2010Products

• 7 . 3G Food Service wins wagamama contract

• 3G Food Service & Seafood Solutions has been awarded a two-year supply contract with a total value of up to £17m by wagamama.
  3G has been supplying wagamama since 2002, however the new and enhanced contract involves providing wagamama with a tailored logistics solution for the supply and distribution of a wider range of products to the restaurant chain across chilled, frozen and ambient temperature profiles.
  This has led to 3G supplying products across more categories, including fresh & frozen fish & seafood, dry goods, ambient bespoke stocks, sauces and gyoza, ice creams & sorbets, bespoke frozen desserts and fruit coulis. In addition, 3G now also distributes all beers, wines and soft drinks to wagamama restaurants, maximising the efficiency of the entire supply chain from E-ordering to a consolidated delivery service.
  Ben Smales, Managing Director of 3G Food Service & Seafood Solutions explains:
  “I am delighted to announce this new and increased contract with wagamama, which follows our successful management buy out in November 2009. Our regional distribution centres are now serviced by our newly opened National Distribution Centre in Hull, which features additional available capacity across all temperature profiles: chilled, frozen and ambient.
  “Our customer service goes beyond providing an efficient and flexible distribution system: we also support customers with a specialist new product development resource. For example, we’ve continued our successful development plans with wagamama and have recently developed and launched exciting new products that feature on the current wagamama menu, such as delicious Chilli Squid and their new Baked Vanilla Cheesecake, with many other live development projects under way.”
  Simon Chester, who joined wagamama a year ago as head of purchasing, comments on the new contract:
  “Our objectives were clear; it was essential that we needed to consolidate the distribution of much of our frozen and ambient supply chain, including not only our beers and wines but also many core food ingredients.
  “Firstly by reducing the number of actual companies delivering goods to our restaurants, we removed the complexity of ordering and receiving deliveries. Therefore our operations teams can spend more time focusing on our customer requirements instead of handling paperwork, PODs and managing stock.
  “Furthermore by consolidating deliveries we reduce the cost of each delivery and lastly; we have been able to reduce the number of loads being delivered to wagamama by 800 per year; capitalising on backhauling opportunities wherever possible too.
  “The end result was web based electronic ordering, 5 fewer companies delivering and invoicing wagamama each week and a reduction from 5 to 2 deliveries per week per restaurant for the afore mentioned categories. Implementation is always a challenge, but the 3G operations team did a fantastic job of managing the change and with their continuous focus on supply chain efficiencies, I look forward to building and maintaining a sound relationship going forward.”
  
• Find out more about 3G at www.3gfoodservice.co.uk. To request the company’s latest brochures please call the 3G Customer Service Centre on 0870 850 5213. Customers can also register online to regularly receive latest information, Product Guides and product updates.
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  • Ben Smales of 3G and Simon Chester of Wagamama