Tibbett & Britten Times #25 - Hayes Anderson Limited

The international customer newsletter of the Tibbett & Britten Group 

Issue 25 Spring 2002 

3 

Intelligent Logistics: the integration of information 

4 

6 

12 

13 

16 

Beating the clock for 7–Eleven 

Grocery goes hi-tech with Tesco 

Singapore springboard to South East Asia 

Saudi Arabia joint venture 

Mike Arrowsmith, face-to-face

2 Introduction 

Tibbett & Britten Times Spring 2002 

Greetings from Tibbett & Britten, 

the intelligent logistics group 

Welcome to Tibbett & Britten Times, the customer newsletter of Tibbett & Britten 

Group plc. Tibbett & Britten is a leading UK-based international logistics service 

provider. Working under contract on behalf of major retailers and multinational 

manufacturers, the Group focuses on the food & drink, clothing & textiles and 

other consumer merchandise sectors. 

UKI 

Logistics is the science of ensuring that the 

right products reach the right place in the 

right quantity at the right time and in the 

right condition to satisfy customer demand. 

Tibbett & Britten extends this concept 

through the development and application of 

intelligent logistics, in which IT systems 

integrate seamlessly, reliably and accurately 

without manual intervention. The Group is 

further differentiated by its total focus on the 

provision of logistics and associated services. 

Tibbett & Britten’s services include: 

Warehousing & inventory management 

Vendor consolidation 

Added-value/pre-retailing support 

Dedicated transport fleets 

4PL transport management 

Systems integration 

International supply chain management 

Customs/bonded warehousing 

B2B and B2C e-commerce support 

Collaborative planning, forecasting and 

replenishment (CPFR) 

Logistics re-engineering and change 

management 

While Tibbett & Britten has two 'home' 

markets – Europe and North America – it is 

active in a total of 35 countries on five 

continents. The Group directly employs 

nearly 36,000 people, operates 11,000 

commercial vehicles and manages around 

4.4 million sq m (47.5 million sq ft) of 

warehousing. This scale places it among the 

top ten logistics businesses in the world. 

This customer newsletter describes some 

recent achievements of Tibbett & Britten 

companies in a variety of markets. For further 

information, please visit the Group website 

at: www.tibbett-britten.com 

Growth maintained as focus sharpens 

Tibbett & Britten Group saw revenues rise 

by 9.3% to US$986 million (m1091 million) 

in the six months to 30 June 2001, 

with pre-tax profit rising by 9.2% to 

US$20.6 million (m22.7 million) over the 

same period. 

Among the highlights was a particularly 

strong performance in North America, 

where both revenues and operating profit 

advanced by 28%. The expanding mainland 

European operations recorded an excellent 

19% growth in revenues and an 11% rise 

in operating profit. 

Commenting on these encouraging first 

half figures, John Harvey CBE (right), 

Group Chairman, said: “We have increased 

our focus and investment on developing 

our core market sectors. A strong pipeline 

of new business has been secured, and 

the emphasis placed on providing 

innovative, technologically driven solutions 

for our customers.”

Cover Story 

3 


Intelligent Logistics 

Systems integration technology cements stronger partnerships 

For Tibbett & Britten 

Group and its clients 

‘intelligent logistics’ is 

the engine that drives 

shared success. The ability 

of all parties‘ information 

systems to work seamlessly 

together enables the 

Group's supply chain 

solutions to deliver more 

than just merchandise. 

Intelligent Logistics 

allows the delivery of 

competitive advantage. 

SMART points... 

Assured delivery – messages always arrive 

and positive confirmations are given. 

Authenticity – the sender's and receiver's 

identities are verified. 

Confidentiality – the message cannot be read 

by anyone else. 

Integrity – the message cannot be altered 

after it has been sent. 

Non-repudiation – the sender cannot deny a 

message‘s despatch, and the receiver cannot 

deny its receipt. 

Auditability – the message trail is easy to audit. 

Mediation – disputes about messaging are 

referred to an arbitrator accepted by both 

parties (VANs only). 

Single point of contact – for efficient 

‘helpdesk’ services. 

Service level agreement (SLA) – nobody owns 

the Internet, so service cannot be guaranteed, 

but Tibbett & Britten can offer a SLA for a full 

Value Added Network (VAN) service. 

For an efficient logistics operation, the flow of electronic data mirrors the product flow 

throughout the supply chain. There must be IT compatibility – in which the logistics 

company’s computers talk down-the-line with its customer’s systems – so that orders are 

received and processed, stored products picked, delivery instructions issued, proofs-of-delivery 

received, invoices submitted and inventory replenished. 

Since the mid-1990s, Tibbett & Britten has been developing and implementing a new 

generation of systems integration solutions for its partners. The goal was an electronic data 

interchange (EDI) system which would be not merely fast but also error-free, fully auditable and 

quick to implement. With the introduction of the extraordinarily powerful Smart Messaging and 

Routing Technology (SMART) business integration service, this target is being achieved. 

SMART is at the heart of Tibbett & Britten’s electronic messaging system. It not only 

provides anything-to-anything (A2A) translation in data terms, but also has the flexibility to 

cope with changing conditions – such as the rapid rise of e-commerce trading or today’s 

greater emphasis on system security, integrity and auditability. 

Paul Lineham, European Integration Services Manager, explains: “With SMART, we’re able to take 

the hassle out of bringing clients on-stream with a middleware system that automatically eliminates 

messaging errors and gives a near real-time service to match their JIT (just-in-time) needs. 

“We’ve given SMART several added-value features to guarantee a premium service for our 

partners. For example, EDI Message Audit is web-viewable and provides both parties with 

information about the type of message and when it was sent and received, plus key data for 

monitoring the supply chain. This is of great benefit when the Internet is being used. 

“Alert Monitoring automatically detects and flags-up errors in messages, communications 

and EDI systems; and there is Assured Message Delivery, with automatic retries and restarts to 

ensure successful EDI every time. 

“The system includes Message Level Encryption, giving 

confidentiality over public networks such as the Internet. 

And SMART also feeds our Business Intelligence Server, 

which extracts and collates market and business 

management information from a client's data traffic.” 

SMART runs automatically, 24 hours a day, seven 

days a week, and users have continuous helpline and 

technical support. Moreover, with built-in resilience 

and disaster recovery for every aspect of the service, it is 

designed to be 100% fail-safe. 

Already, more than 100 Tibbett & 

Britten customers and their 

suppliers rely on SMART in 

the UK, and the service is 

soon to be rolled out 

across Europe. 

Lineham online: 

European Integration 

Services Manager, Paul 

Lineham, puts SMART 

through its paces.

4 Americas news 


Beating the clock 

for 7-Eleven in two time zones 

7-Eleven, the premier name in convenience retailing, 

has appointed Tibbett & Britten Group North America 

(TBGNA) member company, Genesis Logistics, to 

operate two combined distribution centres (CDCs) and 

provide associated store deliveries. 

Based in Dallas, Texas, 7-Eleven, Inc. operates or franchises some 5,800 7-Eleven® stores 

in the United States and Canada, and licences approximately 16,000 stores in 17 further 

countries around the world. Total worldwide sales in 2000 exceeded US$29 billion. 

The company has chosen Genesis Logistics to take over and manage its cross-dock 

facilities at Union City, California and Burlington, New Jersey. The two CDCs will be the 

first full pick-to-zero sites in TBGNA’s network, delivering doughnuts and fresh groceries to 

over 600 stores. Individual stores will place orders for time-sensitive products including 

dairy, sandwiches, pastries, fresh produce, bread and beverages by 10 a.m. for delivery 

by 5 a.m. the following day. 

Most of the existing team leaders and team members at Union City and Burlington are 

joining Genesis. 

“7-Eleven has made a commitment to its customers to deliver fresh foods on a daily basis,” 

says Ron Tomiuck, TBGNA Group Vice President. “The fact that the convenience industry 

leader has chosen us as a partner in this program is testimony to our reputation as a company 

that delivers its promises. Every Tibbett & Britten Group client has unique, critical needs, and 

we strive to provide strategic logistics solutions that help each business to succeed.” 

