Bakers Basco ramps ups endeavours to track down diverted equipment

05-Oct-2021 - Last updated on 05-Oct-2021 at 09:39 GMT

Bakers Basco's pool of equipment is designed to last many years, with each piece of kit recycled potentially 400 times and the resulting raw plastic used to make more baskets before it reaches the end of its useful life. Pic: Bakers Basco

The scheme set up by five of the UK’s largest plant bakers is doubling its efforts to visit more locations of interest to track down backlogs of bread baskets and wheeled dollies diverted out of the supply chain, whether intentionally or by mistake.

According to general manager Paul Empson, Bakers Basco is taking no chances with the current national driver shortage continuing to cause major disruption across the supply chain. As such, it has tasked its investigations team to visit 50% more locations around the UK between October and December, with a particular focus on unsecured locations of interest.

By extending the reach of its policing and implementing additional GPS trackers across its equipment pool, Bakers Basco will be in a much stronger position to identify and reclaim any equipment that has been delayed, lost or stolen.

Circular economy

“By redeploying time and resource to the recovery of equipment and stepping up our efforts yet again, we can ensure the steady supply of bread and other baked goods across the UK, at the same time identifying any backlogs, locations of interest and illegal recyclers,” said Empson.

The scheme – formed by an alliance of Allied Bakeries, Fine Lady Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons, Hovis and Warburtons – recently upgraded its GPS tracking technology with 4G connectivity, improved signal range and ring alerts triggered based on location.

It claims the use of these trackers has significantly reduced losses and improved recovery levels in finding and reclaiming missing equipment, which is often diverted out of the supply chain by third parties using it without permission. Evidence gathered through the use of GPS-equipped products has also been instrumental in securing judgement in Bakers Basco’s favour in a number of court cases.

Since its establishment in 2006, Bakers Basco has worked track and crack down on the potential misuse of its four million reusable Omega Baskets and 500,000 wheeled dollies. The pool of equipment is designed to be part of the circular economy, with each piece of kit recycled potentially 400 times and the resulting raw plastic used to make more baskets before it reaches the end of its useful life.