One of the UK’s fastest growing and most innovative parts distribution companies FPS has just opened a flagship new branch and warehouse facility to serve Scotland. Based at the Blochairn Industrial Estate in Glasgow the new FPS facility officially opened its doors on the 28th September, although the full stocking process has taken around a month to complete.

The new facility employs state-of-the art warehousing and logistics systems, and provides four times the capacity of the original branch. The added space has enabled FPS to stock a far wider range of products, including both ‘fast movers’ and crucially, many items that are older and harder to find, and also very new stock that is not yet available form other sources.

Specific to this policy of stocking a very comprehensive range has been the addition of a huge range of Klarius type-approved exhaust and CAT systems, including over 2,500 exhaust references and 600 CAT references. The additional warehousing has allowed FPS to add these popular, but typically bulky products to the same-day delivery service offered throughout the UK.

The deal with Klarius is nationwide, and since the vast majority of Klarius products are manufactured in the UK, a new line of replacement exhausts and CATs could go from an initial design, through to a fully-type approved product on-the-shelf at FPS Glasgow in as little as three weeks.

Mark Norris, Klarius National Account Manager for FPS comments,

“This new range of parts from Klarius enables FPS to deliver a same day service for our products in Scotland for circa 99% of the UK car parc. Klarius has been able to use our flexible production facilities and high quality manufacturing to ensure FPS passes on a quality exhaust or CAT, one that is guaranteed to fit-first-time every-time.”

“We check all our designs against OE specification to match performance in terms of noise and back pressure to very tight tolerances. All our exhaust and CAT products are also independently type-approved by the VCA, ensuring fuel efficiency and long-term performance. Some other manufacturers do not go to these lengths to ensure the quality and fit of their product, and FPS has recognised this by replacing all their qualifying stock of CATs with fully legal Klarius items, ensuring no FPS customers or garages being supplied by FPS customers fall foul of the new laws requiring only type approved CATs to be fitted.”

FPS works as a trusted partner to over 2,500 motor factor customers across the UK. Through a network of 20 sites, each carrying over 35,000 parts and offering between 2 and 6 daily deliveries, the company provides a unique supply chain solution for those customers, a natural extension to their existing operations. FPS expertise is in carrying very wide ranges of parts with high availability and being able to get them to the customer quickly. This supports factor customers’ own operations and in turn allows the factor to meet the needs of their installer customers.

The branch network extends throughout the UK with stock replenished daily via a large National Distribution Centre, strategically situated in Sheffield. The NDC carries 90,000 stock lines, over £12m of stock, in a new purpose built warehouse on a 5 acre site. From the NDC FPS is also able to deliver stock packages for customers, 5 days a week, with no minimum order quantities, and no carriage charges.

FPS believes it is unrivalled in the UK aftermarket for providing a same day and stock supply chain solution to motor factor customers in Scotland.

With this full market coverage, FPS also provide a unique distribution platform for its supplier partners, allowing them to access the whole the automotive aftermarket through one well structured, well funded distribution partner.

The new site, FPS. Unit 8, Blochairn Industrial Estate, Siemens Place, Blochairn, Glasgow, G21 2BN

Branch Manager: Jim Gallagher, T: 0845 456 3288, F: 0845 456 3289, E: glasgow@fpsdistribution.co.uk

Editorial contact: Roland Renshaw, Director, DMA Europa Ltd. www.dmaeuropa.com Tel: 01299 405454 email: roland@dmaeuropa.com

For reader enquiries contact: Véronique Auger, Marketing Coordinator, Europe, Klarius group Ltd. Squires Gate Lane, Squires Gate Ind. Estate. Blackpool, Lancashire, England FY4 3RN. United Kingdom, Tel: + 44 1253 400 400 Fax: + 44 1253 406 475, Email: Veronique.Auger@Klarius.eu Web: www.klarius.eu