Mission to serve 

Canadian government 

Tibbett & Britten Group North America has been 

awarded a significant new project by the Canadian 

Department of National Defence (DND). 

The Department is evaluating the 

feasibility of outsourcing its domestic nonmilitary 

logistics, and has chosen TBGNA 

to prepare an implementation plan prior to 

commencing actual operations in late-2002. 

Assuming the implementation plan is 

approved, the main contract will cover 

the warehousing and nationwide 

distribution of a vast range of food, 

clothing and equipment parts. DND has 

30 sites across the whole of Canada – 

from Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Esquimault, 

British Columbia – storing around a 

million inventory items and processing 

over 10 million transactions a year. 

A new TBGNA member company, 

Mission Logistics, has been established 

to act as the dedicated supply chain 

services provider to DND. 

Tibbett & Britten Times will be 

reporting on the progress of this 

challenging venture in future editions.

Americas news 

5 


Compass 

employees 

support 

Manhattan 

transfer 

In the immediate aftermath of the tragic 

events of 11 September in New York City, 

employees of Compass Logistics, a Tibbett & 

Britten Group North America member 

company, were able to contribute to the 

rescue effort. At the request of the United 

States Air Force, two colleagues in the 

Denver-based operation assisted in the 

movement of essential equipment destined 

for Lower Manhattan. Compass 

transportation supervisor Howard Adams 

and driver Roger Golladay were called upon 

to move USAF trailers from the Denver 

Federal Compound to the Air Force Flight 

Operations Centre at Buckley, Colorado. 

Adams, a US Navy veteran, reported: 

”The security at the pickup point and airport 

was intense. The drivers were searched, then 

the trucks were thoroughly searched, and 

after this we had to remove every stone 

trapped in the grooves of the tires. At this 

stage we were allowed on to the base, and 

we were escorted to the airport apron where 

the loading was being carried out.” 

There was concentrated activity on the 

runway, as the transport aircraft were being 

loaded next to the F16 fighters that had 

been patrolling the Colorado airspace since 

the day of the terrorist attacks. The trailers 

delivered by the duo contained search & 

rescue equipment for the emergency 

response personnel and troops working in 

Lower Manhattan. 

Jeff Parr, Transportation Director for 

Compass Logistics, said: “When asked to 

help, there was no need to think twice. Our 

client, King Soopers, generously gave the 

okay through our regular contact, Ken 

Wilson, and it was all-systems-go for 

Howard and Roger. At such a tragic time we 

all want to do something, and this was an 

opportunity for two of our guys to lend a 

hand and show the support of us all.” 

Liquor on-line in Canada 

Connect Logistics 

Services, a Tibbett & 

Britten Group North 

America member 

company, offers liquor 

logistics with a twist. 

Connect operates a 40,000 sq m (430,000 

sq ft) warehouse in Alberta, and handles the 

storage and distribution of all spirits, wines 

and non-domestic beer for the province's 

Liquor Commission. The company also has a 

21,000 sq m (225,000 sq ft) facility in 

Vancouver, British Columbia. 

The extra ingredient in Connect’s services is 

an expanding B2B e-commerce operation. 

Over 500 Connect customers now place orders 

via the password-protected e-commerce site 

at www.liquorconnect.com, and many liquor 

agents and suppliers routinely access their 

inventory and check sales on-line. 

For further details, see Connect's main 

website at www.clsna.com 

Web-based approach to 

transport management 

A new member company, freightSmart, is 

further extending the intelligent logistics 

capability of Tibbett & Britten Group North 

America (TBGNA). freightSmart offers a wide 

range of web-based transport management 

services to existing and potential clients. Led 

by Mike Burton, Vice President and General 

Manager, and using advanced solutions built 

on powerful i2 technologies, freightSmart will 

handle tasks such as load consolidation and 

optimisation, routing and scheduling, 

integration of outbound/inbound loads, 

tendering loads to carriers, carrier 

management and carrier payment. 

It will also provide added-value services 

including web-based supply chain visibility 

from collection ex-vendor through to 

customer/store delivery; transport analysis 

with identification and costing of step-change 

opportunities; management of cross-border 

traffic; and preparation of customs 

documentation. freightSmart will be linked 

to operating units and customer systems 

through WAN and Internet connectivity, and 

will use the latest second-generation 

e-business technology and architecture. 

“Working Smart. Together.” is TBGNA's 

corporate strapline and guiding principle 

of partnership. freightSmart exemplifies 

it perfectly.

6 UK news 


Grocery distribution 

goes hi-tech with Tesco 

Leading UK-based supermarket 

retailer, Tesco, has opened a 

magnificent new 46,000 sq m 

(500,000 sq ft) ambient food 

distribution centre at Thurrock, 

east of London – operated by 

Tibbett & Britten. 

Philip Clarke, IT & Logistics Director of Tesco Distribution 

(centre), officially opens the new ambient food distribution 

centre at Thurrock, Essex, accompanied by John Harvey, 

Chairman of Tibbett & Britten Group (left) and Barrie 

Lawrence, the Mayor of Thurrock (right). 

As reported in Issue 24 of Tibbett & Britten 

Times, the state-of-the-art complex is being 

operated on behalf of Tesco by the Retail 

Logistics division. 

The fully racked warehouse has 64 

loading/unloading bays and 3.4 km (2 miles) 

of aisles. Capable of storing up to 45,000 

pallets of food and drink, this facility is one 

of the most technically advanced in the UK. 

Special features include scanning of goodsin/goods-out 

and paperless picking, and 

integration with computerised yard and bay 

management systems is planned. 

The Group is also providing secondary 

distribution to some 100 Tesco stores within 

an area reaching from East Anglia to central 

London and down to the south coast. A fleet 

of around 100 tractor units and 200 trailers 

in joint Tesco/Tibbett & Britten livery is 

controlled via an Isotrak GPS-based vehicle 

management system, integrated with 

the order capture and delivery planning 

software. 

Fleet servicing is provided on-site by a 

purpose-built vehicle maintenance unit, 

operated by Tibbett & Britten and equipped 

with MoT test facilities. There are also drivethrough 

vehicle wash and steam cleaning 

units, each with 90 per cent water recycling. 

The Thurrock site will be fully operational 

in mid-2002, creating around 1,100 new 

jobs. Active 24 hours a day, 364 days a 

year, with a truck arriving or departing 

every 60 seconds, it will be Tesco’s busiest 

UK distribution centre. As Philip Clarke, 

Tesco Distribution's IT & Logistics Director, 

forecasts: “With the help of our chosen 

logistics partner, Tibbett & Britten, I’m sure 

it will be serving our distribution needs for 

many years to come.” 

Strood wins non-food 

logistics accuracy award 

With the Thurrock ambient food distribution centre coming 

on-stream, Tesco’s existing Tibbett & Britten-managed 

ambient site at Strood, Kent, will now specialise in non-food 

merchandise. The 26,000 sq m (280,000 sq ft) Strood facility 

recently gained the title of Best Overall Non-Food 

Distribution Centre in Tesco’s scheme to test and improve 

order picking and delivery accuracy throughout its network.

UK news 

7 


We can 

do it 

when we 

B&Q it! 

Top UK home 

improvement retailer, 

B&Q, has chosen Tibbett 

& Britten to manage its 

new 46,000 sq m 

(500,000 sq ft) import 

centre at Scunthorpe, 

Lincolnshire. 

This contract marks a major extension of a 

successful logistics partnership with B&Q, 

part of the Kingfisher Group, that reaches 

back to 1989. Tibbett & Britten already 

operates B&Q's distribution centre at Preston 

Brook, Cheshire – which at 60,000 sq m 

(640,000 sq ft) is physically the largest in the 

retailer’s network – and a second centre at 

Radlett, Hertfordshire (see story above). 

The new Scunthorpe facility focuses on the 

warehousing and distribution of imported 

bulky and seasonal items such as garden 

furniture, barbecues and ceramic tiles, 

arriving via the east coast ports of 

Immingham and Felixstowe. It offers 11,600 

sq m (125,000 sq ft) of racked storage and 

34,800 sq m (375,000 sq ft) of block storage 

space, plus 4,650 sq m (50,000 sq ft) of 

offices. The centre will employ some 200 

people, store around 200 different product 

lines, and handle the distribution of 10 

million cases or product units a year. 

