BIFAlink is BIFA's monthly magazine covering issues of importance for the logistics and supply chain industry.
The magazine of the British International Freight Association BIFA link Grappling with the big issues at Multimodal 2023 July 2023
INSIDE: BIFA elects new national chair • New website goes live • YFN delivers tour of London Gateway • Starting a dialogue with Members • GEODIS invests in learning
Follow us @BIFA
Issue: 395
CUSTOMS & SECURITY SOFTWARE SOLUTIONS
CUSTOMS via conex™
SAFE via conex™
TARIFF via conex™
A solution for all customs management needs: Full & Simplified Import, Export &Transit - Special Procedures
Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) Safety & Security GB (S&S GB) Import Control System (EU ICS)
National & European UK customs tariff classification and Harmonised System Notes.
www.conex-systems.uk
Steve Parker’s Column
Grappling with the big issues L ast month witnessed the annual Multimodal event and what a week it was. I had attended the event many times in the past but not as an exhibitor, which of course is very different from just walking around the hall. I was surprised how busy it was and the footfall seemed higher than I remember from previous years, and (even though I am biased) I have to say the BIFA stand looked excellent and gained many positive comments. It was great to meet so many of you face-to-face; some I knew from previous meetings and some from email only. I drank too much coffee with you and ate too many cakes, but it was seeing so many people that made the event very worthwhile. If you did not attend, add the date of next year’s event to your diary: 11-13 June 2024, NEC Birmingham. It would be a pleasure to see you there. BIFA grapples with the big issues That is the ‘big issues’; not the ‘Big Issue’ – I am not looking for a career change. This was the headline on the front page of the FBJ daily show guide on day one of Multimodal. It served as a perfect reminder that the event is not just about networking (as good to do as that is) but also about sharing knowledge and information, and BIFA played its part in this. During a conference session on day two, I shared some of the major topics we are grappling with on behalf of our Members, while Robert Windsor did a ‘deep dive’ into where Customs activity has come from since the Brexit vote and the direction in which it is going. Thought leaders At BIFA, we aim to keep our Members up to date but also help with their planning for the future, and therefore strive to be thought leaders for our industry. On that topic, I am planning our second Business Leaders Forum for 19 October 2023 in central London. If you are a business leader of a BIFA Member company you are likely to see a notification in the coming days, so please add the date to your diary. Immediate future At Multimodal we launched our new website, so please visit www.bifa.org and take a look. The team have been working hard over the last 12 months, not only to replicate and implement content from our previous website, but to introduce several improvements and new features. We will be contacting you to explain how you can help us ensure that all the details for your company are kept up to date, and what the new website offers – see page 8 of this issue of BIFAlink for further information on action required by you in order to activate your Member account within the new Member Portal. Holiday reading As I was writing this column, I was thinking about the next couple of months, when many of you will be looking forward to holidays and taking a much-needed break. I would like to recommend to you some reading while you are away, something I enjoyed on a recent holiday to Malta. Before flying, I downloaded A guide to the BIFA 2021 Standard Trading Conditions from the BIFA website. It might not sound like a gripping read, but actually it is and the document is an important bedrock of our industry – enjoy.
BIFAlink is the official magazine of the British International Freight Association Redfern House, Browells Lane, Feltham TW13 7EP Tel: 020 8844 2266 (A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England: 00391973. VAT Registration: 216476363) Director General Steve Parker s.parker@bifa.org Member Policy & Compliance Director Robert Windsor r.windsor@bifa.org Member Support Director Spencer Stevenson s.stevenson@bifa.org Member Services Director Carl Hobbis c.hobbis@bifa.org Member Engagement Director Denise Hill d.hill@bifa.org International Relations Manager Robert Keen r.keen@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 Steve Parker, Robert Windsor, David Stroud, Spencer Stevenson, Carl Hobbis, Web site: www.bifa.org E-mail: bifa@bifa.org Sharon Hammond, Natalie Pitts, Igor Popovics, Brooke Neilson, Nezda Leigh, Robert Keen, Denise Hill 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.
Director General
July 2023 | 3
www.bifa.org
BIFA News
IAG opens new Heathrow cargo handling facility Ian Matheson, from Impress Communications, reviews some recent news that might impact on Members’ business
IN BUSINESS Women in Aviation and Logistics (WAL) has launched its second mentorship programme, bringing 51 industry professionals together for four months of experience sharing and learning. HM Customs is moving Exports from CHIEF to the Customs Declaration Service (CDS) later this year. It issued a notice in early June on what traders should do now to prepare, which can be viewed at: https://bifa.org/information- guidance/technical-informati on/the-customs-declaration- service-cds/ OVERLAND The HGV levy, abandoned at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, is to be reintroduced from 1 August with a new emphasis on emissions, weight and time spent in the UK. The Department for Transport (DfT) says vehicles of 12 tonnes or more driving on motorways or A roads must pay the levy. A consortium called Escalate, with 37 members from 13 different countries around Europe, is working to develop and build a number of pilot battery electric vehicles (BEV) for a project aimed at producing the next generation of HGVs. Five pilot vehicles are due to be built over the next three years as part of this €19million project. DP World has begun its Modal Shift Programme in the UK, which is a major initiative to directly incentivise customers to move their imported goods off the road and onto rail. It claims this has the potential to prevent an estimated 30,000 tonnes of CO 2 being emitted per year, more than three times the total emissions of the company’s logistics hub at Southampton, where it will be trialled from September for an initial period of 12 months.
