Increasingly efficient methods of communications available to the transport and logistics sector mean that greater efficiency and visibility can be created within supply chain solutions. Both on a national and international level, transport companies like Relay can support customers in reducing cost, cutting waste and ensuring that supply chains from end to end are fully aligned to the customer’s business requirements and are structured to achieve measurable benefits.
In our specialist area of transport and logistics, we have specific challenges to deal with that are distinct from UK haulage companies involved in providing freight transport for less vulnerable and valuable items. Tracking procedures must be particularly consistent and accurate, while our people that manage and process consignments from collection point to delivery at end user destination need to be highly skilled, well resourced and totally committed to providing faultless services at every stage.
In the UK, Relay provides a nationwide service through a superbly equipped fleet of trucks and light commercial vehicles operating out of our depots at Iver in the South East and Warrington in the North West, while Coatbridge in Lanarkshire covers our logistics transport business in Scotland.
Using each of these centres of logistics expertise, we are able to structure effective nationwide supply chain solutions that not only meet customer requirements in full but respond to our corporate social responsibility policies to minimise the environmental impact of our specialist freight services operations.
Key aspects include:
- Undertaking detailed route and schedule planning, while also conducting pre-delivery site visits to ensure that any issues of access are solved and deliveries are carried out as rapidly and efficiently as possible
- Ensuring optimum consignment visibility through investing in the latest tracking and PDA systems to support efficiency. Relay has prioritised the need to acquire leading edge logistics transport IT support and our long-standing IT partnership with Mandata has been a cornerstone of our success
- Using energy efficient fully equipped vehicles carefully selected for maximising efficiency of both open road and urban freight transport deliveries. For instance, our new 12 tonne trucks provide us with 4 tonnes additional load capacity over the 7.5 tonne vehicles in our fleet.
- Our new extra lightweight 7.5 tonne trucks particularly invaluable for congested areas and their exceptionally well designed load area allows for between one and 1.2 tonnes more goods on board than could normally be expected in vehicles of this tonnage. All our new vehicles being Euro 6 compliant means that they fulfil the highest environmental specifications.
- Grouping loads will cut costs, rationalise delivery planning and minimise wastage. Increased load capacity means fewer journeys, which in turn reduces fuel consumption, benefitting the environment as well as making our supply chain solutions more competitive for our customers.
- Managing the safe disposal and recycling of unwanted equipment and packing materials. Our customers can be completely confident that we fully comply with both the letter and spirit of regulations relating to dealing with waste generated by freight transport and road haulage operations.
- Promoting efficient handling and energy reduction measures in warehouses, including storage and warehouse management, lighting, temperature control and insulation. Relay warehousing is a key element in the efficiency of our supply chain solutions, offering state-of-the-art facilities that maximise carbon reduction opportunities while also providing for optimum storage conditions and security of customer assets.
By offering full European transport and international freight forwarding services, we at Relay have committed ourselves to offer equally efficiency, visibility and accountability in global as well as domestic supply chain solutions.
Whether shipping a single item or a full container load of equipment, a rigorous level of attention is required for international transport logistics by land, sea and air. There are national customs regulations to be met, local communications and infrastructure challenges to be accommodated and language barriers to be overcome.
Fortunately, Relay can be completely confident that our international freight forwarding and logistics operations are fully robust. Through our close and long-standing logistics partnership with Tech Cargo, we ensure that our transportation specialist services offer excellence without compromise anywhere in the world.
Using our worldwide network of experienced, highly qualified and trusted agents, Relay’s 24-hour freight transport services include:
- Professional packing: executed to the highest international standards on or off site including hermetic sealing for climate sensitive material
- Air exports and imports: handling freight services for all types of high-tech, business, scientific and medical equipment covering collections and deliveries to wide ranging locations
- Sea Freight: we offer FCL and LCL import/export freight services, with the ability to consolidate and load containers
- Road Transport: our vehicle fleet covering European transport deliveries is fully resourced with air suspension, tail-lifts, load locking facilities and on-board handling equipment
- Global customs clearance, consular and documentation management: we will handle regulatory freight transport and freight forwarding requirements such as raising consular documents and carnets plus assisting with letters of credit and SGS inspections
- Local installation: installations at sites worldwide are carried out according to Relay’s strong commitment to technical proficiency and high quality customer service
- Time sensitive deliveries: we can arrange for fast and efficient personal delivery using scheduled means of transport
Providing supply chain solutions in both the UK and overseas, especially in the specialist transportation we carry out as a logistics company, produces many challenges as we support our customers in the highly pressured competitive markets and sectors in which they operate.
Fortunately, Relay is exceptionally well resourced in technology, people and collaborative partnerships to forge robust and reliable end-to-end supply chains link by link. Our expertise has been tried, tested and proven through decades of transport and logistics experience.