In addition, Tibbett & Britten is providing 

primary transportation from dockside to the 

new import centre and to other B&Q 

distribution centres across the UK. It also 

manages the distribution from Scunthorpe of 

picked store orders for cross docking and 

consolidation at other locations or for directto-store 

delivery during peak periods. 

A bird’s eye view of B&Q’s new import centre at Scunthorpe, operated by Tibbett & Britten. 

Hertfordshire heart for South East logistics 

A major reorganisation of B&Q’s distribution network in south east England has resulted 

in a further strengthening of Tibbett & Britten's partnership with the retailer. Three 

operating centres across the region have been amalgamated into a new Regional 

Consolidation Centre at Radlett, Hertfordshire. 

Tibbett & Britten has been chosen to operate the 8,400 sq m (90,000 sq ft) centre, 

which is located close to the M1 and M25 motorways. The Radlett facility employs a 

total of 228 warehouse staff, drivers and other colleagues, and is B&Q’s largest centre in 

terms of stores serviced and volumes handled. A fleet of 45 tractor units and 90 trailers 

is kept busy meeting the needs of 78 B&Q outlets throughout the South East, and also 

in returning all waste materials from the stores for processing at Radlett for reuse. 

Green machines for B&Q 

TransportAction CleanUp, a UK governmentfunded 

initiative to promote cleaner 

commercial vehicles, recently awarded Tibbett 

& Britten a six-figure sum to assist with antipollution 

measures. The grant – boosted by 

an additional contribution from the client – 

has been used to ensure that a vehicle fleet 

operated on behalf of home improvement 

retailer B&Q is among the UK’s cleanest. 

Particulate traps have been fitted to 32 new 

B&Q-liveried trucks operating out of the 

Preston Brook depot at Runcorn, north-west 

England, resulting in a significant reduction in 

particulate emissions. 

David Lemon, Head of Technical Services 

at TransportAction CleanUp, observed: “Only 

a small number of vehicles need to be 

‘cleaned up’ to have an impact on air quality 

in the locality. It's great when large 

companies such as Tibbett & Britten fit 

emissions reduction equipment to their 

vehicles. Not only do they have the potential 

to make a real difference to air quality, but 

where they lead, others will follow.” 

Enjoying the fresh air is Don Gibson, Fleet 

Maintenance Manager at Tibbett & Britten’s Preston 

Brook depot. Don is pictured with one of the lowemission 

vehicles from the dedicated B&Q fleet.

8 UK news 


Sainsbury’s builds giant 

‘fulfilment factory’ 

Major UK supermarket retailer J Sainsbury has appointed 

Tibbett & Britten to operate its giant new regional distribution 

centre at Hams Hall, on the edge of Birmingham in the West 

Midlands. With a footprint of 65,000 sq m (700,000 sq ft) 

and an additional 14,400 sq m (155,000 sq ft) of 

mezzanines, this will be the largest distribution centre 

managed by the Group in the UK. 

The first of a new generation of ‘fulfilment factories’ within Sainsbury's UK supply chain, the 

Hams Hall centre will handle the storage, picking and despatch of ambient and chilled food, 

drink and fresh produce. It will serve 73 superstores and up to 100 smaller convenience 

stores across the English Midlands. The new warehouse will be highly automated, with a 

large sortation system, a total of 2 1 /4 miles (3.6 km) of pick-to-belt walkway, and 162 loading 

bays. Throughput capacity will be up to 2.8 million cases a week. 

Martin Graham, Managing Director of Tibbett & Britten UK and Ireland, commented: “We 

are delighted at winning this important contract, and at the further strengthening of our 

19-year partnership with Sainsbury’s. Hams Hall will be a sophisticated facility, with systems 

that have never before been used with these volume levels or this degree of integration.” 

The new Sainsbury’s ‘fulfilment factory’ is being constructed within the 22 ha (55 acre) 

Hams Hall National Distribution Park, just 12 miles (19 km) from the centre of 

Birmingham, Britain’s second-largest city. 

Falling temperatures at South East Centre 

In an extensive redevelopment programme, Sainsbury’s Allington distribution centre 

near Maidstone, Kent, has switched from ambient and chilled storage to fully chilled. 

Deliveries are made from the 20,000 sq m (212,000 sq ft) Tibbett & Britten-operated 

site to 74 Sainsbury’s stores across the South East of England. With a capacity of around 

one million cases of chilled product weekly, Allington is not only the first singlecategory 

distribution centre in the J Sainsbury network, but also the retailer’s largest 

chilled product warehouse. 

Green wind blows 

at Langlands Park 

Sainsbury’s distribution centre at Langlands Park, East Kilbride, Scotland, is partly 

powered by ‘ecotricity’. Towering over the Tibbett & Britten-operated site is a 65m 

(213 ft) high wind turbine, the first commercial, non-subsidised turbine of its type in the 

UK. Built and operated by wind energy company Next Generation, the turbine supplies 

around 30 per cent of the electricity required by Langlands Park, saving some 1,645 

tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions and 19 tonnes of sulphur dioxide emissions a year.

UK news 

9 


Shoulder to shoulder at the official opening of the new 

Coventry mezzanine are (l to r): Kim Sainsbury, JRL Board 

Member; Phil Johnson, Logistics Manager, Marks & 

Spencer; Mike Heaven, Managing Director, JRL; Michael 

Stanier, Head of Marks & Spencer Outlet; and Jonathan 

Pilbro, General Manager – Warehousing, JRL. 

Central support for 

M&S Outlet expansion 

The ‘outlet store’ concept 

that is so popular with 

shoppers in the USA is 

proving a big hit in the UK, 

too, and leading high 

street retailer Marks & 

Spencer is in the forefront 

of the trend. 

The company’s fast-growing Outlet stores 

operation means additional business for Joint 

Retail Logistics (JRL) – the equal joint venture 

established by Tibbett & Britten and Exel to 

provide logistics support to Marks & Spencer. 

When Marks & Spencer Outlet began 

trading in 2000, JRL was selected to manage 

the central storage, picking and distribution 

of the retailer’s clothing, home and personal 

products ranges, and also to provide valueadded 

services such as re-labelling and 

re-pricing. Dedicated capacity was allocated 

at JRL’s distribution centre at Coventry, in the 

heart of the English Midlands. 

With nine outlet stores now open across 

the UK, and more being planned, volumes 

are snowballing. To meet the increased 

demand, JRL has commissioned and 

change managed the construction of a 

3,700 sq m (40,000 sq ft) mezzanine 

within the 8,400 sq m (90,000 sq ft) 

Coventry facility, creating over 50 

permanent new jobs. Store delivery 

operations are being handled by the 

1,240-strong JRL vehicle fleet. 

Jonathan Pilbro, General Manager of JRL 

Warehousing, underlines the project's 

significance: “The new mezzanine illustrates 

our confidence in the growth of the Outlet 

stores business, and reinforces our 

commitment to providing quality services 

to Marks & Spencer. It gives us the scope 

to optimise efficiency for the Outlet stores 

division as it continues to expand.” 

New warehouse helps 

George keep growing 

Fashions by George at Asda; logistics by 

Tibbett & Britten at West Thurrock and Brackmills. 

Customer demand for ‘George at Asda’ fashions is, you might say, gorgeous. To cope with 

steeply increased demand for the UK-based, Wal-Mart owned supermarket chain's clothing 

brand, a new distribution centre has opened at West Thurrock, Essex. 

Operated by Tibbett & Britten, the dedicated facility will handle boxed items within the 

George at Asda men’s, women’s and children’s garment ranges. It will complement other George 

warehouses at Oldham in Greater Manchester, Ince in Cheshire, and Brackmills, 

Northamptonshire. The Brackmills site is also operated by Tibbett & Britten, and is the principal 

George at Asda distribution centre. In fact, the Group is now responsible for 50 per cent of all 

George at Asda warehousing.

