Latest News

  • Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic
  • CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds
  • Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest
  • Jungheinrich starts 2022 financial year in line with expectations
  • EPAL pallet production reaches record levels in 2021
  • Home
  • News
  • Materials Handling
  • Health & Safety
  • Notice Board
  • Multimedia
    • Audio
    • Book Review
    • T.V.
    • Video
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

UK logistics industry is well prepared to deal with a ‘second wave’ of the Covid-19 pandemic

Sep 13, 2020 Warehousing Ireland Logistics, News Comments Off on UK logistics industry is well prepared to deal with a ‘second wave’ of the Covid-19 pandemic


Charlie Walker, a director of the leading third party logistics and online fulfillment specialist, Walker Logistics, says that the UK logistics industry is well prepared to deal with the consequences of another UK-wide lockdown if a ‘second wave’ of the Covid pandemic hits Britain this winter

Well prepared

The Covid crisis impacted on third party logistics companies (3PL) in different ways – depending on the type of goods stored, handled and transported. Clearly those 3PLs whose main clients operate in such sectors as construction or events and hospitality saw their workloads fall dramatically, but online fulfilment specialists found their services more in demand than ever in the first half of this year.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC), recently reported that 61.9 per cent of all non-food retail sales in May this year took place online – which was up 31.4 per cent on the same period 12 months previously. Faced with such a hike in volume, those logistics companies who specialise in online fulfilment have had to adapt to ensure that their clients’ growing orders can be processed as quickly, accurately and safely as possible.

For many companies this has meant hiring additional personnel and adding shifts to the working day. At Walker, for example, our warehouse workforce has grown by 20 per cent this year. And companies across the logistics industry are ramping up staff levels at key sites to support online shopping and grocery delivery during the pandemic: Amazon, for instance, has opened 15,000 new full- and part-time positions across the UK, while parcel delivery firm, Hermes, has announced that it is creating more than 10,000 new jobs to help cope with the shift to home shopping.

In many cases, storage facilities have had to be redesigned to effectively combine the storage and picking of consumer online orders with large store replenishment orders in a space efficient way that also complies with social distancing rules and safeguards the health of workers.

Walker Logistics always puts the welfare of its workforce first and stringent measures regarding social distancing have been implemented across our business. These include spacing all workstations, splitting breaks, providing outside seating areas, subsidising lifts to and from work to minimise car sharing and having large stocks of hygienic wipes, gels, masks and gloves available for our staff to use. We have also introduced a track and trace system that allows us to monitors and contact anyone – including permanent and temporary staff as well as visitors – if there is a risk that they have been in contact with somebody who has tested positive for the virus while on our site.

As lockdown eases we’re working closely with our customers in an attempt to accurately forecast future order volumes and the likely split between B-2-C online and B-2-B retail business. With e-commerce transactions set to remain high and orders for replenishment stock to retail outlets coming back on stream, we will need to ensure that we have sufficient staff and throughput-efficient picking systems in place to sustain the consistently high levels of service that our customers expect and demand.

When the Covid crisis first emerged and – as the weeks went by – deepened, the logistics sector demonstrated its resolve and flexibility by meeting the challenges of the home shopping boom and ensuring that – with very few exceptions – the shelves of essential retailers were always restocked. The industry has been rightly praised for its Herculean efforts and it has been pleasing to see a sector that is all too often overlooked, getting the recognition it deserves.

Of course, everyone hopes that the second spike in infections which some health experts are predicting doesn’t materialise, but if it does the public should be reassured that companies operating in the logistics sector are well prepared to deal with the consequences of another UK-wide lockdown this winter if they have to.

 

Tweet

  • tweet
Efficient and safe omni-channel picking Hyster Europe expands its range of electric counterbalance lift trucks

Warehousing Ireland

Related articles
  • Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic
    Groundbreaking ceremony for new...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic

  • CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds
    CKF design and build Auto Packer cell...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds

  • Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest
    Gowan Group moves to new impressive new...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest

More in this category
  • Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic
    Groundbreaking ceremony for new...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic

  • CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds
    CKF design and build Auto Packer cell...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds

  • Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest
    Gowan Group moves to new impressive new...

    May 14, 2022 Comments Off on Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest


Tweets by @warehousingIrl

Recent Posts

Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Nov 24, 2021 Comments Off on Forklift market rebound causes gap between order intakes and shipments

Long-term forecast of global market in 2028 raised by 40% APAC accounts for 54% of 2021 forklift shipments E-commerce, digitalization, and electrification will drive the market  Updated...
The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

May 01, 2021 Comments Off on The new Visuclean vinyl from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Nov 14, 2020 Comments Off on New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Hyster Europe expands its range of electric counterbalance lift trucks

Hyster Europe expands its range of electric...

Sep 13, 2020 Comments Off on Hyster Europe expands its range of electric counterbalance lift trucks

Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained Without Fail

Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained...

Aug 09, 2020 Comments Off on Linde Training Solutions – Well Trained Without Fail

Recent Posts

RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

May 15, 2021 Comments Off on RHA launches tail lift safety guidance

The Road Haulage Association in the UK has published long-awaited guidance to improve safety around the use of tail lifts. The Tail Lift and Pallet Truck Guidance Document released aims to...
Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following serious incident in Clonee warehouse

Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following...

Nov 22, 2020 Comments Off on Axial Properties Ltd fined €80,000 following serious incident in Clonee warehouse

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

Nov 14, 2020 Comments Off on New Modulean Lite shadow boards from Beaverswood

How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

Jul 12, 2020 Comments Off on How to safely buy a used ATEX forklift

A-SAFE launches new hygiene partition for industrial facilities

A-SAFE launches new hygiene partition for...

May 31, 2020 Comments Off on A-SAFE launches new hygiene partition for industrial facilities

Newsletter

Recent Posts

  • Groundbreaking ceremony for new Jungheinrich plant at Chomutov, Czech Republic
  • CKF design and build Auto Packer cell for bio-bean, the world’s largest recycler of coffee grounds
  • Gowan Group moves to new impressive new facility at Citywest
  • Jungheinrich starts 2022 financial year in line with expectations
  • EPAL pallet production reaches record levels in 2021
  • New racksack mini from workplace visual communications and safety products specialist Beaverswood
  • NewCold Grows Again in Corby GB
  •  It’s safer, quicker and easier for Multihog with the Aisle Master order picker
  • Jungheinrich brings CO2-neutral customer service to intralogistics
  • B&B Attachments Exhibits at the UK Concrete Show
  • RARUK Automation: Automated Palletising In Just Three Easy Steps
  • Onward Holdings Ltd is making available to lease another high-quality warehouse located in the heart of Yorkshire
  • Schoeller Allibert launches tallest version of Magnum Optimum foldable large container to boost retail logistics
  • New from Yale – MP16UX Pedestrian Pallet Truck
  • Arvato Supply Chain Solutions further expands distribution center in Venray, Netherlands 
Copyright 2020 Warehousing Ireland / All rights reserved