Call For New Freight Strategy
The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is calling for the Government to urgently introduce a national multi-modal freight strategy in a move to ease traffic congestion, improve air quality and boost the economy. Philippa Oldham, head of transport at the IMechE, said: “The Government has taken a welcome step in creating the National Infrastructure Commission, but […]
Agility Expands in South Africa
Global logistics operator Agility is expanding its African footprint through a joint venture South African supply chain specialist Super Group after acquiring a minority stake in Micor, the Johannesburg-based company’s freight forwarding unit. The new unit will be led by Henk Theron, formerly chief executive of Micor. Super Group, listed on the Johannesburg Securities Exchange, is […]
DHL Expands Connections in Asia, Europe & Africa
DHL Freight, one of the leading suppliers of road transport in Europe, is now further expanding its multimodal network and linking Asian overland and intermodal transportation operations with Europe and North Africa. This was announced by DHL at a joint event with Duisburger Hafen AG (duisport) at the logport site in Duisburg-Rheinhausen. DHL is further […]
Bulk Cargo Shipping is ‘Big Business’ at Docks
Cargo handling at Falmouth docks is big business for the A&P group. Last year Falmouth Docks and Engineering Company shipped a record 74,000 tons of bulk cargo out of the docks by sea. This equated to a saving of 3,700 lorry journeys on the roads of Cornwall, thus reducing pollution from heavy freight vehicles. Most of […]
Concerns Over Apprenticeship Levy Plans
Fleet workshops that employ apprentices could be forced into changing their training schemes as uncertainty builds around the apprenticeship levy, which comes into force in April 2017. The levy is a 0.5% payroll tax applicable to all public and private employers with a salary bill exceeding £3 million per year. A business can benefit from […]
Rhenus Group Eyes Middle East Expansion
Freight forwarder the Rhenus Group has set up its own country organisation in the UAE and is already eyeing further expansion in the Middle East. The new business will operate as Rhenus Group logistics Gulf DWC, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Rhenus Group. It will offer air and sea freight handling and providing customs […]
Hundreds Get Jobs Thanks to New Logistics Academy
A ground-breaking training academy for the logistics sector has equipped 700 unemployed people with new skills in just over two years. Initial research estimates that more than half of those who have passed through the City of Liverpool College Logistics Academy have now entered employment in the fastgrowing sector. The College’s Logistics Academy, which has […]
Heathrow Airport Expansion Stopped After Brexit
Heathrow Airport’s third runway looks “dead in the water” following David Cameron’s resignation, a senior minister has claimed. Opponents within government want the decision delayed until a new Prime Minister takes over. Front-runner Boris Johnson is a diehard opponent of the third runway plan, while chief rival Theresa May has expressed strong concerns about noise. The minister […]
Panama Opens Long-Delayed $5.4 Billion Canal Extension
Panama opened the long-delayed $5.4 billion expansion of its shipping canal amid cheering crowds on Sunday, despite looming economic uncertainty in the shipping industry and a heated battle over billions in cost overruns. At 7.50 a.m. (1250 GMT), the Chinese container ship “Cosco Shipping Panama” entered the Agua Clara lock on the Atlantic to begin […]
JHP Transport Expands After £300,000 Investment
The growing business has relocated from its original base in Shotts and transformed a 5,000 sq ft farm complex in Sandilands into its new headquarters and distribution centre. The move sees the firm increase its fleet capacity from 20 to 60, and makes space for the operator’s 10 recent driver hires. It will also allow […]
Shipping Fife’s rubbish to Scandinaviasaving Fife Council
FUEL derived from our rubbish and shipped to Scandinavia helped a Fife Council waste company save £2.2 million. That was in its first two years of operation and Resource Efficient Solutions (RES) reckon they’ll deliver a further £1.3m this year. The waste and resource management firm is owned by the council and said the savings […]
Rolls-Royce Launching Remote-Controlled Cargo Ships
Rolls-Royce will build cargo ships equipped with state-of-the art VR and monitoring drones aboard, both designed to detect issues with more accuracy than a human ever could. There are several obvious monetary benefits to this. First of all, not needing a living crew onboard means Rolls-Royce can replace living quarters with more cargo space – and […]
Lancaster Logistics Firm Adds New Business to its Portfolio
Longstanding Lancaster firm S J Bargh Group Ltd has announced the acquisition of Stoke-on- Trent based R.G. Bassett & Sons Ltd for an undisclosed sum. S J Bargh’s acquisition of Bassetts complements the company’s existing operations and adds new capabilities including a strategic location at an 11-acre site with 100 employees near Stoke-on-Trent. The acquisition […]
Slowing Shipping Fleet Growth to Ease Officer Shortage
Slowing growth in the size of the shipping fleet will reduce the shortage of officers over the coming years, according to the latest Manning report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry. The global shipping fleet – encompassing all sectors except the non-cargo carrying ship types, such as tugs and passenger ships, and smaller coaster vessels, […]
Brexit: What Will be the Supply Chain Implications?