IN THE AIR IAG Cargo has opened a new cargo handling facility (pictured)at Heathrow, which will serve as the airline’s home for handling premium loose
regulate freight movements and allocations. The facility has 11 new landside doors, allowing even faster engagement for drivers to collect or drop off cargo. East Midlands Airport, the UK’s second-largest air cargo hub behind London Heathrow, is proposing to ban the noisiest aircraft — most of which are freighters — from 23:00 to 07:00 beginning in 2024 as part of its new, five-year Draft Noise Action Plan. ON THE OCEAN Equipment surpluses are proving to be more of a challenge for container shipping lines, which face
huge storage bills from depots for their mountains of empty container stocks around the world. Now lines are looking to retire ageing owned- containers to the second-hand market and return as much equipment as possible to leasing companies. However, both strategies are taxing the skills of equipment controllers as the second- hand market is itself swamped with surplus equipment, while the leasing companies enjoy an average for unexpired lease agreements of about five years. ON THE QUAYSIDE Peel Ports is to deliver a 240,000 sq ft multi-user facility at Alexandra Docks within the company’s Port of Liverpool development located in Bootle. It has appointed Glencar to construct the £28 million development, which will be used for the handling and storage of a variety of commodities, both unitised and non-unitised requiring indoor storage, as well as having a dedicated quay and cranes to optimise vessel discharge. The Hutchison-owned UK port of Felixstowe is to roll out a 100-strong fleet of autonomous battery-powered trucks in September, having struck a deal with manufacturer Westwell, via which it has had 15 AI- controlled trucks operating at its Terminal D in Thailand’s Laem Chabang Port since 2020. It says that the new trucks will increase the efficiency and operational consistency of its container handling, as well as making a significant contribution to decarbonising operations at the port.
shipments. It will enable a doubling of the cargo volumes managed daily as a result of
bespoke IT systems and systems integration to
4 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
BIFA News
BIFA elects new national chair and vice-chair
Don’t leave it too late to recruit your apprentices Exam
Charles Hogg has succeeded Rachel Morley as the elected National Chair of BIFA for a two-year period from May 2023. Charles, commercial director at BIFA Member company Unsworth, who has been Vice- Chair for the past two years, was appointed a director of BIFA in 2019 and chairs the trade association’s Surface Policy Group. Alongside Charles will be Keith Baguley, UK Import Manager at Atlantic Container Line (ACL) who became BIFA’s Regional Chairman, Merseyside, in 2018, and has now been elected as Vice- Chair. Rachel Morley becomes Immediate Past Chair for a two-year term, and Sir Peter Bottomley, MP, remains as BIFA President.
Left to right: Keith Baguley, Charles Hogg and Rachel Morley
season is over and now GCSE and A-level students face a tense wait
for results due in August. Many will have made up their minds regarding a career or higher education, but others are still undecided. Now is the time to act if you are to secure the best of the talent that is looking for a position in order to allow them to develop skills and build a bright future through one of the many apprenticeships available. September is generally the peak month for apprentices to start their roles and the recruitment process should have already started. Carl Hobbis, Executive Director, said: “We would urge members to decide what type of roles they need to fill with apprenticeship positions and get their adverts placed at www.gov.uk/sign-in- apprenticeship-service-acc ount “Those that are not going to university may still be undecided, but the proactive ones already have job offers in place. “We understand that you may not know where to start, that is why we are putting on monthly sessions entitled ‘Employing Apprentices – the secret to success’ to help Members navigate things.” The next free event takes place on Thursday 13 July at 1100hrs. Sign up at www.bifa.org/events
Steve Parker, BIFA Director General, commented: “In welcoming Charles and Keith into their new positions, I wish to express my appreciation for the contribution made by Rachel Morley over many years, and pleasure that Sir Peter has
agreed to continue in office. “Charles’ and Keith’s wide- ranging experience and senior roles in successful freight forwarding companies will ensure that BIFA and its Members will benefit greatly from these new appointments.”
