Fortoak, one of the UK’s leading supplier of till rolls, labels, and packaging has gone from strength to strength in recent years.

With a strong market presence, the company has experienced significant growth through organic expansion and the acquisition of Pad Printers, a well-established manufacturer and supplier of restaurant pads and paper products across the UK and Ireland.

The Challenge

With Fortoak importing between 18 and 20 containers per month from the Far East, the company needed an efficient, end-to-end logistics solution to streamline its operations and to cater to increased growth.

The goal was to enhance operational efficiency, improve supply chain visibility, and ensure the seamless movement of goods from port to customer delivery.

The Solution

Fortoak partnered with LTS Global Solutions, a Birmingham-based supply chain specialist, to manage its logistics requirements.

LTS now oversees:

• The landing, clearance, and transportation of all inbound containers.
• Storage within LTS’ warehousing facility in Coleshill, Birmingham, including 1,169 pallet spaces and a designated pick and pack area.
• Outbound logistics through a combination of LTS’ pallet network, TPN, and two dedicated Fortoak-branded trucks, along with multiple external final-mile partnerships.

The Results

Since partnering with LTS, Fortoak has achieved:

• A market-leading 99.2% on-time, in-full (OTIF) delivery rate to over 1,000 active customers across sectors such as retail, hospitality, petrol forecourts, and merchant services.
• A highly scalable logistics operation that supports future growth and expansion with minimal disruption.
• Enhanced collaboration between Fortoak and LTS, facilitated by the co-location of 12 Fortoak staff within LTS’ facility at Hams Hall, Birmingham.
• Alignment with Fortoak’s sustainability goals, as LTS’ facility was constructed with carbon neutrality in mind.

Comments From Key Stakeholders

Simon McCouaig, Managing Director of Fortoak commented:

“Over the past year, our growth has really shown just how important it is to have a reliable logistics partner – something we have luckily found in LTS. Their ability to scale with us has been pivotal in keeping us on track and ensuring we deliver exactly what our customers need, without stumbling at the first hurdle which is easily done.

Alex Vergopoulos, Fortoak’s Chairman, also added

“LTS manages the logistics and storage side of our business, and we manage the orders, take care of the pick and pack operation as well as the final-mile distribution. It’s a true partnership. Being able to work out of LTS’ impressive site is also hugely beneficial as it enables us to have a greater overview of our entire operation. 

“From our shared commitment to sustainability to the way we operate, the synergy between our two companies is what makes our relationship run like clockwork. In many ways they have become a vital cog in our operation, and we are confident that they will continue to play a significant role in our expansion plans as we look to develop our operation organically and through further acquisition.”

Dave Hands, Managing Director of LTS Global Solutions also said:

“Flexibility is at the core of everything we do at LTS, and is a significant enabler in ensuring our clients and partners have complete confidence in our ability to provide the right tailored support they need to grow alongside us.

“Our relationship with Fortoak could perhaps be considered as slightly unconventional as they not only have space in our building, we are also their logistics partners as well as their customer as we purchase both labelling and packaging products from them. We literally work hand in hand, and it is a relationship which is paying dividends for both organisations.

“We are delighted to be a part of Fortoak’s continuing success story and look forward to continuing to support them on their growth journey.”

The Road Ahead

As Fortoak continues to grow both organically and through acquisitions, its relationship with LTS will remain integral to its success.

With a strong and scalable logistics foundation in place, Fortoak is well-positioned to achieve its ambitious expansion goals in the years to come.

Alongside the skills and knowledge of an experienced in-house team, Fortoak is helped by a very special partnership which has grown and developed over the years into a sophisticated end-to-end supply chain solution.

Partnership in action

The partnership is with Birmingham-based LTS Global Solutions, and began many years ago as a simple logistics package, moving palletised goods and big ticket items. As Fortoak commenced an outsourcing strategy with carefully selected partner businesses, LTS provided additional warehousing space and container management services to facilitate further growth.

Alex Vergopoulos, CEO for Fortoak Rolls Ltd, explained how the partnership has evolved. “LTS tailored their own strategy around the drive to grow their service portfolio, facilitating our growth,” he said. “For us, the icing on the cake was the establishment of an Ocean division, which enabled the company to take ownership of containers of product coming in from the Far East. Working as a true partnership rather than a more traditional customer/supplier approach has meant that we both understand the individual commercial and operational challenges we face on a day to day basis.”

From landing containers to nationwide distribution

Today, LTS Global Solutions provides Fortoak with a comprehensive suite of services ranging from landing containers through to warehousing and storage, pick and pack and distribution, serving Fortoak’s offices in London, Loughborough and Birmingham.

