Supply Chain and Forwarding Outfit Secure Major Five Year Logistics Contract

UK – Unipart Logistics, the supply chain and freight forwarding division of the Unipart group, has secured an initial five year contract with Kubota UK to manage its national parts distribution and logistics functions. Unipart Logistics will provide distribution from its National Distribution Centre in Cowley, Oxford with the 24/7 operation running both warehousing and distribution, including the provision of mission critical components, to support Kubota’s extensive customer base both in the UK, Ireland and the Nordic Countries. Unipart will also supply components straight to Kubota’s assembly line in Thame.

Kubota, which is a leading producer of engines and construction, agricultural and ground care machinery, is intending to push into the mainstream agricultural sector, via its nationwide network of dedicated, specialist dealers where aftersales support is key. The object of the new deal is to meet the high service level agreements it has in place with many of its customers to whom downtime is critical, something Kubota believes will be better achieved by appointing a specialist outsourcing partner. Commenting on the announcement Dave Roberts, Kubota UK’s Managing Director, said:

“Having identified the need to increase our service levels, we evaluated potential distribution partners, and it quickly became apparent that Unipart’s extensive expertise in managing supply chain solutions is second to none. This together with the close proximity of Unipart’s distribution centre to us, made them the ideal partner. The creation of this new distribution operation will support the significant investment we have put in place in order to grow our product range and increase our market share.

“Due to the nature of some of the sectors in which our products operate, we will be setting Unipart some very challenging targets linked to speed, flexibility and creativity for our parts distribution. I am confident, based on the contracts they already have in place, that the Unipart team will have no problem meeting and no doubt exceeding our expectations.”

The new contract will allow Kubota to free up space in its own Thame facility allowing it to meet its future growth aspirations and help facilitate major expansion in to anticipated new markets. Mike Varnom, Managing Director, Unipart Aftermarket Logistics observed:

“This new relationship pays testament to our growing range of market leading clients. Fundamental to our ability to develop flexible solutions for different markets is the expertise in The Unipart Way that has been developed by our teams at home and abroad. All Unipart sites operate according to the Group’s proprietary version of operational excellence, known as The Unipart Way. This is a philosophy of working underpinned by tools and techniques that inspire efficiency, flexibility and outstanding customer service into any working process.

“We are proud to add Kubota to the extensive list of blue-chip companies with which we work. We have used our existing extensive logistics experience and expertise to create a tailored solution for Kubota. We are looking forward to supporting Kubota at every stage as they continue to grow their business and move into new markets.”