The changing climate of logistics
Join like-minded members of FIATA for the 2023 World Congress in Brussels. Did you realise that as a trading Member of BIFA you are automatically also a member of FIATA and, as such, invited to attend the annual FIATA World Congress? Why should this be of interest to you? Read below and check out the video. From 3-6 October 2023, the global logistics community will meet in Brussels at the 2023 FIATA World Congress under the theme ‘The Changing Climate of Logistics’. • Three days of exhibition and sessions programme https://lnkd.in/e89h3iMB • Networking opportunities with close to 800 participants • Expert input and discussion with leading international organisations and private companies including
software providers, logistics specialists, legal entities and more • Progress on the topics of sustainability, digitalisation, trade facilitation, Customs work, young logistics professionals, workforce training and attraction, amongst others • Strategic position in a key European hub for transport with the Port of Antwerp- Bruges, Ostend, Brussels, Ghent and Zeebrugge, and Brussels International Airport,
the Liege Airport and Ostend-Bruges Airport. To view the promotional video scan the QR code. For more information and to register visit: https://fiata2023.com/
6 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
BIFA News
“ It was another interesting and insightful tour provided by the BIFA YFN. –Thomas Frost, GEODIS
to ensure that adequate ventilation and water has been provided for their onward journey right through to the Unit Load Devices (ULD) and despatch. “There are six A380 arrivals per day at Heathrow; the BIFA group was due to meet the 12:25 arrival. On arrival alongside the aircraft, the group went up in the scissor lift and inside the actual cargo hold. The A380 is, surprisingly, quite small for cargo due to the number of extra passengers. “As this flight was taxiing for take-off, the next arrival had just touched down and we were then lucky enough to see the import flight be unloaded of baggage and cargo. The group was then allowed to take a good look around the First class, Business class and even the cockpit areas of the flight and talk with the pilot. It certainly was a day to remember.” Justin said: “It was a pleasure to have you all with us and I am so glad we could show you round our A380. We are happy to support the BIFA YFN, it is a fantastic initiative and something the industry needed.” One of the attendees, Thomas Frost, GEODIS, commented: “It was another interesting and insightful tour provided by the BIFA YFN.” If you want to get more involved in the YFN, or even join one of the committees, please contact Carl Hobbis at c.hobbis@bifa.org
Emirates takes YFN group on a tour to remember
Back in March 2020, a select few young forwarders were given an exclusive invitation to be taken on an airside tour of the Emirates A380 operation at London Heathrow Airport. Little did we know that the COVID-19 pandemic was about to have a devastating effect and the planned tour would unfortunately be cancelled. Fast forward three years, and the Young Forwarder Network (YFN) was delighted when
Emirates was kind enough to reach out and reschedule the cancelled tour. Here Graeme Wilkinson, BIFA’s training development manager and BIFA host for the event, reflects on the day. “YFN committee members Lexi Laybourn, Thomas Low, apprentice Brooke Neilson, met up with passports and airside passes for one of the best tours around, led by Emirates Thomas Frost and Jack Reddington, plus BIFA
host Justin Hanson, cargo sales manager. “Before the group went airside, it received a very interesting tour of the dnata ground handling operation, where warehouse manager Lee Tandy explained the complete import and export process of goods. “One of the most interesting areas was the animal holding facility where zoo animals and pets stay during their journey. The animal boxes are checked
The Limits of Liability for Carriers
In association with
By air – Warsaw Convention (17 SDR): £17.79 per kg
By sea – Hague Visby rules (2 SDR): £2.09 per kg £697.54 per package
BIFA STC: (2 SDR): £2.09 per kg
By road – CMR (8.33 SDR): £8.72 per kg
Insurance for the Marine & Logistics industries
(The SDR rate on 22 June 2023,
By air – Montreal Convention (22 SDR): £23.02 per kg
according to the IMF website, was 1.04631)
+44 (0) 1628 532613
macbeths.co.uk
July 2023 | 7
www.bifa.org
Member Engagement
As this edition of BIFAlink went to press, BIFA’s brand new website was also going live New website goes live
ACTION REQUIRED: All Member employees All Member employees are urged to activate their new website account in order to access our Member Portal and exclusive content: 1. Visit www.bifa.org 2. Click Login on the top right hand corner 3. On the login screen, click Password Reset and enter your company email address 4. If you are already registered on our Member database, then you will receive a link via email to reset your password
S ince the creation of BIFA’s Communications team in November 2021, we have been on a journey of change, modernising and streamlining the way BIFA communicates with its community of over 1,600 Member companies and their employees. A key milestone in 2022 was the revitalisation of BIFA’s brand, creating a refreshed identity across all member-facing channels such as social media, eNewsletters and more recently BIFAlink magazine. However, the largest project of them all, and one that BIFA is delighted to now be able to launch, is its brand new website. Our new hub has been redesigned with BIFA’s Members
fully in mind. Member employees responsible for the company membership with BIFA can now manage their organisation’s details, update branch information and maintain the website accounts by adding and removing colleagues as and when required. All Member employees can now use their website account to book training courses, have exclusive access to the information and resources curated by our Policy and Compliance team, plus keep their communications preferences, including BIFA eNewsletters, up to date. Prospective trading and associate members can now submit their applications online.
“ All Member employees are urged to activate their new website account in order to access our Member Portal and exclusive content
5. If an error message
appears, please contact bifacomms@bifa.org so that we can verify your Membership with BIFA.
8 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
! ! #!
!"" !
$#"!" ! "## " " """"!"! " " # "!# # "!#! " !" " "!# " " " " #! # " " ""!# " " " "" " # " " ""# "! # """! " " ! !" ! " "!"" " "!# "#" " !""!#" # ! " " ""!#" " " "!" ! !"!# " " "!# ""!#! " # "!# " " # ! " ""! # " "
##! # ! ! ! !
