Synergy at 50

The Synergy Logistics story began in October 1972 when the company was established in Hitchin, Hertfordshire by Harry O’Brien. Read on to find out what happened over the proceeding 50 years…

October 1972.

In the early days, Synergy’s main product was Roadnet, vehicle route scheduling software.

Roadnet was used by a number of big-name clients including Tesco, ICI, Cadbury-Schweppes as well as breweries including Vaux, Courage and Whitbread.

An article in the Financial Times dated 15 January 1976 read:

“The realisation among companies that distribution is the great unchartered cost area has brought considerable business to Synergy Logistics. In recent months it has been particularly involved in selling advice – for between £2,000 – £5,000 – to companies that are planning new depots, buying new vehicles and assessing routes.”

In the early 1980s Synergy developed a suite of five management systems – Importer, Exporter, In-processor, Out-processor and Warehouser – to help businesses navigate the increasingly complex field of Customs & Excise.

World first…

In 1985 Synergy proudly launched one of the world’s first warehouse management systems, Locator.

Locator was used by Coca Cola at its huge new distribution centre at Wakefield in West Yorkshire, the largest soft drinks factory in Europe, covering an area of 41 acres and with 72,000m² of buildings. It was then rolled out to an additional 10 sites with several distribution centres and factories, including two automated storage facilities. Locator was further developed in to Locator Expert using PowerBuilder on the latest client server technology.

SnapFulfil Launched

SnapFulfil was officially launched in 2007 utilising Adobe Flex and Microsoft.NET-based C# programming.

SnapFulfil was one of the first cloud-based systems to offer real time information to optimise warehouse management without sacrificing any functionality. Furthermore, its unique rules-based configuration engine has enabled it to stay ahead of the curve, providing a highly flexible solution that is now used in warehouses around the world.

Sweet spot

Included since 2012 in Gartner’s elite WMS Magic Quadrant.

Today Synergy has a global footprint with offices in the UK and North America. It continues to pioneer with remote and self-implementation capabilities that empower customers to handle their own multi-site rollouts and develop more sustainable business models.

Synergy’s Long-Serving Superstars

Introducing our very own ‘Fab Four’ who are based at Castle Donington HQ and have clocked up an incredible 120 years service between them – that’s dedication to the cause!

Tracey Piggot

Tm25 short summary - Tracey Piggot is our awesome Admin Manager and as of September 2022 has been with the company 29 years.

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SEE PROFILE

Lynne Beale

Tm25 short summary - Lynne Beale is our dedicated Development Manager (since 2015) and has been with the company 32 years.

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SEE PROFILE

Martin Ball

Tm25 short summary - Martin Ball is our super loyal Senior Software Engineer and as of April 2022 has been with the company for a record breaking 35 years!

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