Castlecool to boost export potential of Irish SMEs

Leading Irish multi-temperature control and logistics specialist Castlecool is to bring powerful, integrated IT solutions within the reach of the SME sector for the first time. The introduction of a new web portal will assist SMEs to cut the cost and increase the efficiency of their logistics and supply chain management. In addition, Castlecool will also offer them far more cost-effective entry to the critical UK market.

“Over the years, Castlecool has invested substantially in advanced technology andsystems at our Monaghan logistics centre and Food and Business Park,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “These systems are fully integrated with those of our large blue chip customers. In effect, Castlecool becomes an extension of our clients’ central operations. When they receive a purchase order from a customer it appears on our system and we begin the process of picking and preparing that order for despatch straight away. It’s a completely seamless process which increases efficiency, cuts down on paperwork and duplication of tasks, reduces errors and cuts costs quite dramatically.”

Up until now these efficiency improvements and cost reductions have been available only to very large companies who could afford the quite significant costs involved in the integration of sophisticated IT systems such as these.

“The costs involved in integrating procurement, supply chain and logistics systems in this fashion can easily run into six figures and higher,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “This was absolutely out of the reach of all but the very largest companies. However, we now have a solution which will offer SMEs much of the functionality and benefits of these integrated systems at almost no cost to customers.”

The new solution has been developed in conjunction with Castlecool’s long time IT partner, Dublin based, Principle Systems. “We have worked with Principle Systems for a long time on the development of our systems and they are equal to or better than any you will find in the logistics sector anywhere in the world today,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “We have now developed a web portal which will allow our SME customers access all the power of these systems from their desktop at no cost. They will be able to do just about everything online in the same way as our large blue chip clients such as place orders,check stock holding, edit the status of their stock, such as quality holds and monitor the progress of their orders as they are prepared.

The system will also allow SMEs to book time slots for truck arrivals. “Once they place the order the system here picks the stock to fulfill it,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “By booking a time for their truck to arrive we can ensure that the fulfilled order is waiting for that truck when it arrives thus cutting out delays and again reducing costs.”

A third element of the new offering to SMEs is Castlecool’s new UK distribution model. At present Irish SMEs are effectively penalised for not having full loads to export to the UK. “The cost per pallet can more than double for a company which can’t fill full truck loads, said Andrew. “Our new UK distribution model will offer Irish SMEs, particularly in the food sector, the opportunity to export to the UK in a more cost effective way. We are currently delivering to all the major UK retailers such as Tesco, Sainsburys and Iceland. Irish companies will be able to use our distribution facilities to deliver their goods to these UK customers and enjoy significantly lower pallet rates.”

According to Andrew Shortt, this offering will deliver benefits both for Irish SMEs and Castlecool. “It is generally accepted that the recovery will be led by export oriented SMEs and we want to play our role in assisting them. Also, we believe Irish SMEs have huge potential for growth if they can be facilitated in getting their goods to market in the most cost effective way possible. We hope to build strong business partnerships for the future with our SME customer base – a partnership which will see us grow together over time.”

Leading Irish multi-temperature control and logistics specialist Castlecool is to bring powerful, integrated IT solutions within the reach of the SME sector for the first time. The introduction of a new web portal will assist SMEs to cut the cost and increase the efficiency of their logistics and supply chain management. In addition, Castlecool will also offer them far more cost-effective entry to the critical UK market.

“Over the years, Castlecool has invested substantially in advanced technology andsystems at our Monaghan logistics centre and Food and Business Park,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “These systems are fully integrated with those of our large blue chip customers. In effect, Castlecool becomes an extension of our clients’ central operations. When they receive a purchase order from a customer it appears on our system and we begin the process of picking and preparing that order for despatch straight away. It’s a completely seamless process which increases efficiency, cuts down on paperwork and duplication of tasks, reduces errors and cuts costs quite dramatically.”

Up until now these efficiency improvements and cost reductions have been available only to very large companies who could afford the quite significant costs involved in the integration of sophisticated IT systems such as these.

“The costs involved in integrating procurement, supply chain and logistics systems in this fashion can easily run into six figures and higher,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “This was absolutely out of the reach of all but the very largest companies. However, we now have a solution which will offer SMEs much of the functionality and benefits of these integrated systems at almost no cost to customers.”

The new solution has been developed in conjunction with Castlecool’s long time IT partner, Dublin based, Principle Systems. “We have worked with Principle Systems for a long time on the development of our systems and they are equal to or better than any you will find in the logistics sector anywhere in the world today,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “We have now developed a web portal which will allow our SME customers access all the power of these systems from their desktop at no cost. They will be able to do just about everything online in the same way as our large blue chip clients such as place orders,check stock holding, edit the status of their stock, such as quality holds and monitor the progress of their orders as they are prepared.

The system will also allow SMEs to book time slots for truck arrivals. “Once they place the order the system here picks the stock to fulfill it,” said Andrew Shortt, director, Castlecool. “By booking a time for their truck to arrive we can ensure that the fulfilled order is waiting for that truck when it arrives thus cutting out delays and again reducing costs.”

A third element of the new offering to SMEs is Castlecool’s new UK distribution model. At present Irish SMEs are effectively penalised for not having full loads to export to the UK. “The cost per pallet can more than double for a company which can’t fill full truck loads, said Andrew. “Our new UK distribution model will offer Irish SMEs, particularly in the food sector, the opportunity to export to the UK in a more cost effective way. We are currently delivering to all the major UK retailers such as Tesco, Sainsburys and Iceland. Irish companies will be able to use our distribution facilities to deliver their goods to these UK customers and enjoy significantly lower pallet rates.”

According to Andrew Shortt, this offering will deliver benefits both for Irish SMEs and Castlecool. “It is generally accepted that the recovery will be led by export oriented SMEs and we want to play our role in assisting them. Also, we believe Irish SMEs have huge potential for growth if they can be facilitated in getting their goods to market in the most cost effective way possible. We hope to build strong business partnerships for the future with our SME customer base – a partnership which will see us grow together over time.”