Distributing Pat’s bread

When dealing with perishable goods a fast, effective and efficient distribution system is of paramount importance. From its headquarters in Granard, Co. Longford, Pat The Baker, distributes fresh bread daily throughout the country. Transport Manager, Liam Macken described the distribution process to Irish Trucker.

Stale bread is definitely not on the menu at the renowned Co. Longford bakery. To facilitate the speedy distribution process the company has eight distribution depots strategically placed throughout the country and an extensive fleet vehicles at its disposal.

Depot trunking is carried out using a fleet of articulated trucks and specially designed box-side trailers.
Liam explained how the process works. After baking “the bread is loaded onto containers here in the evening and shipped to one of the eight distribution points in Dublin, Cork, Galway, Limerick, Kilkenny, Kerry, Belmullet and Donegal. The night distribution staff take in the load. The load would contain all our different products. It is then broken down. The depots are fitted out with specialised storage facilities and heater rooms to keep the product fresh.”

Headed up by a sales manager, each distribution depot has its own fleet of delivery vehicles. These vehicles go out on scheduled routes every morning delivering the bread into supermarkets and shops within a pre-defined catchment area.

Each depot manager is responsible for the day to running of the depot including transport requirements. However the managers receive considerable back-up from Liam, assistant Transport Manager, George Walsh and Transport Administrator Blanaid Byrne.

Liam revealed some of the logistical headaches attached to these deliveries. “The biggest headache is that you are expected to be everywhere at the same time. Everybody wants their bread first in the morning. Most small towns would have a number of supermarkets - everybody wants the bread at the same time.”

Depot trunking is carried out six nights a week excluding Saturday. Liam elaborated: Monday is very busy. Tuesday and Wedenesday are quieter. It gets busy again on Thursday, Friday and Sunday.” At peak times (Friday and Sunday Night) the company sub-contract additional traction to keep pace with demand.

Liam took over as transport manager 10 years ago. The fleet has trebled in size during that period. “The fleet has been growing over the last few years. While we would be buying a number of new vehicles each year some of those would be additions to the fleet rather than replacements,” Liam added.

He explained the reasons behind this impressive growth. “The main reason is we have a good product and a good sales team. Sales of the product has grown steadily over the years and therefore the fleet has grown also.”

The company use a mix of in house and sub contract maintenance. Vehicles working out of Granard are predominantly serviced and maintained “in house”. However, the company also uses main dealer service and back up. Maintenance and repair of vehicles based at the distribution depots is dealt with locally. “We have a policy of dealing with local companies close to the depots. We feel it is important to deal with people in the locality,” Liam revealed.

Maintenance according to Liam is vital to the smooth running of the fleet. He explained: “It is not the year of the lorry that is important, it is the way the lorry is maintained. If you have a new truck and it is not maintained that is no good either.”
To maximise the effectiveness of the fleet the company operate a system whereby its newest vehicles are placed on the longer routes. Older trucks and vans are placed on shorter routes. Liam elaborated: “we have an older vehicle here that is used as a spare. It might only do three or four runs in the week. However it is still viable.”

Driver recruitment and rentention is a widespread problem in today’s transport industry. Pat The Baker is similarly affected. “It is down to the Celtic Tiger. Not that many young people are interested in getting into driving as a profession. With the large volume of traffic on the roads nowadays, people see it as a harzardous occupation.”

Liam is happy the mix of “in house” drivers and sub contractors. “We have a very good team of reliable and long standing drivers. They have played their part in the growth of the company. We also find the sub contractors very reliable and efficient.”

The driver issue aside, it seems probable that Liam and his team at Pat The Baker will continue to produce the dough for many years to come.