Norbert Dentressangle wins three-year contract to provide dedicated delivery solution for Interfloor

Norbert Dentressangle has won a major £-multi-million, three-year contract to provide a dedicated delivery solution for Interfloor Limited, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of domestic and commercial underlay and flooring accessories.

Under the well-known brand names of Duralay, Tredaire, Gripperrods and Stikatak, Interfloor, which was established in 2002 following the merger of the Duralay and Tredaire businesses, distributes products to a diverse range of customers in over 70 countries. The company employs over 300 people and is the largest supplier in the UK.

A challenging product to transport because it needs to be loose loaded, requires a high level of manual handling and, consequently, is not economical to palletise, the new agreement provides a like-for-like dedicated delivery solution. This ensures a seamless transition from the previous in-house operation to guarantee that there is no disruption to customer deliveries.

The operation involves over 100 outbound movements from Interfloor’s production sites in Haslingden, Lancashire, and Dumfries in Scotland. More than 500 deliveries are made each week using a new fleet of 19 artics with curtainsided trailers and 11 rigid 18 tonne trucks. The majority of deliveries to Interfloor’s customers are made direct to stores on fixed days.

With Norbert Dentressangle’s ability to provide backloads to reduce empty running on return legs to Lancashire, and the introduction of a sophisticated vehicle tracking and management system, Interfloor will benefit from a more cost effective and efficient solution that will build upon existing high levels of customer service.

Ian Merrifield, operations manager at Interfloor, said: "We are committed to improving our supply chain and recognise that by outsourcing the transport operation we can achieve this more effectively and focus our attention on expanding the business. We look forward to working closely with Norbert Dentressangle to deliver further customer service improvements through a flexible solution that can meet our logistics needs now and in the future."