British Gypsum has made a £1.6m investment to drive health and safety improvements by upgrading its logistics operations at Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire. The update includes the purchase of 58 state-of-the-art trailers and a new contract with logistics provider, DHL.
The plaster, plasterboard and drylining manufacturer, part of the Saint-Gobain group, will be working with DHL to run the national distribution of plaster products from its site at Barrow upon Soar. As part of the project, British Gypsum and DHL worked closely with two suppliers: trailer supplier, Don-Bur; and load security and materials handling expert, SpanSet, to upgrade the fleet and develop an innovative load securing solution. The new trailers, with their specialist load-securing system, have improved health and safety practices whilst ensuring products reach customers in the best possible condition.
In addition to this, British Gypsum has improved the infrastructure of its Barrow site to create a safe, weatherproof area for drivers to complete their load securing safely. The bespoke solutions will help to improve safety practices by eliminating the need for working at height.
Daniel Easter, Plant Manager at the Barrow upon Soar, said: “We’ve worked closely with our suppliers to make landmark investments in our operations. Health and safety is a top priority at British Gypsum and all investments like these are geared towards improving safety practices.
“The contract with DHL, a true specialist in its field, will also help to ensure our logistic operations run as efficiently as possible and that products reach our customers in the highest possible standard.”
Ian King, Vice President Operations – Engineering & Manufacturing at DHL, said: “We welcomed the opportunity to work with British Gypsum to create an industry leading solution that encompasses all elements of health and safety in order to provide the safest possible operation at the manufacturing plant, on the road and at the British Gypsum customer sites. We at DHL, share the British Gypsum vision of a safe environment for all.”
