In industries led by customer demand, selecting the right partner to manage your fulfilment is a critical business decision.
Amethyst, who is the UK’s largest third party provider of warehousing and distribution to the toy industry, provide a cost efficient supply chain with security and control over your stock. Our services include significant levels of pre-retail work to meet retailers’ precise requirements as well as storage and distribution. Our clients include many famous national and international brands. We are proud of the fact our clients’ products have won the coveted Toy of the Year award for 6 of the last 10 years.
We understand that timely and accurate delivery is essential to avoid costly contract penalties and lost sales with major high street retail customers. Our strategically located distribution centres and best in class processes ensure our clients achieve 100% on time, in full delivery success.
Furthermore, our delivery solutions range from full loads going to major retailer NDC’s, through parcels to independent specialists and fulfilling internet orders. Our experience and specialised knowledge of the multiple retailers we deliver to on behalf of our clients has enabled us to maximise the benefits to our customers.
WAREHOUSING
Operating at 650,000 square feet of shared-user warehousing across 5 warehouses, with up to 1,000 employees at peak times, Amethyst is perfectly positioned to provide modern, strategically located warehousing with high levels of security. We provide flexible storage storage, tailored to our client’s requirements, designed for maximising efficiency. We offer specialist services to our clients including wholesale and retail distribution as well as e-fulfilment and reworking / pre-retail. Amethyst invests to provide clients with flexible space and labour, without the fixed costs.
DISTRIBUTION
We understand our client’s success depends on accurate and timely delivery of goods. Leveraging our supply chain expertise, we are able to provide a customised solution to each of our clients. We operate multi-client sites delivering to retailer’s distribution centres, retail outlets and web store customers throughout the United Kingdom, Europe and worldwide. This way we optimise vehicle fill to reduce costs and environmental impact and utilise our excellent retailer relationships to deliver 100% on time, in full deliveries.
ADDED VALUE
Beyond the standard storage and distribution offering we perform significant amounts of pre-retail customisation to meet the various retailer’s requirements, including Merchandising Units, relabelling, barcoding, remedial work and kitting. We are also seeing increased levels of multichannel routes to market via D2C orders (bypassing the retailers’ DC’s) and the launching of B2C services from manufacturers, both of which we support seamlessly via our adaptable systems and processes.
IT
Our services start with a full systems specification and integration of our warehouse management systems with clients stock control systems. For multichannel integrations we also integrate with web platforms and clients’ customer systems where required. Our systems handle inbound scheduling, order processing and status’, transport management and tracking as well as returns processing.
ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT/CUSTOMER SERVICES
We take a partnership approach to our client relationships. We manage this relationship through our operational teams with daily and weekly reviews and on a strategic level with Managing Director collaboration for regular reviews. This way we ensure the day to day KPI’s are achieved whilst allowing for planning of future developments. We provide an online reporting system for clients which is designed to allow self service access to key data for clients on demand.
CASE STUDIES
Toy Brand’s Warehousing and Distribution
The UK’s number one independent Toy and Gift developer required a flexible and responsive UK third party logistics provider who was able to handle large daily volumes of product with very high levels of accuracy. As well as carrying out planned and ad-hoc pre-retail services depending on their customer’s demands.
SOLUTION
Given that one in five of all the toys bought in the UK is delivered to retailers via Amethyst warehousing and distribution, they chose us to provide the solution. We invested in three dedicated warehouses and a dedicated management, operations and admin team to ensure that there was total focus on achieving the volumes and service levels required by some of the most demanding clients in the UK. We also used our in house transport management team to ensure that all deliveries were maximized and despatched in the most timely and efficient manner.
RESULT
This has given the client the freedom to concentrate on their core business while we look after their logistics, delivering to national distribution centres and retail outlets. Throughout our 12 year history of the contract we have improved customer service, implemented more efficient processes and improved stock accuracy. We have streamlined order processing enabling inventory reductions and vastly improved lead times in line with the demands of the client’s customers. By focusing on processes we have empowered the client to manage their stock in a much more efficient manner, reducing inventory by over 30% over the last two years.
Baby Healthcare Warehouse and Distribution
Our client, a baby healthcare product manufacturer, required an experienced 3PL partner to support their UK growth. They needed a partner who could scale with their expansion plans and maintain an excellent customer service. Sophisticated process management to ensure product integrity, minimal packaging tainting and customer conformance were maintained was a must.
SOLUTION:
Combining our experience with pharmaceutical product management and long term work in the consumer goods sector, we developed a solution that not only ensured 100% accuracy and conformance to the highest standards but realised synergies with our distribution operations to deliver a cost effective and environmentally friendly delivery solution. Products are stored in shrouded locations to minimise exposure to dust and our tailored healthcare systems and processes are implemented to ensure end to end traceability and inventory management.
RESULT:
We typically achieve 100% on time in full deliveries, for customers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Boots, Mothercare and Alliance Healthcare amongst others, as well as independents. We leverage our direct relationships with the retailers’ DC’s to ensure optimum vehicle utilisation and delivery slots. We also manage the webstore for the client, ensuring online orders are fulfilled and despatched accurately and in a timely manner. The client therefore focuses on their sales and growth whilst enjoying a stress free logistics operation.
