Unipart
Encyclopedia
Unipart Group is a multinational
logisitics, supply chain
, and consultancy company headquartered in Cowley
, United Kingdom
. It has operations in Europe
, North America
, Australia
and Japan
and works across a variety of sectors that include automotive, rail, marine and leisure. Its Unipart Automotive division is the UK's largest independent supplier of car parts, workshop consumables and garage equipment to the aftermarket.
Unipart is employee-owned and is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the UK.
to be its director of the parts and service division. Egan created a new organisation, independent of the main car company and branded as Unipart. But as losses in BL grew, in 1975 the company was nationalised, and Egan departed in 1976 to join Massey Ferguson
.
29 year old John Neill took over running the business, and built Unipart as an independent business unit with the BL group, by offering other car companies UK logistical services. This was enhanced through the traditional route of motorsports sponsorship, from 1978 with the Triumph Dolomite
Formula 3 team, and from 1980 in Formula1, first with Ensign and then with McLaren until 1983.
After further losses at BL and the sale of Jaguar, in 1987 Neill led a management buyout
of Unipart, in part financed by a wider employee buy-in. The company returned to Formula1 sponsorship, with Tyrrell
and later with Jordan Grand Prix
.
Today the company operates as a logistics expert across a series of sectors, using its assets and intellectual property branded as "The Unipart Way" to both deliver and consult for a diversity of clients.
tools and techniques, with a guiding philosophy to reduce waste or activities which do not add value. Based on the companies learning from Honda
and study into the Toyota Production System
, it is the name the company has given to its methodology. It involves a process of continuous measurement which is designed to lead to a reduction of wasteful activity, thereby ensuring the best deployment of time and resources.
The methodology is not without its critics. Most publicly, the work done at HMRC was censured by PCS
general secretary, Mark Serwotka, who stated, "By reducing staff to nothing more than machines on the whim of consultants, the department is undermining the morale of staff who face imminent job cuts and office closures."
HMRC argue that Unipart's work has produced significant benefits for them. An HMRC spokesman said: "Lean is all about offering a better service to our customers and staff. It is a key element in HMRC's plan to provide improved service and meet efficiency targets. Staff are asked to organise their desks when shared with colleagues to avoid clutter and to make sure they have everything set up to do their job effectively. Any suggestion that staff are restricted to a pen and cup on their desk is simply not true. Rather than making work boring and repetitive, staff are being invited to work with their managers to improve the way tasks and systems are developed.".
The independent NAO
report of 6 July 2007 describes the purpose of Lean as "to streamline key
work processes to eliminate duplication or reworking, improve accuracy, increase productivity, and reduce lead times in processing cases", and it predicts savings to the taxpayer of £440 million by 2011 "the majority of which will be achieved through implementing Lean."
. In 2006, the company teamed up with Nigel Mansell
and his sons, Greg
and Leo
, in a sponsorship deal in support of Nigel's sons' careers in Formula BMW.
As the Unipart Way philosophy is wedded to removing waste Unipart has long held to a reduce, re-use, recycle agenda, driving improvements in its environmental performance. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/Environment_Release_Oct_08.pdf
Currently Unipart also supports a pilot initiative to support 11 young people who were struggling at school. They now attend classes within Unipart daily and are supported through work experience. By being treated as trainees rather than pupils their attendance records and academic progress have been transformed. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
Unipart also supports an initiative to give homeless people supported and paid employment.With nearly 10,000 employees, Unipart people play an active role in their communities as councillors, special constables and as volunteers for numerous charities and organisations. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
Unipart supports Business in the Community's Per Cent Club principles aiming to distribute one per cent of its pre-tax gross profits in goods or in kind each year. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
In 2008 Unipart Group achieved overall Gold status in the BitC CR Index and Platinum status for its environmental performance. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/CSR.pdf
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
logisitics, supply chain
Supply chain
A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
, and consultancy company headquartered in Cowley
Cowley, Oxford
Cowley in Oxford, England, is a residential and industrial area that forms a small conurbation within greater Oxford. Cowley's neighbours are central Oxford to the northwest, Rose Hill and Blackbird Leys to the south, New Headington to the north and the villages of Horspath and Garsington across...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It has operations in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and works across a variety of sectors that include automotive, rail, marine and leisure. Its Unipart Automotive division is the UK's largest independent supplier of car parts, workshop consumables and garage equipment to the aftermarket.
Unipart is employee-owned and is one of the largest privately-owned companies in the UK.
History
Unipart was formed in 1974, when part state-owned car company British Leyland appointed John EganJohn Egan (industrialist)
Sir John Egan is a notable British industrialist, associated with businesses in the automotive, airports, construction and water industries. He was chief executive of Jaguar Cars from 1984 to 1990, and then served as chief executive of BAA from 1990 to 1999...
to be its director of the parts and service division. Egan created a new organisation, independent of the main car company and branded as Unipart. But as losses in BL grew, in 1975 the company was nationalised, and Egan departed in 1976 to join Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was...
