Distrupol Choosing Rationally

Part of the Univar group of companies, Distrupol is a European leader in the sales, marketing, distribution and application of an extensive range of thermoplastic polymers and elastomers. The UK is one of Distrupol’s most significant markets and the company’s UK client base includes over 5,000 different organisations. To ensure they all receive the highest levels of service, a major overhaul of Distrupol’s entire UK distribution operation was recently undertaken.

Historically, the company had operated six separate warehouse sites strategically located throughout the UK. The decision was taken to rationalise these facilities. Distrupol now operates from a single new central distribution centre at Willenhall in the West Midlands.

The Willenhall facility comprises 70,000 square feet of fully racked warehouse space in two modern buildings separated by a partially covered yard area. It houses over 1,000 different types of polymer. There are 24 aisles of racking in the main warehouse and each one provides some 640 pallet locations.

The site is served by a fleet of six lpg-powered Yale Veracitor GC-VX trucks in 2.5 tonne capacities. The trucks are used to off-load incoming containers and deliver goods to the racking, assemble orders and load delivery vehicles.

Previously, Distrupol had used a mixed fleet of trucks, with some models used outside and others working inside the warehouse building. The lpg powered Veracitors, which are fitted with cushion tyres, are equally at home both inside and outside the buildings.
Lpg was the preferred power source because it is clean, economical and the refuelling process is straightforward. A gas station is located close to the main warehouse and the entire refuelling process takes little more than 20 minutes. Trucks can perform flat out for an eight-hour shift and usually longer on one tank of gas.

Distrupol operates two shifts at Willenhall – one dedicated to unloading incoming trailers and put-away duties and the other dealing mainly with order picking and dispatch. In a typical week, over 2,000 orders are processed – this equates to over 1,250 tonnes of material moved.

“We worked closely with Yale to ensure that we got the right type of forklift truck to suit our application and the specific handling requirements of the products we have to handle,” said Keith Price, Distrupol’s warehouse and transport manager. The Veracitors are compact, yet their three stage Triplex masts can lift pallets weighing 1.375 tonnes to heights of 4.5 metres, while the speed at which the trucks operate has also enabled Distrupol to dramatically increase put away and retrieval speeds at Willenhall.

“Yale’s approach and attention to detail was very impressive,” said Keith. “They worked closely with us to analyse our entire handling operation, in fact, they were more like consultants than suppliers.

“With polymers being a derivative of oil, fluctuations in the oil market affect world polymer prices, so we are always under pressure to offer added value to our client. Our supply chain is now so efficient that a number of our clients no longer operate their own warehouses. They know they can order product from us for next day delivery so there is no need for them to tie up money in stock.”

Pictured Above: Yale lpg powered Varacitor VX25.

Contact Yale Materials handling UK Ltd on 01922 745744
www.yale-uk.com

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