Author: rdadmin

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RDI have been supporting Ukrainian refugees by delivering humanitarian aid into collection centres on the Polish / Ukrainian border and will continue to do so until the need has ended.

Mike Phillips MD of RDI commented “It is great that the team here at RDI have reached out to the local Ukrainian community and we have been able to deliver humanitarian aid to where it’s needed. Well done team!”

Market leading food Ingredient logistics provider Ralph Davies International Ltd have announced that they have recently moved to a brand new facility in Bicester which provides increased storage capacity, in a state of the art facility, which is well serviced by the UK motorway network.

The facility was chosen as it brings RDI much closer to its manufacturing customer base, which will reduce collection mileage and improve flexibility to customers not to mention reducing RDI’s carbon footprint.

The building has a storage capacity of in excess of 5,000 pallets and has been racked in a narrow aisle configuration with “man up” VNA fork trucks, which were selected to ensure the driver is always working at eye level to improve accuracy and reduce the risk of damage.

VIGO software will remain pivotal to the operation by providing a full RF enabled Warehousing Platform that links seamlessly to the company’s Transport and Cross Dock operating system.

MD Mike Phillips commented “this move is a significant step forward and has been completed in the space of 12 weeks which is a huge achievement for the team here at RDI who have “sweated blood” to make this happen within the timescales laid down.”

The sun rises on a new partnership with it’s foundations built upon a long-term relationship that stretches back over 10 years.

Dawn Foods has awarded its ambient warehousing and distribution contract to RDI, recognising the strategic benefits of joining a specialist, food only network. The uniqueness of the proposition proudly stands apart from the competition, traditional transport companies and pallet networks, both of which have their place in the market but cannot deliver the service, technical understanding or customer experience.

RDI deliveries our customers brand promises, something that we are fiercely proud of and we recognise that the logistics provider is the most frequent, tangible contact with the end customer. The RDI Food Ingredient logistics model is designed to work with customers who have same / similar delivery profiles which ensures that we have existing relationships with your customer. Which is vitally important in such a competitive industry.

Adam Cooper , Director commented ” We are delighted to be awarded this prestigious account and are committed to making it a success for Dawn Foods and their customers Choosing our customers ensures product and delivery point compatibility and it is extremely important to our success.

Partnering with Dawn Foods represents a perfect collaboration.

RDI are excited to announce its new proprietary software platform.

Designed with the customer at it’s heart it takes our business closer than ever to a B2C operation whilst maintaining its commitment to delivering a dedicated Food Ingredients Network. The investment in technology reflects the parcel carrier experience for our customers and moves us a step closer to a paperless future.

We invest heavily in our business and work with leading partners to deliver our solutions, we are constantly looking to optimise.

We are not like a traditional logistics provider, we do not just focus on delivering 98% OTIF and cheap rates and that will do… We ask potential customers what value they are looking to achieve and work back from there.

Our software provider, VIGO Software provides us with a unique platform from which to serve our customers. Technology is changing many industries but RDI feel that logistics is slow to adopt, which is why we have invested so heavily in hardware, software and in upskilling our people.

We MUST provide intuitive solutions for our customers. Our driver handsets, with GPS tracking, electronic signature capture and real time information available to all parties ensures that we operate transparently with our customers. The openness that this creates pushes our business forward.

The whole system is supported by an online portal available 24/7 to our customers putting them in control and giving them information like never before.

We have exciting plans to continue to develop the product, this is only the beginning for us, our partners and our customers.

RDI’s Managing Director, Mike Phillips says

“We see investment in technology as the cornerstone of our logistics offering as we seek to push the boundaries of great customer service”

Horses for Courses

RDI has teamed up with British Sugar and Wincanton to undertake the LTL groupage deliveries which will offer greater efficiencies through the RDI food ingredients network.

RDI’s BRC accreditation gives the controls required to manage carefully the cross docking of product through its Worcester Hub for onward delivery across the UK with wholly compatible products.