10 European news 


French connection for Aiwa 

One of the world’s 

leading consumer 

electronics manufacturers 

has switched its logistics 

operations in France 

to a partnership with 

Tibbett & Britten. 

Aiwa, a Group client in the UK for over five years, has appointed Tibbett & 

Britten to manage its new national distribution centre at Lieusaint, south 

west of Paris. 

This 8,000 sq m (86,000 sq ft) facility handles around 350 different 

product lines, including televisions, DVD players, MP3 players, VCRs, 

hi-fi systems and personal stereos, with annual volumes amounting 

to 51,000 pallets. 

While the Tibbett & Britten team took over responsibility for all stock 

control, order picking and packing from July 2001, management of Aiwa’s 

transport fleet initially remained in-house. However, it is intended that Tibbett 

& Britten will take over the transport too during the first quarter of 2002. 

Logistics à la carte for grocery retailer 

Intermarché Alimentaire, the multiple 

grocery retailer with outlets throughout 

France, has started outsourcing its logistics 

and has placed two contracts in the hands 

of Tibbett & Britten Group. The operations 

are based at Amiens and Angers, serving the 

north and west of France, respectively. 

The Group’s existing distribution centre at 

Amiens, with 12,000 sq m (129,000 sq ft) of 

covered floor space, stores around 3,500 lines 

on behalf of Intermarché. These include 

grocery, hardware, perfume and hygiene 

products. Orders are prepared and despatched 

for delivery to the retailer’s outlets in the 

Picardy, Champagne and Ardennes regions, 

with annual volumes totalling around 10 

million cases. 

Further to the west, Tibbett & Britten 

France has established a dedicated 

distribution centre for Intermarché at 

Saint-Barthélémy-d’Anjou, near Angers. 

While Intermarché continues to operate 

the transport fleet, Tibbett & Britten is 

responsible for managing the new 14,500 

sq m (156,000 sq ft) warehouse, which is 

capable of handling 104,000 pallets of 

merchandise annually and is well placed for 

serving the Brittany, Loire, Poitou-Charentes 

and Normandy regions. Volumes are already 

running at 13.8 million cases a year. 

Lifeline for Spanish manufacturer 

Tibbett & Britten Iberia came to the rescue when Fagor, Spain’s 

foremost manufacturer of domestic appliances, suffered a serious 

warehouse fire. In double-quick time, a dedicated operation was set up 

for Fagor at Tibbett & Britten’s site at Legutiano, near Vitoria in the 

Basque Country of northern Spain. Throughout much of 2001 the 

8,000 sq m (86,000 sq ft) Legutiano site has stored 2,000 palleted 

boilers and 8,000 refrigerators, enabling Fagor to maintain deliveries to 

customers during the re-building of its fire-damaged facility.

European news 

11 


Czech and 

Slovak wins 

Tibbett & Britten 

continues to gather pace 

in Central Europe. Major 

logistics contracts with 

new clients in the Czech 

Republic and Slovakia 

underline its rapid growth. 

The Prague office of Reckitt Benckiser, the 

Anglo-Dutch fast-moving consumer goods 

(FMCG) manufacturer has appointed Tibbett & 

Britten to handle warehousing and distribution 

of its branded detergents and personal care 

products in the Czech and Slovak Republics. 

The business is based at the Group’s 

existing 13,700 sq m (147,000 sq ft) bonded 

shared-user distribution centre at Ivanc˘ice, 

near Brno in the Czech Republic, and also 

uses warehouses at Prague and at Topol’c˘any 

in Slovakia for cross-docking. In addition, 

Tibbett & Britten provides Reckitt Benckiser 

with added-value services such as co-packing 

and customs clearance, and delivers to 

around 1,000 multiple retailers, retailer 

regional distribution centres and small stores 

throughout the two countries. 

Delvita – one of the largest supermarket 

retailers in Slovakia and part of the Delhaize 

Group, the Brussels-based multi-national retail 

giant – has appointed Tibbett & Britten to 

store and distribute frozen, chilled and 

ambient food & grocery products. The 

operation uses part of the 7,500 sq m 

(80,000 sq ft) Topol’c˘any multi-temperature 

distribution centre, which now incorporates an 

additional 2,500 sq m (27,000 sq ft) ambient 

hall built specially for this contract. Tibbett & 

Britten delivers the full range of merchandise 

to Delvita’s 17 outlets across Slovakia. 

Mike Sweet, Chairman of Tibbett & Britten 

Central Europe, welcomed the new clients: 

“It’s pleasing to report continued strong 

organic growth in our Central European 

business – which covers Austria, Hungary, 

Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Poland. 

These contracts give a pointer to the 

potential for further growth in the region.” 

Hungary for success 

Three important new logistics contracts have 

boosted the volumes being handled at Tibbett & 

Britten Hungária’s national distribution centre at 

Üllo“, south-east of Budapest. 

Multinational pharmaceutical producer 

GlaxoSmithKline has entrusted the 

warehousing and secondary distribution of 

its oral care and over-the-counter medicines 

ranges to Tibbett & Britten. The Üllo“ operation 

(above) is acting as both a transnational and 

a domestic distribution centre, serving the 

south east European and Hungarian markets. 

In addition, a multi-faceted logistics 

contract has been awarded by Auchan – the 

multinational French-based food, non-food 

and beverages retailer. Initially, Tibbett & 

Britten Hungária is providing 9,000 pallet 

locations within the Üllo“ facility, plus 

temporary rented space nearby, pending the 

completion of a new purpose-built distribution 

centre to accommodate all Auchan stock. The 

warehouse, which is being constructed 

adjacent to the current Üllo“ centre, will hold 

36,000 pallets and will create an additional 

150 Tibbett & Britten jobs. 

Further new business within the food 

sector has come from the Match and 

Smatch retail chains. Tibbett & Britten is 

handling the storage of frozen products 

for these subsidiaries of the international 

Cora Group at Üllo“, with chilled foods 

and fresh fruit & vegetables based at a 

dedicated facility to the south of Budapest. 

Deliveries are being undertaken to 180 

stores all over Hungary. 

The Match and Smatch business has 

allowed the introduction of Vendor 

Managed Inventory (VMI) techniques for the 

secondary distribution of frozen food in 

Hungary, enhancing the benefits to major 

retailers of the Group’s temperaturecontrolled 

distribution services. 

These new contracts bring further success 

to Üllo“ (see Tibbett & Britten Times, Issue 

22), which is already the focus of the 

Group’s strong partnership with Unilever in 

Hungary and of operations on behalf of 

German-based food manufacturer, Stollwerck. 

Ambient volumes for Unilever have recently 

doubled there, through the integration of 

Bestfoods’ logistics into Tibbett & Britten 

Hungária's Unilever operations. 

Frozen asset in Prague 

Tibbett & Britten has acquired a 15,000 sq m (160,000 sq ft) multi-temperature 

distribution centre in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. 

The acquisition, from European cold-store operator Frigoscandia, adds frozen and 

chilled warehousing capacity to the Group’s logistics capabilities in the Republic. 

Tibbett & Britten's four ambient shared-user distribution centres are now 

complemented by a facility comprising a 2,700-pallet cold store and a 5,300-pallet 

chilled storage area. An extension is planned, which will provide a further 3,500 

pallets of chilled capacity.

12 Africa/Asia news 


The right prescription 

in southern Africa 

Kinesis Logistics, which distributes pharmaceuticals 

throughout South Africa, Namibia, Swaziland, 

Lesotho and Botswana, has become part of 

Tibbett & Britten Africa. 

Formed in 2000 by pharmaceutical 

manufacturers GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer and 

AspenPharmacare, Kinesis Logistics provides a 

secure storage and distribution channel for a 

wide range of products – including medicines, 

vaccines, injectables and personal products. 

Kinesis Logistics operates four 

ambient/refrigerated distribution centres, 

with a total warehouse area exceeding 

30,000 sq m (323,000 sq ft) and continuous 

cold chain management for temperaturesensitive 

products. Deliveries are made daily 

to more than 10,000 customers – including 

Pitching for business: Jon Henderson, baseball-capped 

CEO of Kinesis Logistics, aims the company at the top 

slot in pharmaceuticals distribution. 

governments, private hospitals, clinics, 

dispensing doctors, pharmacists and 

pharmaceutical wholesalers – using a fleet 

of 150 vehicles plus third-party couriers 

for some distant rural areas. 

