Moving with the Times: Reach Trucks to Aislemaster

The UK supply chain has been experiencing an extensive shift in strategy, as businesses move away from a ‘just in time’ (JIT) manufacturing model. The recent change has pushed multiple industries into a new direction, choosing a storage-heavy process instead. Within the materials handling industry, this has resulted in an increased demand for the Aislemaster.

How is the Industry Changing?

In the past, JIT, also known as lean manufacturing, was the predominant production method across almost every industry. JIT ensures that manufacturers only produce the exact amount of stock necessary at any given time. This standard protects businesses from stock wastage and minimises space requirements. However, recent global disruptions, including the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and geopolitical tensions have exposed the vulnerabilities of relying on this specific strategy.

Minimal inventory during these disruptions led to significant delays and shortages and businesses across the UK began to look for ways to mitigate the risks of this occurring again. The result has been several new strategies, including a hybrid approach, a ‘just in case’ approach, and a nearshoring and reshoring approach.

Hybrid

A hybrid strategy has enabled businesses to keep up with demand by keeping key materials and components on hand, while still utilising the lean principles of JIT. As a result, companies can stand up to the continuously changing economic world while maintaining efficiency.

Just in Case

Some businesses have chosen to invest in safety stock, always guaranteeing the presence of critical items. This decreases the chance of delays and offers greater security but leads to higher storage costs.

Nearshoring and reshoring

For other companies, shifting production closer to home or reshoring back to the UK has been the right choice. Minimising the length of the supply chain helps boost production and minimise the opportunity for delays but is also a costly choice.

Continue reading to find out more about the how these changes to the supply chain have impacted the use of reach trucks and the Aislemaster. 

For more information about our warehousing solutions and the Smarter Asset Strategy, contact the Dawsongroup material handling team today.