At Unipart we have a firm commitment to doing well by doing good. Our customers, our people, our industry partners, and the communities in which we operate are best served when all of our long-term prosperity and sustainability is intertwined.
This belief has been at the heart of Unipart’s ethos for more than three decades, living those values every day through our philosophy of employee engagement and continuous improvement The Unipart Way.
Last year the deep relationships we’ve built with our customers and stakeholders stood strong in the face of the biggest social and economic challenge in generations, the Covid-19 pandemic.
The care and commitment of our people shone through. They rallied to continue providing essential services to customers while ensuring workplaces were safe and Covid-Secure.
Here, our unwavering commitment to health and safety was a key factor. Last year both Unipart Logistics and Unipart Rail were again awarded Swords of Honour by the British Safety Council, taking Unipart’s overall tally to nearly 60 since 2011.
The health and safety management systems we have in place to achieve this success allowed us to respond quickly and effectively to the challenge of creating Covid-Secure workplaces. During their annual audit, the British Safety Council remarked we made one of the best responses to Covid safety they had seen.
These safety measures, brought in ahead of government guidelines, and in many areas exceeding the statutory standards, meant we could continue to provide essential services to customers in the NHS Supply Chain, the automotive, rail, and consumer retail sectors, who in turn were providing frontline care to patients, keeping transport networks moving, and delivering connectivity to people at home.
With sites across the globe, Unipart plays a key place in many communities. Our long-term support for Business in the Community demonstrates our commitment in this area. I have occupied a place on the board of trustees for many years, and our Corporate Affairs DIrector, Frank Nigriello, chairs the BITC South East Regional Leadership Team. In addition, we offer support to businesses and organisations through our membership of the National Business Response Network.
Digital transformation is central to the continued success of our business and our people. The suite of digital products we have developed to best serve our customers reflects Unipart’s deep commitment to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. We must go digital to give our people the skills they need and give our customers the service they need to be competitive and prosperous in the future. The successful development of our own Digital Communication Cells is one of many examples of how our people are using digital to make a positive difference to our customers and communities every single day.
Unipart’s strategic approach is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. As an intelligent supply chain expert, Unipart is enabling our customers to meet sustainability commitments. Excellent examples of how we’ve brought this to life include the removal of 127 tonnes of single-use plastic from Sky’s supply chain, and Unipart Dorman removing 13km of plastic from LED signal head packaging. The industry recognised our efforts in this field with an Automotive Global Award 2020.
At the same time we are conscious of our own impact on the environment, and continue to reduce use of carbon, water and waste across our business. We aim to become carbon neutral by 2030, as part of our long-term strategy to become carbon net zero.
We continue to look to the future ensuring our business is fit for purpose for future challenges. The world is changing at an incredible pace. We must remain relevant and responsible to deliver outstanding service to our customers and stakeholders. We must go green, go digital, and go faster.
John M Neill
Unipart Group Chairman and Chief Executive