Solving tissue supplier
Challenge
A major UK tissue supplier was importing their parent reels from Europe to another UK port via chartered vessel. We were able to offer a solution that solved our customer’s challenges relating to delays from the weather. The original breakbulk operation was discharged via Lo-Lo and meant the hatches would need to be closed during inclement weather to protect the cargo. This not only cost time but also money, as extra costs would be incurred for longer stays in port, as well as through potentially impacted product availability or damaged stock.
Solution
We were able to offer key benefits that would address the challenge facing this customer’s business, via the range of facilities and infrastructure available at UK Paper Hub. Foremost was that we recommended a change from Lo-Lo operations to either Sto-Ro or Ro-Ro which UK Paper Hub could accommodate through our site’s industry-leading network connections.
There would be no need of the customer to charter a ship with suitable vessel calls at Port of Tilbury already in place. The customer joined an existing vessel service into our dedicated Tilbury docks at UK Paper Hub, with direct access to our warehouses minimising any chance of damage or delay through weather interference.
Our team collaborated with both the shipping line and the customer, understanding the supply chain from both sides, to offer a solution that met all our customer’s needs and added value to their operations.
Value
Our customer is now able to send weekly shipments instead of having to accumulate large quantities of stock to make shipping costs worthwhile. They are also able to notify us of any priority cargo to be unloaded first for urgent deliveries – something that is harder to achieve via Lo-Lo operation. This makes their entire operation more agile and flexible in responding to the needs of their customers here in the UK.
Not only is our customer able to plan orders better than ever, but they have benefitted from significant cost savings. There is no longer any need to charter a vessel and thanks to having a steady flow throughout the supply chain, their stock spends less time in storage, reducing associated costs in both areas.
Being pleased with the added value of this initial new solution, we are excited to now be working with this same customer to help them consolidate more cargo to UK Paper Hub from other mill locations in the near future.
