Believed to be the biggest distribution centre of its kind in the UK, Hams Hall is cutting costs and offering flexibility to retailers large and small Birds Eye Wall's says its Hams Hall national distribution centre near Birmingham has brought a wide range of delivery benefits to customers since it opened last May. The state of the art centre, claimed to be the UK's largest automated frozen food warehouse, handles the national distribution of all BEW's vegetables, red and white meat, ready meals, fish, bakery, potato and ice cream products for the grocery trade. The only exception is ice cream for the impulse sector, which continues to be distributed by its Gloucestershire cold store. Distribution operations manager Keith Butler says Hams Hall is starting to meet retailers' requirements for smaller, more frequent deliveries. "When we planned Hams Hall, we foresaw that retailers were looking to reduce their stockholdings. As we operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week we can start to meet their delivery requirements. We can deliver at any time in the 24 hour cycle." Lead times are also being reduced. "In the past, 48 hours was our best lead time. Now we're beginning to implement 24 hour lead times," he says. Other benefits include a single order and despatch point for retailers. "Previously customers had to place orders at our Lowestoft and Humberside cold stores and received two deliveries. It meant we looked like two different companies," says Butler. "Now, all frozen food customers have to do is place a single order and receive a single delivery. They also gain the cost efficiency of a full vehicle." Butler says the Christmas and millennium period really proved Hams Hall's capabilities to retailers. "It went very smoothly, with volumes similar to previous years. The difference was that customers were able to leave ordering until much closer to the holiday period in the knowledge that Hams Hall could meet their short lead times. We delivered every day except Christmas and New Year's Day, and that was only because no one wanted it. But we could have done it." With Hams Hall fulfilling its primary objectives, Butler says BEW is looking at other ways to meet retailers' needs. "We're considering the potential benefit to the full supply chain of offering a less than full pallet quantity. We've only ever delivered full pallets till now, but as we have the capability, it might be useful to smaller retailers on slower moving items." When planning Hams Hall, BEW took the decision to outsource its entire operation in order to concentrate on its core activities of frozen food manufacture and marketing. Power Europe manages the centre, while the entire frozen food distribution is handled by Frigoscandia as BEW's transport management partner. {{FOCUS SPECIALS }}

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