Lewis Tankers wins distribution contract with Stepan UK

Photo: Steve Smith, Frank Kinder and Steve Clark

Oct 2011

Lewis Tankers has renewed its business with Stepan UK with the award of a new three year £5 million distribution contract, following a competitive tender. Stepan UK, a wholly owned subsidiary of Stepan Europe, is a major manufacturer of speciality and intermediate chemicals and has been a customer of Lewis Tankers for the past fifteen years.

The Yorkshire-based road tanker operator provides Stepan UK with a complete distribution service, collecting and delivering raw materials into its manufacturing site in Stalybridge, Cheshire, then distributing the finished products to its customers throughout the UK.

The core fleet of vehicles, tanks and drivers are based on-site in Stalybridge, together with a dedicated traffic manager. Effective planning is a key element of the contract as a high percentage of the tanks need to be dedicated to meet the product quality requirements of Stepan UK's customers in the toiletries, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals sectors.

Stewart MacDonald, Lewis Tankers' managing director commented: "We have been Stepan UK's distribution partner for a long time and know their business pretty well. This enabled us to put forward some radical ideas for restructuring their contract to give them a better service with reduced cost and improved environmental performance."

Frank Kinder, Stepan UK's transport buyer, commented: "The nature of our products means we place considerable demands on our distribution partner. Lewis Tankers consistently delivers excellent service and is very proactive in putting forward ideas on how to improve the service. We are delighted to have extended our partnership for another three years."

Client: Lewis Tankers