New online system links producers with transport

Regional food group, Heart of England Fine Foods, has launched an online system designed to address the distribution problem food and drink producers often face in getting their products to customers.

The system, dubbed HEFF Route Organiser And Distribution Sharing, or HEFFroads for short, is geared to maximise the efficiency of vans and trucks of companies willing to share their transportation resources.

Farmers looking for distribution assistance around the UK can input their transportation requirements and the system will then link them with companies with spare capacity.

Equally, companies willing to share existing transportation facilities can post available routes indicating potential pick-up points or through routes. Once a match is found, users pursue the link directly and confirm their own terms and costs.

HEFF marketing executive Louise Pickford said distribution is a key issue for farmers and added that HEFFroads addresses the distribution problem on two levels.

“Firstly it provides producers who have vehicles on the roads that are not running at full capacity with an opportunity to make journeys more efficient,” she said. “It also gives those with limited or no distribution an opportunity to piggyback other producers and potentially reach more markets.”

One producer already taking advantage of the system is Rod Adlington of Coventry-based Turkey Talk.

Mr Adlington runs a fleet of six vans across the country and often has spare capacity in the vehicles.”The vans are running up and down the country every day of the week, often with spare capacity.

If we can maximise our loading capacity then it makes the journey more feasible and we’re cutting down on food miles,” he said.

HEFFroads is free of charge to HEFF members and is accessed through the HEFF website which is now open for user registrations.

Users interested in registering on the system can do so at www.heff.co.uk or by contacting Louise Pickford on 01889 505 443.