As the UK votes today to either leave or remain in the EU, Phil Gibbs, executive director of customer success at LLamasoft, outlines what Brexit would mean for the supply chain. As the citizens of the UK prepare for the most substantial referendum in recent memory, Britain’s businesses are busy preparing for the huge and […]
‘Vital’ Livestock Haulage Service Faces End of Road
A livestock haulage service said to be “as important to the Staffordshire Moorlands as JCB” could be forced to close with the loss of eight full-time jobs. It comes after Staffordshire Moorlands District Council’s planning applications committee threw out an application for a company to change the use of a farmyard at Bark House Farm, […]
UK Needs National Multi-Modal Freight Strategy
Some assertions in the report have upset the haulage industry, but overall the report has some good ideas, the industry says The Institution of Mechanical Engineers is calling on the government to urgently introduce a national multi-modal freight strategy in a move to ease traffic congestion, improve air quality and boost the economy. The report […]
Davies Turner Set to Double Warehousing and Distribution in Avonmouth
A second multi-million pound regional distribution centre will be constructed in Avonmouth in Bristol this Autumn, as much as doubling the capacity of warehousing and distribution in the area. International air freight and sea freight forwarding company Davies Turner will be leading the construction, after successfully purchasing a second freehold site in Bristol, with planning […]
Fines to be Introduced for One Minute Late Trains
Waiting for a train only to find out it has been delayed is not one of the finer things in life let’s face it, but will new fines that are set to be implemented in a few years time if trains are even just one minute late improve our UK rail networks? Currently, should a […]
DHL Trials Two Robots in Warehouses
Deutsche Post DHL has started trialling two robots called ‘Baxter’ and ‘Sawyer’ in its warehouses. The collaborative machines will perform value-added and co-packing tasks, such as pre-retail services, packaging, kitting and assembly. The robots have been developed by robotics company ‘Rethink Robotics’ and they are said to be adaptable, smart solutions that are designed to […]
West Midlands Interchange Freight Depot Under Scrutiny
Angry West Midlands residents have vowed to fight against the construction of an £8.5 million freight depot, the West Midlands Interchange. It has been proposed that the new rail freight depot will be built on green belt land near the residents’ homes, resulting in the formation of the ‘Stop the Gailey Freight Hub’ action group. […]
Royal Mail to Allow Customers to Post Stamped Parcels at Delivery Offices
Royal Mail has announced that its customers will now be able to drop items off for delivery at local Royal Mail Delivery Offices, as it attempts to make things easier for Amazon and eBay sellers across the country. It is the latest move in a series of initiatives by the company to make its services […]
W&SC Jobson: Interview with Steve Jobson
W&SC Jobson – Fast, Effective and Conscientious Recovery (The Following is a Promoted Article) Despite decades of innovation and development, vehicles break down and, when they do, it can be both an inconvenience and an anxiety-provoking experience for drivers. With the potential to cause further accidents as well as, representing financial losses to businesses in […]
Slowing Down Freight Vehicles Could Make Industry Greener
Slowing down freight transportation vehicles could be the next step in the industry’s move towards being more green. The planned reduction in carbon emissions from freight transport is rising up the agenda after some of the leading brands in Europe such as Deutsche Post DHL, Philips and Nestle called for the introductions of energy efficiency […]
Narrow Aisle Receives Strong Response to New Products
The manufacturer of the Flexi series of articulated forklift trucks, Narrow Aisle Ltd, has reported significant interest in its services and product range from those who visited its stand at the recent CeMAT exhibition in Hannover, Germany. John Maguire, the company’s director of sales and marketing, said that the firm enjoyed its most successful ever […]
