Food manufacturer dishes out £1m deal for rice storage
1 min read
Westmill Foods has awarded Potter Logistics a £1m contract to handle raw materials for its rice milling and packaging facility in Selby, Yorkshire. The two-year deal includes handling, warehousing and transportation of bulk and bagged rice.
Potter has worked with Westmill for several years, but the logistics company's Selby distribution centre and rail freight terminal was key to securing the latest deal as the 62-acre site is close to Westmill's production facility.
Rice will be delivered into Selby via two main channels. Firstly, Westmill, in conjunction with shipping line MSC, will deliver rice in containers from around the world using the daily multimodal service from Felixstowe. Secondly, Potter Logistics will be collecting bulk rice shipped into the port of Hull.
Once the rice arrives at the Selby DC – via ports at either Felixtowe or Hull – Potter Logistics will transfer the containers and bulk loads to the dedicated warehouse. Bulk rice will be sampled and unloaded by rice type into specially built bays, each capable of storing up to 2,400 tonnes. Bagged rice will be palletised and stored in a dedicated 60,000 sq ft warehouse. Organic rice will be handled in a specified area elsewhere on the Selby site.
Bob Amon, head of logistics for Westmill Foods, said: "Westmill has had a strong relationship with Potter Logistics since 2005 which has developed into a true partnership. The recent development of un-milled rice storage strengthens our relationship with Potter Logistics and enables us to reduce our carbon footprint by transferring inland movement of containers from Felixstowe to Selby, from road to rail."
Westmill Foods, part of the Associated British Foods group, is one of the largest flour, rice, spices, sauces, edible oils and noodles suppliers to the UK and European ethnic wholesaler market, food service, industrial sectors and grocery multiples.
