A partnership between Gentoo Group and Jewson Partnership Solutions (JPS) has saved the Group from travelling 100,000 miles which is equivalent to more than £14,200 of fuel.
The saving comes after the introduction of van-based stock stations in late 2020. The stations are located in a different area of the city four mornings a week. After the Responsive Repairs Teams have their stock, the JPS van then starts delivering stock for Gentoo’s Heating Team to addresses around the city.
Stock items are identified through real time usage data which is sent to JPS each day. Stock boxes are then collected from the stations, reducing the need for operatives to visit the stores. The success of the stock stations led to it being used as a blueprint by JPS that was rolled out to other partners.
The stations save the group on average 28 hours a week due to reduced travelling by trade colleagues back and forth for stock. This allows trade colleagues to provide an efficient service to our customers.
This month, the station that supplies Houghton and Hetton will be replaced by an Avail smart container. The Avail smart container allows JPS to deliver the required materials at any time, including on a weekend to provide stock for the Group’s emergency out of hours service. This will increase Groups first time fix rate and reduce the need for further follow-on work to be raised.
The Avail smart container doesn’t just further reduce the Group’s annual mileage but is also a carbon neutral alternative. The container is 100% solar powered with an integrated battery system that can provide power 24 hours a day.
By reducing the number of miles travelled to collect stock, the Group has also been able to reduce its carbon footprint. The reduction of the carbon footprint comes at a time when Sunderland City Council has an ambition to become a clean, green and carbon neutral city by 2040.
James Haste, Director of Property Maintenance at Gentoo Group said:
“We’re really excited to have reached this monumental milestone.
“The stock stations have allowed us to ensure we are running the repairs service as efficiently as possible.
“This is just one of the ways the Group has reduced its carbon footprint. We are hopeful this will be reduced further by the introduction of area working, which will mean trade colleagues will always be based in one area of the city.
“Gentoo is committed to continually looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and support Sunderland City Council to become a neutral city by 2040.”
Scott Cooper, Managing Director at JPS, said:
“We’re always looking for new ways we can help improve efficiencies to our customer, whether that’s through the cost of materials themselves or the solutions we create for getting stock to our customer.
“I’m really pleased to hear that our solutions for van-stock have created tangible benefits to Gentoo Group and enabled them to save 100,000 miles.
“Our partnership with Gentoo Group is a great one and I’m looking forward to seeing what other benefits our solutions can deliver to the group in the future.”
