Regional expansion and infrastructure development key to new opportunities

Breakfast Briefing focuses on developing logistics capabilities in Wales to mark European Supply Chain Day

Cardiff Business School’s Executive Education Breakfast Briefing series celebrated European Supply Chain Day, in a joint event with the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport.

Sali Williams, Aldi’s Director of Logistics, and Sue Terpilowski, on behalf of Cronus Logistics, addressed the assembled guests.

The audience, made up of members of the business, academic and policy communities, first heard from Sali about the budget supermarket’s forthcoming Cardiff Distribution Centre, and the role it will play in the local business economy and development.

Aldi, originally founded in Germany in 1913, has experienced considerable growth in the UK in recent years. Sali gave an abbreviated history of Aldi’s history and spoke of its early days in the UK market before elaborating on its current operational model and the importance of the new Cardiff Distribution Centre.

The distribution centre will open in February 2017 and service 63 stores across South Wales and the South West of England. The purpose of the regional distribution centre in Aldi’s logistics planning is to provide a base to consolidate products from multiple suppliers and minimising vehicle movements to Aldi’s stores while helping to ensure that products are fully available for all stores to order.

Sali highlighted the significant opportunities that the new distribution centre will generate for business growth in South Wales, particularly for logistics providers. Sue Terpilowski, on behalf of Cronus Logistics, then addressed the session, highlighting the company’s desire to improve the quality of service for businesses moving goods between South Wales and Ireland through Cardiff’s port. Both sessions suggested many opportunities for business growth in the region.

Sarah Lethbridge, Director of Executive Education at Cardiff Business School, said: “This was a fantastic event to mark European Supply Chain Day.  It will be interesting to follow developments over the coming months and witness the impact of the regional distribution centre and port enhancements on the local economy.”

Registration is now open for the next Cardiff Breakfast Briefing which will be held on Thursday 19 May 2016.  Sponsored by Bruton Knowles and entitled Zero Carbon Housing - The Power of Passivhaus, the session will be delivered by Ms Angela Ruiz del Portal Sanz from the Welsh School of Architecture.