Q and A: Kerry Delaney, Commercial Director at Core Management Logistics (CML), Lutterworth, Leicestershire
Core Management Logistics (CML) is a 3rd Party Logistics provider that provides retail order fulfilment and distribution solutions.
What does your company do? What is your USP?
Core Management Logistics (CML) is a 3rd Party Logistics provider that provides retail order fulfilment and distribution solutions. We are proud of the fact that each of our solutions is tailored to the specific customer requirements and this makes us different from other logistics providers.
How does a product/service implementation actually look like and how do you measure success?
We have a dedicated Project Management and IT implementation team who use a robust, tried and tested implementation process. Our implementation team measure success when all project deliverables have been completed, but more importantly success is measured when we know the customer is happy with what has been delivered. Customer satisfaction is the true measure of success.
How are retailers using your systems to gain competitive advantage and what does best practice look like?
Our customers have full visibility through our online portal which allows them to have access to their supply chain data 24/7. The portal enables the retailer to monitor their order status within the warehouse, their inventory status and includes a full track & trace of the shipment to the end customer.
We also have a dedicated Account Management team who use a best-practice Monthly and Quarterly Business Review process (MBR/QBR). Meetings are held with the customer to review both the day to day aspects of the account, in addition to the strategic and continuous improvement aspects of the total supply chain operation.
Best practice for CML is to constantly look for new and innovative ways to improve the levels of service we offer to our customers.
What advantage does it add?
Our best practice approach gives our customers the advantage of having real time data at their fingertips so that they can proactively make decisions about their changing supply chain needs and react quickly if changes to the solution need to be made. In a fast paced environment like retail, we need to be able to anticipate what the market is doing next and stay ahead of the industry in terms of speed and quality of service to the end customer.
What challenges and opportunities do you see in UK retail for 2019 / What challenges are retailers facing in 2019?
Retailers are under constant pressure from customers to deliver a quicker and more convenient service at the lowest price possible. Retailers who are quick to anticipate changes in the retail market will continue to win customer loyalty and will ultimately stay ahead of the competition.
This is an opportunity for retailers to outsource their logistics and supply chain to a 3rd party logistics provider like CML to allow them to concentrate on their strategic positioning, marketing and planning within the industry. The retailer can ultimately concentrate on their core business, which is selling products to end customers.
Outsourcing to CML provides a guarantee that their supply chain is being taken care of and that the end customer is receiving the best possible service.
How will you address these challenges and turn them into successes?
CML are now part of the Rhenus Group that provides logistics solutions to a significant portfolio of well-known global retailers. With over 31,000 employees and 660 locations across Europe, CML can now benefit from best practice and innovation deployed across the group. The latest technology, automation and robotics are available for us to share and offer to our customers, all of which are designed to offer the most state of the art, cost effective order fulfilment solutions on the market.
What is on the horizon for you as a company?
As CML integrate within the Rhenus Group, we are excited about the opportunities it will bring. Not only in terms of winning new business with some of the largest retailers in Europe, but also to be able to offer our existing customers an enhanced service offering using the Rhenus knowledge of the retail industry and leading innovation and technology.
We are always looking to invest in systems and solutions that provide the very best in logistics and order fulfilment solutions.
Any final thoughts?
The retail market is constantly evolving. With competition across retail at its highest and customer expectations at their most demanding, it is a challenge for retailers to maintain a healthy cash flow and difficult to keep pace with the market.
Successful retailers will be those who outsource their warehousing and logistics to a 3rd party provider, in order to benefit from the 3PL’s investment strategy and latest order fulfilment technology. A 3PL solution provides a variable cost to the retailer, keeping fixed costs to a minimum and allowing operating costs to flex in line with peaks and troughs in demand. Having the logistics solution as a variable provides significant cash flow benefits to the retailer.
But, more importantly, outsourcing to a trusted 3PL like CML really does allow the retailer to concentrate on the strategic planning of their own business to ensure that they are always one step ahead of the competition.
For more information about CML and the services it provides, visit www.cmlplc.com or call 01455 200 700.
