The UK’s bakery supply chain feels the strain of holiday demand as it works to deliver seasonal treats, but the surge in equipment theft adds another layer of complexity to the challenge.
Ensuring smooth deliveries is critical year-round, but the stakes are even higher during the holiday season. And while protecting essential equipment like bread baskets and dollies might not grab headlines, it remains a crucial part of the process.
Recognising the stakes, Warburtons teamed up with Bakers Basco to tackle a long-standing issue in the industry: the misuse and theft of bakery equipment.
The front line of equipment protection
Through a series of nationwide field intelligence sessions called ‘Who is Basco?’, Bakers Basco worked with Warburtons’ drivers to strengthen the frontline against equipment misuse.
Interactive sessions were held in 14 Warburtons depots across the country, engaging more than 350 delivery drivers to educate them about the importance of safeguarding equipment and how to identify the signs of misuse, theft or illegal recycling operations.
Bakers Basco’s national investigations manager Stacey Brown told Bakery&Snacks the sessions were designed “to help drivers to recognise the different types of misuse and understand the Bakers Basco scheme in more detail. It helps to engage the drivers in what it is that we’re trying to achieve as a business.
“During the presentations, we also talk about illegal recycling and how drivers can spot signs of this occurring, such as, for example, a unit on an industrial estate with no company signage, different types of plastic piled up outside including our equipment and sounds of machinery (possible chipping machines).
“With more eyes and ears on the road who are educated in how to recognise these signs, we are hoping to generate more leads helping us to focus our efforts in the right places. This will help us to shut down illegal recycling operations and reduce misuse within the industry.”
A collaborative line of attack
The approach seems to be working. The sessions encouraged drivers to report misuse, to-date uncovering 91 actionable leads across a variety of issues, from theft to improper handling.
According to Brown, the Midlands in a particular hotspot; while having a stronger presence in Scotland – Bakers Basco hosted a session at Warburtons Eurocentral for the first time – “we have received information regarding locations using our equipment that we were unaware of, including butchers.”
These insights have already allowed Bakers Basco to act quickly and strategically, with immediate follow-ups that include visits to problematic locations, re-educating staff or even encouraging offenders to invest in their own equipment rather than misusing Basco’s.
“Based on information supplied by drivers during the presentations, we’ve taken delivery of a new batch of GPS trackers, which will be deployed across the country,” said Brown.
A win-win for all partners
“With more eyes and ears on the road who are educated in how to recognise these signs, we are hoping to shut down illegal recycling operations and reduce misuse within the industry” - Stacey Brown
While Warburtons has been instrumental in Bakers Basco since its formation, the new initiative underscores the need for continued collaboration to address systemic challenges within the industry.
Established in 2006 by five of the UK’s leading plant bakers – including Warburtons, Hovis, Warburtons, Allied Bakeries, Frank Roberts & Sons and Fine Lady Bakeries – the cooperative manages an equipment pool of approximately four million Omega Baskets and 500,000 dollies for the delivery of bread to retailers and wholesalers. Taking it a step further, Bakers Basco plays a crucial role in the circular economy, with each piece of equipment recycled potentially 400 times.
“Not only have these sessions educated our drivers on identifying equipment issues, but they’ve also instilled a stronger sense of responsibility and vigilance among our team,” said Garry Brown, equipment utensils planning manager for Warburtons.
“It’s a great example of how working together can secure and streamline operations.”
Added Stacey Brown, “Drivers understand that it is everybody’s responsibility in the industry to reduce misuse of equipment, thus reducing the impact on the environment with not having to have more equipment made, not to mention keeping costs low for the customer.”
Measurable impact during peak season
The timing of the ‘Who is Basco?’ campaign was timed to coincide with the holiday season, which often sees a spike in equipment theft and misuse.
“Misuse during the holiday season always increases, that’s because there is more equipment being put into the supply chain to cope with increased demand,” Brown told this site.
“This means there is increased opportunity for bakeries that are not part of the Basco scheme to retain borrowed equipment for their own purposes, disrupting operations for everyone else.”
By addressing this problem head-on, Bakers Basco has already seen improvements. The actionable intelligence gathered through the sessions has led to the recovery of more equipment and fewer disruptions in the delivery chain. Drivers – now more engaged and informed – are also reporting better compliance at collection points, making their daily responsibilities a little easier.
“Thanks to these sessions, drivers are sharing more information with us, leading to more trackers being deployed and more misuse being uncovered. It’s a chain reaction of positive change.”
Looking ahead, Baker Basco plans to expand the scope of the ‘Who is Basco?’ presentation to office staff and management at bakeries, ensuring the message reaches every level of the supply chain.
New Basco team members will also participate in ‘a day with a driver’ during their induction.
“This involves our officer going out for a full shift with a driver, where they will be able to witness firsthand the issues drivers face in their day to day job on the road, such as the weather conditions, poorly stacked equipment at collection points or locations refusing to hand equipment back,” said Brown.
“This will help our team build a better rapport with drivers to strengthen communication ties to report and prevent misuse.”
