Company Profile - Partners in Logistics

Partners in Logistics strengthens toy presence

Toy World caught up with Partners in Logistics Managing director, Abbas Bhanji, to hear how the company is looking to expand its footprint in the toy community.

Abbas Bhanji is enthusiastic about logistics and passionate in his belief that a good logistics partner can be a huge advantage for toy suppliers: “Our name sums us up perfectly – Partners in Logistics. We are your partners, and we can literally do anything and everything in the supply chain, from start to finish.”

The company handles both B2B and B2C orders, and along with numerous toy suppliers, also currently has customers that offer electronics, mobile accessories and cosmetics. Because it works with a selection of companies supplying the same retailers, Partners in Logistics is able to consolidate bookings, which massively reduces the price per pallet.

The business is located in Coventry, an area known as the ‘Golden Triangle’ for freight and logistics, as it is located around two hours from every major UK city, which helps to keep costs down. Being a university town, there are also a lot of young and energetic students, which represent a great source of part-time labour.

Abbas explains how the company was set up after Brexit and the Pandemic to help toy companies trade efficiently: “One of our biggest advantages is that we come from a toy supplier background, having worked for many years as UK distributor for Sakar. So, we know how the toy industry works, and the team has considerable experience of dealing with retailers, so we know the foibles and working practices of each individual account. We understand retail manuals, and also how to get round certain challenges. Sometimes we’re asked to do something that just doesn’t make sense, so we’ll talk to the retailer about the best way to proceed to save everyone time and money – the retailer, the client and ourselves.

“We appreciate that each retailer is different, so when we receive an order, we know what we have to do to process it efficiently. We know what each customer needs, right down to whether the truck needs a tail lift. We’re a collaborative, flexible team, and we’ll do whatever it takes to make things run smoothly.”

Flexibility is key to the Partners in Logistics ethos: “We aim for deliveries to be prepared the same day the order is placed and shipped the next day. We log in to clients’ vendor accounts, get the ASINS and our bespoke warehouse management system helps our warehouse team to get everything ready quickly and accurately. You could say we are obsessed with getting orders picked, packed and shipped out the next day.

“Our client portal system keeps our partners updated with inventory - what’s available, what’s been allocated. It has direct integration links to many retailers, including Amazon, Tesco, Shopify, The Range and many others.”

All invoices are sent monthly, not daily, and customers have 30 days to pay. “This makes it easier for our partners to trade efficiently and cost-effectively,” explains Abbas. “We even prepare VAT returns for some of our US clients, and handle all duty and customs forms, plus other necessary paperwork. We learnt the hard way how to navigate Brexit – wherever products are shipping from and to, you have to keep on top of all the customs changes.

“Most toy companies now go down the 3PL route – we firmly believe we can deliver a better service and better prices than they could achieve if they did it themselves, yet alone a 3PL. Our aim is to keep the cost of logistics below 5% for our partners – there’s no way they could do that if they were doing it themselves.”

PIL is happy to offer flexible contracts: “We don’t have to tie clients down to multi-year deals. If they’re happy, they’ll stay with us.”

The business is ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 18001 accredited, reflecting its commitment to quality, environmental management, health and safety and operational excellence. Additionally, it maintains a 99.7% pick accuracy rate and 100% inventory accuracy, which has been instrumental in delivering consistent, reliable service to its clients.

Abbas admits: “It’s not a glamorous business; it is very process driven. From an operational standpoint, everyone in the team has to know what they’re doing. Everyone – even the owners – knows how to do every facet of the work. Clients can rely on us: contact is direct, we answer calls and aim to respond to emails within 20 minutes. If there is a problem, we understand that it needs to be sorted immediately. Failed or rejected orders not only cost money, but they also cause many problems within a business – and we want to avoid that at all costs.

“We’re on top of what needs to happen. That means retailers are happy to increase orders, because they trust us to deliver and know everything will run smoothly.

“We’re always looking for new clients. We’re firmly established in the toy business, and we want to increase our footprint. After all, most toy companies sell to a similar group of retailers. We’ve just opened a new warehouse in Leamington, so we have the capacity to take the business to the next level.”

Toy companies interested in knowing more about Partners in Logistics can contact Abbas Bhanji on abbas@piluk.co.uk or on 07737 989 898.