Marston PLC

Best bar none

National brewers Marston’s PLC are boosting their delivery service to customers across the country with the help of Navman Wireless technology

A name synonymous with the perfect pint, Marston's has been brewing beer in Burton-on-Trent for over 150 years. The company has grown to become a major force in independent regional brewing and as well as flagship national brand Marston's Pedigree, it also produces the West Midlands' favourite beer, Banks’s.

Marston's operations outside the Midlands now include such hallowed real ale institutions as Cumbria's Jennings brewery the Ringwood brewery in Hampshire and Wychwood Brewery in Oxford.

As a major player in the drinks distribution market, Marston's operates a national sales network to a variety of retailers ranging from Marston's own managed and tenanted pubs, to a vast array of free trade accounts, and to pubs operated by other companies such as Punch Taverns and JD Wetherspoons.

A fleet of 90 vehicles travels across most of England and Wales, making around 400 journeys a week. Timing is critical to keep Marston's customers happy in a difficult market.

Simpler planning, total accuracy

The company installed Navman Wireless vehicle tracking technology in all its vehicles in 2008 and, according to transport manager Des McCauley, the benefits to the business have been significant.  "In the year since we installed the Navman Wireless system we've really noticed the increased efficiency of our fleet," he says.  "For one thing, because we know where each vehicle is at any one time, we can give our clients a precise delivery slot, which we never could do accurately in the past."  This is especially beneficial when the company is delivering to new accounts.

McCauley explains: "It's impressive when we can offer them a precise delivery time, which the vehicle tracking technology enables us to do. I'm sure it has helped us to secure new business. Being so accurate is a major bonus and a boost to our professionalism as an organisation."

Vehicle tracking equals vehicle security

With brewery vehicles carrying valuable goods, security is also an important issue for Marston's and one which the Navman Wireless technology immediately addressed.  "Any one of our wagons could be loaded with as much as £20,000-£30,000 of beer and other alcoholic drinks and is a potential target for criminals," says McCauley.

"We did have a fully loaded vehicle stolen once, but with the new Navman Wireless technology the vehicles can be recovered as soon as we are aware because we can see where our vehicles are at all times. This gives our drivers extra reassurance about their own safety too."

Flexible friend

Another commercial benefit of vehicle tracking for Marston's is the increased flexibility it has given its 90-strong fleet.  "The pub trade at the moment is experiencing hard times and it's quite unpredictable for everyone," says McCauley.

"One minute we can have clients making extra orders and then we might lose a client just as suddenly. The vehicle tracking technology really has helped us react much more quickly to all this. Using the tracking reports, which give incredibly detailed accounts of all our drivers' journeys, we can reorganise the fleet whenever we need to, to take account of changes in orders.

"As well as saving time and improving service and reliability for customers it means we're certainly saving on fuel costs. Before we installed vehicle tracking, I suppose all that sort of information about which vehicle was where at any one time was just part of our knowledge. It was all in our heads, which made it all a bit haphazard. Now we're spot on every time."