CHEP, the pallet and container pooling provider, is supporting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to perform an in-depth study of its global supply chain network.
UNHCR operates in 123 countries with a staff of more than 9,300, providing protection and assistance to more than 46 million refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people. It maintains a network of seven global stockpiles managed from distribution centres in Copenhagen; Amman in Jordan; Dubai; Nairobi; Isaka in Tanzania; Douala in Cameroon; and Accra in Ghana. If needed, UNHCR can ship core relief items from these stockpiles to assist up to 600,000 people within 72 hours.
Vicente Escribano, head of its supply management logistic service, said: “The efficiency of our supply chain is often literally a matter of life and death to the refugees and families we serve, so any improvements we can make could have a massive impact”.
“We approached CHEP as a global supply chain leader to ask if they would evaluate if and how improvements could be made to improve our logistics and associated costs. Working with CHEP is a great opportunity for UNHCR and CHEP providing its resources and expertise on a voluntary basis is a real bonus.”
CHEP provided its Plant Network Optimisation Team for the in-depth study, which is reviewing the current state of UNHCR resources to reduce the lead time required to service refugee camps. Currently CHEP’s PNO team is conducting a detailed analysis of UNHCR’s supply chain network in Africa.
The study will be completed by late 2015 with findings and recommendations presented to UNHCR shortly afterwards.
