Fancy dress and party company Smiffys has partnered with Kerry Logistics to extend its international supply chain as it opens a new distribution centre in east China.
As part of the new ongoing contract, Kerry has set up a new central distribution centre for Smiffys in Ningbo, a key port and industrial hub in east China’s Zhejiang province, where it will operate a pick and pack operation to supply Smiffys’ overseas markets and drive future international expansion.
A Hong Hong-based company, Kerry Logistics will also provide global freight forwarding services including ocean freight and supply chain solutions from China into the UK, Germany, Australia, and the USA. It will also look after the purchase order management and visibility solutions via its virtual buying office.
“We are delighted to be working with Smiffys to be a long-term partner in their continued overseas growth,” said Emma Rowlands, strategic sales director. “It’s a great showcase for Kerry given the complexity of integrating Kerry WMS system with our PO Management tool enabling total visibility of stock from factory to final destination.”
“We awarded the contract to Kerry due to their origin capabilities, viability solutions and impressive footprint across Asia,” said Ross Johnson, head of global logistics for Smiffys. “Our supplier base makes Kerry the ideal long-term partner due to their presence across Asia and to fuel our expansion across the continent, from both a supply and distribution point of view.”
“Ningbo will be our main stockholding location and from there we will distribute our other distribution centres in the UK, Germany, Australia and the USA,” Ross continued. “This will give us a cost-saving, improve our lead time and help us supply our fastest growing markets in Australia and the USA.”
