News & Insights

The Coronavirus pandemic is forcing businesses to adapt and technology is critical to the success of those adaptations and evolutions, accelerating the digitalisation of the entire freight sector. Metro believe that Blockchain, machine-learning and emerging technologies are the future of inter... Read more

On the 20th April we highlighted the new Customs controls that the Chinese government had imposed on exports of PPE and medical equipment into Europe. The danger of congestion has unfortunately been borne out. Shortly after the new regulations were imposed we saw customs brokers raising rates ... Read more

In a first tentative step out of the lockdown the prime minister has said that those who could not work from home should be "actively encouraged to go to work” from yesterday, in England. Safety of our people and serving our customers effectively is Metro’s primary concerns at this time and w... Read more

With the UK and continental Europe’s demand for critical medical supplies and equipment to combat COVID-19 likely to persist well into the second half of the year, efficient air freight solutions have never been more vital. Andy Brooks leads Metro’s air and PPE task team. Andy has been wit... Read more

The critical flow of PPE, medical supplies and equipment to combat COVID-19 likely to persist well into the second half of the year, from China, the United States and across Europe. The continuous flow of PPE, medical equipment and products, particularly from China, is set to continue for at l... Read more

Shipbuilding remains a core national industry for South Korea and the country’s shipping sector is a key supporter of its shipyards, with container shipping line HMM one of the biggest, as the yards support HMM’s aggressive expansion plan, to more than double vessel capacity. HMM’s vesse... Read more

Despite the continuing movement of trans-European freight, the lockdowns, border restrictions and economic uncertainty is forcing profound changes in the road freight market that are difficult for many to follow. Mirroring what we’ve seen on the sea and in the air, demand for road transport ... Read more

With the UK’s hospitals and care workers just beginning to receive their much-need PPE and medical equipment supplies, we are likely to see the current air freight demand persist for several months, possibly into quarter three, as hospital demand diminishes and requirement for civilian use of t... Read more

The Coronavirus pandemic has illustrated, like no prior crisis, the critical need of end to end visibility for supply chain agility, risk management and contingency planning. While business may endeavour to provide the highest quality (or at least optimum) products at the lowest cost, their gl... Read more

Container ships move the vast majority of manufactured goods sold globally and shipping executives anticipate volumes declining more than 10% this year due to the continuing Covid-19 crisis, which is a greater decline to the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. Metro work very closely in pa... Read more

Despite sharp drops in cargo volumes and fuel prices, freight rates have remained stable as the container shipping lines demonstrated their ability to control the market and there is no sign that they intend to let go. Reduced demand has so far not translated into lower prices for customers of... Read more

The vast numbers of blanked sailings, in response to dwindling demand caused by the pandemic, on the Asia to Europe trade lane is three times greater than normal and means that calls to UK ports are down 30%. Despite the increasing numbers of cancelled sailings, the impact for Metro’s custom... Read more