“The Fortoak solution demonstrates our preferred mode of operation with our customers,” stated Dave Hands, MD for LTS. “We have advanced technology enabling us to share detailed insights into stock levels and products movements, which means our customers can keep their customers fully informed at all stages of the supply chain.”

Earlier this year LTS entered into a warehousing and distribution contract with Occasional Connoisseur, a Birmingham-based specialist wine importation company that is presenting an opportunity for UK residents to enjoy wines that have previously been unavailable in the United Kingdom.

To enable LTS Global Solutions to support this growing business through their warehousing and logistics solution, they applied for, and were granted, a premises license for the storage and distribution of alcohol. Managing Director Dave Hands gained his personal license and is LTS’s designated premises supervisor.

Given the stringent and clear legislative guidelines set out by the various Birmingham local authorities, LTS redefined some of their working processes and implemented additional ones to adhere to the criteria required.

We asked Occasional Connoisseur to provide some background on their business and also why they chose to work with LTS Global Solutions to support their supply chain:

Beginning in the Czech Republic and Austria with select wine producers, Occasional Connoisseur is importing and distributing the finest offerings of each vineyard and season. Future endeavours will encompass small batch fortified wines, liqueurs and spirits, and also extend into alternative wine-producing zones and countries throughout Eastern Europe to bring the very best of what can be sourced for the home market.

Occasional Connoisseur is specializing in wines that have escaped the attention of the larger distributors, simply because the vineyards with which they are working do not produce wine on an industrial scale. The care and attention with which these vintages are produced is exceptionally high, and – as a result – they are comparable, and in many cases exceed the quality of larger-scale wine producers and purveyors.

The wines they have chosen to import are perfect for occasions of moment and significance. Weddings, engagement parties, graduations, birthdays, seasonal holidays, family reunions, dinner parties…occasions where a special wine can be enjoyed as an inherent part of the celebration itself. The wines will possess a story, a history, some unique aspect to their origin and creation that will become part of the event itself.

Occasional Connoisseur has been created by two people…

Gren Turner is a well-travelled businessman who has owned and managed extraordinarily successful freight, logistics and transport enterprises for more than thirty years. His work has taken him around the world, thus giving him the opportunity to enjoy wines from countless regions and vineyards.

RJ Ellory is a well-known and extensively-translated author and musician who, again, has had the good fortune to travel the world and enjoy wines from more than a dozen countries.

Neither of these personalities are aficionados or connoisseurs, and yet – almost by accident – they have gained a vast wealth of familiarity with some of the finer wines, spirits and liqueurs available in Europe and the commonwealth.

Hence, having enjoyed a personal friendship spanning two decades and motivated by nothing but a desire to share some of these extraordinary vintages and small-batch wines with the public, they embarked on a mission to introduce these unusual, rare and unique items to the UK at an affordable price.

In order to establish a system whereby wines could be securely received, stored, packaged and dispatched throughout the UK, Occasional Connoisseur needed to create and establish a supply chain management system that incorporated and accommodated all import protocols and Food Standards Agency regulations, thus achieving compliance with a number of government departments. Additionally, OC required a website that could facilitate and manage the anticipated quantity of orders and to have that website work in tandem with our logistics partner.

Thus, in selecting a company that could fulfill such a very broad range of requirements, we were very specific in our demands.

The management of LTS had been known to the owners of Occasional Connoisseur for a number of years. Having had a previous working relationship, we have found them to be resourceful and proactive in their approach to providing cost effective solutions for both the home and European market place. Especially now, with the international business panorama changing and the prospect of massively-increasing trade opportunities, Occasional Connoisseur wanted a logistics partner that would not only service the immediate needs of a fledgling company, but also grow with us as we began importing from other countries and accumulating a rapidly expanding customer database.

From initial discussions to final implementation of an integrated and comprehensive logistics package, we found the process rapid and remarkably problem-free. In truth, it was as if we were working with a long-established partner who understood the idiosyncrasies and potential issues of such a new and unproven venture.

Today, LTS supports the OC supply chain in all aspects of management and logistics service solutions.

Further information on OC and their product offerings can be found at;

http://occasionalconnoisseur.com/

The Client:
The Panelling Centre is one of Ireland’s leading manufacturers and distributors of kitchens, bedrooms, flooring systems and appliances, with locations across Ireland, aiming to inspire customers with up to date, high quality designer ranges. The company has over 40 years’ experience in the kitchen and bedroom business, stocking a complete selection of kitchen units, laminate worktops, solid worktops, kitchen accessories, appliances, drawer systems, flooring and decking.

