It was late 2023 when Uniserve moved the first dozen pallets for one of the world’s leading distributors of aerospace parts.
For logistics partners, the barriers to working with high-profile aerospace customers are significant: shaped by corporate policy, regulatory scrutiny and stringent operational demands of the aerospace sector.
On the heels of Andrew Rushton joining Uniserve in June that year to lead its Aerospace division, the partnership began to take shape.
‘They know who they’re dealing with’
With four decades of experience in aerospace engineering, Andrew brought deep industry knowledge and a strong reputation among senior stakeholders.
Following a corporate-level introduction, the distributor’s UK team was keen to explore a more locally responsive logistics partner.
Onboarding began gradually, before evolving to weekly domestic shipments supporting the UK operation – an uncommon deviation from the distributor’s centrally mandated logistics arrangements.
Reliability, consistency and clear communication were central to the work.
“They like the fact that we’re very easy to communicate with,” Andrew said. “We’re very available. They know who they’re dealing with.”
Over time, the partnership continued to expand. Uniserve began supporting international shipments to the aerospace distributor’s regional hubs in the Middle East and Far East by air and sea, complementing established domestic flows.
It often meant moving smoothly between transport modes while keeping full visibility and control throughout.
Deep sector understanding
The way the relationship developed says as much about how aerospace organisations make decisions as it does about logistics capability.
While governance frameworks and corporate mandates shape the landscape, progress often comes down to continuity and trust in the people managing day‑to‑day operations.
In this case, that meant working with a partner that understood the pressures of the sector and could operate within them, rather than around them.
“We were told it’s such a delight speaking to somebody who understands the business,” Andrew said. “They just say, ‘We like working with Uniserve… It works well for us.’”
Get in touch to learn more about Uniserve’s aerospace offering: aerospace@ugroup.co.uk