So what can companies do to ensure that their supply chains are receiving the meticulous attention and care that they deserve? Most decide to outsource certain supply chain tasks in order to drive efficiency in others, but outsourcing won’t result in cost-efficiency if it isn’t done strategically.

The fourth party logistics provider, most commonly known as the 4PL, is a strategic alternative that many companies have not yet taken advantage of.

While integrated services such as transportation, warehousing and packaging are most commonly outsourced to separate 3PLs, the 4PL, which owns no assets, can determine an unbiased combination of services at maximum cost-efficiency for a company.

In addition, the 4PL offers the invaluable service of information technology. All too often, a company will misuse or misapply its IT budget instead of taking full advantage of its possibilities. The 4PL is made up of individuals with extensive experience and expertise in their field and, through the use of smart software, reports on and re-engineers all company activities within the supply chain.

Companies are constantly competing with one another for consumer loyalty. But more specifically, it’s the supply chain that makes or breaks a company’s success. In order to get ahead in the game of logistics, acquiring the assistance of a 4PL operator is an option worthy of serious consideration.

The Marine Management Organisation hopes to be as clear and transparent as possible in its decision making process, something which past decision makers failed to do.

Last night I attended a meeting of the all-party parliamentary maritime and ports group to hear an update from James Cross, acting CEO of the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), on its role in the Marine Planning Process, Marine Works Licenses and Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs).

The MMO was formed around 18 months ago to take over the role of the ministry of fisheries but it also took over the role of granting planning permission for marine developments like ports and wind farms – a bit like the role the local planning authority plays for building extensions to a house.

It also acts as decision maker for most marine licensing in English inshore and offshore waters and for Welsh and Northern Ireland offshore waters, although the Department for Energy and Climate Change is the administrator for licenses for oil and gas-related activities.

A marine licence is required for many activities involving a deposit or removal of a substance or object below the mean high water springs mark or in any tidal river to the extent of the tidal influence.

This may be the construction of a port or wind farm, the dredging of a channel or the use of munitions, for example.

The MMO will also give advice on selecting which areas will become MCZs to the final decision maker – the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Once the MCZs have been designated, the MMO, along with other bodies, will be responsible for management measures of MCZs.

The main thrust of the questions and answers session that followed Mr Cross’s introduction, centred on past grievances with the manner in which the granting or denying of marine planning permission and licenses had been conducted.

Those present at the meeting – although this might not be a fair reflection of all stakeholders – seemed to feel that in the past, decisions took too long, were too costly and didn’t necessarily reflect the feelings of local stake holders.

One person present pointed out that individuals and local businesses that might be affected by decisions couldn’t afford to initiate wide-ranging research documents designed to influence the final decision like the ones produced by large multinationals or environmental groups with large sums of money at their disposal.

Many of those present – although again this might not reflect the wider community – also seemed to feel government advisors Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee had too much influence over decisions and also the appeals process.

Mr Cross pointed out that decisions had to be made within government framework, statutory guidelines and European policy and that the MMO could exert no influence or express opinions on the nature of these guidelines.

However, he was also very keen to point out that the MMO strived to be a fair, trusted and impartial decision maker that would come to conclusions based on the best evidence available and would take into account opinions offered by all stakeholders as well as conservation objections.

It would also make the decision process open and transparent and the MMO would publish all documents that influenced the final decision online.

He added that while some stakeholders might not agree with the final decision, they would at least be able to understand the decision making process.

Mr Cross also assured those present at the meeting that the MMO would take a more strategic approach to evidence gathering and would invest time into talking to local communities.

He added that the MMO had moved from accepting evidence based on “who it was that gave the evidence” to accepting evidence and data based on whether it was “good advice”.

The MMO would also quality assure evidence – giving it a score out of 100 – and if the organisation was unable to have confidence in any evidence it received, that evidence would be discarded.

There was also a feeling that some decisions took too long, but Mr Cross pointed out that some applications were incredibly complicated and it would be very hard to speed up the process or give guidance on how long the process might take.

However, for more standard applications, the MMO would provide some guidance on time lengths.

Above all, Mr Cross wanted to make it clear that the MMO would be as clear and transparent as possible in its decision making process, something which past decision makers had clearly failed to do.

Currently the UK is basking in an unexpected heat wave, but forecasters expect the weather to turn before the end of the week and snow is predicted to fall throughout the Christmas period.