The Requirement:
Continued expansion across Ireland and growing demand for the company’s extensive range in mainland UK led The Panelling Centre to open a Regional Distribution Centre in Milton Keynes to handle logistics across England, Wales and Scotland, stocking product to speed up deliveries to customers. Distribution was originally handled by another haulier, but the nature of the product meant that prices were not competitive enough by load or pallet, and not flexible enough to provide a best fit solution for this type of product. In addition, plans to move into direct to home deliveries meant that The Panelling Centre was looking for a distribution specialist capable of providing a two man delivery service.

The Solution:
LTS Global Solutions was recommended to The Panelling Centre by a third party already using the company’s services. Although initial volumes were limited, LTS recognised the potential for growth and worked with The Panelling Centre to devise a solution designed around greater volumes, moving away from groupage to operate vehicles dedicated to the company’s requirements. With kitchens and carcases often representing ‘dead space’ in logistics terms, achieving the right balance was critical in order to provide a solution which matched requirements in terms of both price and service levels. LTS now handles 98% of UK distribution for The Panelling Centre.

The Testimonial

“The service we receive from LTS is absolutely superb,”

“The service we receive from LTS is absolutely superb,” confirmed Richard Bexon for The Panelling Centre. “The back up from the traffic office is also excellent, with good communications at all times and a real dedication to managing the issues which arise every day on our busy roads! We enjoy a competitive and reliable service, designed around our needs, ensuring we receive the best possible delivery options and scope for development into the future in terms of both volumes and services.”

The Client
From its beginnings in northern Bohemia back in 1756, Riedel Glass represents a 250 year success story spanning eleven generations of the same family. Now enjoying international recognition for the design and production of the highest quality grape varietal specific glasses and decanters for the full enjoyment of wines and spirits, Riedel is believed to have changed the world of wine glasses forever. Today, top rated wineries and restaurants throughout the world use Riedel products, choosing from collections to match every lifestyle and price range.

The Requirement:
In the UK, RSN.UK Ltd t/a Riedel supplies four market sectors: Trade, Retail, Wine Trade and directly to consumers via product sales from the website. Riedel were seeking a distribution partner capable of servicing the requirements of its distributors and also handling a percentage of the ‘direct to door’ deliveries into restaurants.

The Solution:
LTS Global Solutions has now been working with Riedel for over a year, servicing mainly the Trade sector, delivering to specialist distributors as well as directly to selected establishments. The solution devised to handle the Riedel requirement goes much further than simple distribution; LTS also acts as a facilitator for Riedel, with high value glassware delivered in bulk to LTS’s Birmingham warehouse from the company’s factories in Austria and Germany. Here, it is unpacked and repackaged in smaller ‘master carton’ quantities to match individual orders.

The Testimonial
Commenting for Riedel, Office Manager Lisa Perry underlined the close working relationship which has developed between the two companies. “We enjoy good service, and our contacts at LTS are always approachable and keen to help. They are flexible in terms of the service they offer and are capable of re-examining solutions and reacting accordingly in line with changes to our business model,” she stated.

The Client
Staircraft Integrated Solutions is the market leading supplier of timber staircases to the UK’s house building industry. The company has been manufacturing and supplying staircases for over 30 years, constantly reviewing products and services and refining its approach to meet the high volume and rapid delivery demands of this sector. Staircraft is now the only company in the UK offering a truly integrated solution from point of design to installation on site combining stairs, engineered floor joists and decking.

The Requirement:
Staircraft currently delivers on average 600+ staircases per week from two separate manufacturing facilities, one based in Nuneaton handling volume business with the major housebuilders and the other in Wednesbury, managing more customised projects. The company sought a partner capable of handling the challenges of these more bespoke distribution commissions, representing smaller volumes but different and very unique delivery requirements.

The Solution:
LTS has provided logistics services for Staircraft for a year and currently manages around 20% of all Staircraft deliveries. Excellent levels of communication have been established between the two companies, with LTS logging directly into Staircraft’s own on line management system to ensure deliveries are planned ahead of production. In addition, LTS has invested in longer vehicles to service the Staircraft requirement; for these products, weight is rarely an issue, but the length of straight stair sections can present logistic challenges.

The Testimonial
“LTS provides us with a consistently reliable and efficient service,” confirmed Paul Thomas, Operations Manager for Staircraft. “Our bespoke staircases are “complex” and come in all different shapes and sizes, as well as being a semi finished joinery product that demands knowledgeable handling. With LTS, we have been able to establish close working relationships and levels of trust with drivers and warehouse staff alike, who understand the potential issues when loading and unloading our products.”

