A new partnership between Peterborough-based Bretts Transport and Edinburgh-based alkaline ionised water manufacturer Actiph Water has got off to a swimming start, cutting delivery times by around half.
Actiph was founded by 15-time Guinness World Record holder and ultra-endurance athlete, Jamie Douglas-Hamilton in 2017 and boasts a range of blue chip customers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
Andy Harrison, Actiph Water operations head, said: “As we continued to scale up we needed a distribution partner who could support our growth trajectory.
“Our previous carrier communication was slow and we found ourselves in a position where customers were chasing us.
“We like to build relationships with our suppliers, and from the start Bretts showed they were keen to build a relationship too. They clearly demonstrated that they cared about doing well for us.
“Bretts has the capabilities to deal with anything we put their way. I think over the next three to five years we’ll continue to grow and Bretts will grow with us.
“Bretts has been supportive from day one. They’ve enabled us to bring stability to our supply chain and I think they’ll be the right partner for us as we continue in our growth.”
He praised Brett Transport’s flexibility and said the company is now able to offer customers deliveries within a couple of days, as opposed to operating on day one for day five.
“Bretts’ flexibility has been excellent and matches their communication. They’ve been on the ball from the start and highly responsive. This sort of efficiency from Bretts has had a real impact on our own business which is a great start.”
Harrison said the team at Bretts understood the needs of the business and invested a lot of time and effort ahead of the start of the relationship to ensure a seamless transition.
Among the changes was the implementation of a new IT system. “From the outset we were in close collaboration with Bretts as we set up the new IT system.
“It was a new system for us and one they hadn’t used before but it didn’t faze them at all and in fact the ease of the transition seems to have set the tone for how the relationship has been since, Harrison added.
Simon Stockwin, Bretts MD, commented: “We are delighted with how the relationship with Actiph Water has got off to an excellent start.
“Actiph is a company whose vision and values are very much aligned with our own.
“We have built a great relationship with Andy and his team in five short months, with communication and collaboration on a daily basis, and we look forward to continuing to grow that relationship over the coming years.”
