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Many things changed after Brexit, and many will continue to do so. One of the big adjustments in the import industry that will start on 30 April 2024 is the increased checks on sanitary and phytosanitary goods for products coming from the EU.

Mid-Autumn Festival, or Mid-Autumn Day, also known as the Moon Cake Festival.

After a long time of not being active on social media, finally we are back on truck!

The Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS)

In view of the upcoming holiday season, we would like to take this opportunity to thank our customers, logistics and overseas partners for their continued support and cooperation that we have established over the past year, and to advise on our services during the festive season. Our office will be open until 4 p.m. on Friday, December 24. We will then re-open on Tuesday 28 from 8am with fewer staff. May we be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous 2022! INTL Network Logistics Team

For months, the trade press leaders comments: “ How serious is the shortage of truck drivers? " “ Giants in UK retail call the government to relax rules for drivers in the European Union ” “ Lorry drivers crisis spreading across the whole of Europe. ” Currently, EU hauliers can only collect or drop off goods in the UK twice a week. According to the new proposals, they will be able to do it for an unlimited period of time for up to two weeks. The UK government is trying to ease the rules on the number of deliveries truck drivers can make in the UK in an attempt to unblock a bottleneck in the country's supply chain. In recent weeks, the government has decided to grant temporary visas to up to 5,000 foreign truck drivers, extending their period until the end of February, and large supermarket chains and retailers are offering bonuses and increasingly higher salaries to encourage employees to join and stay with them. EU-Exit and COVID-19 have worsened an already deteriorating situation, but the current driver shortage has been developing for a long time and the reasons vary from country to country. There is a shortage of truck drivers worldwide. For example, in Europe, it is estimated that the total shortage of drivers now exceeds 400,000. In Great Britain, depending upon sources, there is between 76,000 to 100,000 shortage of HGV drivers. Opening borders to EU workers may be a short-term solution, but it is not a long-term answer. The first and most important problem is how to make the sector more attractive. Higher wages make it easier to recruit and retain drivers, but this wage inflation, if not affected by higher transport rates, will cause financial problems for the employer. However, more needs to be done to improve the conditions and general working environment of all drivers. The Minister of Roads, Buses and Places, Baroness Vere of Norbiton, wrote a letter to encourage drivers who no longer work in the sector to take this opportunity to consider returning. Many foreign workers leave the sector and return to their homes in the EU, which is why many employers offer training packages, attractive wage rates, flexible work, fixed hours, fixed days, full-time and part-time contracts. The national shortage of HGV truck drivers has been putting pressure on UK supply chains. For food and beverage companies, supply chain capability is the foundation of an overall competitive package. Supply chain specialists process data, anticipate demand, and plan flexible, efficient delivery at minimal cost. However, in recent months, representatives in the supply chain have reported a constant challenge in meeting their obligations towards their partners due to the lack of truck drivers. This problem is not new, it has developed gradually over many years and became more pressing and violent in the first half of 2021. Where shipping services do not keep up with demand, costs are likely to increase. Shipping service providers can be expected to charge their customers higher prices, increasing costs for businesses. In the absence of drivers, it is worth ensuring that the vehicles are full, this is best practice but not always possible. Businesses may therefore choose to deliver fewer goods, but this may not suit customers or stores, especially where storage space is a challenge or where there are time constraints. Short-lived goods are most vulnerable to transport disruptions, which may result in an increase in the amount of waste. Another problem is that drivers may be reluctant to work in the evenings or on weekends, which may not suit food and drink industry who are active around the clock. Limited trading flexibility reduces the ability to respond to spikes in demand, leading to a more cautious approach to trading. It is possible to alleviate some of the immediate pressures through targeted action, but repair will require focus and action on several fronts. Share this story

We are pleased to announce that we are a Registered Trade Member of the BIFA Association. The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is the leading body representing the UK's international freight services industry. By becoming a BIFA member, we can combine our business with the pursuit of excellence and quality in the transport and logistics sector and gain access to many great services. As freight forwarders, it is important to have an association that represents not only our best interests, but also the interests of our customers and other shipping companies. As a BIFA member we can provide customs clearance and other cross-border control services as well as the transport of goods to and from the United Kingdom by all modes of transport i.e., Air, Sea, Road and Rail under a nationally accepted set of BIFA Standard Trading Conditions. The terms and conditions are handled in the insurance sector which gives our clients additional reassurance that we will treat them with the utmost respect and care. By becoming a BIFA member, we are automatically engaged in FIATA - International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations. The association is the authoritative voice of the industry responsible for setting standards and providing educational courses as well as required compulsory training programs to enhance the professional level of UK freight forwarders and logistics service providers. The British International Freight Association known as BIFA, represents over 1,500 UK companies in the logistics and supply chain management sector and we are one of them! These are 4 main areas where BIFA supports us: 1. Representation and Lobbying 2. Information and Advice 3. Promotion 4. Training BIFA's motto is “ Ensuring effective representation and support for the UK's international shipping industry; promoting good practice and total quality in the provision of shipping services by all members; and encouraging members to adhere to the highest standards of professional competence ”. Share this story