Young Forwarder Network
YFN members got to see the complexities and precision of a working port, along with a detailed expert commentary YFN delivers another fabulous tour of DP World London Gateway
were at each loading point having containers lowered onto them with pinpoint precision. While this was all happening, Lexi and her colleagues were explaining the key processes with a fantastic commentary. Enormous warehouses owned by some of the world’s largest retailers are a stone’s throw away from the port, enabling them to have their goods imported and exported with minimal delays. Once the tour was completed, Lexi held a brilliant Q&A session answering every question in depth, demonstrating her fabulous knowledge of the port. Attendee Sophie Smith of DHL commented: “Had an amazing time! Super interesting – big thank you to all those involved in hosting. So impressed by Lexi Laybourn’s knowledge, especially in the Q&A!” Graeme Wilkinson, BIFA’s Training Development Manager, said: “I would like to thank DP World for its commitment to the YFN and a huge ‘thank you’ to Lexi for an outstanding tour. Well done.” If you want to get more involved in the YFN, or even join one of the committees, please contact Carl Hobbis at c.hobbis@bifa.org
O nce again, the Young opportunity for a large group of young people to take part in an organised tour of DP World London Gateway. As always, the host was YFN London East chair Lexi Laybourn, who gave a thorough insight into the port, logistics park and its operation. The event also provided an opportunity for delegates to do a bit of networking before Lexi kicked the day off with an informative presentation giving an insightful overview of DP World Group and the Forwarder Network (YFN) provided a fabulous
history of London Gateway itself. Then the individuals boarded a coach and got up close to the action at the UK’s fastest growing and most modern deepsea container terminal, located just 25 miles from central London. The group also saw the expansion plans with the ongoing restructuring taking place. Vessels in port Fortunately, there were two large vessels at the berth which meant everyone could see the full scale of unloading and loading these enormous ships. Articulated lorries
“ Had an amazing time! Super interesting – big thank you to all those involved in hosting. So impressed by Lexi Laybourn’s knowledge especially in the Q&A! – Sophie Smith DHL
Expansion activity at London Gateway
10 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
Young Forwarder Network
“Uniserve hosts Sam Godfrey and Mike Nuttall really looked after us and it was evident that they were both very proud of this facility. “After a well-detailed tour we visited the cold store for a few minutes – experiencing what -25 degrees feels like – leaving us cool and refreshed enough to climb the outside stairway to the top of the 40 m high warehouse for a spectacular view of the port. “The tour was concluded with a presentation by Mike, clearly demonstrating his passion for the site, a Q&A session, followed by some well-earned refreshments.” Brooke Jennings, chair of the YFN Anglia region, enthused: “It was a great morning with the BIFA YFN at the Uniserve FMDC; seeing the scale of this operation up close is immense, and very interesting to see the autonomous way of working.” Liz concluded: “This was the 106th YFN event and once again a fabulous opportunity to learn more about logistics. We would like to thank all those that attended and who help to support such events, with a special thank you to Uniserve for being such a fantastic host.”
YFN Anglia scales the heights
T he third YFN event in ten days saw a group of young forwarders take a tour of Uniserve’s Mega Distribution Centre (FMDC) in Felixstowe. Liz Sumner, BIFA host for the day, said: “Everyone agreed what a great opportunity it was to visit a facility of this scale; the FMDC is a massive 750,000 sq ft ambient and freezer distribution centre located just a quarter of a mile from Felixstowe port.
Delivering debt recovery and outsourced solutions to reduce costs, improve performance and increase productivity
Business Support Services
Debt Recovery
Customer Care
Receivables Management
IT and Application Services
Software Solutions
controlaccount.com 01527 386 610
July 2023 | 11
www.bifa.org
Member Engagement
Multimodal stages its biggest show ever
M id-June saw the “biggest Multimodal show yet”, as hailed by the organiser Clarion Events. BIFA personnel manning the BIFA stand in the centre of the BIFA Village certainly experienced a very busy three days connecting with existing BIFA Members, potential Members, suppliers to the logistics industry and many others. Enquiries ranged from training and apprenticeships, through member engagement, sustainability, legislation and the BIFA Awards. Members of the BIFA secretariat were on hand to answer as many questions there and then as possible, and
have followed-up any unanswered questions since returning to the office. The BIFA Village itself was fully occupied by BIFA full and associate Members taking advantage of the 42 Logistics Pods that provide a compact and cost-effective base for the exhibition.
competition for 2023 is now open – see https://awards.bifa.org/ for more information. Steve Parker, BIFA Director General, attended the event on Tuesday and Wednesday taking the opportunity to meet with BIFA Members from the length and breadth of the UK. A talking point on Wednesday not in their region, making connections and sharing experiences. The second talking point of the day was the MM23 seminar session ‘2016: Catalyst for Change’ presented by Director General Steve Parker and Member Policy & Compliance Director Robert Windsor. This well-attended seminar set out the facts surrounding changes prompted by the UK withdrawal from the EU, following the Brexit vote in 2016. Robert detailed what is known about the Border Target Operating Model, the Single Trade Window, ICS2 and NCTS5. If was the Young Forwarder Network meet-up on the BIFA Stand where 25 or more individuals were encouraged to reach out to others
Multimodal Awards On the Tuesday evening, over 800 individuals turned out for the Multimodal Awards, recognising companies and individuals in 13 award categories. Also recognised with a special ‘thank you’ during the evening was our very own Robert Keen, who stepped down as BIFA Director General at the end of 2022. With the Multimodal Awards for 2023 now determined, the annual BIFA Freight Service Awards
“ A talking point on Wednesday was the Young Forwarder Network meet-up on the BIFA Stand
12 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
Member Engagement
Robert Keen (centre) receives recognition from Multimodal Event Director Robert Jervis (right) during the Multimodal Awards evening. Also pictured is Alan Thornton, Malcolm Logistics (left)
Members of the BIFA Young Forwarder Network meet at the BIFA stand
Robert Windsor addresses the audience during the seminar session 2016: Catalyst for Change
BIFA members enjoyed a stream of visitors to their Log Pods in the BIFA Village
BIFA Director General Steve Parker (centre) chats with visitors
you missed the session and would like a copy of the presentation, please email Robert at r.windsor@bifa.org Plans for Multimodal 2024, which will take place from 11-13 June at the NEC, are already under way. The BIFA village will return and if you are thinking of exhibiting,
make an enquiry at www.multimodal.org.uk/ exhibit/exhibitor-enquiry . Remember, winners of the nine business categories of the BIFA Awards are offered a free Logistics Pod at the event. Why not bring your trophy along with you to showcase your achievement to visitors?