.
29 year old John Neill took over running the business, and built Unipart as an independent business unit with the BL group, by offering other car companies UK logistical services. This was enhanced through the traditional route of motorsports sponsorship, from 1978 with the Triumph Dolomite
Triumph Dolomite
The Triumph Dolomite was a popular small saloon car produced by the Triumph Motor Company division of the British Leyland Corporation in Canley, Coventry between October 1972 and August 1980.-History:...
Formula 3 team, and from 1980 in Formula1, first with Ensign and then with McLaren until 1983.
After further losses at BL and the sale of Jaguar, in 1987 Neill led a management buyout
Management buyout
A management buyout is a form of acquisition where a company's existing managers acquire a large part or all of the company.- Overview :Management buyouts are similar in all major legal aspects to any other acquisition of a company...
of Unipart, in part financed by a wider employee buy-in. The company returned to Formula1 sponsorship, with Tyrrell
Tyrrell
Tyrrell or Tyrell may refer to:Places* Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology* Tyrrell County, North Carolina*Tyrrell Sea, prehistoric Hudson Bay*Tyrrell Middle School, a secondary school in Wolcott, ConnecticutPeople...
and later with Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix
Jordan Grand Prix was a Formula One constructor that competed from 1991 to 2005. The team is named after Irish businessman and founder Eddie Jordan...
.
Today the company operates as a logistics expert across a series of sectors, using its assets and intellectual property branded as "The Unipart Way" to both deliver and consult for a diversity of clients.
Operating divisions
There are three main operating divisions with Unipart Group of companies each of whom is headed up by a managing director. These main operating companies are Unipart Logistics, Unipart Automotive and Unipart Rail and within these are various divisions.- Unipart Logistics: Has three main divisions within the operating company which are; Unipart Aftermarket Logisitics whose main clients are Jaguar Cars, Land RoverLand RoverLand Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
, London Taxis International and McLaren AutomotiveMcLaren AutomotiveMcLaren Automotive, commonly referred to as McLaren, is a British automotive manufacturer of high-performance vehicles. The company was established as McLaren Cars in 1989 as a producer of road cars based on Formula One technology...
. Unipart Consumer Logistics whose clients include Asos.ComASOS.comASOS.com is the UK's largest online-only fashion and beauty store. Primarily aimed at 16-34 year old men and women, it offers over 35,000 own-label and branded fashion goods. Sales for the financial year ending 31 March 2011 were £339.7 million....
, HomebaseHomebaseHomebase is a British home improvement store and garden centre, with 350 stores across the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. It is well known by its green and orange colour scheme. Together with its sister company Argos , it forms part of Home Retail Group. Homebase recorded sales figures...
, Play.comPlay.comPlay Ltd., trading as Play.com, is a Jersey-based online retailer of DVDs, CDs, books, gadgets, video games, DRM-free MP3 downloads, and other electronic products, as well as clothes and accessories. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rakuten Group....
, Pets at HomePets at HomePets at Home is a large pet supplies retail chain in the United Kingdom. With 300 stores nationwide, it is the largest pet supplies retail chain in the United Kingdom Pets at home currently have over 5000 employees...
, Sainsbury's; and Unipart Technology Logistics whose clients include 3, Apple UK, BSkyB, Jessops, VodafoneVodafoneVodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
and Virgin MobileVirgin MobileVirgin Mobile is a brand used by many mobile phone service providers across the globe; its headquarters are based in the United Kingdom. Virgin Mobile has local operations in Australia, Canada, France, India, South Africa, Greece, United Kingdom and the United States. It briefly also had operations...
. There are a number of smaller divisions of Unipart Logistics which include Unipart Aerospace and Defence Logistics and Unipart Security Solutions.
- Unipart Expert Practices: This business sits within the Unipart Logistics division and represents the company moving from simply focusing on its own internal improvement activites to providing its services to external clients in the form of Management and supply chainSupply chainA supply chain is a system of organizations, people, technology, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. Supply chain activities transform natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product that is delivered to...
consulting based on lean principles and continuous improvement. UEP has worked with a number of sectors including Health, Government and Finance.
- Unipart Automotive: This divisions core business is operated out of approximately 180 branchers across the UK who provide car parts for all makes and models to both the independent motor trade and national companies such Kwik-fit, AA and ATS Euromaster.
- Unipart Rail: This division is located in the North of England with sites in both Crewe and Doncaster and provides engineering and logistic solutions to the rail supply chain. The company also has several other brands which it has acquired and trades under such as Dorman who specialise in LED Lighting.
