Ils by East Coast Promotions

COMPANY PROFILE

2015

Industrial Logistic Systems

+27 (0) 21 816-2000 | www.ils.co.za

company profile

Expert logistics from beginning to end Editorial: Tim Hands

Industrial Logistic Systems sets out to provide peerless expertise in the field of supply chain logistics, offering consultancy from initial strategies right through to execution. An essential part of any company’s plans to develop, add space, consolidate or even relocate, ILS helps to make correct decisions through analysing existing operations and projecting future requirements.

Concerning the all-important discipline of managing the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of their eventual consumption, the field of logistics can take in the management of resources from those physical items such as food, materials, animals, equipment and liquids, through to more abstract items such as time, information and even energy. A complex and varied discipline, at its centre is the aim of minimising the use of resources, a common logistics motivation for both import and export. To this end, ILS offers its internationally recognised expertise, accrued over its 22 years of professional operations and more than a century of engineering experience. ILS is clear in its overarching mission to be the leading provider of expertise in the field of Supply Chain Logistics, through its many and varied key focuses. These

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range from the perhaps more obvious, such as supply chain strategies and materials handling systems, right through to the analysis and advising of best practice standards and the optimisation of both people and productivity. ILS was started up in 1987 by Gary Benatar and Martin Bailey, when the pair decided to offer a pioneering facilities planning service. “We were doing facilities planning, laying out operations and using our skills as industrial engineers to lay out a site or operation and make that efficient. We were also consulting in materials handling and systems design and selection,” explains Managing Director, Gary Benatar.

AHEAD OF THE COMPETITION ILS’ work is governed by a strict set of principles, all of which are geared toward setting itself as the industry

Industrial Logistic Systems

standard in supply chain consultancy. What helps set it apart from its many competitors in the market of supply chain and logistics consultancy, alongside its vast experience of executing strategic plans, is the personal aspect that permeates the full range of its operations. ILS seeks to act as an extension of its clients business, acting as the client’s very own specialist logistics department and subsequently advising as though it was its own business. Ultimately, the interests of the client are of the utmost importance at the company, above the influence of any supplier or service, to ensure that ILS consistently and unfailingly adds value and worth in return for the fees paid to secure its service, and repay the trust that clients daily put in its work. To this end, all work carried out is done so to the very highest standards, allowing clients in turn to be able to deliver world class best practice. “Our

job involves building a strong relationship with clients,” says Bailey. “Our guys who are present at the start of a project are present all the way through to the end.”

A HISTORY OF LOGISTICS The direction in which world business is moving means that companies across the globe are becoming ever more reliant on flawless logistics and supply chain management, in order to keep pace with the demands of an increasingly global economy. The term ‘logistics’ itself, and actions associated with the field, in fact originated in the military, where, in war, logistics applied to the process of supplying equipment and supplies to troops. Logistics as a business concept, meanwhile, evolved in the 1950s with the increasing complexity of supplying businesses with materials and shipping out products in a

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company profile supply chain which was becoming ever more globalised. Today, the business sector uses this term to describe the efficient flow and storage of goods from point of origin to the point of consumption. The supply chain is a vital part of this process, and includes transportation, shipping, receiving, storage as well as the management of all these areas. Within the business sector and with a similarly far-reaching scope, logistics can be applied to information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, disposal and security. As the pre-eminent worldwide authority in the field, The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals defines logistics as, “that part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption in order to meet customers’ requirements.” Or, more briefly, it is, “the management of inventory, at rest or in motion.” With the advancement of the world and the increasing grip of the digital age, ILS has been able to build its relationships in different ways, profiting from ever developing technology. “We work with clients from all over,” explains Bailey. “Because of this we invested

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heavily in infrastructure, things like video conferencing and a strong IT backbone. This means we are able to communicate and do things remotely.” This is somewhat different to the way the business was run in the beginning: “When we started ILS, drawings were done on a drawing board and emails didn’t exist. Faxes had only just started becoming popular but life was still easy as the expectation of instant gratification and result from the customer was not there.” A major part of what makes the ILS way of operating so crucial to a business is its ability to maximise customer value through active supply chain management, and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage for the client. The service that ILS offers can be applied right from the grass roots, if necessary, with a heavy focus, for example, on all things concerned with location. Of course, it is from a correctly planned site that all corporate success will stem, and ILS takes care of every facet of the provisional planning in this regard, analysing the location to put the business at the heart of its target market and assessing all related costs, from land and construction to areas of strategic risk. A complete proposal can then be produced, based on the nature of the operation and the respective space and budget considerations.