July 2023 | 13
www.bifa.org
Member Engagement
A small item in the June issue of BIFAlink introduced Member Engagement Director Denise Hill (pictured). In this article, Denise outlines her objectives for the remainder of 2023 Starting a dialogue with Members
welcome to attend these free events and I would encourage you to come along for a couple of hours to meet others, network and discuss current issues. Within the association there are many decades of industry experience to draw upon with our knowledgeable trainers, and I would urge you to reach out to them as others do to make the most of the benefits that membership of BIFA provides. Multimodal meetings experts in the policy and compliance team and The recent Multimodal 2023 show at the NEC provided a fantastic opportunity to meet Members from the region and beyond, and I am now working my way through a long list of actions. BIFA and its Members do not work in isolation, so dialogue with introductions have already taken place and I will report on future discussions as appropriate. I look forward to meeting Members over the coming weeks and months and would be very interested to hear from you if you have any requests for BIFA events, or ideas for activities you would like to see organised in future. Email: d.hill@bifa.org other associations is also important; a number of
W elcome to my fi rst article in BIFAlink since joining the association as Member Engagement Director a couple of months ago. First, I would like to say thank you to the team who have warmly welcomed me into the association with their support and words of wisdom. I am sure we will work well together going forward. Coming from a large multinational corporate environment to an association has been refreshing yet challenging at the same time. Whilst I do not miss the pressures of running a 24/7 operational team, which instilled in me a desire to do things at pace, the urge to action ideas straight away must be tempered with the need to fully understand the association and its Member requirements. Revitalising engagement My role is nationwide, tasked with revitalising engagement with BIFA Members, and I am currently reviewing activity and assessing how this can be progressed. As part of this process, I have begun to attend regional meetings across
“ My role is nationwide, tasked with revitalising engagement currently reviewing activity and assessing how this can be progressed. with BIFA Members, and I am
the south, being fortunate to meet Members in Felixstowe, Dover, Southampton and Heathrow. It was a pleasure to see so much debate and information sharing around both national issues such as CDS, as well as local issues affecting Members. The shared experiences and learning are what I see as the heart of these events and I am looking forward to attending future sessions. As a reminder, all BIFA Members are
Denise Hill explains how the appointment of Andrew Melton as BIFA’s regional representative for the North means BIFA is now able to start planning face-to-face events from September with the aim of setting up regular meetings in the region. Rebuilding regional representation
Mike Jones has recently taken on a new role as Policy Advisor, Environment, within BIFA and in the interim will work alongside Denise Hill to support our Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted members. Meetings in the Solent area will be covered by Denise Hill. As a reminder, upcoming Regional Member meetings are listed inside the back cover of BIFAlink. Alternatively scan the QR code to view the dates online. Put the dates in your
The North region has been without a representative for some time, and I am looking to involve as many Members as possible in that area to reinvigorate the connectivity between our organisations, port authorities, Border Force and other interested parties. I am told that, pre-COVID-19, activities in the region were well supported by Members and so I hope to see this level of engagement in future.
The Scotland and the Borders region recently saw the retirement of Len Hobbs and we are working hard to find a replacement option – if you know of someone in Scotland looking for a part- time role, tell them to get in touch. The south-east region, covering London East, Anglia and Kent & East Sussex, continues to be ably supported by Paul Newman with a regular programme of well attended events.
diary now to ensure that you do not miss out.
14 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
///$ "&) $#1" )(1 "&) $#1" 0)('&%)($#1"!#1" ( ! "&)
"&.),. (.)(%-, .0& %&.)( -, 1",. (%. #),&. ,1 / & ,10- )1(,$.&. 1)%&.& , . 1 -,&./& ,&%.,10- )1(,. . & #1" & ) )&0 . )#&%. (%. %%&,, 00. . #-, 1",. (%. &#),& & -)&"&( ,$
200-1&0) 0 0 0&)'0 0 0 0 0 0-1& 0 0&'%0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0&)'* 0 0& 0 0 0 0
&.
"&.
.
)" 1
,10- )1(. ,. -(()( ,"11 0 .,)(#&. 1&"&.$ &&(.