Century, which counts 60% of its customers as online retailers, made the warning after shoppers were last year left disappointed when deliveries to warehouses, shops and homes were delayed as ports, airports and roads were closed because of winter blizzards.

Last minute online shoppers were particularly hard hit by the delays.

Century Logistics Managing Director Stephen Basey-Fisher says: “The internet is a great way to do your Christmas shopping as it can save you time and money and there is often a wider range of products to choose from.

“But we recommend that shoppers make their purchases as early as possible in case the weather does cause disruptions to retailers’ supply chains.

“This is especially true for those buying goods online as this type of shopping is often left until the very last minute and the amount of time it takes to deliver is sometimes forgotten.”

Basey-Fisher’s warning comes with just 82 days until Christmas day.

“We can make sure our warehouse inventories are fully prepared in the run up to Christmas, but blizzards can result in parcel companies struggling to make the final delivery,” he adds.

“But we are already in contact with our carriers to make sure they are fully prepared should bad weather strike as predicted.”

Basey-Fisher says the November-December period was already the busiest time of year for online and high street sales, which means supply chains were already under pressure.

Figures from global e-retail organisation Interactive Media In Retail Group (IMRG) and technology consultant Capgemini showed that online retail sales hit £5.46 billion in December 2010, an increase of 17% compared with the same month the previous year.

Meanwhile, overall retail sales by value in December 2010 increased by 0.9% compared with November, according to the Office for National Statistics, although this was lower than expected as the winter weather stopped shoppers making it to the high street.

Basey-Fisher’s warning comes as weather experts forecast another year of difficult weather conditions.

Long-range forecaster James Madden from Exacta Weather warns he expects to see signs of moderate to heavy snowfalls as early as October or November in certain parts of the UK.

He expects November, December, January and February to feature largely below-average temperatures across many parts of the UK, and it is likely that temperature and snowfall records will be broken within this time frame.

Another forecaster, from Netweather, Paul Michaelwaite, warns widespread snowfall could be seen as early as November.

In December last year, blizzards resulted in large sections of the M25 being closed, leaving hauliers stranded overnight, as parts of the UK saw up to 76cm of snow and temperatures plunged to -19c.

Kent was virtually cut off from the rest of the country, while a 32km stretch of the M8 was closed for 48 hours because of snow and ice.

Heathrow and Gatwick airports were also closed for a couple days because of the weather, while the UK’s busiest container ports, Felixstowe and Southampton suffered with delays.

####

Notes to Editor

Century Logistics is a privately-owned logistics company with over 400,000 sq ft of warehousing and 140 staff. Century specialise in warehousing and innovative and bespoke after sales services.

Its recently acquired 140,000 sq ft facility at Saxham Business Park near to Bury St Edmunds is one of the largest warehouses in East Anglia and is a joint venture with Dorel, the world’s biggest nursery products company.

Century has established a reputation for problem-solving, using its expertise in rework, product repair, handling customer service calls and selling end-of-line and returned stock via eBay and other outlets, for a wide range of customers.

www.centurylogistics.co.uk

The Felixstowe South Terminal will comprise two berths – 8 & 9 – and its owner, Hutchison Ports UK, claims it will be the only facility in the country capable of handling the latest generation of containerships, which have capacities of up to 18,000teu.

Graham Riches, Managing Director, DSV Air & Sea. said: “The opening of this new terminal is great news for the whole of the UK.

“Had the port not built the new berths, which are capable of handling the latest large vessels, the UK could have eventually become reliant on European transhipment which would have extended supply chains and added extra costs to UK exporters and importers and increased emissions for everybody.

“Our customers need a reliable and regular supply chain and it is essential that the freight industry is able to provide business with the option of direct ports of call.

“Offloading cargo on the continent increases the risk of delays to cargo caused during the transfer of cargo onto vessels heading to this country.”

Steve Walker, Chairman of supply chain solutions provider SBS Worldwide, adds: “This development is of national importance. Losing deepsea calls would mean transferring cargo at other ports – this extra handling not only increases prices and extends transit times but also adds risk into the supply chain.

“The extra cost would eventually be paid for by the consumer which is unacceptable in these times of economic uncertainty.

“Customers would build in excessive inventory into their supply chains to compensate for the extended transit times and potential for continental rollovers and it would also drive up the cost of exports, which would make British businesses less competitive abroad.

“It is essential that the country as a whole manages to maintain deepsea calls, and with containerships getting bigger, any country that doesn’t keep pace with vessel developments risks becoming a feeder only destination.”

