Robert Keen’s Column
BIFAlink
www.bifa.org
Plenty of big issues for freight forwarders
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266
At the time of writing, the BIFA team had just returned from the very successful Multimodal exhibition and conference which gave players on all sides of the supply chain the opportunity to network, discuss the many issues facing the freight and logistics sector and the supply chains it serves, and who knows, perhaps find some solutions. This year, BIFA used the event to emphasise the benefits of using the services of our Members, which face-ever increasing competition from airlines and container shipping companies that are encouraging shippers and beneficial cargo owners to deal directly with them. Whilst we acknowledge that in a free market, this is perfectly legitimate, our advice to any cargo owner considering that approach is to tread very carefully or you
Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org
(A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Robert Keen r.keen@bifa.org Executive Director Robert Windsor, Policy & Compliance – Surface & Legal
may be biting off more than you can chew. It has never been more important to explain why a relationship with a professional freight forwarding company is of much greater value and that is why we have now produced a booklet entitled The Benefits of Using A Freight Forwarder that helps Members to present and explain to existing and potential customers the range of services on offer and the expertise required to oversee the movement of freight through the supply chain. These are services and levels of expertise that are unlikely to be on offer from airline and shipping companies. Copies of the booklet were literally flying off the BIFA stand within our Forwarder Village. We also used the event to demonstrate our ever-increasing portfolio of training services, which included promotion of an online training course designed to help Members understand and use the UK’s new Customs Declaration Service (CDS). Over the past couple of years, much has been made of the supply chain ‘talent gap’, a pre-existing concern that was only exacerbated by COVID-19 restrictions. Many organisations, BIFA included, are doing their bit to rectify this state of affairs. In BIFA’s case, through our training department, our involvement in the ongoing development of the International Freight Forwarding Specialist Apprenticeship, our schools initiative and our Young Forwarder Network. So, it was interesting to see the launch at Multimodal 2022 of a new initiative called ‘Generation Logistics’ – an industry-led campaign, with the Department for Transport acting as the lead supporting government department. It is targeting the next generation of logistics workers and will be run in partnership with key industry stakeholders, including BIFA, across all freight modes, as well as those that rely on logistics services, along with government and other official partners. The government also chose Multimodal to announce its Future of Freight Plan, an initiative that we have helped to develop through our role on the Freight Council, which was established to drive a partnership between government and industry. One consequence of EU-exit and the pandemic has been the spotlight that it has placed on the importance of freight and logistics on the health of the nation’s economy. Never before has government given such recognition to the key role of BIFA Members in the management of the country’s supply chains, which led to recognition of their staff as key workers. The plan advances that government-industry partnership, which will be required to create a long-term ambition for the sector that is cost-efficient, reliable and resilient, environmentally sustainable and valued by society. Of course, the announcement was just the first step in what will be a lengthy journey if everything that is set out in the plan is to be achieved, and we are looking forward to working with Members, various government departments and other stakeholders to see how we can all help implement the commitments included within the plan. We can only hope that this week’s announcement really does mark a step-change in government’s relationship with the freight and logistics sector. BIFA had a launch of its own at the NEC, using the event to launch the 34th edition of our BIFA Freight Service Awards, which are now open for entry. The August edition of BIFAlink will contain more information about the awards, Generation Logistics and the Future of Freight Plan And lastly, another personal tribute to a great industry leader. Tom White passed away recently aged 96. Tom was a towering figure with Pandair, and later in his career was at the helm with Agency Sector Management (ASM) where I worked with him as I transitioned from being a forwarder to working at BIFA. In my 40s at the time, I thought I knew it all, but Tom was a great leader and polished some of my ‘rough edges’.
r.windsor@bifa.org Executive Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Executive Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Customs Igor Popovics i.popovics@bifa.org Policy & Compliance Advisor – Air David Stroud d.stroud@bifa.org Editorial Co-ordinator Sharon Hammond s.hammond@bifa.org Communications Manager Natalie Pitts n.pitts@bifa.org Membership Supervisor Sarah Milton s.milton@bifa.org
Published by Park Lane Publishing peter@parklanepublishingltd.com Contributors
Robert Keen, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Igor Popovics Note to media: If you wish to use items in this magazine that are older than one month, please contact the editor to ensure that the item in question still reflects the current circumstances. Please be advised that BIFA DOES NOT OFFER LEGAL ADVICE. BIFA is not a law firm and the authors of this publication are not legally qualified and do not have any legal training. The guidance and assistance set out herein are based on BIFA’s own experience with the issues concerned and should not be in any circumstances regarded or relied upon as legal advice. It is strongly recommended that anyone considering further action based on the information contained in this publication should seek the advice of a qualified professional.
Robert Keen Director General
July 2022
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