Industrial Logistic Systems

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TOYOTA FORKLIFT – A BENCHMARK FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND SAFETY IN AFRICA’S RETAIL WAREHOUSING SECTOR The extensive business partnership Toyota Forklift enjoys with ILS (Industrial Logistics Systems) has been an invaluable contributor to Toyota Forklift‘s market leadership in the Southern African retail warehousing sector. The partnership has seen both a number of important awards for Toyota Forklift, including a recent major contract for the Shoprite Group of Companies, as well as the expert input of ILS’s unparalleled understanding of and commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology in supply chain logistics. The recent order for major retail group, Shoprite, covered the supply of a comprehensive range of warehousing equipment for its Shoprite and Freshmark operations. Continuing a more than 15 year business relationship with Shoprite, the contract, awarded in 2014, is also testimony to Toyota Forklift’s commitment to partnering with its customers for life. The equipment supply and on-site maintenance contract includes one of the first deliveries of the zero-emission and exceptionally efficient Toyota Traigo electric counterbalanced forklift trucks to an operation in South Africa. The order, of which the BT range of warehousing equipment comprises a major portion, is mainly for Shoprite and Freshmark distribution centres in Cape Town and Centurion. Toyota Forklift’s award winning range of Toyota Forklift and BT branded forklift trucks and warehousing equipment covers applications from loading to horizontal transport, stacking and order picking, all supported by high-quality aftermarket services and ancillary products such as batteries and chargers for forklifts. The range is distinguished by innovative technologies, which have set a benchmark in the market for improved productivity and safety. Such innovations include the powerful forklift fleet management solution, the Toyota I_Site, which now offers web-based control. As the sole distributor of Toyota Forklift, BT, Raymond and Flexi material handling equipment in Southern Africa, Eqstra Industrial Equipment (EIE), is the largest supplier of forklifts to the Southern African market and has the most comprehensive product support infrastructure in the region. As a result, EIE is well positioned to offer the retail sector a total materials handling solution, based on exclusive distribution agreements for best-in-class brands.

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company profile

BUSINESS STRATEGY ILS will, as standard, develop a whole outline of prospective building specifications, including clear height, column spacing, floor slab thickness, recommended lighting levels and even the number and location of doors. Once the detailed planning stage is reached, ILS will then prepare tender specifications for all the necessary equipment, again working closely with the client to evaluate all tenders, and make recommendations before and seeing that the equipment is properly installed and functional. Crucial to the successful flow of merchandise through this new building, ILS develops written functional reports for the distribution centre’s processing system, which describe how each function within the facility operates. With such an exhaustive service it is a particularly profitable time to be in such a position as ILS’s, with PwC global industry leader for transport and

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logistics Klaus-Dieter Ruske highlighting the fact that, “Africa is home to one billion people who will become consumers,” which will require the delivery of goods and services. “There is huge potential for transport and logistics companies in Africa,” he underlined. South Africa was recently identified as being especially well positioned to shine as a global business partner, with the performance of its logistics sector being a key component in this. Indeed, six of the world’s ten fastest growing economies are in sub-Saharan Africa. Running supply chains properly is crucial to Africa’s success, as growth continues and consumer demand rises. ILS Chairman and Executive Director, Martin Bailey is unequivocal that with a solid supply chain as a foundation, effective operations can then fall into place. “You can have two operations with exactly the same processes, the operations are identical but the technology and the methods used to execute strategies are different.

Industrial Logistic Systems When you get the execution of the supply chain right it makes everything easier.” “The South African government’s increased focus on and investment in infrastructure development have seen more than R260 billion being set aside for transport and logistics projects,” states Dr Cornelius Ruiters, Executive Director of the CSIR’s Built Environment research domain, adding that, “The effective maintenance, expansion and management of our country’s infrastructure will enable South Africa to compete at a higher level globally.” Cobus Rossouw, Chief Integration Officer of Imperial Logistics, echoed that sentiment: “South Africa is a leader in complex, emerging and dynamic logistics environments and has achieved success despite geographical impediments, severe skills shortages and lack of economies of scale.” ILS is perfectly placed to build and capitalise on this opportunity. It provides the full range of logistics expertise, also specialising in project management and systems commissioning of the finished article, and continues to strive to provide the very latest in technology, software and systems, to ensure the highest level of productivity and service for its clients. ILS has already been involved in developing innovative applications of technology and related

systems, including labour tracking systems and mechanised handling systems, and now looks to build yet further on the competences it can offer. Whether this is expansion into E-Commerce fulfilment logistics, or moving up the supply chain into purchasing and inventory optimisation, ILS will continue to be ideally positioned to aid any client in matching their particular environment to the operations and systems best suited to their needs. Having become recognised as an industry leader in South Africa, the company has developed its opportunities with international clients, and targets movement into new industry sectors as key to its growth. “We offer such a comprehensive service and it is so broad and so different to anyone else in the world that it is perhaps too broad and we cannot grow it further. What is growth for us is new types of industry. Retail is maybe our biggest, manufacturing second and pharmaceutical third but over time we will find a new niche and grow there. It could be government or something similar,” explains Benatar. There looks set to be much growth and expansion in South Africa and the commercial world looks to companies such as ILS for inspiration; it is a business that is truly an example of the very best practice the industry can offer

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