Weetabix

“This is a journey of continuous improvement”

Since 1932, Weetabix has been a popular part of a British family breakfast. Weetabix itself is the nation’s favourite breakfast cereal, and the brand includes a wide range of tasty, nutritious cereals, bars and muesli. Weetabix Head Office is located at its main production site, Burton Latimer, a 75 acre site that produces circa 3 billion Weetabix every year. Weetabix is enjoyed all over the world, with further manufacturing facilities in the USA and South Africa and consumers in more than 80 countries.

Delivering quantifiable results

• TDG needed to ensure a seamless transition to the 3PL solution. So the initial phases of the handover were devoted to ensuring the right terms and conditions for circa 170 members of staff who were being TUPE transferred to TDG.
• As a way of increasing capacity and cutting staffing costs, TDG recommended partially automating the 350,000 square feet warehouse at Burton Latimer. The consequent reduction in head count was carefully handled, so as to retain good will on all sides.
• The warehouse headcount now stands at 90 – a reduction of 20 over previous staffing levels; proof that the new solution is already reducing costs, and, as automation continues, will continue reducing costs still further.
• There are additional savings: one of the most visible signs of Weetabix’s improved capacity is the new high cube network of vehicles that TDG has brought in to change the way Weetabix transports its stock to shops. Whereas a standard bulk transport vehicle can hold 390 UK standard size pallets, a high cube vehicle with a 3.1m side aperture holds 468 pallets – a 20% increase.  

“We identified cost savings immediately, but we knew it was always going to be difficult for Weetabix to make the decision to outsource. And we knew that a strong commitment to customer service was central to this contract.”

Mick Wilson, Account Director, TDG

Contact us to discuss how our supply chain management experience in this case may be relevant to your business.