TfL Manager Outlines How Skills Gap Will be Reduced
One of Transport for London’s procurement managers has outlined how the organisation is closing the engineering skills gap in the UK by using purchasing. Transport for London’s supplier skills project manager, Tim Rudin, spoke at the LUPC & SUPC Conference about how they included employment requirements and skills into contracts. He said that Transport for […]
MAN Truck & Bus To Meet Customer Requirements
Leading truck manufacturer MAN has supplied two hookloader vehicles fitted with LX hi-roof sleeper cabs and draw bars to meet the needs of one of specialist vehicle firm LC Vehicle Hire’s customers. Antony Fensom, fleet engineer with LC Vehicle Hire, said: “Our customer Celtic Recycling came to us looking for a hookloader and trailer with […]
Will Brexit Be The Next Big Disruption For The Supply Chain?
While many of the UK’s voters would likely agree they’ve heard enough already on the impacts of Brexit – whether they be economic, political or cultural – to make their decision on 23 June, the nation’s businesses are still trying to determine how dramatically a “leave” outcome would affect their operations. Though some campaigners have […]
Driverless Lorries ‘Could Save Industry £33bn’
With the first ever driverless lorries looking to hit the roads next year the vehicle revolution is something that looks to be popular with haulage companies. According to insurance provider AXA, it is estimated that autonomous trucks will save the UK haulage industry £33billion over the next 10 years. The savings will come from an […]
M&S Launches Interactive Supply Chain Map
Marks & Spencer has revealed an interactive map that details its food and clothing supply chains. The map will allow customers and stakeholders to look at where the retailer’s home and clothing products are manufactured and where food items are produced. Listed in the M&S supply chain interactive map are the specific locations of factories, […]
Small Firms Uneasy With Driverless Lorries
Driverless lorries could save the road haulage industry £33 billion over the course of the next 10 years, but some firms are still reluctant to buy into the idea. Plans are in place for the first ever driverless lorries to hit UK roads next year and the innovative vehicle revolution has proved to be a […]
FTA Concerned About Severn Crossings Future
The Freight Transport Association (FTA) has voiced its concerns over the future of the Severn crossings, which will return to public ownership in 2018. The group has asked Welsh Affairs Committee members to press the Government for clearer information about the future of the crossings. Along with FTA member Owens Group, the FTA appeared at […]
Quality Freight Services Open New Sheffield Office
Quality Freight Services has opened a new office in Sheffield as exports from the region continue to grow. The freight forwarding company cited the ‘vibe’ of the area along with the strength of its exporting companies as the chief reasons for Quality Freight Services to open its new office there. The firm has pledged £150,000 […]
DHL Testing Robots To Work In Warehouses
DHL Supply Chain is running a pilot test in conjunction with French robot technology ‘EffiBOT’ for an automated order picking operation in Germany. Working as an automated trolley, the robot will follow pickers through the warehouse and help them with the bulk of the physical work required. In the pilot for the project, two robots […]
Public Consultation Begins On New Freight Hub Plans
Proposals for a new freight hub in the West Midlands have been opened to consultation for the public. The new hub will provide direct access to the West Coast Main Line and may be constructed in Staffordshire, in the Featherstone area. The ‘Consortium Four Ashes’ group is set to hold regular consultation events on the […]
Most British Truckers Support Brexit
The majority of British truckers say they want to leave the European Union amid growing frustrations regarding cheap labour from abroad, according to the latest poll by their trade body. The survey carried out by the Road Haulage Association showed that 61% of its members are behind a Brexit due to their increasing frustration at […]