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Two Days of Leading Intelligence

The Raspberry Pi has gone from zero to two million sales in less than two years. It is a credit-card sized computer that costs just £30 – and it is not just interesting from an educational perspective,the supply chain is also turning heads. Perhaps that’s not surprising for a product that came out of the…

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Toyota launches new high lifting trucks

Toyota Material Handling has launched two new electric high lifting hand pallet trucks, the HHM100 manual and HHL100 BT Lifter models. Both models have a maximum lifting capacity of 1,000 kg, and a lift height of 80cm. They have been designed to be quieter in operation, and simpler, more ergonomic and safer for operators to…

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Safer wrapping from Wessex

Wessex Packaging is launching a stretch wrapping system, SafeStretch, with an ergonomic handle, and an automatic tensioning system which means that the operator is saved from bending and twisting his or her back while applying tension to the stretch film around pallets. The company says that with existing hand held pallet wrappers, the operator must…

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UKWA rejects forced extension of sprinkler rules

The UK Warehousing Association has warned against the mandatory introduction of sprinkler systems in all warehouses. Currently, only warehouses over 20,000 square metres in size legally need to have sprinklers fitted but the Business Sprinkler Alliance (a collection of trade bodies and other groups) has recently launched a campaign for the current law to be…

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Lutterworth lighting for CDA

Appliance manufacturer CDA has fully integrated a new energy efficient lighting solution from Lutterworth Ecolighting, in a bid to improve warehouse light levels. CDA manufactures a range of kitchen appliances, selling more than 300,000 products in the UK every year. As part of the deal Lutterworth designed, manufactured, and installed the new system, at CDA’s…

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Improving fulfilment operations key in the warehouse

A third of warehouse operators see improving the accuracy of their fulfilment operations as a top priority, according to Access Group’s WMS Survey. Carried out by Redshift Research, the survey questioned 132 warehouse operators across the manufacturing, wholesale, and 3PL sectors. It accompanies Access‘ recent white paper „Inaccuracy- what’s your excuse?“. It also revealed that…

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50 dual fuel trucks for Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s has order 50 dual fuel trucks from Clean Air Power for its UK distribution fleet. The retailer already has 49 Clean Air Power Genesis-EDGE trucks and eight methane diesel installations following orders placed during 2012 and 2013. The dual fuel vehicles can save up to 25 per cent in carbon emissions. Sainsbury’s aims to…

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Virgin awards £30m catering contract to DHL

Virgin Trains has awarded DHL Supply Chain a £30m three-year contract to manage on-board catering services on the West Coast Main Line. “Our goal is to be the best and most innovative rail franchise operator in the UK,” said Martin Phillips, head of catering logistics at Virgin Trains. “To do this we needed a strategic…

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How Dell uses supply chain to maximise customer outcomes

Think of a company that has used logistics to create a competitive advantage and the first name that comes to mind is Dell, the personal computer maker. The company was founded by 19 year old Michael Dell in 1984 with a game-changing vision for how technology should be designed, manufactured and sold. This approach meant…

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The customer knows best

Supply chains around the world are increasingly being altered to keep up with specific customer demands, and by using them to maximise outcomes for the customer, companies are in turn maximising outcomes for themselves. Global services logistics director at Dell, one of the world’s biggest computer technology companies, Sean O’Reilly works on maximising these outcomes…

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Cut fuel duty by 3p, urges FTA

The Freight Transport Association has urged chancellor George Osborne to go further than freezing fuel duty, and cut it by three pence per litre. FTA made the request in its pre-Budget submission to the Chancellor, who will deliver the 2014 Budget statement on 19 March. It says that by reducing road fuel duty, the government…

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Fortec introduces POD app for Android

Pallet network Fortec has launched Fortec Connect, a proof of delivery solution for the Android platform. It will automatically time, date, and GPS stamp all signatures collected on any Android mobile phones, uploading information in real-time to both Fortec and its customers. The company said it chose the phones as they are more affordable, lighter…

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Secured Mail plans £5m investment

Secured Mail, the wholesale mail and packet operator, has secured a further £5 million funding from Next Wave Partners, to support its expansion plans in 2014. The funding supports the development of its 75,000 sq ft automated mail hub at Luton. The hub is alreadyoperational and assisted with the peak Christmas period, and the funding…

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DX set to raise profile after raising £200m

Express group DX is set to raise its profile after raising £200.5 million through a placing on the AIM market. It said it would start liverying its vehicles for the first time. The proceeds of the placing will also be used to repay existing senior debt, shareholder loans and private equity, allowing the company to…

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FTA Ireland calls for tougher roadside enforcement

FTA Ireland has called for increased roadside enforcement to match new traffic laws covering roadside impairment tests for drug driving; higher penalty points for speeding, mobile phone use and not wearing seatbelts; and allowing unconscious drivers to be tested. Neil McDonnell general manager, FTA Ireland said:“There is no doubt that these new traffic laws will…

