Behind the scenes: Exporting to the last mile

Making a difference

Behind the scenes: Exporting to the last mile

Hello – I’m Bobbie, Export and Logistics Manager, here at Dulas. I’m responsible for getting our refrigerator and systems from our warehouse in the UK to their destination country. I’ve been in this role for five years, but I’ve worked previously in sales roles for Dulas. It’s a great place to work – I’m passionate about renewable energy, and at Dulas, I get to work with lots of other people who feel the same way. No day is the same in logistics, which makes it a really interesting, varied role.

Bobbie Wright

Export and Logistics Manager

The Dulas logistics process

Dulas refrigerators are designed and manufactured in the UK

Shipments get delivered to all corners of the globe – over 80 countries so far!

Our in-country partners can safely deliver the equipment to the last mile

Our life-saving vaccine refrigerators are installed at health centres around the world

The central role of logistics

Dulas delivers to over 80 countries worldwide, and every destination country has different requirements – it’s my job to make sure that our shipments get there safe and sound, with all the correct paperwork. That makes it sounds easy, but there’s a lot more to it than that! For example, I have to check country-of-origin information and make sure that the goods will pass pre-shipment inspections to gain what’s called a Certificate of Conformity. This is vital, as it certifies and confirms that the product supplied meets the required standards.

Logistics is all about details – there’s lots of paperwork, checking Incoterms, Air Waybills, Bills of Lading and shipping notes. You have to be very meticulous and double check everything. Our processes guarantee that the container numbers are correct which ensures that goods end up on the right ship and going to the right place. We are very conscientious about the goods arriving on time and we like to meet the timescales set by our customers – if a client needs a shipment by a certain date, we pull out all the stops to deliver on that date.

Double-checking the paperwork is all in order!

The story begins at our UK warehouse

Our range of refrigerators and systems are stored in our dedicated warehouse at Rowlinsons Packaging, Thetford. We have worked with Rowlinsons for over 20 years and, as a leading designer of bespoke timber packaging, they have helped us to develop the robust packaging which surrounds our refrigerators and systems. The crates that we use ensure that our products are well protected for their long journey ahead. Rowlinsons are the first people I call when we have an order, they will manage getting the goods into the container, ready to be collected and taken to the required sea port or airport.

A shipment of Dulas refrigerators being loaded by our warehouse partners, Rowlinsons, ready to go to the port for shipping.

Freight forwarders with experience

We have a network of dedicated freight forwarders who have worked with Dulas for many years. They know our product well and play a crucial role in facilitating onwards delivery to wherever our customer has specified. They’re experts in managing customs procedures and ensuring compliance with regulations, and have an extensive network of agents and carriers, enabling seamless services across different countries and continents. We always try to consolidate shipments and offer the most cost-effective shipping options to our customers. We want to offer the best service at the best price!

Our global network of Dulas partners

With fully trained and accredited partners around the world, we offer in-country support to deliver and install the refrigerators. Our partners are very professional and really good at what they do. We can truly rely on them to go above and beyond to deliver our refrigerators to even the most remote locations. Various modes of transport are used to deliver the product to the last mile, which can include lorries, helicopters, planes and small boats. We often receive photos and videos of some of the challenging roads and poor infrastructure that they encounter along the way. Planning ahead and getting the timing right around things like the rain season is vital. That takes quite some logistical skill and determination – I have so much respect for the way that they get the job done.

Delivery to the last mile is often very challenging. We couldn’t do it without our dedicated partners.

A finely-tuned process

In logistics, no matter how organised you are, you will always have to deal with things you just couldn’t have predicted. For example, when an oil tanker broke down blocking the Suez Canal for weeks. This vital global waterway has around 10% of world trade flowing through it, so I was kept busy finding alternative routes for our deliveries. Conflict can also affect global deliveries – only recently, shipments were halted in the Indian Ocean when Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked commercial shipping vessels travelling through the lower Red Sea in response to Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

We take these things in our stride though – we are well-equipped and experienced enough to deal with any logistical problem, and it means that no day is ever the same! The important thing is that our refrigerators reach communities where they can make a very real difference – a life-saving difference.