UK manufacturers continue to face a challenging operating environment, with stretched supply chains, disrupted production schedules and increasing component and raw material prices. The manufacturing sector saw growth slow down last month, with surging material costs and staff shortages, according to the IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers Index (PMI), despite rates of expansion in output and new orders …
After a break of more than two years the UK freight industryâs only dedicated conference and exhibition – Multimodal – has returned to Birminghamâs NEC centre and, as it is just down the road, weâve popped in for a look around. While the various COVID lockdowns and restrictions played out, Mutimodal suffered repeated postponements, denying …
Sixty five years ago saw the beginning of containerisation, with the inaugural voyage of the first container ship, the Sea Land Ideal X on the 26th April 1956. Today, despite its best efforts, the container shipping industry is swamped by the continuing deluge of pandemic and lockdown related trade, with resulting delays, rising costs, ongoing disruption and challenges …
In a recent survey, reported by the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS), 41% of firms said that they have found ânew and betterâ suppliers to work with as a direct result of coronavirus. The survey also found that 57% found the outbreak an âincentiveâ to make positive changes to their business model, with 35% are …
Attracting talented young people to start a career in logistics is an industry wide issue, which Metro has addressed by engaging directly with regional universities and introducing the logistics and supply chain sector to annual cohorts of undergraduates. With the opportunity to experience a wide range of tasks and responsibilities, during a placement year. The …
Metroâs outsourcing services ensure that we can take care of the supply chain so you can focus on your business, with Ben and the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) team being a crucial component in these operations. Graduating with a degree in geography, Ben worked in the customer service industry before joining Metro in 2016. He …
Graduating university with a degree in chemistry, Mark quickly realised that a career in âblowing things upâ was not for him. Joining Metro in 1996, almost two and a half decades ago, Mark elicits his versatility through working across a wide variety of departments in the business, ranging from import and export operations, to documentation. …
To most millennials, the semantics of âlogisticsâ are riddled with outdated stereotypes of a heavy haulier, or warehouse shelf stackers. The more desirable elements of the industry â of which there are many â are not projected to young people, causing a lack of exposure and knowledge about logistics. Luckily, my own perceptions of logistics are clearer than most of my generation. Although I have not directly worked in the field, I have been exposed …
The essential ingredient for many industries, chemicals are part of nearly every product used in the home and office. There is no room for error in logistics for the chemical and petro-chemical sector, which is a key vertical for Metro, in the care of Steve Smith. Joining Metro in 2003, Steve began his career in …
Environmental strategies and carbon emission reduction activities have been core elements in multi-national trading reports for some years and more shippers are beginning to realise that they can adapt their supply chain to be environmentally friendly and save money in the process. Cutting emissions is often directly related to creating efficiencies and cutting costs, activities …