With the acquisition of Kinesis Logistics, 

Tibbett & Britten Africa has a fine 

distribution operation to complement its 

proven bulk distribution, network and crossborder 

capabilities. 

Springboard for 

South East Asia growth 

The relocation of Tibbett 

& Britten Asia’s regional 

head office to Singapore 

signals a fresh phase of 

the Group’s expanding 

Asia-Pacific operations. 

Leading the Singapore-based team is 

Choong Keng Seng (below left), newly 

appointed Managing Director, Asia, who 

has exceptional knowledge of supply chain 

management within the region. The 

appointment of Sally Dowling as Financial 

Controller, Asia, has further strengthened 

the management team. 

Tibbett & Britten can now pass on to its 

customers the benefits of Singapore’s lower 

cost base and local tax incentives. At the 

same time, the regional head office is 

strategically located to support the Group’s 

offices in Hong Kong and Taiwan, and to 

implement plans for its targeted new 

markets of Malaysia, Korea and Thailand. 

Meanwhile, the China joint venture with 

Hutchison Whampoa continues to make 

strong progress. 

Under the leadership of newly-appointed 

General Manager, William Ren, the company’s 

China focus is in three main areas: network 

logistics, delivering warehousing and 

transportation solutions for customers such 

as Procter & Gamble, Warner-Lambert and 

white goods manufacturer Haier; retail 

logistics, supporting both local and 

international retailers; and upstream logistics, 

developing on-shore services for international 

retailers sourcing product from China.

Middle East/UK news 

13 


Logistics joint venture in Saudi 

Tibbett & Britten’s 

International Supply Chain 

(ISC) division continues to 

develop business in the 

Middle East, and is now 

partnering one of the 

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s 

premier enterprises in a 

logistics joint venture. 

ISC has teamed up with The Olayan Group, 

the leading Saudi-based multinational 

distribution, manufacturing, services and 

investment group, to form Olayan Tibbett 

& Britten Saudi Arabia. 

The new company’s activities include 

import clearance, multi-temperature storage, 

order processing, promotional packing, 

inter-depot trunking and distribution across 

Saudi Arabia. Already it operates a total of 

40,000 sq m (430,000 sq ft) of composite 

warehousing in the key cities of Jeddah, 

Riyadh, Al Khobar and Khamis Mushayt, 

and is managing international food, 

personal and household product brands 

such as Colgate-Palmolive, Kimberly-Clark, 

Kraft, Nabisco and Nestlé. 

A fleet of more than 150 ambient and 

temperature-controlled vehicles provides 

delivery to around 3,000 points throughout 

the Kingdom. Distances vary spectacularly – 

with drive times ranging from a matter of 

minutes to four days. 

Olayan Tibbett & Britten Saudi Arabia is 

building on a foundation of Kingdom-wide 

distribution developed by Olayan since the 

1950s. Future plans for the joint venture 

focus on creating a third-party logistics 

business across Saudi Arabia. 

Cold chain gang 

When enjoying their evening meal, few people pause to wonder how 

food reaches their high street. If they did, many consumers in Scotland 

and other parts of the UK would find that the ingredients had travelled 

via Tibbett & Britten's busy multi-temperature facility at Darnley, Glasgow. 

Strategically located close to the motorway network, this shared-user 

distribution centre provides 25,500 cu m (900,000 cu ft) of storage at 

temperatures down to -30°C. This equates to some 4,000 pallets of 

frozen food products. In addition, there are three chilled food areas 

plus ambient storage. 

The Darnley depot, which previously traded under the name 

Scotfrost, operates 24 hours a day. It offers food manufacturers a full 

range of services including blast freezing, chamber freezing, order 

picking and computerised stock control. 

Transport services include shipment consolidation (groupage), 

haulage to retailers' regional distribution centres, and high street 

delivery. With daily trunks to Birmingham, Liverpool and Aberdeen, 

and a cold chain network operated in conjunction with two transport 

partners, Tibbett & Britten Darnley is the hub of a UK-wide multitemperature 

shared-user logistics service.

14 European news 


Worldwide laurels 

for Fred Perry e-retail 

The laurel wreath logo on 

Fred Perry clothing is one 

of the world’s best-known 

brand symbols. Now 

Tibbett & Britten is 

helping to make it quick 

and easy to buy into the 

Fred Perry legend on-line. 

Tibbett & Britten Fashion Logistics, which 

has been providing warehousing and 

distribution services to Fred Perry since 

1993, is handling storage, picking and 

global despatch for the company’s new 

e-store at www.fredperry.com 

A dedicated e-retailing section has been 

set up within Tibbett & Britten’s shared-user 

warehouse at Barming, Kent. Here, the 

merchandise – mainly men’s and women’s 

fashions, with some accessories – is maintained 

to minimum stock levels, with ‘live’ stock 

information fed back to the website. 

Orders placed on www.fredperry.com in 

the morning are picked, packed and 

despatched for delivery the next day 

anywhere in the UK or within 48 hours in 

Continental Europe. However, fulfilment of 

orders from on-line customers in China, 

Colombia and Guatemala has taken just a 

little longer! 

New Swiss role 

Unique Logistics International, a 50 per cent 

subsidiary of Tibbett & Britten Group, has 

acquired a controlling interest in a 

management buyout of the forwarding 

activities of Swiss logistics company Kehrli & 

Oeler. Renamed Tibbett & Britten Unique AG, 

the company will continue to provide air and 

ocean freight forwarding, European road 

freight, transit storage and customs clearance 

services throughout Switzerland. Led by Serge 

Roch, Chief Executive, Tibbett & Britten Unique 

AG focuses on the import of clothing & textiles, 

perishables and consumer products. A strong 

client base includes ABB, Carrefour, Migros and 

Sulzer Group. 

The new company may be contacted on +41 

(1) 816 3322 or email zurich@tandbunique.ch 

Further details are at: www.tandbunique.ch 

Low temperatures 

forecast for Seville 

Construction of a new shared-user coldstore is nearing completion in Seville, the principal 

city of south west Spain. 

Highly flexible temperature control will be a feature of this advanced facility, enabling both 

chilled and deep-frozen foods to be stored in future. The 1,000 sq m (10,800 sq ft) coldstore 

will provide space for 1,400 pallets, and will be welcomed by such Tibbett & Britten Iberia 

clients as Bonduelle, Findus, Frigo, Frudesa, La Cocinera and Nestlé. 

The Seville project complements Tibbett & Britten’s existing coldstore in Malaga, and is 

part of the Group’s strategic expansion plans for its logistics services in southern Spain.

European news 

15 


Eco-friendly 

transit equipment 

operation grows 

Distribution Resources, the Tibbett & Britten Group 

subsidiary specialising in returnable transit equipment 

management, has expanded via a substantial further 

investment in garment-handling equipment. 

The company’s established partnership with UK 

retail giant, Marks & Spencer, was reinforced 

in 2001 when a large quantity of the client's 

re-usable equipment was acquired under a sale 

and leaseback agreement. New control and 

maintenance systems have been put in place as 

part of the deal, which covers items such as 

polypropylene tote boxes and dollies, plastic set 

hangers (see main picture), roll cages and 

garment hanging rails. 

Marks & Spencer is just one of the majorleague 

retailers in the clothing, food & grocery 

and home improvement sectors to recognise the 

benefits of returnable transit equipment. 

Distribution Resources’ clients also include 

Arcadia, Debenhams and New Look. 

Barry Baldwin, Distribution Resources’ Managing 

Director, points out: “Re-usable packing and transit 

equipment is the environmentally friendly way to 

go – as it removes massive quantities of one-way 

outer packaging from the supply chain. 

We offer an equipment rental service that 

avoids the need to fund the initial system 

purchase. This can even take the form of a 

fully managed service, eliminating the 

headache of tracking and controlling 

equipment stocks. Equipment can even be 

bar-coded or fitted with RFID tracking chips 

for automatic storage and inventory control.” 

