‘Team C’ announces new jobs after joining the Fortec Pallet Distribution Network

Thetford-based couriers Team C have announced plans to create jobs after joining the Fortec Pallet Distribution Network.

Between three and five people could be recruited as part of the company's bid to expand the Fortec side of the operation in the coming months.

Team C founder and managing director Tim Clements took the decision to join the Network as part of the next phase of the company's growth.

Team C was formed in 1997 and over the years it has expanded its overnight parcel and same day delivery operations.

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Government relicences Skills for Logistics

The Government has announced the renewal of the licence to operate for Skills for Logistics, the sector skills council for the freight logistics industry. The announcement follows a comprehensive review carried out by the National Audit Office on behalf of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills which manages the relicensing process and considers the organisation’s ability to deliver specific solutions to employer demand, to deliver core products and services, and to progress results and impacts. The process also looks at how well the organisation is run.

Business, Innovation and Skills Secretary Lord Mandelson said: "Employers can be confident that Skills for Logistics has come through a rigorous assessment and will offer employers the highest quality service in meeting their skills needs."

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Linpac Allibert’s environmental assessment ticks all the right boxes

Paul Smith, LRQA’s climate change manager, Mike James, managing director of LRQA, Danilo Oliynik, commercial director at Linpac Allibert and Michael Hill, from Sustain Ltd celebrate Linpac Allibert’s industry first  Linpac Allibert, global expert in plastic returnable transit packaging for the food, retail and manufacturing sectors, is poised to help customers accurately measure the environmental performance of their supply chain after a carbon footprint assessment of its market-leading Maxinest distribution tray, was independently verified by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance (LRQA).

Linpac Allibert is the first organisation in the transit packaging and supply chain solution sector to have the full life cycle carbon footprint of a specific product determined and independently verified by a recognised certification body. The initial carbon footprint analysis was carried out by Sustain Limited, the carbon reduction company, under Europe’s most authoritative product carbon footprinting  specification PAS 2050. The carbon footprint of the Maxinest distribution tray was determined at 26 kgCO₂e in total, or 0.0082 kgCO₂e per litre, per trip, based on each crate performing 92 return trips on a 20 day cycle over five years. The findings take into account the full life cycle of the trays including raw material production, manufacturing, customer use (including transportation and crate washing) and disposal or recycling at the end of its working life. Independent verification by LRQA, a member of the Lloyd’s Register Group and global leader in independent climate change validation, verification, training and certification, confirms the findings of the assessment and the methodology used and is the first to be carried out by LRQA against this standard.

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Crisplant installs ‘green’ high-speed sorter in new distribution centre

Crisplant - a global leader in automated logistics systems – has been awarded a contract to design and install a high-speed automated sorting system based on the ‘green’ Crisplant LS-4000CB sorter. The system will be installed in myToys.de’s new-build distribution centre, at Langenselbold, Germany with a scheduled completion date of June 2010.

The new distribution centre will enable myToys.de to maintain its rapid growth by moving from a manual distribution system to a process which optimises workflow and provides a high level of automation, with throughput of 11,000 items per hour.

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Psion sets out vision with four major announcements

Psion, the pioneer in mobile handheld computers for industrial and commercial markets, has made four major announcements alongside its 2009 annual results, including and most significantly, a fundamental change to its business model.

The announcements are:

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Crisplant installs ‘green’ high-speed sorter in new distribution centre

Crisplant - a global leader in automated logistics systems – has been awarded a contract to design and install a high-speed automated sorting system based on the ‘green’ Crisplant LS-4000CB sorter. The system will be installed in myToys.de’s new-build distribution centre, at Langenselbold, Germany with a scheduled completion date of June 2010.

The new distribution centre will enable myToys.de to maintain its rapid growth by moving from a manual distribution system to a process which optimises workflow and provides a high level of automation, with throughput of 11,000 items per hour.

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Linde’s three-pronged attack

It’s business as usual at Linde UK, whose director of sales and marketing, Andrew Daly, met with Peter MacLeod to discuss how his company has successfully weathered the storm that took hold of the world economy in 2009.

The crisis that engulfed the economy in 2009 claimed the scalp of many a household name. In light of that, it is pleasing to record that the big names in our industry, by no means recession-proof, seem to have come out of the other side if not unbattered, then certainly unbowed.

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Looking forward

At the start of a new year, it is customary to look ahead. We contacted the various manufacturers and suppliers of fork lift trucks to ask what 2010 is likely to bring.

Asking anyone in business – with the exception of undertakers and food retailers – to look back over the past 12/18 months is like rubbing salt in a wound. However, before we asked about the future, we were keen to learn what strategies were deployed to help overcome the slump.

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New links in the energy chain

Energy chain specialist igus has introduced six new product lines to its Triflex R system of third-generation 6-axis robot energy chains. The multi-axial energy supply system, developed specifically for sophisticated 6-axis robotic applications in harsh industrial environments, now comprises well over 200 components.

“Our primary goal is to provide our customers with technological advances in the robotics industry, while reducing process costs,” said Justin Leonard at igus UK. “With the introduction of these six new product lines to the Triflex R system, all the requirements of large welding robots to small palletising robots can now be met.”

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Flexibility is key says Dematic Northern Europe

In this month’s article in the series from members of the Automated Material Handling Systems Association (AMHSA), Philip Makowski, Head of Marketing for Dematic Northern Europe, explains how mechanised systems are enabling supply chains to be more flexible.

For any logistics operation, flexibility is key. New products, new customers, different order profiles, higher labour costs and growth are just some of the factors challenging logistics professionals daily. 

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Continental scores at the Tyre and Fast Fit Awards

Continental recently scored a double hit at the Tyre and Fast Fit Awards after being named Manufacturer of the Year 2009, and winning the Industry Advertising Campaign Award for its Great Days Out campaign.

Continental was awarded the highest accolade by members of the tyre industry after being named Manufacturer of the Year 2009 by the NTDA (National Tyre Distributors Association) at the Tyre and Fast Fit (TAFF) Awards.

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Load of trouble

The HSE has published some essential advice regarding the safe loading of vehicles. The consequences of not following that advice are grimly displayed.

It's not entirely clear from the website whether the driver of this lorry in this image survived the pipe coming through the back of his cab. But it demonstrates the extreme - and often hidden - risks workers in the logistics industry can be...