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Chemist Warehouse + Linde: A Prescription for Success
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About Linde
Chemist Warehouse has partnered with Linde Material Handling Australia since 2008, and over the years, both companies have worked together on multiple projects that have continuously improved Chemist Warehouse’s operations.
David Brennan, GM of Supply Chain at Chemist Warehouse stated, “Chemist Warehouse’s journey with Linde started as a short-term rental only. Over the years, that expanded based on the excellent customer service we received, the reliability of their trucks, the technology advancements they could provide, and their ability to quickly and efficiently service our needs which in turn allowed us to service our customers.”
The partnership has adapted to suit the changing needs of the business. The most recent upgrades include the introduction of FleetFOCUS, Linde’s Telematics system, and the rollout of a Lithium-ION battery technology solution across their national fleet.
Chemist Warehouse made the decision to upgrade its entire fleet from lead-acid batteries to Lithium-ION battery technology based on the recommendation of trusted advisers at Linde who knew the intimate details of Chemist Warehouse’s application needs. This upgrade resulted in:
Providing more uptime: As Li-ION batteries have a longer run time than lead-acid and can be fast-charged at any time; and
Less maintenance: In that it removed the requirement of weekly watering of the lead-acid batteries, as well as needing to expose the batteries during charging.
A huge benefit that Chemist Warehouse has experienced from this upgraded solution is increased utilisation of their fleet. This was a key driver behind the decision to change, particularly the fact that operators could fast-charge the trucks via opportunity charging — where operators can put the truck on charge at any time for any amount of time.
Brennan stated, “On any given week, Chemist Warehouse will be delivering anywhere within the vicinity of 70,000 boxes to our stores across Australia. What we’ve been able to do has been incredible. Linde’s system and their fleet work when we need them to work, and we’ve been able to push out incredible volumes as a result.”
Another recommendation from Linde to Chemist Warehouse was the introduction of their FleetFOCUS telematics software. Once FleetFOCUS had been rolled out across their national fleet, Chemist Warehouse was able to immediately identify operational issues that needed to be addressed.
Brennan stated, “What we noticed immediately upon implementation is that everybody has their favourite truck. Some trucks were being utilised for 30-40 hours a week and others 0-10 hours per week. FleetFOCUS gave us the visibility to better manage the trucks to ensure they were all being utilised equally.”
Another benefit from the introduction of FleetFOCUS was that it removed the need for a paper-based pre-start checklist. With the removal of all paperwork, all faults, reports and accidents were immediately inputted into the system and were easily managed across the country.
Jude Thomas, National Safety & Facilities Coordinator at Chemist Warehouse commented, “It’s been very important to have FleetFOCUS in place because of our large fleet and the number of operators we have.”
When it comes to the visibility FleetFOCUS provides, as well as the usefulness of the reporting function, Jude commented, “FleetFOCUS has improved our reporting immensely given the fact we can generate any report in real-time. It gives our managers a better understanding of where their fleet is, which trucks are operational, and which are out of action and why. It empowers our team to make more informed decisions on how to better utilise the staff and set operations up as best as possible at the beginning of each shift.
“Safety-wise, FleetFOCUS has massively improved our ability to manage our fleet.” Brennan added, “As incidents have happened, we’ve been able to alert users and key decision-makers in real-time.” FleetFOCUS empowers businesses to address all accidents as they happen and organise servicing as quickly as possible so trucks can get back into operation as fast as possible.
Thomas concluded, “FleetFOCUS also gives us a detailed report of all the operators, our hydraulic levels, and our hydraulic lifts. Plus, it manages our forklift operators’ forklift licences as well, so we know when a licence is due to expire and can adequately plan for them to retake their test in order to renew.”
When it comes to looking back on the history of their partnership with Linde, David Brennan commented, “Chemist Warehouse wouldn’t have been able to grow like we’ve been able to without the shared vision towards continuous improvement of trusted partners like Linde.”
Brennan continued, “Chemist Warehouse relies on the Linde fleet to be able to service the needs of our customers, as our supply chain has to be agile and operate quickly.”
When referring to the partnership with Linde Material Handling, Brennan concluded, “Chemist Warehouse is invested in the partnership with Linde. We plan on working with them for many years to come, and we’re incredibly satisfied with what they’re able to offer us today.”
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