April 22, 2014 | News

TVS Opens a New Facility in Bicester

TVS Supply Chain Solutions has opened a new bespoke defence warehousing facility in Bicester, Oxfordshire, bringing the company’s total number of facilities in the UK to six.

The new facility moves the company’s defence warehouse operation from a behind-the-wire Ministry of Defence (MoD) facility in Bicester to alternative premises on the nearby Murdoch Road Industrial Estate. The move was prompted by the MoD’s requirement for additional storage space in preparation for the withdrawal of British troops from Afghanistan.

The new 44,000 sq ft facility, which is 4.5 miles from the original MoD site, will house over £10 million of inventory, 14,000 parts lines, 250,000 individual parts and nearly 18,000 pieces of equipment.

TVS, the global supply chain and logistics specialist, has been supporting the MoD for nearly a century. They opened their first spares stores in 1919, the same year the company produced its first “military special”: the “RAF Type” 2 ton truck. Through the 1940’s and 50’s, they manufactured the Cromwell, Comet and Centurion tanks, and built and supported the Chieftain tank engine into the late 1980’s. With this history, it seemed appropriate that their first Defence contract as an independent supply chain and inventory management service provider, was in supporting the Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank. Thirteen years later, they are still providing the MoD’s heavy armoured vehicles, construction vehicles and engineering equipment with better spares availability than some car manufacturers achieve!
The company has a truly national presence operating from regional hubs in Bicester, Crick, Daventry, North Luffenham, Wakefield and its 268,000 sq ft headquarters in Chorley.

Irene Ainscough, Director of Defence at TVS Supply Chain Solutions, commented: “We have made the decision to further invest in our Bicester capabilities to support the MoD and maintain the highest levels of service which involves ensuring we deliver vital parts scheduled for front line operations, often within a 2 hour timeframe from order to receipt.

“Crucially, during the transfer of parts and equipment, we maintained our service levels with no disruption for the client or end user.

“TVS has signed a 10-year lease on the building which signifies our continuing commitment to further investment in our warehousing infrastructure and support for clients in the defence sector.”

POSTED ON April 22, 2014