The secrets to a long-term logistics partnership with Garador

The challenge of delivering a specialist product

There are many unique factors to Garador’s distribution requirements. Firstly, the doors themselves which are different sizes and weights. This directly impacts the load configuration and how many doors can be delivered at any given time. For example, we could be transporting doors up to 16’ wide, alongside roller garage doors which are specially crated. Some deliveries are also palletised and individually offloaded.

Secondly, the delivery address makes a lot of difference. If delivering to a specialist, the doors will be offloaded with a forklift. If they are going to a member of public, the doors will need to be handballed off. The access and terrain of the delivery sites will also vary hugely.

Garador therefore require a logistics partner that can accommodate these different needs in a way that always presents a positive customer service.

The benefits of an outsourced fleet

Many years ago, Garador had their own fleet to distribute their doors, but they chose to outsource the logistics for a number of reasons. Emma Hannam, Garador’s Head of Commercial Operations explains more:

Our specialism is garage door manufacture, not delivery and fleet management. It is also more cost effective for us to outsource the distribution because Gregory Group has the scale that enables us to tap into extra fleet whenever we need it. With our own fleet we had fixed costs no matter what the customer demand was.

A partnership in its truest form

Gregory Group has worked alongside Garador for over 30 years. Our team are specialists in garage door deliveries because they work collaboratively at every level.

For example, our Transport Supervisor is based in the Garador office. They see and hear everything that could influence the door deliveries. This collaborative approach means we are always there to support Garador. Emma provides more detail:

The Gregory Group team are an extension to our own. The drivers are the one person that our customers will always see so they are the face of Garador, and the Transport Supervisor is there to help us with whatever we need. We’ve had to pull rabbits out of hats before. Having someone on site who can talk through the different delivery scenarios is very helpful.

Consistency is key

The team supporting Garador has been doing so for a long time. The previous Transport Supervisor worked with Garador up until retirement and the driving team are very experienced. As new people join the team, they receive extensive training which means they quickly understand the nuisances of Garador’s requirements. Emma explains the difference this makes:

The consistency of the team is extremely valuable. While employed by Gregory Group, the drivers are specific to Garador. They are familiar with our unique product and understand the requirements of our different customers. As well as being experts in delivering garage doors there is also a requirement to communicate effectively with our customers. They phone ahead to confirm delivery times, answer queries on site, and problem solve when a customer isn’t ready to receive a delivery. It's more than just a driving job and they do it brilliantly.

Always delivering

With a partnership spanning three decades, the longevity speaks volumes, but we also asked Emma what she felt the secrets to our success are. She said:

The relationship is the bottom line. Your team are very much part of our team – we work together and whatever we need help with, you are there. Whether a delay at a customer site or a new product that requires a different delivery method, I am confident we’ll come up with a solution together. Your team take a lot of the pain away, we rarely experience issues, and it is a partnership that really works.