In a three-year contract, Scania will use DHL’s ‘Auto Alliance’, a shared-user platform for spare parts distribution, to cover the Swedish truckmaker’s aftermarket operations in Britain and Northern Ireland. Dealers will be able to place orders at 19.30 for guaranteed pre-8am delivery.
The operation includes both transport and consolidation activities, moving parts between dedicated Scania facilities and muti-user crossdocks. DHL will pick up parts at Scania’s worldwide distribution centre in Belgium (pictured) before being sent to its national centre in Milton Keynes in the UK. Deliveries will then be trunked to cross-docks around the country, consolidated with other products from OEMs and loaded onto vehicles for final mile delivery.
Along with the distribution service, DHL is responsible for sorting, storing and managing Scania’s reusable packaging from 10,000 sq.ft (930 sq.m) within the logistics provider’s automotive inbound cross dock centre in Hams Hall.
Mark Begley, warehouse and technical operations manager for Scania Limited commented: "In appointing DHL our key objective is to improve service levels to our 90-strong nationwide dealer network by providing a consistent pre-08:00am delivery service regardless of location.
“We are also looking to reduce our transport costs and carbon footprint through the introduction of a more efficient parts distribution system. Additional benefits include improved returns handling and better management of our reusable wood packaging. We have been extremely pleased with the planning and rollout process, which has been very professional with good communication throughout. In terms of operational benefits, we are already seeing an improvement in performance levels."
Michael Martin, vice-president for business development at DHL Supply Chain, also said: “We are delighted that Scania has joined our collaborative aftermarket platform, which will enable Scania to benefit from increased flexibility and improved visibility. Real time tracking provides peace of mind as to when the parts will be delivered, underpinned by a competitive rate.”
