A massive warehouse is helping delivery company Delsol offer new services to manufacturers in North Wales and north west England.
Delsol MD Dave Phillips in the new warehouse space in Sandycroft with warehouse staff Gavin Hughes and Mike Wilcock
New jobs are also on the cards thanks to the 80,000 sq ft of storage space in the warehouse, alongside Delsol’s present base in Sandycroft, Flintshire.
The warehouse is used by companies in North Wales, Cheshire and the Wirral to store raw materials, with Delsol transporting the goods as needed by the clients’ processing methods.
Delsol then collects the finished products, storing them at the warehouse and finally delivering them around the globe to their clients’ customers, using its fleet of 90 modern trucks and vans.
The company, which employs 127 people, delivers items around the UK and across the globe to retail, commercial, industrial and private addresses, for large companies through to small enterprises and personal customers.
Two staff have been promoted to new roles to oversee the warehouse, while the company’s international sales team have moved into new office space inside the massive building.
Delsol managing director Dave Phillips hopes that the expansion will lead to further recruitment at the firm.
He said: “We initially took on 40,000 sq ft last October, which offered us 2,500 racking spaces. However, it was clear that there is a big demand in this area for warehousing, fulfilment and pick-and-pack, so we have taken on a further 40,000 sq ft. We now have a total of 5,000 racking spaces, plus some further storage space. In addition we have invested in a new pallet tracking and storage system.
“Here we are able to store raw materials, such as packaging, plastics, paper, chemicals and metals as well as other goods, through to the final products for six major customers.
“Essentially, this is a cradle-to-grave solution for companies, as we then pick orders and pack them, with either full containers or part-loads as necessary, and distribute the items through our pallet network or directly to their customers in the UK, Europe and overseas, on our vehicles.
“For the customer, this is a real a cost-saving, as it removes the issues of storage and order fulfilment, allowing them to concentrate on their own core business and expand their manufacturing operations as needed, rather than tying up valuable space for storage.
“My background is warehousing and order fulfilment and when I was brought in as managing director last year my brief was expand the company into new areas, so I feel that we are making good progress.
“There is also space in the warehouse for further expansion so we are talking to more companies to take on the same role for them, of storage through to pick-and-pack.
“We are part of the Hazchem network so we are very experienced in moving materials and chemicals, such as solvents and paints, through to electrical goods.
“In addition we have brought together our international sales team, which was previously spread across our bases in Sandycroft and Caernarfon. This means they are able to work more effectively as a team and I am expecting that this will be another growth area for the company.
“We will still have spare office capacity in the new building, which again will allow us to organically grow our other operations – I hope that this will lead to new jobs in the near future.”
Operations in the warehouse are overseen by Mike Wilcocks, 51, from Flint, who has been with the company for 10 years.
He said: “I was previously morning shift manager for the delivery team at the Sandycroft depot, which meant a 2.30am start. My new role means I can stay a bit longer in bed, as I don’t have to be here until 5am!
“The warehouse is huge and I am certainly getting fit walking around it all, especially once we doubled it in size. If we expand it more I am going to have start using a bike to get around.”
Mike is joined mid-morning by colleague Gavin Hughes, 41, who commutes from his home in Llangefni on Anglesey.
He said: “I was previously at Caernarfon and so I am getting used to travelling along the A55. I tend to stay here until the end of the working day, around 7.30pm but that can be later, depending on demand.
“We have a wide range of items stored here, but fortunately the company has invested in a new pallet tracking system, which has made it easy to locate items for customers quickly.
“I can see that it makes good commercial sense for our customers to use this as their storage space for both raw materials and finished goods, freeing up room on their sites for manufacturing. We pick and pack for their own customers, ensuring that orders can go out quickly, so reaching their final destinations right on time.”
Originally founded in Bethesda, Gwynedd, in 1999, Delsol opened a purpose-built delivery depot and warehouse facility in nearby Caernarfon in 2003, and six years later opened a second depot in Sandycroft, Deeside, Flintshire.
Delsol is a member of APC Overnight, the UK’s largest independent parcel delivery network, as well as the TPN pallet network, which offers sustainable, cost effective and reliable distribution around the UK and Ireland, and into Europe.
It is also part of the Hazchem network, moving thousands of items under strict regulations, from perfumes and medicines to industrial solvents and paints.
More details about the company at www.deliverysolutions.uk.com, or call 01248 679933 or 01244 525090.
