G’s Group, one of Europe’s largest fresh produce companies, has revealed it has been working closely with retail giant Tesco to improve the efficiency of its supply chain, in particular for produce shipped up to the UK from Spain.
As Adam Hill, senior account manager at G’s Spain, explains, a lot of work has been done to speed up supply and remove links in the chain where not enough value was being added in relation to the cost outlaid.
The company, a major supplier of salad vegetables and citrus to a large number of retail customers across the continent,has even gone as far as organising all of the necessary road transport to bring products direct to retailers’ doors.
“We’ve been closely involved in developing direct supply of vegetables like whole-head lettuce, celery and broccoli to the UK, the key difference being that we now send produce direct to customers’ depots instead of a staging area of our own in between,” he says. “This removes a link in the chain, which is better for our customers.”
One consequence of this improvement in supply chain efficiency is the fact that G’s Group’s retail clients are now having to work harder to forecast and programme their stock levels.
“Customers are having to plan better and only order what they sell,” says Hill. “Our Spanish lettuce can be picked on a Wednesday, for example, and in stores in the UK by Saturday.
'For us, direct deliveries are all about improving freshness for consumers and extending shelf-life.”
