Exel has won a multi-million pound contract with Nisa-Today’s to provide a temperature-controlled distribution service to 3,500 stores in southern England and to manage the buying group’s new multi-temperature distribution centre in Harlow.
The site will adopt the same warehouse management system and voice picking technology responsible for driving up productivity at Nisa’s Stoke warehouse 10% and boosting pick accuracy to 99.8%.
It will also take some of the pressure off Stoke and create the potential for new product ranges to go through the depot, said logistics MD Stephen Hunter. “Our business is growing rapidly and we need to manage our warehousing and transport operation to handle increased service levels with continued quality assurance and without increased costs.”
The expansion will support the roll-out of Nisa’s six-day a week Premier delivery service, which has helped retailers reduce stock holding, out of stocks and wastage and improve shelf life, he said.
Exel posted a 14.6% rise in pre-tax profit before goodwill and exceptionals to £72.2m on turnover up 15.3% to £2.62bn in the six months to June 30.