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Global technology leader sets out strategy to reduce supply chain costs

Reducing costs a critical task in supply chain and finding innovative approaches is not easy. So how do industry leaders do it? Find out from Jim Gallagher, director of physical distribution and customer care, from Philips, the global leader in healthcare, consumer lifestyle and lighting. Gallagher will look at how to remove cost without reducing…

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Automotive supply chain to see rapid jobs growth – KPMG

Jobs in the UK automotive supply chain are expected to grow in the tens of thousands by 2017, according to KPMG. John Leech, KPMG’s UKhead of automotive, said: “UK car production in January 2014 was flat but recent launches of cars made in Britain such as the Nissan Qashqai, BMW Mini and Range Rover Sport bode…

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TouchStar joins forces with Amethyst in UK

TouchStar Technologies teamed up with Amethyst Systems, to roll-out Amethyst’s warehouse system at Freezeserve’s Liverpool site. TouchStar specialises in the design, supply, and support of rugged mobile devices, while Bristol-based Amethyst supplies IT products and services to the logistics and distribution markets. The two companies recently replaced Freezeserve’s existing SAP-based system at the company’s 20-acre…

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Cathay Pacific opens Hong Kong cargo terminal

Cathay Pacific has officially opened its new cargo terminal at Hong Kong International Airport. Operations at the HK$5.9 billion facility have been ramping up over the past few months and it is now fully operational. Chief executive John Slosar said: „“The Cathay Pacific Cargo Terminal is one of the world’s biggest, and also most sophisticated,…

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Learn what makes GlaxoSmithKline a winner

It’s hard enough to win one award, let alone two, but GlaxoSmithKline did just that when the company excelled in the 2013 European Supply Chain Excellence Awards. Having impressed the judges, GSK was named winner of both the Health & Pharmaceutical and Sourcing & Procurement categories at the prestigious event. In April, global category leader…

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Crane sees increase in revenue

Crane Worldwide Logistics has reported an annual increase in revenue of more than 21 per cent, for its fifth year of business in 2013, compared to 2012. Crane reported a total revenue of $574 million in 2013, having opened new offices, increased its market share, and strengthened its IT and compliance services in the same…

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How Diageo drives supply chain improvement

Everyone wants to drive operational improvements across the supply chain, but saying that is one thing, achieving it is quite a different matter. Where are the most significant improvements to be achieved and where should companies focus their activity. Sue McGeorge, GB supply chain director at Diageo, will focus on such issues in her opening…

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Norbert seeks 15pc fuel saving from combustion enhancement

Norbert Dentressangle is taking part in a six-month field trial of a new combustion enhancement system, which promises to improve fuel efficiency by more than 15 per cent. The new EASI-LPG system was developed by vehicle monitoring equipment supplier, Btrack, and has attracted £92,000 co-funding from the UK’s Technology Strategy Board. Six companies are taking…

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Toyota picks Unipart for distribution in Kolkata

Toyota has chosen Unipart to handle distribution operations in Kolkata (Calcutta).This is Unipart’s second logistics contract with Toyota in India. The first contract started at the Bangalore site in March 2012. „The Toyota distribution centre was already at a very high standard, but Toyota wanted to take the next step and improve performance even further,”…

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Apply common sense to congestion charge

CitySprint has called for common sense and a tiered approach to the proposed increase to London’s congestion charge, in a recent consultation meeting with Transport for London. TfL is currently in talks on increasing the standard daily congestion charge in London, from £10 to £11.50. CitySprint reckons it has spent more than £1 million on…

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New dual fuel station for Arla Foods

European supplier of liquefied gas fuel, Gasrec, has opened a dedicated Bio-LNG filling station at Arla Foods‘ new £150 million dairy in Aylesbury. Farmer-owned co-operative Arla Foods processes some 3.2 billion litres of milk a year throughout Europe. Its UK clients include brands such as Cravendale, Lurpak, Castello, and Anchor. The two companies have been…

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Farralls and Fagan launch 4PL

Farralls Transport has teamed up with Fagan &Whalley, to launch a new 4PL company, FF&W, in response to growing market demand for logistics solutions and fully managed supply chain services. Based in the North West, the two logistics specialists have a combination of more than 140 years of experience within the sector, with a total…

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HGV levy sparks concern among forwarders

Rising concerns over the HGV levy, which comes in from 1st April, have led the British International Freight Association to produce additional guidance for freight forwarders. The levy is being introduced by the new HGV Road User Levy Act 2013 and UK registered vehicles will pay the levy alongside their vehicle excise duty. Vehicles registered…

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FTA names new commercial director

Karen Crispe has been appointed commercial director at the Freight Transport Association, where she will head all sales and marketing activities, as of April 2014. With more than 15 years of experience working within the road transport industry, Crispe joins from her nine-year role of managing director at Tachodisc. She will also help shape the…

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