Supply chain specialist, Fowler Welch, has invested in a new repacking system at its Heywood Depot, to further assist one of its largest customers, Tulip Ltd, in expanding its ambient range offering and reducing its food miles.
The new system at Heywood – Fowler Welch’s Ambient National Distribution Centre in Lancashire – to repack products for Tulip offers the leading UK food producer a one stop solution, helping to reduce steps in the supply chain.
Tulip produces a range of fresh, cooked and canned meat products for the UK’s leading retailers, wholesalers and food service companies and now at Heywood, thanks to the new repack system, products such as tinned hams and chicken breast can be broken down from packs of 12 to packs of six for simplified distribution.
The flexible, heat-wrap machine and conveyor can handle various pack requirements to process a variety of different consignments – from tinned meat products to cans and bottles – quickly and efficiently.
Helen Broomhead, General Manager at the Fowler Welch Heywood depot, said: “We have worked with Tulip for many years and we are committed to ensuring all its products get to market both efficiently and economically.
“Previously, Tulip was packing the product in Denmark, taking it to a supplier to repack in the UK, then picking it up to bring to its warehouse. By co-locating the repack and warehouse activity for Tulip at our Heywood depot, we are reducing the steps in the supply chain and helping our customer reduce food miles and cost.”
The new repacking system, can adapt to all configurations in terms of shapes and sizes of consignments and operates at ten packs per minute.
In addition, the Heywood team is also now carrying out labelling work for Tulip, on the consumer unit, using machinery that sleeve wraps products into packs of six.
“We don’t shy away from doing certain jobs that perhaps others may see as too difficult,” Helen added. “We always want to offer our customers a one stop shop, where customers can store products and we can convert into customer specific formats.
“We pride ourselves on offering supply chain solutions to customers and with our new repacking and labelling systems here at Heywood, I believe that is exactly what we are doing for Tulip.”
Commenting on the system investment at Heywood, Nick Hay, managing director at Fowler Welch, said: “Fowler Welch is committed to providing an agile supply chain solution to all our customers and ensuring their products get to market both efficiently and economically.
“By investing in the new repack system at our Heywood depot, we are helping to simplify the supply chain for Tulip and we are actively supporting Tulip’s customers in their quest to reduce food miles.”
