The partnership followed 10 years of JHP working as a subcontractor for Fowler Welch for transport activity in and out of Scotland.
Fowler Welch’s chief operating officer John Kerrigan said: “This more formal partnership takes our relationship to the next level and unlocks the ability to offer both our current and new customers a wider range of solutions.
“Cross dock, consolidation and added value solutions for our ambient and temperature controlled customers can now be unlocked in Scotland as a result of this agreement.”
Extend its relationship
Jim Prentice, owner of JHP Transport, said the partnership had allowed the company to extend its relationship with Fowler Welch in a more structured way.
“Fowler Welch has been pivotal to our growth and we treat any deliveries we manage on their behalf as if they were our own – from a service point of view.
“Our presence and infrastructure in Scotland will support growth and create a sustainable platform for joint logistics solutions in and out of Scotland for many years to come.”
Prentice said the agreement, as well as winning the award for Scottish chilled distribution haulier of the year by Transport News, represented a fantastic year for the company.
Fantastic year for the company
With more than 25 years’ experience, Fowler Welch offers a range of supply chain services for both ambient and temperature controlled products, including warehousing, haulage and IT systems.
The company has facilities in Washington Tyne and Wear, Teynham and Paddock Wood in Kent, Portsmouth, Heywood Greater Manchester, Spalding, Newton Abbot, Nuneaton, and Desborough.
Fowler Welch employs more than 1,500 people and its clients include Warburtons, Dairy Crest and Kerry Foods.
Meanwhile, Food and drink warehousing will need to adapt for more automation as the availability of labour falls and costs increase, according to the Food Storage and Distribution Federation.