Public Sector Switch to Smarter Storage and Distribution Solution

02 September 2014 by Lucie Chilton in Transport & Logistics

Southampton City Council’s Corporate Records Management Department and Southampton General Hospital are set to take advantage of the recently launched Sustainable Distribution Centre (SDC), which provides innovative storage and last mile delivery solutions.

Southampton based Meachers Global Logistics operate the state of the art 2000 square meters premises, which is based on the Nursling industrial estate.

The 4-year Corporate Records Management Department contract provides Southampton City Council with initial storage for 300 pallets through the consolidation of items that were stored in 5 separate units across the city into one central location.  

By using the SDC the council is expected to make financial savings in excess of £40,000 over a four-year period by reducing fixed overhead costs and improving storage and retrieval procedures by using new bar coding technology.

Frank Baxter, Head of Transport, Highways and Parking, Southampton City Council said:  "In a move to become more efficient and lean it is Southampton City Council's intention to use the space we have most effectively, which means looking carefully at our storage requirements.  The SDC enables us to manage our storage requirements more efficiently and effectively through providing cheap flexible storage options that can be built around our changing needs."

Southampton General Hospital has also started piloting usage of the SDC. It currently occupies 160 square meters of warehouse space, which is being used to store an assortment of non-essential items from furniture through to drip stands.

Gary Whittle, Commercial Director at Meachers Global Logistics commented: “The SDC provides smart storage and delivery solutions for public sector organisations like the council and hospital. Goods are grouped and stored on the edge of town and delivered on a demand basis by light goods vehicles, which help to improve traffic flow and enhance air quality.”

The SDC operates across the Solent region, including the Isle of Wight. Deliveries are received and stored or grouped with other loads destined for the same locations, and delivered together, thus reducing the number of delivery vehicles travelling into that location.  Environmental benefits include reducing carbon dioxidelevels, particulates and nitrogen oxide emissions, while having a positive impact on congestion in the areas that the SDC operates.