Confectioner expansion is a sweet deal for logistics firm

A COVENTRY logistics firm is gearing up operations to cope with the expansion of one of its best known clients.

Swizzels, one of the oldest and largest manufacturers of sweets in the UK, is expanding its manufacturing capability with the opening of a new factory.

The enlarged operation will test the capabilities of its supply chain across Derbyshire and Cheshire, and pallet-provider Pooling Partners said it was expanding its own provision to ensure it could cope with the increased volumes.

As Halloween approaches, the confectioner is preparing for one of the busiest periods of the year – in fact sales can sometimes double during the month of October. The investment in the new facilities will ensure it keeps pace with demand.

The family-owned business at New Mills in the High Peak, is the home to such popular products as Love Hearts and Drumsticks and these sell out rapidly as families prepare for trick or treat excursions.

As such, Pooling Partners, which produces its own pallets and boxes as well as retrieving, repairing and repatriating them, is also having to up its game to ensure supply is maintained.

Its agreement with Swizzels, which dates back to 2009, sees it collect the empty pallets from Swizzels’ end customers including all of the major multiple retailers, cash and carry businesses and smaller confectioners, and then reintroduce them back into the cycle, repairing them first if necessary.
 
Nigel Wanford, Supply Chain Manager for Swizzels, said: “There are major plans for the New Mills site where our annual production is set to increase significantly over the next 12 months.

“Pooling Partners has worked with us step by step over the last seven years and we will be building our new model around the service that we currently operate together, albeit the volumes will increase in line with demand.
 
“We work well as a team as we are both focussed upon quality and service. We need to be assured 24/7 that the pallets are in the best condition and critically there when we need them as our requirement increases in line with seasonal spikes.”
 
Phil Storer, UK Country Director for Pooling Partners, added: “This constant open communication is why we work well together.”