27 Oct Williamson Foodservice Case Study
Gray & Adams is renowned for servicing customers nationwide, however, we understand how important it is to service clients in the regions closer to home to build on the strong Scotland-based roots of the business. Williamson Foodservice is one such customer, with depots in Glasgow, Inverness and Stornoway. The ethos of Williamson Foodservice is using local suppliers close to their depots to ensure freshness across their product range in the catering and retail industry.
In this issue, we speak to Gary Williamson on how partnering with Gray & Adams has proved beneficial for their business model.
“I’ve been working with Williamson for over thirty years and I’ve been around the business for much longer where I’ve always been aware of the Gray & Adams product. Most notable is their reputation for providing good service to their customers. We primarily purchase 18T Rigids from Gray & Adams which are the largest vehicles in our fleet. Due to the nature of our work and the remote locations we service, about 50% of our fleet are 7.5T GVW and above– having the right configuration certainly helps when our drivers are transporting goods up narrow and country roads!”
Gary explains,
“When renewing the fleet, it’s important to keep in mind what is going to work for your business and customers. Price can be a factor, however whole-life costs are more important to us. I would say that getting the right spec is key, which is why working with Gray & Adams works so well. They really pay attention to your business and customer service strategy when designing a solution. They don’t try and push you down the wrong road, for example, I’m aware that Gray & Adams are renowned for their double decks, but this would not work for Williamson Foodservice and they know this is the case, so we don’t feel like we are being pushed down the wrong track with off the shelf products.”
Of their most recent order, Gary tells us that after receiving some feedback from his drivers, he had an additional request regarding the specification of the Rigids.
“We do tend to ask that Gray & Adams include little bespoke items within the specification of the order. The most recent one of interest that we explored with the team is implementing a side mounting rack where drinks dispense gas bottles are kept. These require to be kept separate from the rest of the load for health and safety reasons. It made sense that we took some steps to ensure that they are easy to safely access during delivery, without the driver having to enter the other compartments of the vehicle if it is not necessary. A redesign of the chassis mounted equipment and side crash rails accommodated this requirement. These changes and attention to detail makes our delivery processes safer and more efficient and I was delighted that Gray & Adams were able to incorporate it into the design.”
When discussing what is next for the business, Gary shares his thoughts with us,
“At Williamson Foodservice it’s important that we keep striving to improve our service and strengthen our existing long-term relationships and we include Gray & Adams in that as a trusted supplier.”