Autumn 2006

The TH Brown logistics group, the parent of the Caretakers home delivery business, has adopted the CarrierNetOnline web-based transport management system in a move to update and modernise its IT infrastructure.

According to operations director Mike Denison, the company wanted to build up the company without compromising its reputation for quality and service. "But taking a licence for a software solution to run on our own computer infrastructure was just not economical. The ones in the market are very expensive, and in spite of that do not meet our needs without even more expense on adapting the software."

The company wanted to be able to access all standard business functions on the same web page, and give access to latest information for track and trace to customers and consignees.

CarrierNetOnline has provided all this, allowing the company to integrate existing systems such as sales order processing, accounts, warehouse management and customer service. Caretakers pays for it all on a per-transaction basis.

"The service was up and running very quickly without capital expenditure in licence fees and additional servers," says Denison, "and there are no hidden costs."

Grimsby-based TH Brown has been established for more than 70 years, and has particular expertise in handling heavy, unwieldy and often fragile bathroom and kitchen equipment. This business has more recently been embodied in the Caretakers operation.