If you ask most UK 3PL providers to store and ship pallets of porcelain floor tiles or six-metre lengths of industrial press-fit pipe, you’ll get a polite “no thanks” or a five-day lead time and a long list of surcharges. At Lesters Logistics, we saw a gap, rolled up our sleeves, and built a service that treats large, fragile, heavyweight products as just another daily pick. Two recent partnerships, Sancera (premium bathroom tiles) and SANHA (European leader in pipe systems) – show exactly how we do it.
In the two clips above, the Sancera team (left) explains how Lesters’ bespoke handling lets their fragile, heavyweight bathroom tiles reach UK customers the very next day, safely.
On the right, SANHA’s UK Director Chris Worrall, explains why the pipe-system giant chose Lesters Logistics as its order fulfilment partner.
Why Fragile, Heavy Freight Scares Most 3PLs
- Weight & brittleness: Tiles are dense and chip if stacked badly; pipes deform if unsupported.
- Awkward dimensions: A single pallet can top 1,000kg or stretch beyond standard racking bays.
- Slow turnarounds: Specialist carriers often quote three to five days, hurting cash flow and customer satisfaction.
We turned those problems into your advantage – storing, picking and delivering fragile, heavyweight goods next-day across the UK.
Adapting the Warehouse for Sancera’s Tiles
- Dedicated racking & stillages keep pallets level, absorb vibration, and prevent edge-crush.
- Reinforced pick zones let staff lift cartons safely and re-band stacks in seconds.
- Corrugated edge guards (sourced through Lesters Packaging) cushion every pallet corner.
The result? Fragile ceramic tiles leave our dock showroom condition and land with retailers or installers the next day, a service the Sancera team says has transformed how quickly they can satisfy urgent site orders.
Building a Bespoke Hub for SANHA’s Pipes
SANHA needed more than rack space; they wanted their own four walls inside our site:
- Dedicated warehouse bay with long-span cantilever racks for six-metre copper and stainless tubes.
- System integration – instead of forcing SANHA onto our WMS, we plugged into theirs, mirroring pick-and-pack rules byte for byte.
- Reverse logistics ready – returned lengths drop straight into inspection lanes without clogging the main flow.
The payoff? SANHA gets a fully outsourced UK distribution arm that feels like an extension of their German HQ, minus the overhead.
Speed: The Hidden Dividend
Many brands hesitate to expose tricky SKUs, seasonal spikes or historic returns. However, being transparent lets your provider staff up for peaks, design better packaging and price services accurately. Get rid of your order history, product quirks and growth forecasts on the table; the pay-off is a plan that works.
Relationship-First, Regardless of Size
SANHA turns over hundreds of millions; Sancera is a niche challenger brand. We treat them both the same: transparent reporting, a named account manager, and weekly ops calls. Both directors highlight the relationship as the reason they trust us with their trickiest stock. We have built a solid relationship with both businesses, and the directors of both companies comment on how positive the relationship is between themselves and Lesters Logistics.
Could “Difficult” Freight Be Your Competitive Edge?
If you’re sitting on products that couriers hate, are oversized, fragile, or heavy, Lesters Logistics has already solved the puzzle:
- Storage that protects – custom racking, edge guards, heavy-duty pallets.
- Systems that slot in – API hooks to your existing WMS or e-commerce stack.
- Delivery that delights – UK-wide next-day, plus timed options for site drops.
Let’s talk about turning your awkward freight into a sales advantage.
Ready to Move the Unmovable?
Email enquiries@lesterslogistics.co.uk or call 02476 38 16 54 for a quick feasibility chat. We’ll map out a pilot, run the numbers, and show you how easy “impossible” can be.
