Cost to serve hides in contract structure, empty miles, fleet policy, fuel and insurance. SmartBuyer gives logistics and distribution leaders a specialist who has run transport, warehousing and fleet categories, and who can show where the real cost sits.
A focused 15-minute call. No obligation and no lengthy brief required.
saved while inbound site volume grew 55% and outbound B2B volume grew 140%
Specialist support for transport, warehousing, fleet and the contracts behind them.
500+
procurement category specialists
250+
specialist spend sub-categories
£1bn+
collective savings delivered
Some of the companies our Specialists have supported
Logistics is a business of thin margins and large flows. A fraction of a percent on a haulage rate, a fuel card or a pallet network is worth chasing because the volume is there. But service failure costs more than any saving, so the work is as much about performance and visibility as about price. Our specialists have run these categories day to day.
A cheap rate on a poor service level moves cost into complaints, returns and lost customers. Specialists price the service level first, then negotiate the rate.
Where cost to serve is opaque, an open-book structure with monthly accounts shows what is being paid for and builds improvement into the contract.
Leasing, policy, fuel and insurance are usually renewed separately by different people. Seen as one cost, they give up more.
Warehouse space, labour and transport capacity are committed ahead of peak. Flexible terms protect you from paying for space you do not use.
Each one shows a specialist taking hold of a cost the business could not see clearly.
£12m saved while scaling
The operation had to handle sharply higher volume across inbound sites and outbound B2B distribution, at a point where simply adding cost to keep up would have eroded the economics of the growth. The pressure in distribution is to grow volume without growing cost, and the two have to be managed together.
A SmartBuyer logistics specialist lifted inbound site volume 55% and outbound B2B volume 140% while delivering £12 million in savings.
£1m+ in year one
Transport cost was spread across suppliers and routes with no one holding it as a managed category, and a permanent hire would have been slower to stand up than the saving was needed. Transport spread across suppliers and routes needs a category owner before it gives anything up.
A SmartBuyer transport specialist stepped in as Category Manager and delivered over £1 million in annual savings within a year.
Open-book 3PL contract
Distribution ran through a third-party provider on a contract that gave little visibility of the costs underneath, so the true cost to serve was hard to see. Open-book contracting makes the cost to serve visible, and keeps it improving after the contract is signed.
A SmartBuyer logistics specialist restructured the contract onto an open-book basis, with monthly accounts and a working continuous improvement mechanism.
Our network’s experience spans far more than the case studies above.
Here are ten examples of work delivered by our logistics, fleet and supply chain specialists.
Delivered a fleet transformation across 8,000 vehicles in 10 countries, saving £3.2m and cutting CO2 by 12%.
Achieved circa 20% fleet cost savings through lease consolidation, policy restructuring and insurance reviews.
Implemented fuel management programmes eliminating fraud and creating full spend transparency globally.
Led a global online retailer's reverse logistics programme, supporting its carbon footprint targets.
Delivered warehouse capacity increases, sales growth and standardised packaging across FMCG distribution.
Removed nightshift and weekend working by reconfiguring order release strategy and product storage layout.
Delivered seamless WMS integration with collaborative team structures and standard operating procedures.
Implemented supplier performance scorecards and co-sourcing arrangements that measurably improved service.
Built third-party logistics and cloud eCommerce sourcing strategies across manufacturing and retail sectors.
Saved £400k by evaluating a global manufacturer's supply chain for inefficiency and opportunity.
Client names are withheld unless SmartBuyer has already published them. Results are as delivered by individual Specialists.
Practical starting points from the categories where SmartBuyer specialists support logistics leaders.