The company’s equipment pool currently 

totals around 3.5 million items, with an annual 

loss rate of less than 2 per cent. This is a fraction 

of typical in-house rates, and therefore represents 

a significant cost saving for clients. Moreover, 

Barry adds, “With our advanced computertracking 

and management systems, the correct 

equipment is always where it is needed.” 

For full details of Distribution Resources’ 

services, call Barry Baldwin on +44 (0)1928 

703400 or email: bbaldwin@tandb.co.uk 

Group tops European client survey 

Average Rating 

Datamonitor Client Survey – Top 10 Rankings 

2.2 

2.4 

2.6 

2.8 

3.0 


ABX Logistics 

DHL 

P&O Trans Euro 

TDG 

UPS 

TNT Logistics 

K & Nagel 

Fiege 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 

Rank 

NOTE: Lower average rating is better. 

Source: Datamonitor European Logistics Client Survey, November 2001 

Hays 

Tibbett & Britten Group has scored highly in the authoritative European Logistics Benchmarking 

2001 report recently published by Datamonitor, the internationally respected business 

information company. 

In this independent survey of leading European logistics service providers, Tibbett & Britten was 

identified as the second largest company in Europe in terms of contract logistics turnover. However, 

when a number of key qualitative criteria were considered, the Group accelerated into the top slot. 

Datamonitor asked over 800 European companies – operating across wide range of sectors – to 

rate their logistics providers. The results put Tibbett & Britten in clear first place – out-performing 

all competitors both in the UK and across the rest of Europe – for levels of customer satisfaction. 

The Group also gained Number One ranking for Adaptability to Customer Needs and 

Quality Management, plus a top five position for Use of IT. 

The full report is available from Datamonitor plc (tel: +44 20 7675 7000). It may also be 

viewed on the Tibbett & Britten intranet.

16 Mike Arrowsmith Interview 


Face to face with 

Mike Arrowsmith, 48, joined Tibbett & Britten in 1999 as Group Finance Director 

and was appointed Group Chief Executive Officer in May 2001. Here he talks to 

Tibbett & Britten Times about his career and aspirations for the Group. 

T&BT: Mike, tell us something about your own background. 

MRA: I was born in what is now Zimbabwe. My school and university life 

was spent in Southern Africa, and I came to the UK with my wife, 

Rosemary, in 1979. My first job was with a major computer company, 

where I spent seven years before moving into the pharmaceutical and 

consumer healthcare sectors. It was during a lengthy period with 

SmithKline Beecham (now GlaxoSmithKline) that I first became closely 

involved with international supply chain management. 

T&BT: There’s a link there to logistics, then? 

MRA: Absolutely. Before joining Tibbett & Britten my supply chain 

experience was mainly from the customer’s perspective. But logistics 

has often been a part of my overall responsibilities. For example, with 

SmithKline Beecham we went through an extensive benchmarking 

exercise comparing our own logistics operations against a number of 

third-party suppliers. I was also closely involved in developing a fiveyear 

manufacturing and supply chain strategy for SmithKline Beecham’s 

worldwide consumer healthcare division. 

T&BT: So what are your top three immediate objectives? 

MRA: The most immediate aim is to release our potential 

by eliminating the artificial divisional barriers created over the 

years – hence the drive for integration, simplicity and clarity. 

We need to identify and share best practice more efficiently to 

avoid the waste that comes from constantly reinventing the 

wheel. We must have effective communication channels in place 

so that we can rapidly share ideas and information among 

ourselves and with our customers. This will require increased 

and better targeted investment in information technology. 

Secondly, we need to continue improving the quality of our 

operations. We must ensure that every employee has the skills to perform 

to the standards we and our customers expect. As part of this we must 

understand our customers better and work with them to drive down costs 

and increase service levels throughout the supply chain. 

Our third immediate objective is to identify and address areas of 

financial under-performance within the Group. 

I would like us to be seen by our customers as operationally excellent 

and a core strategic partner, staffed by the best people in the industry 

“ 

and making the best use of information technology. 

” 

T&BT: What other special experience do you bring to the Group T&BT: Where do you see Tibbett & Britten in five years’ time? 

CEO position? 

MRA: I would like us to be seen by our customers as operationally 

MRA: For the past 15 years or so I have had strong international excellent and a core strategic partner, staffed by the best people in the 

management experience in several key areas – information technology 

deployment, change management, finance and investor relations. 

Having worked for a number of highly market-driven companies I also 

have a healthy appreciation of the importance of understanding what 

the customer wants. 

industry and making the best use of information technology. I see us 

working for the majority of the premier fashion, grocery and consumer 

retailers and manufacturers – not just in Europe and North America, but 

also in selected markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa. During this time 

we would have doubled the size of 

T&BT: Are you planning 

the business – not only in sales but 

T&BT: How will you and the Chairman be dividing responsibilities? 

any immediate changes to 

also in profits – and strengthened 

MRA: John Harvey remains as Executive Chairman and will focus on 

the business? 

our position as the premier supply 

refining the Group’s strategy and developing partnerships with key chain management company in 

MRA: We have already started 

customers. My role is more operational – implementing the chosen our core sectors. 

strengthening our senior 

strategy and building a sound base for our future growth. 

management team – especially at 

T&BT: How will this be 

the operational level – with the 

appointments of Martin Graham, Doug Taylor and Mark Whiteling. This MRA: 

achieved? 

It’s about developing our core strengths, investing in our 

process will continue, with the emphasis on internal promotion wherever 

possible. We also need to integrate and simplify the business – particularly 

in Europe – and good progress is already being made here too. Other 

people and getting closer to our customers. It's about being smarter 

and more agile than the competition. 

T&BT: Can you be more specific about improving competitiveness? 

priorities include developing an organisational structure that is more MRA: We operate in a tough trading environment – it’s the nature 

customer responsive, streamlining our new business development activities 

and providing a pool of expertise that can be shared across the Group. 

of the industry, and is likely to remain so. To gain market share we 

need to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, and there are

Mike Arrowsmith Interview 

17 


Mike Arrowsmith 

several ways we can do that. We believe we can work in active 

partnership with our customers by designating specific people to act 

as key or ‘global’ account managers – to work more closely with 

clients not only operationally but also strategically. This means 

helping to define their future needs and making sure we have the 

operational strength and expertise to provide the right solutions. 

The deployment of information technology will be another 

differentiator. We're working hard on this aspect of our capability; 

particularly in the area of systems integration and information exchange 

through our SMART product (see page 3). 

A third differentiator is people: we must ensure our people are better 

trained, better motivated and better equipped than the competition. 

Having worked for a 

number of highly marketdriven 

companies I have 

a healthy appreciation 

of the importance of 

understanding what the 

customer wants. 

“ 

” 

T&BT: So where is the Group’s future growth going to come from? 

MRA: We see the business as having two core ‘home markets’ – 

North America and Europe. Both are enjoying sustained double-digit 

growth – driven by the continuing trend towards outsourcing, and by 

retailers’ increasing internationalisation. Channel change and 

migration to low-cost areas of production are also working in our 

favour. Elsewhere, we’re growing in a number of strategic emerging 

territories. We’ve recently made an acquisition in Argentina, and I 

would expect us to expand into more countries within Latin America 

over the next few years. Another strategic country for us is China, 

where we have a joint venture with Hutchison Whampoa. We also 

have a growing presence in targeted countries elsewhere in Asia, as 

well as in Africa and the Middle East. 

T&BT: What about expansion into other sectors? 

MRA: I don’t see us moving outside our existing market 

sectors – but there will be development in some of the sub-sectors. 

For example, last year we acquired a business operating in southern 

France and northern Spain that took us into the fresh produce 

sector for the first time in mainland Europe. We’re now actively 

developing this market sector across Europe. I’d like to build on 

this type of opportunity within our existing areas, rather than 

migrate into new sectors. 

T&BT: Will you be seeking further alliances? 