- Unipart Leisure & Marine: formerly known as Mark Dowland Marine, act as distributors of marine products, caravanTravel trailerA travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
, and motorhomeMotorhomeA motorhome is a type of self-propelled recreational vehicle or RV which offers living accommodation combined with a vehicle engine. The term motorhome is most commonly used in the UK, US, and Canada.-Features:...
products. The company sells under a number of other brands including Wetline Ltd and reports into Unipart Rail.
The Unipart Way
"The Unipart Way" is a system of lean manufacturingLean manufacturing
Lean manufacturing, lean enterprise, or lean production, often simply, "Lean," is a production practice that considers the expenditure of resources for any goal other than the creation of value for the end customer to be wasteful, and thus a target for elimination...
tools and techniques, with a guiding philosophy to reduce waste or activities which do not add value. Based on the companies learning from Honda
Honda
is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
and study into the Toyota Production System
Toyota Production System
The Toyota Production System is an integrated socio-technical system, developed by Toyota, that comprises its management philosophy and practices. The TPS organizes manufacturing and logistics for the automobile manufacturer, including interaction with suppliers and customers...
, it is the name the company has given to its methodology. It involves a process of continuous measurement which is designed to lead to a reduction of wasteful activity, thereby ensuring the best deployment of time and resources.
The methodology is not without its critics. Most publicly, the work done at HMRC was censured by PCS
Public and Commercial Services Union
The Public and Commercial Services Union is the sixth largest trade union in the United Kingdom. Most of its members work in government departments and other public bodies although some work for private companies.- Membership and organisation :...
general secretary, Mark Serwotka, who stated, "By reducing staff to nothing more than machines on the whim of consultants, the department is undermining the morale of staff who face imminent job cuts and office closures."
HMRC argue that Unipart's work has produced significant benefits for them. An HMRC spokesman said: "Lean is all about offering a better service to our customers and staff. It is a key element in HMRC's plan to provide improved service and meet efficiency targets. Staff are asked to organise their desks when shared with colleagues to avoid clutter and to make sure they have everything set up to do their job effectively. Any suggestion that staff are restricted to a pen and cup on their desk is simply not true. Rather than making work boring and repetitive, staff are being invited to work with their managers to improve the way tasks and systems are developed.".
The independent NAO
National Audit Office (United Kingdom)
The National Audit Office is an independent Parliamentary body in the United Kingdom which is responsible for auditing central government departments, government agencies and non-departmental public bodies...
report of 6 July 2007 describes the purpose of Lean as "to streamline key
work processes to eliminate duplication or reworking, improve accuracy, increase productivity, and reduce lead times in processing cases", and it predicts savings to the taxpayer of £440 million by 2011 "the majority of which will be achieved through implementing Lean."
Corporate social responsibility
Unipart has strong links with the local community and education, supporting many community initiatives and organisations. Unipart has a traditionally strong affiliation with motorsportMotorsport
Motorsport or motorsports is the group of sports which primarily involve the use of motorized vehicles, whether for racing or non-racing competition...
. In 2006, the company teamed up with Nigel Mansell
Nigel Mansell
Nigel Ernest James Mansell OBE is a British racing driver who won both the Formula One World Championship and the CART Indy Car World Series...
and his sons, Greg
Greg Mansell
Greg Mansell is a British racing driver and road cyclist, currently racing in cycling's Halfords Tour Series, having previously competed in motorsports Formula Renault 3.5 Series...
and Leo
Leo Mansell
Leo Mansell is a British racing driver. He is the son of 1992 Formula One world champion, Nigel Mansell, and elder brother of fellow racing driver Greg Mansell....
, in a sponsorship deal in support of Nigel's sons' careers in Formula BMW.
As the Unipart Way philosophy is wedded to removing waste Unipart has long held to a reduce, re-use, recycle agenda, driving improvements in its environmental performance. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/Environment_Release_Oct_08.pdf
Currently Unipart also supports a pilot initiative to support 11 young people who were struggling at school. They now attend classes within Unipart daily and are supported through work experience. By being treated as trainees rather than pupils their attendance records and academic progress have been transformed. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
Unipart also supports an initiative to give homeless people supported and paid employment.With nearly 10,000 employees, Unipart people play an active role in their communities as councillors, special constables and as volunteers for numerous charities and organisations. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
Unipart supports Business in the Community's Per Cent Club principles aiming to distribute one per cent of its pre-tax gross profits in goods or in kind each year. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/A%20Culture-of-Continuous-Improvement-CSR-report-2007.pdf
In 2008 Unipart Group achieved overall Gold status in the BitC CR Index and Platinum status for its environmental performance. http://www.unipart.co.uk/Portals/0/CSR.pdf
External links
- Unipart Group Official site
- Unipart Logistics Official site
- Unipart Rail
- Unipart Expert Practices Official Site