arvato wins £10m national supply chain deal from Bosch UK

London, 27th September 2011 - arvato is set to expand its UK supply chain business following a multimillion pound contract with the UK regional organisation of the Bosch Group, a leading global supplier of technology and services.

The five year agreement, worth in excess of £10 million, will see the business process outsourcing partner take over the warehousing and distribution of the lawn and garden product division of Bosch Power Tools in the UK, with the transition starting 1st October 2011.

arvato will supply more than 15 national retail customers with over a million units across a range of more than 170 different products. Bosch’s innovative products, including lawnmowers, shredders and other garden tools, will be stored and distributed from arvato’s distribution hub at Hams Hall, Birmingham including an additional 90,000 square foot of new warehousing.

Following a competitive tender process, arvato was chosen thanks to the company’s impressive track record in delivering supply chain improvements through high quality systems and processes. The objectives of the partnership focus on providing an excellent service to Bosch’s retail customers, including high levels of goods availability, short delivery lead times and quick turnaround on requests.

“There is a positive cultural fit between arvato and Bosch. Both companies have a customer-oriented business philosophy, an ownership structure that enables long-term, sustainable planning and an entrepreneurial spirit that drives innovation and improvement,” said Nick Wilson, Logistics Director for Bosch in the UK. “arvato’s approach has been collaborative and professional since we started discussions and we are looking forward to creating a long-term and successful partnership together.”

“Bosch has a reputation for innovation and quality, and our job is to maintain or improve this standing by providing an excellent service to Bosch’s retail customers. We see Bosch’s customers as our own,” said Markus Schmücker, Managing Director, Supply Chain Solutions, arvato UK & Ireland. “This new partnership is a critical part of our growth strategy in the UK as we expand our capacity and offering to new industry sectors.”