Adding a local touch to meet the steepest of challenges

QinetiQ is a leading science and engineering company, operating mainly in the defence, security and critical infrastructure markets. It is the UK’s sixth largest defence contractor, providing innovative technology-based products and services for a range of global customers, including the Ministry of Defence.

The initial challenge for the QinetiQ site at Ports down Hill was two-fold. Multiple online orders placed throughout the week could be delivered at any time the next day, resulting in deliveries that might arrive late afternoon, thereby potentially delaying scheduled maintenance by up to 24 hours. In addition, different drivers were regularly making the deliveries, and given the high security nature of QinetiQ’s business, extra time is required to process security passes for drivers arriving onsite. In some cases, if the security requirements weren’t met, deliveries were being rejected.

RS met with QinetiQ to better understand their challenges and determine a solution that would optimise the delivery process and best suit the customer’s needs.

Guaranteed delivery times were agreed and have since been put in place to ensure orders arrive prior to 11am, ahead of any scheduled work planned for the next day. To make the booking in process more efficient, RS has put in place a designated driver to make the deliveries via its local and trusted courier service. Both solutions have reduced the time QinetiQ spend waiting for parts and made the whole delivery process much more efficient.

As well as servicing its markets, QinetiQ is passionate about operating responsibly and safely, both for its people and its communities, and sets annual targets to reduce waste.

In recognition of this and in line with RS’s constantly evolving service proposition, RS proposed an ‘eco’ delivery with the use of tote boxes, consolidating their orders and removing the need for packaging. This proactively supports QinetiQ’s sustainability targets on the reduction of waste and improves the efficiency of the ‘goods in’ process by removing the need for QinetiQ to unpack goods themselves.

QinetiQ’s Mechanical Engineering Team Leader, Paul Greenleaf, is delighted with the results so far. By delivering the orders at the allotted time using a designated driver, RS has enabled QinetiQ’s team to work to planned schedules, making better use of their time and improving productivity. In addition, RS has added value in line with QinetiQ’s wider responsibilities to the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees, and its impact on the environment.

" I was actually in store when the first delivery arrived, and it was very professional, in line with social distancing, the driver placed the box of items on the floor and stepped back, and our guy unloaded it. The driver then took the box away with him again".

Tailoring services to better meet the needs of QinetiQ has also meant RS has been able to make a notable contribution to the customer’s waste reduction targets, saving 37kg of packaging in less than six months.