WH Smith has awarded Wincanton a three-year transport management contract extension, for which it will roll-out “crucial” new technology.
The deal will see Wincanton continue to work from WH Smith hubs in Swindon, Dunstable, and Birmingham, as well as manage the performance of collaborative partners in the South West, North West, and Scotland.
The Transport Management Centre telematics technology is designed to both create business efficiencies and reduce environmental impacts at WH Smith, as well as unlock collaborative opportunities and optimise vehicle efficiency.
With an increase in stores meaning it is now present at 1,042 locations nationwide, the high street retailer was looking for new ideas and innovation to change the way it was using transport.
It said Wincanton’s latest technology successfully simplified the management of journeys and routes, by optimising resource usage and productivity.
“In essence the system allows transport schedules to be run on a “bus stop” basis, with drivers and trucks allocated to pre-planned routes, giving greater management of overall fleet performance and the ability to pre-advise stores of impending arrivals or delays,” said chief executive at Wincanton, Eric Born.
“By leveraging our own experience, technologies, in-house scale and partnerships we can continually adapt to enable WH Smith to achieve its commercial strategy and corporate targets.”
The two companies have now been working together for 20 years.
