ALIGN JV CHOOSES UNIQUE ONSITE PROCUREMENT SOLUTION TO SUPPORT HS2 CONSTRUCTION

Align, the joint venture between Bouygues Travaux Publics, a subsidiary of Bouygues Construction, Sir Robert McAlpine, and VolkerFitzpatrick, a subsidiary of VolkerWessels that is delivering the Central 1 portion of HS2 Phase One, has chosen a next generation procurement delivery solution which can result in up to 70% reduction in carbon emissions previously caused by daily deliveries to site, as part of its ongoing commitment to supporting sustainability and innovation in the sector.

Inspired by the Amazon Locker solution, the secure by design VJ iStore® (patent pending) is located at Align’s site in Rickmansworth and consists of a 40 ft high bespoke modular shipping container which acts as a vending machine. It will help ensure that Align’s supply chain contractors can be fed a constant supply of their most used products that can be clicked and collected in a matter of minutes directly on-site at the point of needOver 30 different Align contractors are authorised to procure and collect from the VJ iStore®, a unique solution from VJ Technology. There are almost 300 seperate items within the store ranging from bolts, washers, nails, sealants, hand tools, paints, lubricants, mechanical anchors, locks, foams and brooms.

Products are available 24/7 which in turn increases productivity significantly and are only paid for once they have been collected, positively impacting cashflow. It is replenished once every 10 to 14 days as managed by the active stock control system resulting in an up to 70% reduction in carbon emissions previously caused by daily deliveries to site.

Electra Thanopoulou, Buyer at Align, said:

“As an early adopter of this solution we were able to work closely with VJ Technology to help them refine the offering, which we believe is an exciting development which helps address a number of challenges we face.  Perhaps most importantly though the reduction in daily deliveries that reduce our impact on both the environment and the local communities we operate in.”

Peter Mckeown, Cross Passage Superintendent, Align said:

“We use the VJ iStore® 24/7 and so far 25% of our orders have been out of hours – before 8am or after 5pm – and 15% have been on weekends. Previously this could have resulted in project delays and or rescheduling, but this solution enables us to continue.”

Andrew Mobbs, CEO at VJ Technology said:

“These are challenging times for the sector and we are on a mission to de-risk the construction and infrastructure supply chain, playing our part to help projects finish on budget and on time. Everything we do revolves around how we can make things easier and better for the customer.’

The VJ iStore® is just another step in this journey and is absolutely a part of the long-term growth strategy

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