Currently, Felixstowe handles more than 40% of the UK’s container cargo, with around £60 billion of imports and exports passing through the port each year. The expansion could add a further £20bn to this figure.

Hutchison Ports UK, which operates the port, believes the new berths are the only ones in the UK capable of handling the largest containerships currently on order.

Recently, Maersk Line CEO Eivind Kolding unveiled the new Daily Maersk Service that offers a daily cut-off at the same time every day, seven days a week, and always with the same transport duration.

Chairman of international supply chain provider SBS Worldwide Steve Walker said: “Reliable and stable supply chains are very important to our customers and therefore we take this subject extremely seriously.

“Our Virtualized Logistics subsidiary exists to remove waste from the supply chain, and it is also why we invest so heavily in developments like our eDC software as this helps keep inventories to a minimum while providing real-time clarity to other potential risk points within the supply chain.

“Therefore anything our shipping line partners can do to help us to improve supply chain reliability is something we pay close attention to.

“It appears the new service will provide daily, predictable schedules allowing us to optimise our clients supply chains even further.

“Increased reliability will also bring increased stability, which will help us to reduce the hidden cost of excessive inventory within the supply chain.

“Therefore, on behalf of our customers, we welcome Maersk Line’s latest initiative.”

To back up its claims, Kolding said that the company would be offering customers compensation of US$100-300 per container if they are not delivered as promised but will also implement a “no-show” charge for containers that fail to show up on the booked for sailing.

Stephen Basey-Fisher, Managing Director, Century Logistics, added: “The daily cut-off means cargo will not need to be stored while we await the next departure of a weekly service – instead cargo can be shipped straight after production.

“Anything that can help reduce inventory costs, will be welcomed by us and I’m sure by our customers.”

A trial carried out by Maersk’s suggested the service could translate into a 50% inventory reduction for major shippers and up to $500 per container saved in terms of supply chain costs.

Damian Brett is Image Line’s new PR Manager, while Matt Green is the company’s new PR Executive. The appointments are in response to the growth Image Line has experienced over the past year and in line with the company’s strategic plans to maintain that momentum.

The PR Team

Both Mr Brett and Mr Green come from a journalistic background, which contributes to the company’s unique ability to offer material written for journalists by journalists.

Image Line Director Sue Terpilowski says: “At Image Line we are judged on the quality of copy that we can provide publications, so enhancing our team with two new members of staff who both have journalistic backgrounds is important to us.

“By employing individuals who understand and speak the same language as journalists use, we are able to ensure that our clients get the maximum quality coverage possible.”

“The appointments clearly demonstrate Image Line’s investment and commitment as a growing company in the Multimodal sectors with ambitious plans for the future.”

Mr Brett, along with other members of the team, is responsible for writing press releases, interviews, features, promotional copy, newsletters, blogs and award entries. He also helps manage various email and social networking campaigns on behalf of Image Line clients.

He brings a wealth of journalistic experience to the role, having previously written for the multimodal freight and logistics publications IFW and Lloyd’s Loading List over the past four years.

Mr Green is responsible for compiling monthly activity reports, distributing and writing press releases, arranging interviews and monitoring press cuttings. He works hand in hand with the rest of the PR department to deliver services to all Image Line clients.

He joined Image Line after graduating from the University of Brighton with a Sport Journalism degree. During his three year course, he qualified as an NCTJ-accredited journalist and learnt the fundamental skills for a successful career in Public Relations.

Think of twitter as a menu, you have the starter, the main course and then the you save the best until last, the dessert.

 Starter:

·        Before you do anything, start researching, look up keywords and phrases people talk about businesses like yours may use

·        Look up your competitors to see their layout and the type of things they write about. Try and source what are the more successful topics

·        Also look up celebrities with large fan bases and see how they tweet

·        Try and find out how many people are interested in the business

·        Always have your brand values in mind – your tone, voice, humour will all be aligned to the brand

·        Set objectives of what you want to gain out of Twitter

·        Find the big hitters in your industry and link to them

·        Always listen and plan before diving in

·        Learn the lingo – RT, @, #FF, #, Trending Topics, DM, TW Use your personal name rather than your business name – it is all about communicating with other people e.g. I am – Amanda @ILCPR

·        Keep Twitter name short but recognisable so people can find you

Main Course:

