DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group has worked closely with The Range to develop a solution that enhances the retailer’s import supply chain.

Based in the UK, The Range is a retail success story and is recognized for their variety of more than 65,000 products across 16 departments such as housewares, furniture, and garden.

The Range has experienced continuous, fast paced growth, which led to the initiation of a strategic supply chain improvement plan to ensure their supply chain keeps pace. Together the International Supply Chain (ISC) team of DHL Global Forwarding and The Range developed a robust, scalable, future-proofed supply chain solution that supports continued growth and achieves significant cost savings.

“DHL worked in partnership with The Range to enhance the existing fit for purpose import process and develop one fit for the future,” said Chris Hudson, a senior director at DHL Global Forwarding. “Combining the best of the existing business process with alternative ways of working and automation has enabled efficiencies to be realized across the supply chain. By sharing our supply-chain expertise we have built a strong partnership with one of the UK’s most successful retailers of recent years that delivers value to both parties.”

DHL ISC complemented The Range’s system environment by introducing a new order management and shipment visibility IT system which has increased end-to-end visibility and underpins the operating platform. DHL collaborates with The Range imports team to manage 15,000 TEU of ocean freight by providing vendor management in country of origin, proactive alerting of shipping exceptions, and global coordination via control towers in Hong Kong and the UK. The Range also benefits from enhanced reporting, including detailed key performance indicators and management information, which underpins a supply chain development program.

“The Range has experienced an immediate benefit from the jointly developed solution, as it has created an increasingly robust system environment, scalable processes, and enhanced visibility in our import operations,” said Alex Simpkin, Head of Supply Chain, The Range. “The solution enables us to continue growing our business while managing our immediate operating costs and providing opportunities for further supply-chain development. We look forward to a continuous development of our partnership with DHL.”