“Both Catnic and our
customers rely on
Rhys Davies for their
support”

RESULT OF RELATIONSHIP

• Managed to integrate a difficult product into a multi-user, network operation.

• Due to bulk picking and trunking, Catnic’s own picking activity has been significantly reduced, producing efficiencies throughout the plant.

• Management information provided by RDFL has led to further cost savings in the warehouse and despatch processes.

CASE STUDY

• Catnic, part of Corus, manufacture steel lintels
and building components for the building
industry. Lintels vary in length from 1 metre to 4
metres and are delivered in widely varying sizes,
shapes and weights to builders’ merchants
throughout the country.

• Due to the difficult nature of the product, Catnic
ran a specialist dedicated fleet that delivered on a weekly “milk run” basis.

• A requirement to improve both delivery lead
times and customer service forced Catnic to
review their distribution methods. RDFL and
other logistics providers were approached for
advice.

• RDFL suggested that the product be distributed
on their shared user fleet, utilising their depot
network, providing a 24 or 48 hour delivery
service. A dedicated fleet option would not have
taken account of the seasonal peaks and troughs
of the business.

• RDFL has successfully managed the majority of
Catnic’s distribution requirements for over
4 years.

CONTRACT PROCESSES

• DAY 1 > Corus process customer order.

• DAY 2 > Orders bulk picked and loaded onto
trunk trailers.

• DAY 3 > Orders trunked to each RDFL depot.

• DAY 4/5 > Orders are split down, picked by drop and re-loaded onto the depot’s mutli-user re-distribution fleet. Goods delivered to customer.