In this exclusive video for FoodManufacture.co.uk, Taplin said distribution partnerships would be a growing trend because the more benefits they bring certain retailers, the others will have to follow.
“It is a model that will increase. You can’t get away from the economic benefits of reducing the empty running [of trucks], which is quite a significant proportion of the operation,” he said.
Watch this video to find out what other benefits Taplin said collaborative logistic agreements could bring firms and what the barriers to implementing these partnerships were.
DHL is working with frozen food retailer Iceland, which is expected to start sharing truck space with another retailer this year.
Step Change in Agri-Food Logistics Ecosystems
Taplin was speaking at the Step Change in Agri-Food Logistics Ecosystems (SCALE) project’s conference at Cranfield University, near Bedford, earlier this week (March 19).
The SCALE project is developing new tools and frameworks that the agri-food sector can use to improve the efficiency and sustainability of food and drink logistics through the supply chain.
It is part funded by European funding body INTERREG IVB Nort-West Europe and made up of Cranfield University, DHL, European Food and Farming Partnerships (EFFP), the University of Wageningen and Université d’ Artois.
Meanwhile, Siôn Roberts, senior partner, EFFP claimed a “step change” in the supply chain was needed to overcome the volatile retail market, growing demand for food products, a need to increase economic competitiveness and to reduce energy use.