AJF helps businesses receive, store and prepare stock for delivery to their customers. Our order fulfilment service supports both start-ups building an order book and established businesses looking to outsource warehouse work.
Using a fulfilment service can reduce the need to provide your own warehouse space and recruit a handling team. We agree the space, work and dispatch arrangements around your products and expected order volumes, including seasonal changes, so you can focus on running and growing your business.
How our order fulfilment service works
- Arrange delivery of your goods. Tell us what is arriving and agree the receiving arrangements before sending stock to the warehouse.
- Receive, check and store the stock. We unpack and check the goods against the agreed instructions, record discrepancies and put the stock into storage.
- Send us your orders. Provide the product references, quantities, customer delivery details and any special instructions in the agreed format.
- Pick the goods. We select the required items from your stock and complete the agreed order checks.
- Pack the order. We prepare the goods using the packaging, labels and any inserts agreed for the shipment.
- Dispatch the order. We arrange the agreed collection or delivery service, taking account of the destination and any relevant cut-off times.
- Confirm dispatch. We provide dispatch confirmation and carrier tracking details where available.
Orders can contain a single item, several different products or bulk quantities for a shop, business customer or event. Your stock is kept separate from other customers' inventory, so orders are picked from the goods supplied for your business.
Additional preparation and handling
We can discuss work beyond a straightforward pick-and-pack order, including:
- Kit building: bringing agreed components or products together into a set.
- Repacking and labelling: preparing stock to meet customer or delivery requirements.
- Leaflet and promotional inserts: adding the correct material to specified orders.
- Retail and event stock: preparing bulk releases for shops, pop-up events or other planned requirements.
- Returns handling: receiving returned or surplus goods and checking their condition before deciding whether they can rejoin available stock.
Stock records, receiving checks, order instructions and reporting requirements should be agreed before the service starts. Tell us how you identify each product, what information you need and how exceptions should be reported to you.
For incoming containers, see our warehousing services for unloading, sorting and pallet preparation. Our reverse logistics service explains the options for handling returns in more detail.
Products that need a more individual approach
We can arrange bespoke picking and handling for non-standard products. Goods without barcodes may need staff to learn product references and recognise differences in size, appearance or specification. We work with you to agree identification aids, handling instructions and checks before dispatch.
Our wider warehouse experience includes non-barcoded roofing, automotive and railway products. Please discuss your own range with us so we can establish the product knowledge, space and handling arrangements it needs.
Examples of products
Our fulfilment work can include automotive parts, clothing, furniture and packaged ambient food such as crisps, tea and drinks, subject to the requirements agreed for the goods.
Tell us about fragile or unusually shaped items, expiry dates, food-storage requirements or other special conditions before booking. Product suitability, packaging and any additional controls must be confirmed before stock is delivered to the warehouse.
Dispatch and delivery coverage
Our UK fulfilment service is based in the Immingham area and can support UK deliveries and international shipments where suitable arrangements are available. Delivery times depend on the destination, service, order cut-off, product and any border requirements; please confirm the proposed service rather than assuming next-day or fixed overseas delivery times.
If you need stock held or orders fulfilled outside the UK, tell us where and what work is required. We can check current partner facilities and service availability for that location. Overseas locations and transit times are confirmed as part of the proposed arrangement.
Discuss your fulfilment requirements
Contact AJF with your product range, expected stock levels, typical order sizes, monthly order volumes and delivery destinations. Include any seasonal peaks, packing requirements, returns work and product-identification needs.
We can then discuss a fulfilment plan covering receipt, storage, order preparation and dispatch, along with the instructions and information needed to run it.