&. (1/. 1&. %)&# . #1""-()# )1(. /) . . 1. (1( )(&( 1 .0)('&%. ."1&"&( ,. (%. . 1/)( .(-"&.1 &,1-#&,. 1. &0 . %&,.,-") . .%� )1(,$ -.& &)&(#&%. & ".1. .& & ,. &. )0 0&. 1. &0 . 1- "1&.1".2. 1. . (%./)00.,- 1 . 1-.%-)( . & (,) )1(. 1#&,,.)(#0-%)( .& ), )1(. % &,. &, )( . (%. 10)&$
$ $. 1 .%� )1(,./)00.&. ##& &%.)(.2.-( )0 1&"&..,1. 1-.# (.#1( )(-&. 1.-,&.2.1 & 1 ,.-( )0. &(. 001/)( . 1-. 1."1&. 1. . . )"&. .,-) ,. (%.)(. .#1( 100&% &()1("&( $
'&%$#"! ! %$#"! # "$ ! ! %$#"! # "$ ! !' !#" ! # " " ! ! #" ! # "$ ! !!!' !$$ !!$& "!# ! $#! !%#$ "
3210/.321-,+/2.* )(-2.'+1,+/2.0,.)0&2-%(+/+/$( .20.2.'(.'(0'/-%#(0%1/&/." &,##0! 0 !0 !0210(-,/# /.32+-(/+&2-
21001/.-,+.0)('&%)($#1"!#1" ( ! "&) ..
BIFA Awards
(for directors who have the aspiration and potential to become country heads) is delivered by Kedge Business School of France. Packwood added: “As managing director, alongside a cohort of global peers, I am enrolled with Harvard Business School where each year a different area of expertise is in focus.” In person vs online Of course, COVID-19 derailed in- person training as travel was heavily restricted. For instance, the ‘Leadership Principles’ and ‘Disruptive Strategy’ courses that Packwood planned to attend at Harvard were delivered online instead. He did go to Boston in February 2022 for some on-campus training, however, which he described as “very enlightening: you think you know how to do your job, and then you hear a different approach that you can apply to your work. It makes you more self-aware.” “In a university setting, with a professor firing questions at you, you really have to be on your toes! It is much more participatory than digital learning. You share ideas with colleagues and you start to talk a common language, which I think helps to drive alignment through our core staff.” This is also true of apprentices, who have a camaraderie and a shared grounding in the business that BIFA’s Young Forwarder Network supports further. “Online courses, on the other hand, are very modular,” Packwood added. “You can bounce around in your cohort if you like, or you can just go through the programme and do the tests at your own pace. It is really down to you as an individual.” GEODIS has embraced the individualistic element of learning by making longer courses voluntary rather than mandatory. “You need a passion for the learning you are doing,” Packwood pointed out, “so unless something is mandated for legality/ compliance reasons, we try to simply encourage staff to engage in learning. And we find those who want to push themselves in this respect tend to have the most potential in the business, because they are willing to step outside their comfort zone.”
Some of the past and present apprentices at GEODIS LHR. From left to right: Kate Fowler, Elliot Haldane, Emma Davies, Tyanna- May Joseph, Thomas Frost, Ellie-Rose White, Hayley Duggan and Adam Long
GEODIS invests to develop a passion for learning
In the UK, GEODIS Freight Forwarding’s commitment to recruit, develop and retain quality people means that investment is always available to support the continuous training of employees – in recognition of which, the company won the 2022 BIFA Staff Development Award
most successful programmes. “The apprentices bring so much enthusiasm with them. They are keen to progress – which puts us under pressure to build careers for them, not just jobs. This has improved overall employee engagement.” New apprentices With locations nationwide, GEODIS will welcome several new apprentices in 2023. The first will join its Birmingham office this summer, with other open opportunities in London and Exeter. Up the scale, for management, sales and director training, external providers are chosen by GEODIS head office in Paris. For example, the ‘Rising Leaders’ programme
G EODIS provides a mix of training for its staff: some in-house, some external, some in-person and some online. Its own tools include G-Campus, an online platform that provides a huge array of courses that employees can engage in if they want to. These may relate directly to work, or cover other topics such as foreign languages. GEODIS has also developed ‘Manage’ (a two-year course aimed at existing managers in all departments) and ‘Sales Academy’, which is aimed at developing the skills of customer- facing staff. The company monitors all its training to ensure that it is always fit for purpose. With regard to the selection of external training providers, Chris Packwood, managing director UK and Ireland for freight forwarding, outlined: “Our freight forwarder and supervisor apprenticeships are both in partnership with Seetec. These are probably some of our
Chris Packwood, who is enrolled with Harvard Business School
Albacore believes that people are a company’s most valuable asset. That is why it is proud to sponsor the Staff Development Award for the 15th year. Albacore supplies and supports efficient and reliable IT systems which ensure productive, empowered and satisfied staff. Albacore IT for Business Staff Development Award
16 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
Policy & Compliance
A series of recent articles and announcements have highlighted that the supply chain is, in all probability, increasingly being used by criminals to transport illicit goods. It is appropriate to highlight these issues to Members The growing problem of crime in the supply chain
Southampton. Three suspects were arrested as they began unloading the container at an industrial premises in north-east Birmingham. An additional arrest was made later. The freight forwarder’s ability to disrupt these illegal trades is limited. In many ways, the best course of action is “know your customer”. We receive many enquiries from Members about shipments and it is clear that closer scrutiny of the movement and parties involved would lead to much greater caution when taking on business. There are two other policy areas where Members should consider tightening up. The first is to ensure that they have a clearly defined and internally publicised incident reporting process. A suitable senior manager should be appointed and procedures implemented to ensure that suspicious movements are reported to, for instance, Operation Pandora. It has to be remembered that export movements can be non-compliant as well. Recently BIFA was contacted by a Member regarding a movement supposedly for Dubai – but the packing cases were clearly marked for a destination in Teheran. Recruitment policies Secondly, all freight forwarders, regardless of discipline, should consider their recruitment policies, particularly relating to taking up references, to ensure that new employees are actually who they say they are and to identify any unexplained gaps in their employment history. Having an operator on the inside is a great asset to criminal gangs. In aviation, due to ever stricter security related regulation, the screening of an employee’s employment history over the previous five years is a mandatory requirement. Members should realise that there can be a negative impact on them when illicit trade is disrupted – invoices will in all probability be unpaid, but carriers, etc, will expect payment from the forwarder for carriage and services performed. Also, as a result, government departments and agencies, depending on the circumstances, may subject the freight forwarder to greater scrutiny.
