Palletline member HMT Group has successfully entered a contract with Havwoods Luxury Flooring, a leading supplier of wood flooring supplying architects, specifiers, and individuals around the world.
Just months into the contract HMT Group, supported by Palletline London which is a part of Palletline Logistics, recently achieved 100% on time in full delivery – a figure which is almost unprecedented in the industry – representing the consistently high expectations that Havwoods has for its logistics partners.
It is a significant win for HMT; these impressive figures involve the precision delivery of Havwoods flooring products to high-end hotels and restaurants, and some of the most exclusive residential and retail developments throughout the Greater London area and beyond.
Established in 1975, Havwoods is Britain’s foremost flooring company supplying architects, specifiers, and individuals around the world.
The level of service provided represents the consistently high expectations that Havwoods delivers to its own customers.
Prior to engaging HMT, Havwoods had been in search of a London based Partner that could meet the stringent Silver FORS requirements and service the Urban challenges that London demands all whilst reducing their environmental impact.
Initial conversations and trials were already underway between HMT and Havwoods, when HMT were called upon to support last-minute Customer requirement, site conditions had changed and they needed 3000m2 overnight, delivered in London, with Silver FORS requirements. a strong working relationship was formed and Havwoods invited HMT to tender for more of its distribution needs.
The introduction of Palletline London took place shortly after, due to 60-70% of Havwoods flooring products going into the Greater London area. In order to ensure optimum service levels, Palletline London provides a dedicated service comprising two vehicles and drivers distributing only Havwoods products on a daily basis with 60% going to trade customers and the remaining 40% to consumers. The remaining balance is split between HMT’s own vehicles and the Palletline network for distribution to other locations around the UK and Ireland.
“HMT and Palletline London have been a true asset to Havwoods. We are ecstatic with the results they are achieving so early into the contract,” says Ian Titterington, Operations Manager at Havwoods. “We had been searching for over four years to find a delivery partner that could meet our standards and fulfil the premium service expectations that both we and our high-profile clientele demand. HMT and Palletline London have been fantastic to work with and are clearly determined to represent Havwoods through excellent customer service and incredible accuracy.”
The contract involves HMT collecting daily, utilising its 40ft vehicle from Havwood’s Carnforth headquarters and trunking through the night to Palletline London. This significantly cuts down on Havwoods trunking costs, along with their carbon emissions which have been reduced by over 80,000 tonnes since working with HMT and Palletline London.
Arriving in the early hours, the goods are then tipped in Palletline London’s warehouse and loaded on to their own dedicated vehicles – one 26-tonne truck and one 18-tonne vehicle – ready for delivery the next day. Palletline London’s central base allows for deliveries across the Greater London area with plans to extend as far as Oxford in the future, far outside the company’s usual postcode area.
Mark Gallagher, General Manager, UK and Ireland at HMT Group, said: “We’re incredibly pleased that Havwoods has put their trust in us to deliver its luxury flooring, and through our collaborative working practice with Palletline London we have developed a truly bespoke, high-end service to match.
“We will continue to review the service level we provide, ensuring we’re meeting or exceeding our KPI promises, but are also consistently adding additional value to Havwoods’ supply chain needs. Our partnerships are created to last, and we hope that we can support Havwoods as it continues to grow.”
Due to the nature of Havwoods requirements, deliveries are required to be timed to perfection, meeting up with flooring fitters at delivery points, who unload and begin fitting within a specific schedule. All freight is unloaded on-site either on pallets or handballed as necessary.
Members of HMT’s operations team even joined Palletline London for several days during the initial stages of the new partnership and now regularly loan the company additional drivers and vehicles in the event of higher volume peaks.
Furthermore, HMT’s customer service team handle the relationship with Palletline London’s team of drivers, with its planning being fed into the operations team in London, with delivery drivers being managed from Preston.
The contract serves as an excellent example of the Palletline’s flexibility in meeting the needs of customers. It is also an excellent demonstration of Palletline members working collaboratively to deliver an optimum solution for customers, maintaining high service levels which are second to none.
