How Unipart Logistics helps its clients reduce up to 99 percent of waste
It has been a transformative 12 months for both Unipart Group, and its division, Unipart Logistics: “We’ve seen our sales pipeline grow significantly, and our latest financial results show we’re going from strength-to-strength as a group across Unipart – with revenue surpassing £1 billion and an increase in profitability,” begins Unipart Logistics’ Business Development and Sector Strategies Director Adam Jones.
As part of this evolution, Unipart Logistics developed its service offerings. Already providing unique supply chain and performance improvement technologies expertise, one of the major recent additions has been the launch of Lead Logistics Partner (LLP) and circular economy solutions.
Adam expands: “The introduction of our LLP services has been a game-changer for our customers. As a Lead Logistics Partner, we take on the responsibility of managing and optimizing our clients’ entire supply chain operations. This comprehensive approach allows us to deliver enhanced efficiency, reduced costs, and improved service levels.”
Going well beyond traditional logistics support, the business can add value to its customers by leveraging its expertise and resources across a client’s whole supply chain. “For example, for the automotive sector, we work with particular customers on the design and manufacturing of products, the logistics and transportation, right through to aftersales support.” This enables the firm to deliver true end-to-end supply chain transformation.
Already a global player, Unipart Logistics is ever keen to expand. Covering the US, Europe, and Asia means the company can meet the needs of its clients wherever in the world they are based. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia recently became the 21st global market the business operates within. According to Adam, this “presents significant growth opportunities for our existing and new customers. Our global footprint allows us to provide consistent and high-quality service, using our local experts and knowledge to deliver truly tailored solutions to our customers.”
Reusing and recycling
As the business continues to expand, sustainability remains at the core of its strategy. Adam sheds some light on this approach: “In 2023 we made additional strides in shaping our sustainability roadmap to 2030 – where we plan to remove 90 percent of carbon emissions in Scope 1 and 2, and by 2040 we aim to have reduced 90 percent of emissions across Scopes 1, 2 and 3. This was approved in 2023 by the Science Based Targets Initiative.”
2023 also saw Unipart Logistics deploy Eco Insight, which uses real-time data to visualize energy consumption and carbon impact. This helps prioritize sustainable decision making across all operations.
Adam explains how this sustainability push also ties into the firm’s circular economy solutions. “A significant part of our sustainability strategy involves circular economy solutions. For instance, we manage waste by reusing and recycling products and materials. This approach has led to a 99.05 percent recycling rate and zero percent landfill for one customer’s engineering waste. Our reuse practices resulted in a cost avoidance of £716.5k in 2023 for this customer.”
The expansion of circular economy solutions is designed to support sustainability within the organization as well as for its clients. By supporting clients to recycle, refurbish, resell, and reuse materials, Unipart is helping to reduce their waste, environmental impact, and costs. “Our circular economy solutions have been particularly well-received, as businesses are increasingly looking for ways to be more environmentally responsible while also improving their bottom line.”
Making these improvements to the business is central to its strategy moving forward. They will not only help keep internal costs and wastage down, but they will also provide benefits that can be passed on to clients, helping them meet and exceed sustainability goals, reduce waste, emissions, and costs, and build efficiencies into the supply chain that continually reap rewards.
Continuous improvement
Unipart Logistics has supported long-term clients with complex operations for several decades. For example, a dedicated team in Nuneaton supports Vodafone’s supply chain operations, and Unipart Logistics has provided tailored distribution and logistics services to this major player for over 24 years. Furthermore, its partnership with Sky is also an enduring one, continuing for over two decades. It is easy to see what prospective clients find attractive about working with the business!
Supporting clients such as this requires continuous improvement, regular, strategic investment in state-of-the-art technologies, and improved infrastructure. A prime example is DexoryView, a market leading operational intelligence platform, which Unipart Logistics recently implemented. The business sees this as a huge leap forward in adopting stocktaking, inventory automation solutions, and autonomous mobile robots within its warehouses.
Speaking of warehouses, the company has also just opened a new location in Warth Park, in the heart of the Golden Triangle, putting 90 percent of the UK population within a four-hour drive and passing on the resulting efficiencies to customers.
In addition, to continue to explore what is possible in logistics operations, the business is launching a podcast, with expert guests each week. The show will provide in-depth analysis of challenges in the industry, as well as practical solutions to issues many customers face daily.
Adam sums up what the next five years will look like: “We aim to build on the growth momentum we’ve established by further expanding our reach across the globe and diversifying our portfolio of services and solutions to cater to a broader customer base. Our commitment to sustainability will also be a key driver of our growth strategy. We intend to develop and promote eco-friendly logistics solutions that help our clients reduce their carbon footprint, aligning with our own and global efforts to combat climate change.”
Whether it’s through securing important new growth opportunities that include The Entertainer and Scania, through expansions into new territories, or through the diversification of its offerings, the company and wider group are going from strength-to-strength. It’s exciting times ahead for Unipart Logistics as it utilizes its ever-increasing capabilities to deliver on its key goals, to facilitate sustainable growth for its clients and itself.