Kubota sign key partnership deal with Unipart

Unipart to manage Kubota’s national parts distribution and logistics functions for next five years

KUBOTA UK have joined forces with Unipart in a deal that will see the logistics expert manage Kubota’s national parts distribution and logistics functions for the next five years.

Kubota, who awarded the contract to Unipart as part of a wider investment programme to meet future growth aspirations and help facilitate the company’s expansion plans into newer markets, say that teaming up with Unipart will allow them to enhance their after-sales proposition to their wide variety of customers.

Dave Roberts, Kubota UK’s managing director, said: ‘Over the years, Kubota have developed a fantastic reputation for providing a first-class after-sales offering. In order to continue to deliver exceptional service levels, we evaluated potential distribution partners and it quickly became apparent that Unipart’s extensive expertise in managing supply chain solutions was second to none.

‘This, together with the close proximity of Unipart’s distribution centre in Cowley (Oxford) to our headquarters in Thame, made them the ideal partner. The creation of this new distribution operation will support the significant investment we have put in place in order to grow our product range and increase our market share.

‘Due to the nature of some of the sectors in which our products operate, we will be setting Unipart some very challenging targets linked to speed, flexibility and creativity for our parts distribution. I am confident, based on the contracts they already have in place, that the Unipart team will have no problem meeting and, no doubt, exceeding our expectations.’

Unipart’s 24/7 operation will run the warehousing and distribution for Kubota, including the provision of mission-critical components, to support Kubota’s extensive customer base both in the UK, Ireland and the Nordic Countries.

Unipart will also supply components straight to Kubota’s assembly line in Thame. By outsourcing their parts distribution, Kubota say they will be able to meet the high service level agreements they have in place with many of its customers who work in environments where maximum uptime is critical.

The deal will also free up much-needed space at Kubota’s Thame site, to allow the company to meet its future growth aspirations and help facilitate major expansion into new markets.

Mike Varnom, managing director of Unipart’s aftermarket logistics, commented: ‘This new relationship is testament to our growing range of market-leading clients. Fundamental to our ability to develop flexible solutions for different markets is the expertise in The Unipart Way that has been developed by our teams at home and abroad.’

All Unipart sites operate according to the Group’s proprietary version of operational excellence, known as The Unipart Way. This is a philosophy of working underpinned by tools and techniques that inspire efficiency, flexibility and outstanding customer service into any working process.

‘We are proud to add Kubota to the extensive list of blue-chip companies with which we work. We have used our existing extensive logistics experience and expertise to create a tailored solution for them and we are looking forward to supporting Kubota at every stage as they continue to grow their business and move into new markets.’