News & Insights

When we saw supply chain challenges begin to rise in China, due to Coronavirus containment measures, there was no indication of the massive scale of Global disruption that would unfold in the coming months and how our customers in the medical sector have coped. The initial supply interruptions... Read more

Westbound Ocean Freight Capacity tightens as carriers turn screws and demand advanced bookings The unexpected surge in East and Westbound demand in June, exacerbated by carriers withdrawing close to half the market’s capacity in May, to match expected low demand saw China to North Europ... Read more

On the 1st January 2021 you will potentially be liable for customs duty and import VAT when you import goods from the EU and you’ll need to submit safety and security declarations for all exports to the EU. Metro has produced a Brexit health-check questionnaire to help traders... Read more

During the lockdown the Metro team had to adapt quickly to new ways of working and engaging with customers. Technology was the critical success factor. IT Manager Aston Thames’ professional career began in accounting, but his passion for computing and information technology ultimately prevai... Read more

“Trade isn't about goods. Trade is about information. Goods sit in the warehouse until data moves them.” On January 1st 2021 the United Kingdom begins a new trading relationship with the European Union and your data is needed now to keep your goods moving.  While lots of uncertainty a... Read more

Falling rates makes sea/air a very attractive commercial option, at 50% of the cost of pure air freight, from the main manufacturing areas within the Indian Subcontinent and Far East/China. Over the last few weeks Far East air freight rates have continued to harden, as capacity has reduced fro... Read more

The UK’s freight forwarders’ association, BIFA, has warned that the government had failed to recognise the practical constraints to building sufficient post-Brexit customs agent capacity in the industry which was still reeling from coronavirus. Industry experts agree that the proposed £50... Read more

The container ports and airports in the Middle East and Indian subcontinent are some of the busiest in the world. Their continuous growth underlines the strength of international trade enjoyed by both regions.  The Middle East and Indian subcontinent generate around £80 billion of the United... Read more

Wooden pallets carrying goods from outside the EU must be heat-treated or fumigated and certified before they can enter Europe, but the UK doesn’t have enough of these pallets to trade with the EU after the end of the year. International Standards For Phytosanitary Measures No.15 (ISPM 15) d... Read more

Supply chains between Europe and China continue to face significant pandemic-related disruption, leading to an upsurge in interest for rail freight solutions from the region. Reacting to expanding demand, we are increasing our rail freight coverage, to embrace all major China sourcing regions. ... Read more

As we begin the economic recovery from COVD-19 lockdown, the shipping lines are increasing vessel calls through service changes, merging services together and varying transit times to maximise utilisation, which is disrupting port and haulage operations.  The increased load factors (numbe... Read more

Metro solutions sit in four areas of expertise - forwarding, supply chain, outsourcing, technology - but there are no barriers between these areas, with our personnel working in multiple area simultaneously, to better serve their clients. Experienced freight forwarder Kerry Bate joined Metro i... Read more