services provided by GEODIS UK, contact the team at enquiries.uk@geodis.com

SAFETY AND SECURITY ACROSS THE GEODIS NETWORKS Well over 1.3 million consignments move though the GEODIS and Fortec networks each year in the UK. Most of these are processed overnight, within a very short window of time, in order to guarantee the leading-edge express door-to-door transit times the market requires. Safety and security is vital in such circumstances and the GEODIS networks pride themselves not only on robust health and safety standards but also on ensuring that pallets entrusted to us arrive in the same condition they left. In the first six months of 2015 cargo incidents were at an all-time low with 99.94 percent of the consignments handled delivered intact and in full - despite an increase in volume of over 11 percent compared to the previous year. This is possible due to the constant re-engineering of processes in our hubs and the quality and stability of our hub teams. Teams are trained to look out for potential risks and will, if necessary, re-stack and seal pallets to avoid problems further down the line. GEODIS works to 7 Golden Rules, two of which are - ‘Always provide a perfect service’ and ‘Always ensure the safety of our staff - everywhere’. These rules protect our staff AND our customer’s goods. Always! For more information on the services we offer at GEODIS UK, email enquiries.uk@geodis.com

Phase 3: London-bound from Junction 9 (Ashford) to 8 (Maidstone)

Find out more about the current status of Operation Stack by visiting www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/ travelling-around-kent/operationstack

RHA WARNS OF EMPTY SHELVES AT CHRISTMAS DUE TO DRIVER SHORTAGE The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has issued a stark warning that consumers could see empty shelves this Christmas as the chronic lack of truck drivers affecting the industry worsens. To highlight the crisis, the RHA has undertaken intensive lobbying of MPs as part of its first ever National Lorry Week, which ran from 26th to 31st October. RHA chief executive Richard Burnett said: “We are short of between 45,000 and 50,000 drivers and the situation is getting worse. Thousands of older drivers are leaving the industry and younger people can’t afford the £3,000 it costs to get a truck licence.” Over 85% of everything bought in the UK is carried by a truck at some stage in the supply chain. The road freight industry and its associated warehousing operations employ over 2.2 million people. They are a vital part of the UK economy. For more information on the work the RHA are involved with visit www.rha.uk.net

GEODIS does not currently have driver shortages and is planning the implementation of a new apprenticeship scheme for 2016.

GEODIS UK GOES THE EXTRA MILE FOR DS SMITH’S SHEETFEEDING DIVISION

introduction of personnel within DS Smith Sheetfeeding is a key move in ensuring continued business development with the added reassurance from both parties to work closely and improve costs in the supply chain.

GEODIS UK and DS Smith’s Sheetfeeding division have built on their three year relationship with the positioning of a transport coordinator within the DS Smith Sheetfeeding team, based at their site in Blunham, Bedfordshire.

DS Smith PLC is a leading British-based international packaging business and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 index. GEODIS provides DS Smith Sheetfeeding principally with full load cross border transport services within Europe.

The move is part of a joint commitment to increase working together and is 100 percent in line with GEODIS’ vision of being the growth partner of their clients. GEODIS’

For more information about the full and part load services available from GEODIS in the UK, call Mike Whatling on 07977 123 675 or email michael.whatling@geodis.com

LOGISTICS SECTOR CONTINUES TO BE A GROWTH INDUSTRY According to a recent report from Accenture, contract logistics continues to be a growth industry. Success in this competitive area of the market will depend on a company’s ability to analyse customer’s needs and respond accordingly with differentiated products. This is exactly what GEODIS UK has been doing for the past few years, offering fully bespoke UKlogistics and UKcustoms options: UKlogistics GEODIS’ UKlogistics teams provide warehousing services, not simply for storage, but for complete fulfilment solutions. They can also cater for customers needing ad-hoc or additional space during busy or seasonal periods. Sites are conveniently located on major road networks and offer extensive space, exceptional security and cuttingedge technology for stock processing, all with minimal environmental impact. We even manage substantial outdoor storage facilities and can build the solution to suit. Find out how our UKlogistics services could benefit you, contact Roger Balcombe on 07872 358 261 or email roger. balcombe@geodis.com

IMPORTANT DATES

European public holidays & events 1st December

Albania, Romania

8th December

Albania, Andorra, Austria, Italy, Liechtenstein, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland

Andorra, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, th 24 December Hungary, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden 25th December Europe-wide 28th December Europe-wide 1st January

Europe-wide

4 January

Albania, Scotland

6th January

Andorra, Austria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Liechtenstein, Poland, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden

8th February

Andorra, Slovenia

16 February

Lithuania, Serbia

24th February

Estonia

UKcustoms As well as providing customs solutions for clients importing and exporting, the UKcustoms teams provide many value added services giving clients, with complex supply chain and manufacturing in the UK, the opportunity to minimise cash outlay through access to temporary relief customs systems. GEODIS provides advice and expertise with a dedicated in-house team. GEODIS’ role in this area is to ensure clients know the options available and to provide the expertise as required. With a dedicated customs team, bonded warehousing, AEO-F certificate, import/export brokerage, documentation handling and excise expertise, customers can rest assured that their customs needs are in expert hands – innovation as standard. As part of the GEODIS supply chain range, expertise is also available in areas such as specialist equipment installation through to reverse logistics and the de-installation and collection of high value equipment. For more details on our supply chain solutions contact Charlotte Underwood on 01908 638564 or email charlotte.underwood@geodis.com

CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE The GEODIS UK network will be closed from 25th December 2015 until 4th January 2016. Please use the information below to plan your collections before Christmas. EXPORTS France / Benelux

Rest of Europe

22nd Dec

21st Dec

Ship 4th Jan

Ship on 4th Jan

Last export collection before Christmas Collections on 23rd Dec

DOMESTIC Premium

Next Day

Economy

Collection

Delivery

Collection

Delivery

Collection

Delivery

22 Dec

23 Dec

22 Dec

23 Dec

21 Dec

23rd Dec

4th Jan

23rd Dec

5th Jan

23rd Dec

24th Dec

(AM only)

• No export or domestic collection on 24th Dec • All collections resume on 4th January • Any collections required on 24th Dec or throughout the Christmas period will be by special request only

For any queries on the operating schedule or to arrange collections or deliveries outside these dates contact your regional office using the numbers on the back page.

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY GEODIS - A PARTNER FOR SUSTAINABLE GROWTH

TOP SCORE FOR GEODIS’ CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY POLICY

As part of GEODIS’ commitment to customers, workforce and the community, we have recently released our Annual CSR Report. Packed with the encouraging ways we impact on our people and the environment, the report makes for an interesting read. You can view this by visiting geodis.com/CSR Below is a collection of GEODIS’ recent CSR achievements to give you a flavour of the projects we’re involved with every day.

67/100

GEODIS has achieved a score of 67/100 in the 2015 EcoVadis Assessment, which means we have reached the ‘Advanced’ level for the first time ever. This raises us to first place in our category, out of 252 companies, and puts us in the top 2% of all the suppliers assessed by EcoVadis.

“As a responsible and international company, GEODIS has an important role to play in delivering solutions on environmental, social and ethical issues within our sector.”

“This assessment reflects the highquality groundwork that has been laid on CSR matters across the Group. As a responsible and international company, GEODIS has an important role to play in delivering solutions on environmental, social and ethical issues within our sector,” notes Marie-Christine Lombard, CEO of GEODIS. “We are confident that next year’s results will be just as revealing of the continuous progress that our employees have achieved in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.”

GEODIS RENEWS ITS COMMITMENT WITH HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL €11,000 Donation GEODIS’ CEO MarieChristine Lombard has renewed our commitment to Handicap International with a donation of €11,000.

The partnership with Handicap International was introduced after suggestions from GEODIS employees to donate one euro to the charity for every customer satisfaction questionnaire returned. Last year’s donation helped finance schooling for 360 disabled children in Indonesia. GEODIS repeated the exercise again this year with 10,462 questionnaires processed.

“We’re delighted with the regular support we get from GEODIS, a group whose commitment and sense of responsibility clearly echo our values of solidarity of trust,” said Magali Deneufchâtel, Managing Director of Handicap International France. Visit Handicap International’s website, handicap-international. org.uk - for more information on its work throughout the world.

750KG TAIL-LIFT LIMIT INTRODUCED

750kg

GEODIS UK and Fortec Distribution Network have introduced a 750kg tail-lift limit to their consignments throughout the UK.

Max for tail-lift

The change comes after the Association of Pallet Networks (APN) campaigned to reduce tail-lift weights in order to improve the safety of delivery drivers. GEODIS and Fortec introduced their new restrictions in September to support the APN’s campaign and promote better health and safety standards throughout the industry. Adrian Bradley, General Manager Operations at Fortec said: “We’re putting the health and safety of our drivers first. By introducing this limit, we’re ensuring the safety of our delivery teams and customers.”

GRENDON UNDERWOOD UNDER 9s BENEFIT FROM GEODIS UK SUPPORT

Under 9s Football

GEODIS UK has committed to sponsoring Grendon Underwood’s under 9s football team for two years (pictured below). The under 9s team is a first for the village. They have used the sponsorship to fund their travel to matches and to order their first team kit.

After the Nepal earthquake in April, GEODIS donated €5,000 to the charity to help supply emergency kits including cooking utensils, hygiene products, tents and survival blankets.

“Some of the children wouldn’t be able to participate in the sport without a sponsorship. The club hasn’t had an under 9s team with their own colours, so we wanted to reach out and help develop this small local club, and ensure each child can have their own kit,” said Christian Weber, Director of Networks and Key Accounts, GEODIS UK.

This year GEODIS is also supporting Handicap International’s ‘Pyramid of Shoes’ operation to raise government awareness on the need to eradicate anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions. Specifically, GEODIS has delivered two tonnes of shoes on pallets ahead of the event.

The sponsorship is part of our CSR programme that helps to support local communities in the UK.

www.geodis.com Northampton: 01604 594 830 Newport: 01633 872 666