MRA: Outside our two home markets of Europe and North America, it 

remains our basic policy to seek joint ventures or alliances with key local 

logistics players. 

T&BT: How will you reconcile any differences between the 

short-term interests of shareholders and the long-term interests 

of the business? 

MRA: There will always be a balance to be struck between short-term 

and long-term interests. Obviously, we’re always going to be interested 

in the bottom line, because that’s what drives immediate shareholder 

value. But we will continue to invest in the future to strengthen our 

position in our chosen market sectors and territories. Fortunately most of 

our shareholders are in for the long-term, and understand the trade-off 

between short-term benefit and long-term growth. 

T&BT: What drives you personally? 

MRA: The opportunity to develop the potential that I see in the 

business and, in particular, in our people. 

T&BT: What characteristics do you most admire? 

MRA: Enthusiasm, innovation and commitment. A willingness to 

contribute and to be part of a team. 

T&BT: Do you see these in yourself? 

MRA: I’d like to think so – but it's for others to judge! 

T&BT: Thank you.

18 Group news 


Chairman delivers 

high-profile lecture 

John Harvey CBE, Chairman of Tibbett & Britten 

Group, was recently invited to deliver the fourth 

annual Kinnock Lecture to the Institute of Logistics 

and Transport in London. 

John Harvey (right), Tibbett & Britten Group Chairman, 

takes questions after giving the 2001 Kinnock Lecture, 

accompanied by Professor Alan Waller, Chairman of the 

Institute of Logistics & Transport. 

France launches 

total quality drive 

In accepting the honour, Mr Harvey was 

following in the footsteps of former EU 

Transport Commissioner, Neil Kinnock, 

erstwhile Government Minister, Steve Norris, 

and Graham Souter, the Chairman of 

Stagecoach. 

Seizing the opportunity to present a 

personal view of the challenges facing the 

logistics industry in general and UK 

operators in particular, John Harvey 

emphasised that “each company must pick 

and cling very hard to its strategic focus and 

its specialism”. He reasoned that it is 

essential to operate transnationally but not 

necessary to be global: “In the end it is your 

competence in the context of the customer 

where you are which will decide whether 

you meet the challenge.” 

Tibbett & Britten France has launched an across-the-board 

quality initiative. While the ‘Qualité Intégrale’ programme is 

partly aimed at achieving ISO 9001/9002 accreditation for all 

the Group's operations, processes and sites in France, it goes 

well beyond the requirements for certification. 

The aim is to involve the entire functioning of the 

company, from work processes and problem analysis to operational structure 

and human resources. 

Overseen by a dedicated team reporting directly to Patrick Perrin (pictured), 

Managing Director of Tibbett & Britten France, the programme will be 

implemented locally by ‘quality correspondents’, responsible for maintaining and 

controlling the quality process in the warehouses. 

Patrick Perrin commented: "The quality programme is fundamental to the 

development of Tibbett & Britten in France. It is a vital tool for management, 

and for supporting the strategy of the Group." 

Strengthening 

the top teams 

New senior appointments 

continue the build-up of 

Tibbett & Britten Group’s 

managerial strength, 

ready to fulfil the 

Group’s growth strategy 

in the years ahead. 

Mark Whiteling has 

joined the Main Board 

of Tibbett & Britten as 

Group Finance Director, 

filling the post vacated 

by Mike Arrowsmith on 

his recent promotion to Group Chief 

Executive Officer (see profile pages 16 & 

17). New Zealand-born Mark, 38, is a 

chartered accountant with many years’ 

experience of financial management with 

major companies in the USA and Europe. 

The new Managing 

Director UK & Ireland is 

Martin Graham, who 

has returned to Tibbett 

& Britten after two years 

as CEO of a leading 

foodservice wholesaler. He was previously 

an Executive Vice President of Tibbett & 

Britten Group North America and 

Chairman of Tibbett & Britten Continental 

Europe. Graham, 43, heads the Group's 

Retail, Manufacturing and e-Commerce 

divisions in the UK and Ireland. 

45-year-old Doug 

Taylor has been 

appointed to 

the new position of 

Director of Operations, 

Mainland Europe. Doug 

has worked in transport and logistics 

since 1979, living in Belgium, France 

and the UK, and most recently was a 

Business Sector Director with another 

major player in contract logistics. A 

fluent French speaker, Doug is now 

responsible for managing and coordinating 

Tibbett & Britten’s operations 

in France, Iberia, Benelux and Germany.

Group news 

19 


Transport charity 

helps Save the 

Children 

TRANSAID Worldwide, the transport 

industry charity chaired by Tibbett & 

Britten Group Chairman, John Harvey, 

has been giving strategic assistance 

to the Save the Children Fund in 

Southern Africa. 

With hitherto unpredicted food shortages now forecast for some 

countries, Save the Children has been urgently planning its 

response programme. Participants in TRANSAID Worldwide – 

including Tibbett & Britten Group – have been supplying 

valuable information about transport capacity, contractors, rates 

and other data, and Save the Children has expressed its 

gratitude for intelligence that will improve its ability to respond 

effectively when needed. 

TRANSAID Worldwide works in some of the world's most 

deprived areas. It aims to improve the effectiveness of transport 

in contributing to economic and social development and 

alleviating poverty, and to build the capacity of local people to 

manage transport. Further information can be found at: 

www.transaid.org 

Group Facts at 

your fingertips 

Financial highlights… an introduction 

to Intelligent Logistics… the Group’s 

mission and key strengths… an 

international operations overview. 

This is just some of the information 

you will find in Group Facts, the 

perennially useful Tibbett & Britten 

Group mini-brochure. 

The latest edition of this pocketsized 

compendium of facts and 

figures is available in nine different language 

versions: English, French, German, Polish, Hungarian, Czech, Slovak, 

Spanish and Portuguese. 

For free copies, please email info@tandb.co.uk. If you prefer to 

receive your Group Facts electronically, any language version may be 

downloaded in PDF format from www.tibbett-britten.com/geninfo.htm 

Some Tibbett & Britten Group clients 

Clothing & Textiles 

Adams 

AIS 

Allders 

Allen & Douglas 

Arcadia Group 

Au Coton 

Bagir Istex 

Baird Group of 

Companies 

C&A (Germany) 

Castleblair 

Charles Vögele Mode 

Ciro Citterio 

Coates Viyella 

Continente 

Cotton Traders 

Daisy & Tom 

Daks-Simpson 

De Baer 

Debenhams 

Desa 

Dewhirst 

Dolcis 

Dune Shoes 

Etam 

Faith Shoes 

Farah 

Fred Perry 

Gap 

George at Asda 

Jaeger 

Lloyd Shoes 

Mackays 

Marithé et François 

Girbaud 

Marks & Spencer 

New Look 

Nike 

Oasis 

The Officers Club 

Orion (Morocco) 

Patrice Breal 

Polo Ralph Lauren 

Reebok 

River Island 

Sara Lee Courtaulds 

Sears 

Slater Menswear 

Style Holdings 

Talbots 

TK Maxx 

Travelsmith 

Windsmoor 

Woolworths 

X-18 

Personal Products 

AspenPharmacare 

Bayer 

Beiersdorf 

Colgate-Palmolive 

Gillette 

GlaxoSmithKline 

Henkel 

Jergens 

Johnson & Johnson 

Lever Brothers 

Lever Fabergé 

Pfizer 

Procter & Gamble 

Reckitt Benckiser 

Sara Lee 

Shoppers Drug Mart 

Warner-Lambert 

Food & Drink 

7-Eleven 

Alberta Liquor Control 

Board 

Asda 

Auchan 

AWG (Associated 

Wholesale Grocers) 

Baesa (Pepsi Argentina) 

Bahlsen Biscuits 

Billa 

Bonduelle 

Budweiser (Argentina) 

Cadbury-Schweppes 

Carrefour 

Casino 

Colman Foods 

Cott Europe 

Co-operative 

Danone 

Delvita (Delhaize) 