The Client:
One of the UK’s largest privately owned transport and logistics companies. Europa Worldwide Logistics has been delivering cost-effective freight solutions since 1966. With a strong presence in 100 countries across six continents, Europa delivers over 500,000 consignments a year across 30 European and Scandinavian countries.

The Requirement:
The Europa philosophy is built around commitment to quality and service, offering customers complete logistics solutions covering all their requirements, with the sole purpose of ensuring promises are delivered regardless of distance or urgency. To support this ethos, Europa works with a number of trusted partners in the UK to manage selected routes and contracts as well as peaks in demand.

The Solution:
LTS Global Solutions has played a role in the Europa success story since 1999. From 7.5 tonners through to artics, LTS has 11 vehicles operating on Europa business on a daily basis, from multi-drop through to full loads, delivering UK and collecting European freight. “Europa is a key customer for LTS,” stated Managing Director Les Nunn, “We work as an integral part of the Europa team, running a number of vehicles in Europa livery and the accompanying drivers in Europa uniform. Our aim is to match the quality Europa delivers for its customers.”

The Testimonial
“Our partners at LTS Global Solutions are reliable and professional, reflecting our own operational values,” confirmed Gren Turner, MD for Europa. “There is a definite synergy between the two companies which has developed over more than a decade of successful cooperation. LTS run a tight and efficient ship, and we are more than satisfied with their interaction with our customers. We are confident that we can rely on LTS as part of our team here in the UK.”

The Client:
Levolux has over 160 years’ experience in the design, project management, manufacture, installation and maintenance of sunscreening systems. The company offers a wide range of products designed to control light, heat and glare, whilst providing many valuable benefits in terms of occupier comfort and energy savings. Levolux provides both standard and bespoke solutions for existing and new buildings for both interior and exterior applications, utilising current capabilities and the emerging possibilities of building technology.

The Requirement:
For Levolux, operating nationally from a number of manufacturing sites, fast and reliable product distribution is an important issue. Transportation is not always a straightforward A to B requirement; product may be moved in stillages between production and powder coating plants, or direct to client sites. In addition, the nature of the product means that specialist equipment such as flatbeds or hi abs is often required, and damage limitation is also an important issue.

The Solution:
LTS Global Solutions is proud to have worked successfully with Levolux for over a decade, handling the majority of product movements covering a defined geographical area in and around the Midlands. The company provides a range of services in line with Levolux’s developing requirements, using both company vehicles and specialist transportation sourced to meet the challenges of individual product shipments. Flexibility is key to the success of this contract; volumes can fluctuate significantly, and LTS’s ability to respond swiftly to changing demand plays an important role in the smooth running of the logistics operation.

The Testimonial
With a decade of successful collaboration between Levolux and LTS, the company professes itself to be very happy with the contribution made by LTS. “We have been working together for long enough to have a full understanding of each other’s needs,” stated a representative for Levolux. “LTS are able to satisfy our specific requirements professionally and reliably, even in terms of sourcing specialist equipment for certain shipments. The length of our relationship underlines the quality of the service!”

The Client:
DHL is the global market leader of the international express and logistics industry, with a network linking more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. DHL Automotive, Industrial & LLP – UK focuses on offering competitive advantage for the automotive industry, with processes and services geared to reducing cost and inefficiency, and improving delivery accuracy as well as simplifying the most complex and extended supply chains.

The Requirement:
It’s all about getting materials to production lines on time and improving availability of spare parts. The automotive industry is a challenging arena, and DHL is charged with moving car parts from leading names including Land Rover and Jaguar, from engines through to body panels, mostly in stillages, responding to requirements around the clock in line with build requirements.

The Solution:
LTS Global Solutions has been working as a contract distributor for DHL Automotive, Industrial & LLP UK for 18 months. The company supplies 4-6 dedicated vehicles and trailers on a daily basis, playing an integrated role in the DHL production and aftermarket service. The work is demanding, requiring all deliveries pre-booked to specific time slots, encompassing a full range of services from delivering in empty stillages to bringing out full loads to meet customer requirements. In addition, with all carbon emissions footprinted down to suppliers in the automotive industry, accurate monitoring and record keeping is critical. LTS is currently in discussions with DHL to expand the scope of the business, investing in new vehicles to meet proposed increase in demand from the logistics giant.

The Testimonial
“We enjoy a first class service from LTS,” confirmed Lee Ellis, Network Integrator for DHL Automotive, Industrial & LLP UK. “What I do appreciate is the personal touch. Our requirements are often complex, and the company goes beyond the call of duty to respond to our non-standard requirements. Financial tariffs are flexible and they are reactive to our volume variations – so much so that I’m now looking to grow the business we do together.”