A three-year partnership between Cambridgeshire-based Knowles Transport and The Silver Spoon Company has proven so successful that the leading supplier of sugar has extended the contract by another five years.
The Silver Spoon Company, which is part of Associated British Foods and produces a range of other foodstuffs including Allinson’s flour, Proper Nutty peanut butter, Askeys ice cream accompaniments and Truvia sweeteners, extended the contract which has seen the two companies develop a strong working relationship.
Over the past three years Knowles Transport has been responsible for all of The Silver Spoon Company’s handling, storage and distribution requirements – managing the 800-plus SKUs within The Silver Spoon Company’s portfolio of products.
Bob Dunn, Logistics Manager at The Silver Spoon Company, said the partnership between The Silver Spoon Company and Knowles came about when the contract was put out to tender. The company had used another carrier for a number of years but was keen to explore other options.
Knowles pitched against some of the biggest names in the transport industry, however it was Knowles’ proximity to The Silver Spoon Company’s location coupled with their customer centric ethos and the fact they are a family business which shone through. Other factors also included Knowles’ stringent compliance and health and safety policies as well as being BRC-accredited – a vital requirement for The Silver Spoon Company and its parent company Associated British Foods.
He said: “The commitment demonstrated by Knowles – from the warehouse to the board room – is consistent at every level. Knowles is proactive with their ideas, flexible and can quickly adapt to market demands and scale up quickly. We have an excellent working relationship and meet on a monthly basis and together consistently review the operation to further improve efficiency and productivity.”
The company is involved at every stage of the transportation process and works on a day one for day two and three delivery cycle, ensuring shelves across the country remain stocked.
Bob said: “Every food business experiences challenges for a variety of reasons and it has been no different for The Silver Spoon Company during our 3-year partnership with Knowles”.
One such period of course was lockdown as people re-discovered their love of baking.
He said: “Consumer demand for our products soared. It literally happened overnight with orders hitting record levels.
“But Knowles stepped up. They pulled out all the stops throughout. Everything we needed them to do was done.
More recently Knowles also rose to the challenge when The Silver Spoon Company faced growing problems with storage.
“Space was becoming an issue,” he said. “So we approached Knowles for help in finding another location, the whole process was completed within three weeks. They found us a warehouse and it went through very quickly this again demonstrates their agility and commitment to The Silver Spoon Company and thanks to them we had the storage capacity for an additional 5,000 pallets.”
Bob said the secret behind the successful partnership was communication, with close collaboration between Knowles and The Silver Spoon Company at every level – from senior directors right through to customer services representatives and warehouse staff.
He said: “Our relationship with Knowles has become a true partnership and as we have extended our product portfolio, Knowles has worked with us to develop a seamless delivery solution. They are an excellent fit for The Silver Spoon Company. They are agile, share our values and consistently push the boundaries
“They are totally aligned with our operation to ensure that whether delivering to a convenience store, a supermarket or a wholesaler they provide a level of service which is exemplary.”