• Try and appear human – ask questions about people’s days, try and get a conversation going
• If you hear something that is of interest to others retweet it – share, share, share information
• Answer questions in order to become an expert on a particular topic
• It’s ok to tweet about your lunch or office anecdotes but if you are for example an electrician, focus on tweeting links to useful websites offering tips on how to change a fuse
• Tweets with links in them are more popular than those without
• Links and images make your tweets come alive
• Use http://mrtweet.com to find people relevant to you and http://mashable.com/twitterlists to follow people in your industry, also look at who is following your competitors.  Only follow people that you are genuinely interested in.
• Don’t use automated software to get more followers, it is unproductive, the extra followers will be useless to you.  It’s not a numbers game – talk, communicate, collaborate.
• Create lists of complimentary people
• If you tweet about a blog or article you have written, repeat the tweet later on in the week
• Add your Twitter handle to your email signature, marketing material, business cards and websites ‘contact us’ section
• Get involved with trending topics and hashtag conversations
• Create hashtags of your own and get involved with Follow Friday
• Identify big tweeters you have a good rapport with and can do reciprocal RTing so they retweet your content
• Run competitons through Twitter to engage your audience
• Set up Hootsuite or Tweetdeck – makes maintaining your account that much easier
• You are reaching new customers you may not have originally found, establish a reputation
• RT compliments you get saying thanks
• Let customers know offline that they can contact you on Twitter with any questions or queries when they buy from you
• Incorporate the business name into individual accounts e.g. ILCAmanda, ILCNadia
• Know your niche – become an expert
• Tell people they can call or email you, it makes it friendly and accessible

 Dessert

·        Measuring success – see how many RT’s you get, how many people @ you in a day, how many offline meetings you get, how many online referrals, how many customer service enquiries you handle

·        Use Twitter to drive your other marketing campaigns. You can run exclusive competitions or promotions using exclusive twitter codes.

Allergies/ Food Poisoning (if you want to get rejected):

·        Just talk about your product and its price

·        Follow/unfollow people quickly and spam them

·        You are uninteresting/ tweet to frequently or to little

·        Ignore people

Just like a networking event, people do not want to be sold to. You need to engage with people and prove that you are interesting.  Ensure that you connect to the right audience and always respond quickly.

2. It’s all about the image

Always communicate your business message rather than your personal objectives. The easier to access info you set out, the easier it is for others to use th

In regards to the headline instead of typing in your job role, write a little bit about yourself instead, make it eye catching. Use words such as ‘Expert’ and ‘specialist’.

When typing in external website links, try and sell your business in as many ways as possible, type in the Twitter and Facebook Accounts as well as other blogging sites.

Link your Twitter to your LinkedIn, so those who are following you can see what you write about.

3. I’m in with the ‘In Crowd’, I go where the in crowd go …

It is a good idea to join as many groups as possible. You are given the option to join 50 groups on LinkedIn. Try and find groups related to your industry and interests.  By joining, you have accessed a wide range of people you can network with and participate in d

4. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours

90% of people don’t hesitate to buy from recommendations. Recommendations build a good reputation, trust and professionalism. If you write a recommendation, your name will be under someone else’s profile giving you more exposure on LinkedIn.

If possible, try and get a mix of clients, friends, ex colleagues and suppliers to recommend you.  It will look better if it isn’t just from friends as th

5. Get your questions answered

Take advantage of the additional apps on LinkedIn.  There is an ‘Answers’ tool under the ‘More’ tab which allows you to ask a question which can be viewed by millions of people.  Get involved! All the questions are searchable on LinkedIn, so individuals will constantly be able to access your expert opinions.

6. Building your network

It is important to gain as many 1^st degree connections as possible. 2^nd and 3^rd degrees are prospective customers. You don’t want anyone to click the box ‘I don’t know th

7. Be Proactive

However, this outlook contrasts sharply against the £5.2 billion spent online in April by UK shoppers, a significant increase of 19% on April 2010. According to the latest figures from the IMRG CapGeminin e-Retail Sales Index, the strong online growth was driven by exactly the same factors constraining the high street, namely the bank holidays, Royal Wedding and the warm sunny weather, which drove consumers online to update their wardrobes. Compared with April 2010, the sector climbed a staggering 32%; 8% more than March 2011. Another sector benefitting from the warmer weather was home and garden, which probably received a boost by thoughts of barbeques and summer parties. The sector grew 14% year-on-year and 11% month-on-month. Of all the sectors, alcohol saw the most significant growth, increasing 55% year-on-year and up 20% on March. Most significantly, the average order value reached £174, the highest basket value since November 2007, before the start of the recession, and nearly double that of April 2010

As Chris Webster, head of retail consulting and technology at Capgemini commented in the report, “April was a very strong month for the online retail sector. 19% annual growth demonstrates, once again, the value consumers and retailers alike are placing on e-commerce. This is clearly evidenced by the fact that consumers continue to spend on-line, despite rising inflation and stagnant wages, resulting in a very flat performance on the high-street.”