C rime within the supply chain has always been present. BIFA can recall the ‘Belgium beer’ smuggling issue of a few years back and, of course, many Members involved in movements across the Short Straits from the EU are fully aware of the In many ways, trade is an inviting method in which to move goods and people illicitly. The supply chain is highly complex, involving many entities, which can make due diligence difficult. Also, it is high volume; packages are anonymous and when packed in unitised devices, the level of anonymity increases. BIFA is an active supporter of operation Pandora (see panel on page 23) which is run by Border Force and provides an anonymous problems with clandestines stowing away in vehicles. method for Members to report suspected fraud and criminal activities. Such programmes are set against low inspection rates in the UK. Risk assessments As the BIFA Secretariat includes many personnel previously employed as freight forwarders, and through regular contact with Members, we are aware that many Members are already conducting informal risk assessments, based on the client, commodity and route. This helps disrupt illicit trade to some extent, but there is always a less diligent party who will accept the business. Two recent articles caught our attention, highlighting the movement of drugs through the supply chain which Members should be aware of. The first was a press release from the TT Club, which highlighted criminal gangs using European import trades to smuggle goods into Europe. Reports include:
Pictured right: £38.8 million worth of heroin was recovered from a cover load of pomegranate juice - National Crime Agency
cocaine in containers of fruit through the port of Antwerp; in Rotterdam, narcotics were discovered in reefer containers carrying melons from Panama; Ecstasy with a value of €1.5 million was discovered in a truck at Calais; Le Havre was reported to be emerging as a hotspot for cocaine imports; and 133 kg of marijuana and hashish was discovered at the port of Motril in southern Spain brought in from North Africa. In addition, there have been reports of gangs with links to Brazil operating in Lisbon and Oporto. At the moment information is fragmented, but the TT Club is devoting resource to collating detailed reporting, including that of its partner BSI Screen, to create greater awareness of the methods used by the criminal gangs, the extent of their geographical reach and the trade lanes used to smuggle drugs. UK cases It would be wrong to think that the UK is isolated from this issue. A recent National Crime Agency (NCA) news item reported that £38.8 million of heroin was recovered from a cover load of pomegranate juice. The consignment of Class A drugs, weighing 388 kg, was recovered from a shipping container that had been imported through the port of
“ The TT Club is devoting resource... to create greater awareness of the methods used by the criminal gangs, the extent of their geographic reach and the trade lanes used to smuggle drugs.
July 2023 | 17
www.bifa.org
BIFA Awards
Helping to bridge the gap Kyle Lawrence, who reached the BIFA Apprentice of the Year fi nals a few years ago, was shortlisted for the Young Freight Forwarder of the Year 2022 . He became an ocean supervisor at OIA Global in 2022 – a step on the way to his leadership ambitions
Young Freight Forwarder Award
Virgin Atlantic Cargo is proud to sponsor BIFA’s Young Freight
came into being 12-18 months after I joined the industry, so initially I learnt from people a couple of generations older than me. They always gave great advice, but it was not as relatable as what we are now doing with the YFN: we are bridging the gap. “I want young people to know about freight forwarding and see it as a career path. I am a product of the industry, in terms of the opportunities that are available, and what can happen when you throw yourself in at the deep-end and see how far you can go,” Kyle concluded. Forwarder Award to recognise and encourage the next generation of industry leaders. As well as rewarding the progress of the best young people, this award helps to highlight the vital role freight forwarders play in the growth and development of the industry. VAC recognises the importance of developing and retaining talented young people and is confident this award will help to attract more recruits that want to build a future career in a sector that is so important to the economy and international trade.
