SBS Worldwide, the international logistics specialist, has been shortlisted for a prestigious award for revolutionising the worldwide distribution of books.
The company's eDC (electronic Distribution Centre) system, which cuts the cost of distributing books by as much as 30%, has been shortlisted for one of the annual freight awards run by IFW, Europe's most popular logistics e-publication.
"We are delighted to be recognised for our commitment to finding the best critical path to market for the book publishing trade," says Steve Walker, SBS Worldwide Chairman. "We have taken our experience and expertise from the automotive and general retail markets - both highly demanding - and taken a consultative approach to work with publishers to design the most efficient and cost-effective system for the worldwide delivery of books."
SBS Worldwide is reinventing the concept of the 'supply chain'. "The words 'supply chain' implies that something is made up of various components - the links in the supply chain. We have co-designed business processes and solutions with customers, and looked at how the business model works, to deliver a highly efficient 'critical path' to market - a single journey designed especially with that customer in mind. These initiatives translate into balance sheet and cash flow improvements that together yield more economic profit for our customers," Steve Walker explains.
"Publishers took the step of outsourcing their printing to China, but did not take the next logical step of also completely evaluating their global distribution methods. Our eDC system ensures books are routed directly to where they are needed - resulting in faster distribution at a lower cost."
The annual IFW Awards recognise companies which provide innovation and service excellence in the freight industry, and SBS Worldwide is in good company. Other companies shortlisted include: Virgin Atlantic, TNT Express, Eurotunnel and Emirates.
SBS Worldwide has offices in the UK, USA and China offering international freight forwarding and logistics services worldwide. It has a wide variety of clients in a range of industries including publishing, retail, hi-tech and industrial goods.