Supply chain woes and a wealth of new roles

INDUSTRY

The UK supply chain is “in danger of collapsing” as the illegal migrant problem continues to worsen in Calais, the FTA has warned. The association said that the UK government “must insist on greater proactive involvement by the responsible French authorities” claiming that If action wasn’t taken, “the UK supply chain could be in serious danger of being very badly disrupted”.

TfL will launch the Freight Compliance Unit (FCU) this summer. It will be a shared intelligence unit based in central London manned by staff comprising a Metropolitan Police officer, a DVSA intelligence officer and a TfL intelligence officer. There will also be a strong link to the City of London police force.

A shake-up of trade union law and the devolution of transport powers to major cities were confirmed in the Queen’s Speech at the official opening of Parliament. The new Trade Unions Bill aims to ensure any strike action is the result of “clear, positive and recent decisions” by union members. It will introduce a 50% voting threshold for union ballot turnouts and retain the requirement for there to be a simple majority of votes in favour. A time limit will also be imposed on a mandate following a ballot for industrial action.

OPERATORS

Bradford-based logistics firm Expect Distribution has closed its two-man e-retail delivery operation, following a number of “operational challenges”. The service, which it established in 2012 to handle large and bulky items, was shut down last week with the loss of 12 jobs, MD Neil Rushworth confirmed. Sixteen other staff employed by it have been redeployed elsewhere in the business, however.

Palletways has extended its contract as the main haulier for independent bathroom and tile manufacturer Better Bathrooms. The network is expected to move around 100,000 pallets a year for the retailer, as well as providing support to warehousing staff at Better Bathroom’s new Didcot distribution centre. Palletways will work alongside the retailer’s in-house delivery fleet on orders placed both online and in-store

Europa Worldwide has officially moved its Erith operation into a £30m HQ and logistics hub at Prologis Park in Dartford, Kent. The 290,000ft² facility is the company’s biggest single investment to date. It features more than 204,000ft² of warehousing and logistics space shared between its storage and European transit operations. The site was built by land and property developer Prologis, which signed a deal with Europa in January 2014.

PEOPLE

Pall-Ex has appointed Chris Bowden as group sales and marketing director, following a series of new member appointments in the wake of the closure of UK Pallets. The appointment sees Jean-Paul Benizri, who was recruited as marketing director in 2013, move to a yet-to-be announced role in the group.

Tuffnells Parcel Express has appointed Chris Ward as MD, effective 29 June. Ward joins the company from the role of chief operating officer (business transformation) at B&Q, where he was responsible for operations across the retailer’s supply chain, logistics, IT and property sectors. The group’s chief executive Lloyd Dunn will step down on on 1 September, but will remain at the company as chairman until 31 December supporting Ward and the management team of the enlarged group.