At Andusia, logistics, looked after by our Operations team, are at the heart of our business and a vital element to ensure we can always offer our customers a full supply chain solution and great service to boot.
If you are an Andusia customer, it very likely you will have spoken to one of the team before. Overseen by Operations Director, Chris May, the Operations team represents a large proportion of Andusia as a whole and consists of Victoria, Jen, Naomi and Lauren.
During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Operations team continued to work hard, ensuring contracts were fulfilled and customers were kept happy. We talk to Operations Manager, Victoria Tallant, to find out more about what goes on behind the scenes:
- What do the Operations team do?
In a nutshell, the operations team are responsible for organising the logistics, i.e. getting waste collected from UK waste suppliers and sent to EfW plants across Europe. However, there is a lot of work involved getting waste from A to B and to make sure the process runs smoothly.
We arrange all the necessary documentation for the Environment Agency and manage Trans-Frontier Shipment (TFS) applications. On top of this, when planning routes, we try our hardest to keep transport miles to a minimum, and we only ever use backhaul transport that would otherwise be returning empty, making sure we can provide a zero carbon solution to our customers.
Over the years we have managed to build up a network of dependable hauliers and have grown our offering from a bale and wrap delivery service to bespoke solutions including a loose waste walking floor solution.
2. Describe a typical day in Operations.
Priority is always making sure the plants get the tonnes they need; so thorough planning is key and it involves a lot of spreadsheets!
Each week a considerable amount of time is spent organising the following weeks collections. We need to take into consideration every plant’s contracted tonnes, their waste specification and the distance from supplier to port to plant.
On an average week we deal with 150 trailers and 70 container shipments – all of which require movement documentation.
Other daily tasks involve obtaining ETA’s from the hauliers, ensuring deliveries are received, and chasing signed movement documents once waste is incinerated. In addition to a lot of admin!
3. What challenges do you face? How do you deal with them?
Every week we face a challenge, but that’s what keeps it interesting!
Scenarios such as cancelled loads, baler issues, missing paperwork and late collections can have a huge knock on effect.
For example, a last minute cancelled load not only results in charges to the waste supplier, but also means we have to adjust arrangements with all other links in the chain, quickly and efficiently, whilst ensuring the plant still gets the tonnes it needs.
Fortunately, Andusia’s operations team are well equipped to take on a challenge and we always overcome it.
4. Did you see any effect on work during the height of Covid-19?
The export of RDF is very much seasonal anyway. When the temperature falls in Sweden for example, export of RDF to Sweden rises. As such the Summer months are always less demanding.
We did feel the effects of the ongoing pandemic; with UK waste producers experiencing a drastic fall in commercial waste of almost 50%. However, saying that, we were able to retain our projected RDF export levels whilst also agreeing some new contracts which we are now busy fulfilling.
For more information or to get in touch with our Operations team, contact us on 01992 666257.