MERCHANT FOCUS: KEYLINE
a lot further, and customer requirements are evolving to include evidence of the complete ESG packages of their suppliers. “Net Zero needs to be delivered by 2050, but the need to increase the minimum recycled content in packaging needs to happen now. This responsibility sits with us as a merchant, as well as our manufacturing partners. We are actively reducing our own plastic use, and avoiding landfill usage - and this is now, well ahead of 2050.” To deliver the change we need we must work together across the supply chain, so we are asking our manufacturers what they are doing differently with their products and setting expectations on behalf of our customers’ needs. There are some amazing supplier innovations in the market - whether it is part of the product itself or how it is manufactured.
Of course, the need for sustainable solutions reaches across our whole business - so like many others we are continuously looking at what we can do in all parts of our network. Whether that is looking at our assets and buildings - and the impact they can have. This can be as simple as changing the light bulbs to LED versions, or looking at how the buildings are heated, or how we deal with onsite waste. We all have a serious contribution to make and we need to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.”
Logistics efficiency
Woollard goes on to explain that it’s not just energy or physical products that Keyline need to consider, he says that the company is always working to reduce complexity and processes which can have an impact on the environment. “For example, getting the products to where they need to be first time - the less we have to use forklifts the less harmful it is from an emissions point of view. From a waste perspective, regardless of who is moving the waste, whether it’s us, the supplier or the customer on their site, it’s important that it is minimised. We have also been driving that agenda, trying to rationalise the amount of actual handling we have to do throughout the supply chain.”
Another major initiative has been the implementation of Keyline’s improved delivery service. “It allows us to optimise our routes from a transport planning perspective, which enhances the customer experience - while allowing us to make the most efficient deliveries,” he says. “It also saves time on site for customers - by giving them a two-hour window and a pre-warning text about delivery times. This not only ensures that deliveries are made quickly and efficiently, it minmises the time our vehicles spend on-site - increasing ours and our customers’ safety. And its technology
When we talk about sustainability, it is about the sustainability of our business as well as the planet. It includes our people and how we invest in them.
like this that we have in the Group that will allow us to further our ESG commitments. As with any new service, we are looking at how we can develop it further, in terms of our customers’ experience, but we are also asking ourselves how we can use the technology to support our ESG agenda. We might, for instance, be able to work out the greenest route, the one that uses the least carbon.” Sustainability is a wider issue than just carbon emissions, Woollard points out. “When we talk about sustainability, it is about the sustainability of our business as well as the environment. It includes our people and how we invest in them. We are a diverse and inclusive business, but we are striving to expand that, and to create the right place to work where you can always be your best self in the workplace,” he says.
“That’s all about diversity of culture, of different communities, but also diversity of generation and thought. We are seeing the positive impact in terms of bringing new ideas into the business through our apprenticeship
December 2021
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net
scheme which is of key importance to us as a group.
Woollard believes there is a responsibility to challenge and drive this agenda forward, “That’s not just as Keyline, but as a Group and, indeed as a sector. Travis Perkins plc is already on this journey, bringing in new colleagues with fresh and different perspectives iwhich mproves our proposition for us as a business, as well as for our suppliers and customers. The benefits are felt by all and helps future proof our industry.
The real key here is to increase the momentum, Woollard adds. “We want to bring our supply chain with us. Over the last 18 months, we have really coordinated what we are doing as a business. What we want to do, as a market leader in our sector, is to get as close as we possibly can to our suppliers, understand their plans and see what else might be possible. A true collaborative approach between manufacturing and distribution will ensure we are leading and achieving the ESG targets for us and our customers.” BMJ
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