E & J Gallo Wines 

East African Breweries 

Eskimo-Iglo 

Federal Marine 

Findus 

Frigo-Frudesa 

Hipp 

Horizon Biscuits 

Iceland 

Intermarché 

Jamin 

Kelloggs 

Kraft 

The Kroger Company 

La Cocinera 

Leclerc 

Lever 

Lidl 

Lipton 

Marks & Spencer 

Mars Pedigree 

Match 

Melitta 

Metro 

Monoprix 

Nabisco 

Nestlé 

Neilson Dairy 

Overwaitea 

Panavi 

Park N’ Shop 

Pepsi 

Premier Brands 

Procter & Gamble 

Promodès 

Safeway 

J Sainsbury 

San Miguel 

Smatch 

Sobeys 

Stollwerck 

Système U 

Tengelmann 

Tesco 

Ubevco 

Unilever Bestfoods 

Unilever Gulf Express 

United Biscuits 

United Distillers 

United Supermarkets 

Van den Berghs 

Whitbread 

Other Non-Foods 

Aiwa 

B&Q 

Black & Decker 

BT 

Canadian Department 

of National Defence 

CarnaudMetalbox 

Carphone Warehouse 

Compaq 

Cucina Direct 

Curver 

Daewoo Electronics 

Dartington Glass 

Disney Stores 

Dixons 

Duracell 

Eroski 

Fagor 

Haier 

Hewlett-Packard 

Homebase 

IBM 

Jerry’s Home Store 

Kimberly-Clark 

Lens-Online 

Linguaphone 

Mothercare 

NEC 

Pipelife 

Roto Smeets de Boer 

Rubbermaid Europe 

Siemens 

VNU 

Wal-Mart

Where to find us 

Tibbett & Britten Group companies are approachable, flexible and 

eager to do business. For information on any aspect of national or 

transnational logistics, please contact Corporate Communications at 

Worldwide Headquarters or your Regional Head Office as listed below. 

WORLDWIDE HEADQUARTERS: 

Tibbett & Britten Group plc 

Ross House, 1 Shirley Road, 

Windmill Hill, Enfield, 

Middlesex EN2 6SB, 

United Kingdom 

Tel: +44 20 8367 9955 

Fax: +44 20 8366 7042 

E-mail: info@tandb.co.uk 

Web: www.tibbett-britten.com 

REGIONAL HEAD OFFICES: 

AFRICA 

Tibbett & Britten Africa Pty Ltd 

Block A3, Gateview House, 

Constantia Park, Cnr 14th Avenue & 

Hendrik Potgieter Street, 

Weltevreden Park 1709, South Africa 

Tel: +27 11 471 7200 

Fax: +27 11 475 9266 

AMERICAS 

Tibbett & Britten Group Americas 

91 Skyway Avenue, Suite 200, 

Toronto, Ontario, Canada M9W 6R5 

Tel: +1 416 674 1600 

Fax: +1 416 674 1407 

Web: www.tbgna.com 

ASIA 

Tibbett & Britten Asia Pte Ltd 

7 Gul Circle, #01-01 to 01-04, 

Singapore 629563 

Tel: +65 863 4328 

Fax: + 65 863 4745 

Web: www.tbgasia.com 

BENELUX 

Tibbett & Britten Group BV 

Zeelandhaven 6, PO Box 2050, 

3430 CG Nieuwegein, 

The Netherlands 

Tel: +31 30 60 83 707 

Fax: +31 30 60 83 747 

Web: www.tbg.nl 

CENTRAL EUROPE 

Tibbett & Britten Central Europe GmbH 

Pasettistrasse 76, 

A-1200 Wien, Austria 

Tel: +431 33 705 1112 

Fax: +431 33 705 1119 

Web: www.tbce.com 

FRANCE 

Tibbett & Britten France SA 

1 rue Charles Heller, 

94400 Vitry sur Seine, France 

Tel: +33 1 45 73 49 00 

Fax: +33 1 46 80 90 91 

GERMANY 

tbd Tibbett & Britten 

Deutschland GmbH 

Heinrich-Lanz Strasse 19-21, 

D-68165 Mannheim, Germany 

Tel: +49 6214 004 2800 

Fax: +49 6214 004 2890 0 

Web: www.tbd.de 

IBERIA 

Tibbett & Britten Iberia 

Parque Empresarial San Fernando, 

Edificio Francia, 

San Fernando de Henares, 28830 

Madrid, Spain 

Tel: +34 91 655 9800 

Fax: +34 91 655 9801 

Web: www.tibbett-britten.es 

IRELAND 

Tibbett & Britten Group (Ireland) Ltd 

Unit D1, Airport Business Park, 

Dublin Airport, Co. Dublin, Ireland 

Tel: +353 1 844 5545 

Fax: +353 1 844 5640 

MIDDLE EAST 

Tibbett & Britten Middle East 

Level 42, Emirates Tower 

Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai 

United Arab Emirates 

Tel: +971 4 319 7400 

Fax: +971 4 319 7474 

UNITED KINGDOM 


Newnham Drive, Heartlands 

Business Park, Daventry, Northants 

NN11 5YG, United Kingdom 

Tel: +44 1327 308400 

Fax: +44 1327 308599 

Web: www.tbg.co.uk 

Tibbett & Britten Times is published twice a year for customers, prospective 

customers and associates of Tibbett & Britten Group plc. Please send any 

material for the next edition to The Editor, Tibbett & Britten Times at the 

Worldwide Headquarters address above – to be received no later than 31 July 

2002. Please include your name and address. 

Produced by Hayes Anderson Ltd, London. 

Printed on chlorine free paper manufactured with wood fibres from sustainable forests. 

‘Logistico 4’ solution 

Many thanks to all those ingenious readers who entered our last 

competition. It was no easy task, transforming TIBBETT into 

BRITTEN by changing a maximum of two letters at a time and 

making a new word at each stage. In fact, the Editor and Inquisitorin-Chief 

was quietly confident that no-one would equal his own 

seven-move solution (see below left). 

T I B B E T T 

G I B B E T S 

G A B B E R S 

G A I T E R S 

W R I T E R S 

W R I T H E S 

W R I T T E N 

B R I T T E N 

T I B B E T T 

G I B B E T S 

B I B B E R S 

B R I B E R S 

W R I T E R S 

W R I T H E S 

W R I T T E N 

B R I T T E N 

However, he reckoned without Tony Smithurst, a Technical 

Manager with Tibbett & Britten Africa, who likewise manages the 

trick in just seven moves (see above right). Well done, Tony, a bottle 

of champagne is on its way to you. 

New competition 

At 7.30am a Tibbett & Britten consignment leaves Ayville for 

Zeeton for a timed delivery in six hours. By coincidence at the 

same moment another consignment is sent from Zeeton destined 

for Ayville for delivery in exactly ten hours. If the two 

consignments travel via the most direct route and arrive precisely 

on schedule, at what time do the drivers pass one another? 

(Assume they travel at constant speed, without rest breaks.) 

A lovely bottle of bubbly awaits the sender of the first correct 

solution out of our hat. Please send your answer to Logistico 5, 

Tibbett & Britten Times, at the Worldwide Headquarters address 

opposite, by no later than 31 July 2002. Entry is open to all. 

What’s in a name? 

By every post they come... those bizarre attempts at our name and 

address. Among the good, the bad and the ugly this time was a 

letter from a Swiss transport journal to a Mr Hoe Ross of 

Windmill Hill, GB-Enfield. A Scottish gardener, perhaps? 

Rather more sinister was a letter from the Inland Revenue 

addressed to Tibbett & Britten Group at Rough House. This was 

passed to us by Jennie Taylor, who wondered if the taxman was 

trying to tell us something. 

Regular contributor Caroline Burrell was bemused to receive a 

mailer from a catering firm that believes Burleigh House to be the 

home of the Royal Society of Chemistry. 

However, the worthy winner of a £25 Marks & Spencer voucher 

has to be Bill Somerton, who received a packet from an overseas 

office of a top computer company addressed in bold, confident 

type to Halth Business Park, Bill Saunerton, Tabbit Graty 

Newnhim Drive, Northhamptonshire, Daventry. 

Thank you, Bill, and all who sent contributions. More please!

Tibbett & Britten Times #25 - Hayes Anderson Limited

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