measure and monitor the processes and report results ... - Refresco.de

Transportation
Refresco constantly searches for ways to optimize transportation.
We aim for short supply lines and seek for strategic positions of
our production plants to serve our customers. In many business
units we drive only full loaded trucks, and efforts are made to
optimize pallet sizes. We also try to combine truck rides to avoid
excess mileage. Other initiatives include using biogas trucks and
LHVs (Longer Heavier Vehicles) and exploring alternatives like
truck­on train transportation. In our search for transportation
offering optimum efficiency and minimum impact on the environment,
a high priority is finding a supplier that is on the same
track as we are and that can make a meaningful contribution
towards the design of a sustainable supply chain.
One of Refresco’s partners in logistics is the Dutch company
Nabuurs. Nabuurs is a family firm founded in the Netherlands in
1962 and specializing in transport. What over the years has become
the company’s real specialty, however, is the entire process
involved in moving goods from A to B: logistics. Today, Nabuurs
is a modern, leading family business in logistics services with
branches in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Poland.
Refresco has been working with Nabuurs in the Benelux countries
for four years now. Ard Nabuurs, Commercial Director of
Nabuurs, looks back. “Refresco chose Nabuurs because we
offer significant capacity based on assets of our own. As all
our drivers are on our payroll, we have a better grip on every
stage of the transport process. Besides, our IT infrastructure
allows us to trace loads every step of the way – this involved
a hefty investment in board computers for all our trucks, but it
was worth it! And needless to say, our prices are competitive.”
In 2008, Nabuurs intensified its cooperation with Refresco
by taking a major stake in a new fully automated warehouse
built at Refresco’s production site in Bodegraven. “This makes
sense in our multi­depot­system, based on the assumption that
goods always take the cheapest route. The closer we are to our
customer, the better our cooperation is,” Ard Nabuurs explains.
”Though chosen on cost considerations, this approach means
lower carbon emissions, too, as we reduce our mileage. Our
decision to combine rides means our drivers don’t drive home
every night to leave again the next morning. That saves us
even more mileage. We’re always looking for the best solution
for the customer, which for simple cost reasons go hand­inhand
with a positive contribution to sustainability.”
Nabuurs is a lean and mean organization. All its systems are
connectible with its customers’ systems. “With us taking care
of warehousing and distribution, Refresco can focus on its core
business: producing soft drinks and fruit juices. Warehousing
and distribution is our core business, and we’ve honed it to
perfection,” Ard Nabuurs is proud to say. “We don’t work from
a standard, but are always looking for what works best for each
particular customer, using the synergies from the total Nabuurs
network. So in terms of corporate culture, we make a good
match with Refresco. We both favor a no­nonsense approach.”
Nabuurs’ strategy rests on three pillars: cost, service and
sustainability, Ard Nabuurs explains. “Our aim is to continually
develop all three pillars, which are after all not unrelated. We
remain competitive, and seek lasting partnerships. Beyond that,
as a company we see our responsibility for the environment.”
Nabuurs is engaged in a sustainability drive targeting a 20%
reduction in carbon emission between the launch in 2009 and
2012. “It’s a matter of optimizing our networks,” Ard Nabuurs
says, “but also of maintaining a helicopter view and minimizing
empty mileage.”
Going forward, Nabuurs intends to explore new areas of the
market. “Working with the network of a big international beer
brewer has shown us that we can also deliver directly to retailers,
cutting out rides to wholesalers’ warehouses. Delivery to hotels,
bars and restaurants in town centers using smaller vans is also a
possibility.” Overall, the company’s long­term vision is to expand
its network and make it as efficient and effective as possible.
“This could very well involve closer warehousing and distribution
cooperation with other Refresco sites,” Ard Nabuurs predicts.
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