Adam Cooper, Commercial Director for RDI commented:

“It makes a lot of sense as we are going to many of the same, or similar delivery points for other customers so it provides synergies and efficiencies for our customers, but also for the delivery point who get 2 or 3 deliveries in one … so everyone’s a winner really!”

Puratos, an International Food Group, which supplies food ingredients to the bakery, patisserie and chocolate sectors in over 100 countries has awarded Worcester based Ralph Davies International a 2 year contract to distribute their food ingredients throughout the UK.

The RDI Food Ingredient Transport Network will be taking over from the Puratos own fleet solution, a move which will give better synergies and economies to Puratos, as they will be able to benefit from the already established RDI network which already delivers to many of the same delivery points daily.

Commented RDI MD Mike Phillips:

“The RD/ Ingredients network provides huge synergies for both our customer and their delivery points and because we understand the need to only move compatible products food, safety is a given. We manage the complexity of multi drop timed deliveries through a close partnership with Vigo TMS software which will give a full track and trace solution to Puratos”

Worcester based RDI Logistics has taken delivery of 6 x new FH4 500BHP lightweight Volvo tractor units to complement recently won food ingredient tanker contracts.

Operations Director Toby Love commented:
“These latest new lightweight Volvo FH4’s weigh less than 7,500 kgs and with the new lightweight VanHool tanks means we can carry payloads of in excess of 30,000kgs, which reduces food miles by up to 20% and provides our customers with the best possible payloads, and with less drag, we will achieve double digit MPG.

Our concerns around driver acceptance of the lower roofed cabs proved unfounded, as the high specification and resourceful use of space more than makes up for less overall space.

Careful procurement, where one size doesn’t always fit, means that we are able to tailor solutions to specific customers and work type, which supports the continuing growth of our business in the food ingredients sector”

The tanker division of Ralph Davies, RDI Liquid Logistics, was recently appointed as joint supplier on a 2 year contract of fruit juice tanker work from Europe to the Bridgewater packing plant of Refresco. This follows RDI’s investment in a new fleet of light weight VanHool tankers with greater payload capacity.

Commented Simon Seyb, UK Logistics & Customer Services Manager of Refresco:
“We are building a close working relationship with RDI because we appreciate their innovative approach – these new tankers will give us payloads of over 30 tonnes, and thus fewer trips from our suppliers in Europe, which not only saves us money, but also reduces food miles and carbon footprint, which is important to Refresco.

We have already had RDI’s successful input on a number of other transformative logistics projects which we fully intend to exploit moving ahead to the benefit of our customers and Refresco, in terms of quality, predictability, speed and cost.”

On the back of a new contract with Refresco, the Worcester based Ralph Davies’s tanker division, RDI, recently started taking delivery of 10 specially lightweight designed tankers from the Belgium factory of VanHool which will be put to work moving fruit juice from Europe to the Bridgewater factory of Refresco.

VanHool chose to display one of the tankers at the Commercial Vehicle Show in April.

Commented RDI MD Mike Phillips:
“ Working closely with VanHool, we are now able to offer our customers the greatest payload per movement reducing cost per tonne and reducing food miles…we are hopeful that we can take up an option on a further 10 units as our business grows”

Ralph Davies International, [RDI] in new ownership since January 2017, is making its way into the food ingredients sector, and in support of that has recently gained a big boost by gaining BRC A grade accreditation.

The long established Worcester based firm is also repositioning itself in terms of fleet with investment in new environmentally friendly Euro 6 vehicles and a more adaptable trailer fleet that can accommodate the differing requirements of food ingredients distribution.

Adam Cooper – RDI Director commented
“This accreditation is a major step forward for us in being recognised as a leader in the food ingredients logistics sector – we are striving to ensure that we are something more than just a transport business and that we understand our customers’ needs, particularly about food safety and the requirement to have strong HACCP procedures in place”.