IFW Awards 2010 - Winner

Dartford, Kent, 29 October 2010

SBS Worldwide, the logistics specialist, was named Freight Forwarder of the Year at the prestigious IFW Awards at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, London yesterday (Oct 28, 2010). Now in their 14th year, the awards are recognised as one of the premier accolades in the freight industry.

The judges praised SBS for taking its supply chain expertise and experience and applying it to the specifically to the publishing industry. SBS claims its strategy is the height of 'recycling' - using tried and tested ideas and then adapting them to work in completely new industries.

The company has developed a supply chain software, which helps publishers reduce both the time taken and the cost of delivering books from printers in China to customers around the world.

The judges commented that "rarely in business does a company have the opportunity to introduce something new to a whole vertical market. But then this company came up with the idea of migrating tried and tested solutions from the more advanced supply chain 'Process' sectors. And through the process of reengineering and applied technology, they managed to deliver a new 'solution-led value' to their target market, the people centric world of book publishing". Through the use of this software, SBS has demystified forwarding and really put everything it has into producing a world class service. SBS Worldwide triumphed over tough competitors Simarco International, DAP UK and Uniserve (Airfreight).

"We are delighted to win this award," says Steve Walker, Chairman, SBS Worldwide Ltd. "We know from talking to book publishers that our system was a winner but it is very gratifying to have this recognised by our peers."

The supply chain software has been developed in close collaboration with the book publishing industry and gives total visibility, in real time, to ISBN level, to all departments at the publishers, allowing a fast and efficient response to changing market conditions.

"The publishers took the big step of moving their printing to China and needed logistical help with the next step of reorganising their distribution patterns," explains Steve Walker. "Our system allows publishers to send books directly to customers from the printers, rather than, for instance, from China to a distribution centre in the US and then back out again all over the world - sometimes even back to Asia!"

SBS Worldwide continues to work closely with its customers to cut costs and has introduced another 'recycled' idea - using slipsheets instead of pallets - to increase the number of books carried per container by at least 15%.

"By making sure that we understand the needs of our individual customers, we select and then adapt the best-in-class ideas to give them exactly the service they need," says Steve Walker.

SBS is a privately owned UK company which commenced trading in 1983, offering diverse solutions and client driven freight forwarding services. The company has established six facilities in the UK and four in the US with a joint partnership in China.

Notes to Editors

About SBS Worldwide

SBS Worldwide offers global freight forwarding and supply chain solutions to clients around the world. It has an established reputation for reliability, innovation and leading-edge solutions, helping to drive costs out of its customers' international supply chains. SBS's consultancy division, Virtualized Logistics, offers clients an in-depth review of their supply chains as well as state of the art visibility systems and management information. A privately-owned British company set up nearly 30 years ago, SBS Worldwide is headquartered in the UK, has offices across the US and China and has partners throughout the world. SBS Worldwide was named Freight Forwarder of the Year at IFW's Freight Industry Awards 2010 and won the BIFA Ocean Freight Award in the same year.

Mission Statement

"SBS Worldwide's central tenet is to ensure that its operations provide the highest quality of Freight and Supply Chain services throughout our privately owned company.

"We will ensure that our customers' expectations will be delivered by providing the highest quality of service appropriate for each market segment served through our focused business units.

"We will develop mutually rewarding relationships with our employees, partners and suppliers beyond their expectations.

"Safety and compliance is the first consideration in all our operations.

"All of our corporate activities will be conducted to the highest ethical and professional standards."

For more information contact:

Damian Brett
PR Manager
Image Line Communications
+44 (0)20  7689 9009
damian@imageline.co.uk

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