Creating self-adhesive labels and getting them safely and efficiently to our customers takes care, consistency and collaboration. From the label production process through to order fulfilment, everything has to run smoothly and concurrently. That’s where our Dispatch Manager of the last 13 years, Simon Drew, comes in.
As you’ll soon hear from Simon himself, the role of Dispatch Manager is varied and complex—but it all revolves around facilitating those three ‘c’s (care, consistency, collaboration) and providing high-quality, end-to-end customer service.
This blog marks the second outing of our ‘Day in the Life’ series, which aims to take you behind the curtain at the Kingfisher factory and introduce you to our hard-working staff members. (Our first was focused on Q.C. Operative Louise Bush.)
We asked Simon…
What does your average day at Kingfisher Labels look like?
“A typical day at Kingfisher Labels, for me, is to keep my eye on production and see how jobs are progressing within the winding department—with a view to sending these out to the customer by the end of the day, so they receive their order the following day.
During the production meeting, I am made aware of what needs to go out and of any jobs that are urgent. I then talk to the winding team about those jobs to make sure they are done and made available to be dispatched.
If there are bigger jobs that are palletised, I prep those (banding and wrapping the pallet to make sure the job is secure) once they are finished. Then, I book the truck to arrange the collection for an overnight delivery to the customer, and load these onto the truck with the forklift. All jobs have delivery notes, which I produce for each customer.
I keep an eye on the tracking of each job the following day to make sure that all deliveries are on schedule and there are no issues. I notify the admin team of any issues if they arise, so that they can let the customer know about anything that may delay the delivery.
I also take care of goods in / out. This involves unloading stock that comes in from our suppliers and putting it away.”
What’s your favourite thing about working here?
“My favourite thing about working at Kingfisher is the fact that it’s a small, family-run business with a tight-knit team. Everyone works well together to ensure each order goes out on time.
I’ve worked for the company for over 13 years and work with most of the same staff that were either here when I joined—or those that joined not long after. Very few people leave once they are here, aside from those that have retired!”
You’ve worked at Kingfisher Labels for 13 years. How has your job changed?
“When I joined the company, it was a very small outfit, and dispatch was usually done in the afternoon. The jobs that were required the following day would be sent out, which took about 20 minutes! A busy month back then would see us sending out about three pallets, and nearly all jobs were small DPD boxes.
Now, by comparison, I book jobs out from the start of the day until the courier comes in to collect them later in the afternoon, and we can send out four to six pallets per day when it’s really busy. It’s pretty full-on all day, as there’s a lot more prep work to do.
Also, in the last 10 years, we have moved into bigger factories twice—so this is now the third factory I have worked in for Kingfisher Labels in the 13 years I have been here! I find that an incredible achievement in such a relatively short time.”
From design to delivery
Simon’s efforts keep our label shipping services as well-rated and customer-approved as our products themselves. We’re proud to enjoy high satisfaction rates at every phase of the label’s journey, from initial conversations about the kind of product you want right through to application and delivery.
If you’re interested in walking through these phases with us, either as a repeat customer or a brand-new face, don’t hesitate to get in touch.