Evolution Time Critical has provided emergency logistics to facilitate the delivery of critical components to automotive makers where standard means of transport have failed amid the severe weather. The company has reported an upsurge in demand for its services since the cold snap began, saving customers an estimated EUR30m (GBP27m) by preventing line stoppages. It has made a number of urgent deliveries across Europe as manufacturers strive to keep production lines running amid traffic difficulties caused by the heavy snow.In some cases, Evolution has despatched helicopters or arranged air charters to ensure on-time delivery at the manufacturers' premises. According to Brad Brennan, managing director of the company, Evolution saved one UK-based manufacturer GBP270,000 by helping to prevent a 30-minute delay to its production line. Evolution's team responded to the manufacturer's request and delivered the critical components within the space of three hours, sending a vehicle to the supplier's warehouse to collect the goods after the original haulier turned back due to treacherous driving conditions.
The cargo was then loaded onto two helicopters for immediate delivery to the customer's site. In another recent instance, a shipment of components was delayed at Dover as the haulier reported that he would struggle to make the delivery by the customer's 17:00 deadline due to serious problems on Britain's disrupted road network. With the customer's permission, Evolution had the trailer diverted to a site where the goods could be loaded onto a helicopter, arriving at the customer's site with more than 20 minutes to spare.
The company also despatched an emergency sprinter van from France to rescue a shipment of parts en route from a supplier in Spain to a UK-based manufacturer. Having received the call mid-afternoon, Evolution immediately despatched a local French sprinter van to intercept the trailer carrying the shipment from the supplier in Barcelona. Evolution's team of analysts calculated that the customer would require two to three hours of buffer stock to keep their line going before the van arrived and while the interception in Caen was being planned, the team simultaneously arranged for a vehicle to collect further parts from the supplier's site.
These parts were then driven to a local airport where Evolution had positioned a light aircraft to transport them to a regional UK airport. Once in the UK, an Evolution vehicle was standing by at the airport to rush the parts to the customer's factory, arriving at 04:00, two hours in advance of the sprinter van, allowing the production line to continue unaffected.