“All in all, a positive outlook for internet based companies,’’ remarked Stephen Basey-Fisher, Managing Director for Century Logistics. As a trusted Third Party Logistics Provider (3PL) for various internet based retailers, such as Floorsupplies.co.uk, the largest online flooring business in the UK; Pinesolutions.co.uk, the largest online furniture supplier in UK and various other businesses of all sizes from start ups to more established enterprises, Century Logistics has actually experienced this boom in internet retailing.

As Stephen continued, “We are now handling internet based retailers from start ups to the largest businesses online. What these customers require is consistent quality service, space and speedy deliveries. We are their trusted right hand team.  As is often the case with most internet based companies that started off as home-businesses, we have helped many of our customers make the transition towards moving stock out of their homes and into our warehouses, allowing them to focus on their growth and not on their warehousing, stock and handling issues. There is nothing more rewarding than watching a customer grow and be extremely profitable. The internet is a level playing field and our customers are growing very fast.”   

With over 350,000 square feet of high quality warehousing situated along the A11, Century Logistics has carved out it niche in the e-tailing community. Century is purposely based in South West Norfolk to take advantage of very cost effective warehousing, as well as the proximity to the national road network and the Port of Felixstowe. Companies importing in bulk can be accommodated with ease and Century has a selection of sites, sizes of buildings and racking configurations to handle any type of product. Ends

Notes to Editor

Century Logistics is a privately-owned logistics company with over 400,000 sq ft of warehousing and 140 staff. Century specialise in warehousing and innovative and bespoke aftersales services.

Its recently acquired 140,000 sq ft facility at Saxham Business Park near to Bury St Edmunds is one of the largest warehouses in East Anglia and is a joint venture with Dorel, the world’s biggest nursery products company.

Century has established a reputation for problem-solving, using its expertise in rework, product repair, handling customer service calls and selling end-of-line and returned stock via eBay and other outlets, for a wide range of customers.

 www.centurylogistics.co.uk

TLMW newswire, a wire partner with an extensive database containing thousands of editorial contacts, searchable by industry, location, media type and outlet, including key bloggers.

London, 7 June 2011.     Companies wishing to distribute news to dedicated trade media effectively and affordably are now able to take advantage of TLMW extensive distribution network through its new news wire service, available immediately as a pay as you go service.

Through TLMW newswire’s national network, press releases reach thousands of journalists online and offline across all media, including key bloggers, through immediate (or timed) distribution. Media distribution may be national or extend across specific geographical areas such as North America, Europe; Asia, or sent worldwide. Sectors covered include air passenger; air cargo; couriers; logistics/distribution; material handling; merchant shipping; international navies and coast guards; offshore energy; passenger cruise ships and ferries; ports; roads; ship building and ship repair; and warehousing. 

Sue Terpilowski, TLMW’s Managing Director said, “We are extending this service to companies and agencies requiring a direct route to media in transport, logistics, material handling and warehousing. TLMW is part of Image line Communications Ltd, one of the leading players in PR for supply chain and logistics. We have been dealing with the media on behalf of our clients for over 23 years and have consequently built strong relationships across all levels. In fact, we have amassed an extensive database of contacts from print, online media and key bloggers nationally.”  

She continued, “TLMW newswire is the perfect wire partner for companies of all sizes.  It was developed to make life easy for companies and individuals working in PR and communications, giving great access to up to date information and contacts. The service is designed to be as flexible as possible, with no long term contracts.  TLMW newswire is a pay as you go service, but with the added benefit of discounted prices for a commitment to distribute three or six releases in a 12 month period.”

Mr David Tarizzo, spokesperson for Linescape confirmed Sue’s comments, saying, “As a user of the worldwide service package, I have had a tremendous response to my releases.  They were picked up by key bloggers and appeared in international trade press, online and offline. What was great was the ease of setting it up and distributing the news.”

TMLW are offering a free one off distribution for new users until June 30th, 2011.  To register interest or obtain further information, please visit www.TLMWNewswire.com, or email info@tlmwnewswire.com or call on + (44) 20 7689 9009.