RedPrairie Corp., a productivity software provider, has supplied and implemented its Duty Management program at Houston Bottling and Co-pack, an independent Scottish-based bottling and co-packing company for the Scotch whisky industry. The software has helped Houston to expand its company, generate new business and extend its service offering.
To support growth plans, Houston needed to extend its successful repackaging services to include outsourced bottling for its customers, from a new site in Dumbarton. Before the system was implemented, all products for repackaging had to be delivered to its Renfrew site already bottled, highlighting a gap in the market for Houston.
Houston selected Duty Management from RedPrairie as the IT solution that would deliver multisite functionality and handle bulk products as well as coping with the legislative requirements of the increased bottling service. The company chose Duty Management because of its high level of compliance functionality and its ability to support a multisite requirement.
Duty Management has allowed Houston to benefit from a reduction in time spent on customs returns, from one day to 15 minutes, giving back valuable management time and as the process is no longer manual, it cuts the risk of penalties for filing late or incorrect documents.
“As a business we were doing very well, to the point where we had outgrown our existing warehouse. We wanted to expand, and attract new business, and to achieve this, we needed to invest in a new warehouse, and needed a Warehouse Management solution with the capability to support our expansion plans. We also identified an opportunity to grow the business by offering increased outsourced bottling services, and invested in a new site in Dumbarton,” Michael Toal, director, Houston Bottling and Co-pack, said.
The software allows remote management across either site, allowing Houston to control staff levels more efficiently, vital at a time when the company needs to be extremely competitive and drive down costs. It can schedule where labor is required, so if the co-packing business is quiet, it can mobilize the team to focus efforts to the rebottling site.
“Working with RedPrairie to implement Duty Management has helped us to open a new site, improve customer service and make significant savings,” Toal continued. “We have implemented the Bulk Liquid module for our bottling operation and plan to implement further modules including bonded Package and Rework to further capitalize on the opportunities we see as available at the moment.”
“A key reason for Houston selecting RedPrairie was because the company was impressed and reassured by the close link that RedPrairie has with Customs departments across the world,” Martin Hiscox, vice chairman of the board, managing director, and president international of RedPrairie, said. “Houston can rely on our team of experts, who are in constant dialogue with Customs. This provides Houston with a direct link to the right people, making the company more attractive to potential customers, allowing it to generate new business.”
RedPrairie’s Duty Management is fully compliant with Customs legislation, and enables companies to cut costs by delaying payment of all Customs duties and VAT until the latest possible time, usually after the goods leave the warehouse.