In support of World Environment Day volunteers from our Witham depot took to the streets of Essex to help keep them environmentally clean and tidy; we also managed to embrace a little sunshine along the way.

World Environment Day has been celebrated by millions of people across the world since 1973. The day was introduced by the United Nations as a platform to bring positive change across the world. 🌍

Team Simarco continues to deliver a wide range of projects which have a positive impact on the environment, society and the economy with its ongoing commitment to sustainability.

💚 We’d like to say thank you to the Green Heart of Essex programme, part of Braintree District Council, for providing us with the equipment needed to help keep our streets clean.🚮

Here at Simarco we believe face to face meetings play an integral part in driving collaboration between our teams and our partners.

We always have an open-door policy and inviting our customers to site enhances the trust, loyalty, and customer service we offer.

Last week we welcomed two special guests to our Stoke site; not only did they sample Stoke’s delicacy of ‘oatcakes’ but also joined us in discussing challenges, changes, and opportunities for 2024 / 2025.

We look forward to working with them on future initiatives and enhancing the strong relationship we already have in place.

When the best teams get out on the road!

Chris and Jake from our Sales and Customer Service Teams hit the road last week to visit one of our key account customers.

We are committed to working closely with our clients to further our collaborative developments and maintain our high-level customer service.

Together, we explored strategies to offset our carbon footprint by utilizing our HVO fuel, implementing a complete IT integration, and emphasizing sustainability within our partnership.

The partnerships we establish with our clients play a vital role in enhancing our services. We are committed to working closely with our clients, becoming strategic partners, and maintaining our high-level of customer service.

A step forward for mental health

Here at Simarco, in support of this months Mental Health Awareness week, our employees participated in the ‘Mental Health Step-Challenge’ an initiative run by our mental health first aiders group, Mind Matters. The aim of the challenge was to demonstrate the positive effects that walking can have on our mental health.

Walking not only diminishes stress, anxiety, and depression but also enhances energy levels and elevates self-esteem. Moreover, it presents a wonderful chance to relish the fresh air together as a team.

We thought we would share some pictures of the scenery that Team Simarco admired through their walking challenge…

Tell us we’ve been gardening without telling us!

Last week, we were honoured to support Trust Links, our nominated charity, during their recent environmental workshop. Trust Links, an Essex-based charity, is dedicated to enhancing and changing lives in Essex by offering mental health and well-being workshops and activities throughout the county.

Our Sustainability Group and Mental Health Group, Mind Matters, collaborated with the Gardening Team and Head of Fundraising, Nicky Evans to renovate the Basildon Garden which is owned by the charity.

From digging, weeding, and planting trees, Team Simarco were on hand to help develop the garden into a picturesque, tranquil space. This hands-on experience provided us with a valuable insight into the wonderful benefits that the project and charity has to offer. 

We would like to give a very warm welcome to Mollie, our new Warehouse Operations Manager. Mollie joins us with a wealth of warehouse and contract logistics experience from varying backgrounds and will be a welcome asset to our company.

From desserts to educational journeys, Mollie joins us for a quick-fire interview.

Tell us about your career background and the experiences you bring to Simarco.

Before starting Simarco, I spent 4 years managing a contract for a clothing brand at a large 3PL company. I started my warehousing journey by completing an ILM level 3 graduate scheme straight from university and took on the role of Stock and Admin Shift Manager.   After 9 months I was offered the opportunity to become Operational Shift Manager where I oversaw the operations of the clothing brands retail, ecommerce, and wholesale processes.

What are you looking forward to the most in your new role?

I am looking forward to getting to know the team and working with them to define the operational processes more so that we can have a successful peak. I am also looking forward to all the new experiences that will come with my new role.

How have you found your first few weeks?

Nobody enjoys being the new person, but I have felt so welcomed and I am thankful to everyone who has taken the time to sit with me to give me an overview of their roles within the business. I am very much enjoying the shorter commute into work in the mornings after travelling over an hour in my previous role.

What’s the best thing about your job / career choice. 

The best thing about my career choice is that no two days are ever the same in logistics. I love being able to get stuck in with the team and have the feeling of accomplishment when we can react to the customers’ needs and provide a great service.

If you could swap jobs for the day with someone else at Simarco, who would it be and why?

Since joining Simarco I have spent time with other areas of the business and have found it extremely interesting learning lots of new aspects. I think I would like to swap jobs for the day with Key Account Manager, Piotr. He is involved in lots of interesting projects and has opportunities to travel around the country and abroad; something I would love.