“O cean supervisor is my fi rst leadership role,” said Kyle Lawrence. “Right away, I started onboarding a new team member who had no freight forwarding experience. The person I trained was quite independent within a couple of months.” Kyle has always seen himself as a leader, even on the football pitch, and wants to develop his leadership qualities further through training. Meanwhile, he is gaining experience that will enable him to push on to higher roles, where he would manage larger groups of people and have more responsibility. Having entered the freight industry in his late teens, with very little knowledge of what the business involves, Kyle had no expectations – but from the outset,
“ I want young people to know about freight forwarding and see it as a career path.
he was excited to learn. “I was like a sponge,” he said, and he wants to pass that enthusiasm on to other young people. He highlighted the importance of BIFA’s Young Forwarder Network (YFN) in this regard, observing: “The YFN only
The power of self-belief
APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Seetec Outsource Training & Skills is a leading provider of innovative training,
Smart, educated and con fi dent, Cameron Smith made an excellent impression at Ligentia. He has gone from strength to strength and made it to the fi nals of BIFA’s Apprentice of the Year Award 2022
operator, having started with ocean freight and expanded into road and air. Cameron hopes to become more involved with the commercial side of the business and is keen to work at other locations across Ligentia’s global network to broaden his knowledge of the industry. “My medium-term aspiration is to move into a supervisor or branch manager role, with even the potential of being a director,” he added. education and recruitment. Seetec Outsource has delivered thousands of successful programmes to a range of small and large organisations nationwide and helped many people into employment. Seetec Outsource provides apprenticeships and traineeships on a range of subjects at various levels.
Cameron Smith has been busy since joining Ligentia as an import customer service manager apprentice in May 2021. Besides carrying out his daily tasks in that role, he completed his apprenticeship by October 2022. “The most important thing the apprenticeship taught me was self- confidence: the belief that I had the skills needed for my day-to-day role,” he said. “It allows you to get fundamental skills in place and then expand them while doing the job.” Cameron was also selected for Ligentia’s emerging talent programme, which saw him and other rising stars
spend a week in the Lake District last year with senior members of the business. “The insights into
their careers were a real eye-opener to the fact that if you keep applying yourself, you could be in a similar role one day,” he said. His own development has so far gone according to plan: he is now a multimodal
18 | July 2023
www.bifa.org
Policy & Compliance
obtaining the required sensitive information, HMRC offered a temporary easement and postponed the requirement until 30September 2023. On 13 April 2023, HMRC introduced a new requirement for declarants to retain evidence to support that the consignment does comply with the conditions of using valuation method 1 when declaring the selected valuation method. From HMRC’s perspective, the declarant is the party who is physically submitting the actual Customs declaration. Consequently, all BIFA Members submitting declarations on behalf of their customers are considered to be the declarant. According to the HMRC guidance, if the consignment value is below £20,000 and there is no indication that the consignment fails to meet the requirements for using valuation method 1, the declarant can safely presume that valuation method 1 applies. Maintaining proof Except where the importer is self- representing, for consignments surpassing the £20,000 value and declared under valuation method 1, declarants will be required to maintain proof of verifying that the consignment meets the conditions for utilising valuation method 1. Such evidence may include: • Instruction from the importer to declare the goods using valuation method 1, • Email from the importer confirming its consignment complies with the terms of using valuation method 1, • Appropriately worded form with a tick box completed to indicate valuation method 1 is to be used. Overall, the challenges faced by the trade have made it more difficult to import goods into the UK. While some businesses have been able to adapt to the new requirements, others still struggle to comply, which has had a negative impact on their operations and profitability. For more information regarding the above
Substantiating the use of valuation method 1 HMRC has introduced a new requirement for declarants to retain evidence proving a consignment does comply with the conditions of using valuation method 1
S ince the UK left the European Union on 1 January 2021, importers and Customs agents have faced a number of additional challenges in order to comply with new Customs requirements. These challenges have made it more dif fi cult and time-consuming for businesses to import goods from the EU into the UK. One of the biggest challenges import Customs agents have faced is the need to complete Customs declarations using the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) for all goods entering the UK. This new system was introduced following the UK’s departure from the EU, and it has added a significant amount of work and bureaucracy to the import process. In addition to more complex Customs declarations, importers also need to ensure that their goods comply with a range of new regulations and standards, and the party submitting the declaration should hold the relevant evidence to support the information entered on the Customs declaration. To comply with these new requirements, many importers must implement additional processes to ensure that they can continue to import goods from the EU. This has added extra work and
makes the importation more time- consuming and can lead to delivery delays. One of the newly implemented requirements that importers and intermediaries encountered following the UK’s departure from the EU is obtaining an origin statement/declaration from the exporter in order to be eligible to claim the preferential tariff rate for the EU origin goods. Seller and buyer details The next requirement, which shook up the industry, is the necessity to declare in CDS the details of the seller and buyer involved in the importation process. Following the negative industry reaction, caused by the challenges and difficulties in There are six valuation methods in use in the UK: Method 1 – the transaction value; Method 2 – transaction value of identical goods; Method 3 – transaction value of similar goods; Method 4 – deductive method; Method 5 – computed method; Method 6 – fall-back method.
“ Overall, the challenges faced by the trade have made it more difficult to import goods into the UK
Scan the QR code for more information on valuation.
information please scan the QR code:
July 2023 | 19
www.bifa.org
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24Made with FlippingBook Annual report maker