Thetford based warehousing and distribution firm Century Logistics recently won the Team of the Year title at the 2006 United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) Awards lunch.

Century Logistics beat off stiff competition from many other UK logistics companies for their exceptional customer services and team work. The Company was presented with the Award by broadcasting personality Gyles Brandreth at a recent ceremony at the Savoy Hotel in London.

The team reached the finals through the use of exceptional customer care skills and for delivering innovative solutions in after sales services whilst managing the distribution services for Dorel UK – the world’s largest baby goods company.

Century has managed Dorel’s UK warehousing and distribution for the past five years. During this time the team running the operation has grown from four to over forty staff and the warehousing area for baby products has expanded from 35,000sq ft to 100,000 sq ft.

Century opened a customer services call centre in Thetford two years ago as part of their warehousing operation allowing Dorel to transfer their existing call centre operation from London. A close working relationship was paramount to ensure that the transfer was seamless in the eyes of retailers and the general public. Within months the feedback received from customers was of an improved and efficient service. This has continued and has now made Dorel’s Customer satisfaction rating one of the best in their marketplace. This new facility employed additional local staff and is still expanding.

As the working relationship between the two companies has grown, Century has taken on additional responsibility by opening a dedicated worksop to manage all their customer’s returns, repairs and spare parts.

The Award recognised that Century Logistics provided an exceptional team approach in the provision of customer services for Dorel. This was achieved through committed management and training which resulted in excellent team spirit within the company whilst maintaining a strong customer focus.