James Brindley, Head of Transport at Sigma, discusses the role of the transport team and its position in the company.  

James’ role is to lead Sigma’s transport operation and identify opportunities. As such, he is responsible for managing both sides of the company’s transport function, operational logistics and the vehicle fleet. As part of this, he is keen to present the transport side of the company to customers and the wider business by developing the team’s relationship with the rest of Sigma’s departments and engaging with key internal stakeholders and customers.  

Besides James, the transport department is made up of a supervisor, Jason Marsh, three coordinators who report to Jason and a fleet coordinator who reports directly to James. Between them, the team have several key responsibilities. The main focus is to make sure that the transport of goods between warehouses and customers goes ahead smoothly and to plan. The team has been structured in a way that assists with this, with an individual coordinator assigned each day for each of M&S, Boots and Asda. This ensures that these customers’ transport requirements are covered at each site, while rotating coordinators between customers prevents the team from being exposed when someone is on leave. 
 

Operational logistics 

When new projects come to the team, the first task is to understand their scope. Liaison takes place with the warehousing and administration departments to establish what types of vehicles are needed, the booking times and any special requirements, such as tail lifts, Moffetts, a second driver, on-site assistance and so forth. With this information, the team will start to plan the project based on factors like the type, length and size of the goods, whether they are palletised or freestanding, and the volumes being delivered to each store.  

To provide the best value for the customer, the team then decides upon the type of vehicle to use and whether to transport via a pallet network, couriers, subcontractors or Sigma’s own fleet. To ensure an efficient and cost-effective solution for customers, vehicle sizes will be chosen in a way that minimises empty vehicle space. Usually, this planning role is carried out by one of the coordinators, however, the supervisor will assist with more complex cases.  

When planning transport projects, the preference is to use Sigma’s internal fleet, which is available 24/7. This prevents the company from incurring standing costs for vehicles that sit idle. However, using established and trusted subcontractors gives the team greater flexibility, enabling them to scale up or down as needed should the internal fleet be at capacity. In terms of scaling, during high-volume runs, subcontractors will sometimes carry out the majority of the deliveries.  

With transport projects that can last between 1 to 2 days or up to 20 weeks, the team has to work closely with the warehousing and administration teams and occasionally with on-site project managers and fitting managers. For on-site teams, this often requires stock or equipment to be collected from one of Sigma’s warehouses and delivered to the store, however, the team also collects from stores and brings items back to the warehouse or takes goods to other places the customer requires.  
 

Fleet management  

The transport team is also responsible for the fleet department. This means looking after all the company cars, LGVs, HGVs, other company vehicles also the grey fleet (personal vehicles used for business purposes). In addition, the team has to take care of operating licencing within Sigma and make sure there are enough vehicles in addition that they are taxed, tested, serviced and maintained to ensure they are roadworthy.  
 

Sustainability 

The company’s drive to increase sustainability has also had an impact on the transport department. By optimising routes and ensuring the right-sized vehicles are used, the team helps reduce fuel usage and cut emissions. At the same time, employees with a company car can only choose hybrid or electric vehicles. The company is also encouraging schemes where it can offer electric vehicles on salary sacrifice schemes. Additional electric chargers are also being installed across Sigma’s sites.  

As a company that delivers solutions for retail businesses with stores across a number of locations, the transport team plays a vital and integral role in Sigma’s operations. Through working with other teams and detailed planning, it ensures that logistical operations are handled successfully, and that the company’s fleet is fit for purpose.  

James and his team are constantly looking to drive the department forward.