And now for the fun stuff…

Tell us about your hobbies and what you enjoy doing outside of work.

I love spending time with my family, especially my son, Freddie. We currently spend most of our weekends running around soft play areas or going on adventures with our two cockapoos. My hobby has always been reading, I love getting cosy on the sofa and getting lost in a good book.

If you were a dessert, what would you be and why?

This question took some thought, but I would be a banana split, because I am often split between thinking you only live once and being over cautious!

Team Simarco wishes Mollie all the best in her new role.

Meet Mark! Mark is our Regional Distribution Manager and has been working with us for just under four years. Mark was kind enough to chat to us about his roles and responsibilities.

Talk me through a typical day.

Overseeing both the contract logistics and import / export groupage for my site means no day is ever the same.

I start the day by reviewing our logistics activities and checking to see whether there are any urgent enquiries from the previous night.

The team then holds a daily operations meeting to review our resourcing requirements and future activities; this helps us plan our inbound and outbound movements.

Weekly calls are also scheduled in with our customers to ensure we are providing the highest level of customer service.

Health and safety are also one of the largest responsibilities in my role, so I am constantly walking the warehouse to ensure our employees are safe.

What do you find interesting about your role?

I love how varied my role is, I never have a typical day, and everything is always so different.

Because we deal with multiple customers things are always changing; each customer has a different working model, and their requirements are unique to their business’. 

I enjoy the people and the atmosphere on my site, we all work as a great team and have a ‘can do attitude’; I enjoy the responsibility of looking after the site and my team.

What would you say to someone thinking of joining logistics?

It is a big industry with a lot of different aspects, and there is more to the industry than people realise. People often overlook the back-office administration and don’t realise how their work effects the supply chain.

What interesting changes have you seen in the freight industry over the course of your career?

The biggest changes that I have seen over the years is the development of Ecommerce. When we started seeing more production in China, we started seeing a large volume increase in exports and imports; this meant more distribution in the supply chain.

Technology has also moved on, with customers’ expectations and buying habits changing.

Many years ago, customers returned items to store, now with an increase in Ecommerce sales, returns are being issued online which adds another process to what we do.

Regarding contract logistics the fundamentals haven’t changed but the expectations and technology on how it is handled has.

An egg-stra special Easter for our friends at The Peter Pan Centre.

Colleagues from our Stoke depot kindly donated a variety of delicious Easter eggs to local charity, The Peter Pan Centre.

The local charity provides support for children with special educational needs and provides a wealth of assistance to the children’s families.

The charity will kindly donate the chocolate eggs to families who utilise the centre. Let’s hope the Easter eggs are all they’re cracked up to be!

We’re delighted to announce the arrival of sixteen new high spec vehicles to our ever-expanding fleet.

With an investment of £1.9 million we’re proud to upgrade our fleet with sixteen of the highest specification trucks, ranging from twelve to forty-four tonnes.

Our new arrivals will be hitting the roads delivering high value distribution services to all our customers.

@simarco

#newfleet #logistics #distribution

Last week we were delighted to welcome William to our North Staffordshire site as we introduced him to the world of logistics, all part of his school’s work experience.

Let’s see how William got on…

Tell us about your week:

I really enjoyed my week and got to experience lots of different aspects of the business – there is so much more to logistics than I realised. I started my week by learning what was involved in organising export jobs and I even had the opportunity to schedule some myself.

I spent a day on the road with a truck driver; this was by far my favourite. I got to experience the inside of a cab and what is involved in driving, delivering, and collecting.

I then spent a day working in the warehouse with the Contract logistics Team and learnt about picking and packing – the team were great and made me feel extremely welcome.

Towards the end of the week, I sat with the quotes team and learnt what was involved in quoting.

Do you have better knowledge of logistics?

Yes, I didn’t realise there were so many different aspects, and it was great to experience the business from all different angles.

Have we exceeded your expectations?

I really enjoyed my week; it was better than being at school! The people are friendly and made me feel extremely welcome.

Would you consider a career in logistics?

Yes, I would. I would be interested in doing an apprenticeship when I finish school, perhaps in business so it can help me develop into a vast choice of career opportunities.

I thoroughly enjoyed being here, and I felt I learnt more as it was hands on. Being thrown into the everyday workings made me feel like part of the team and it opened my eyes to what it is like in the working world.