Benchmarking is a modern concept of organization management, which makes it easier for them to cope with competition in the market based on improvement and learning from others. The benefits are that instead of looking for their own solutions, thanks to the benchmarking method, companies operating on the market compare themselves with the best companies, use their practices in their activities, "imitating them creatively". By following the effective and efficient activities used by them, thus avoiding losses resulting from the risk of introducing unproven changes, thus gaining information from leaders that help the organization improve its functioning in the market. This is an ongoing process involving continuous improvement, gaining knowledge, gathering information and its appropriate use in the pursuit of the ideal. Thanks to the cognitive process of the best companies and leaders in the world using the benchmarking method, other companies with less competition also have a real opportunity to become leaders if they successively analyse and implement the best companies' solutions to their organization and overcome the incentives and cures for the ideas and achievements of other companies that they significantly exceed their current achievements. Types of benchmarking: - internal - is based on comparisons taking place inside the organization, such as: branches and departments - competitive - consists in comparing the organization with companies from the same or a similar industry - functional - thanks to functional benchmarking, companies can find better, innovative solutions, outside the industry, and can stimulate creativity among their employees. We distinguish the strategic benchmarking, productive, processes and management methods. The benefits that arise from them are the processes that determine, through the adopted strategy, a high competitive position by analysing the development of the organization on the market compared to the best companies, by refining the processes necessary to achieve the goals, success, through the use of advanced technologies, stable prices of products and services that can compete effectively with other companies, comparing them to customer needs, and identifying significant factors that lead to success. There are also other types of benchmarking, including: - general (horizontal) benchmarking - a type of functional benchmarking, most frequently used - benchmarking of performance - comparison of several companies in terms of achieved successes - relational benchmarking - refers to a business partner, shareholders - marketing benchmarking - a type of strategic benchmarking that places particular emphasis on researching and comparing customer opinions in comparison with competing companies - project benchmarking - evaluation of the functionality and effectiveness of the new project in which the company is implemented. Thanks to benchmarking, it is easier for companies to predict the actions of their competitors. An important role here is played by competitive forecasts. It is helpful in implementing and comparing the best technologies for long-term activities, in developing the abilities and skills of employees, stimulates their creativity, motivates them to achieve successes and goals, improves processes in the company, and improves their effectiveness and efficiency. Benchmarking enables the assessment of competitiveness, cares for the improvement of products and services depending on the satisfaction of customer needs, sets the directions of development. When applying the benchmarking method in a company, be wise to approach it, as it can also damage the organization if implemented without sufficient knowledge and only in the short term. Share this story

Total Quality Management is a system in-depth analysis of the role of the quality and management of work in the development of people and their ways of improving and enhancing the quality of work to improve the quality of products, services, and customer satisfaction. A process that emphasizes planning, solving, applying, and setting quality goals. The main mechanism of this management system is a man whose qualities and abilities are used to better improve work efficiency, to achieve continuous improvement of the quality of products and services, which will be reflected in consumer satisfaction. TQM is a management philosophy that requires full compliance with the decisions of the superior to constantly improve production, products, efficiency, and work quality. TQM concerns and covers all members of the organization who are focused on achieving long-term success. It is based primarily on teamwork consisting in joint discussion, analysis and problem solving, goals allowing for better results, better efficiency, involvement of every cell of the entire system. Uses strategies for constructing such a management method that aims to eliminate any shortcomings of a given organization to ensure its reliability, efficiency, and effectiveness in a competitive market, creating an individual and specific organizational culture of the enterprise, the key element of which is: - customer orientation - employee improvement through continuous education and training - processes of continuous change and improvement of product quality from the consumer's point of view Achieving TQM determinants requires the full commitment and responsibility of the management of the organization and it is a necessary condition for the entire enterprise to achieve the set goal and thus the company's success. The main factor influencing the proper functioning of the organization is the change and attitude of the management and employees, departing from the old, ingrained principles and focusing on innovative methods aimed at high-quality goods and services. Therefore, an important aspect for achieving the goal and, to some extent, fighting for competitiveness on the market is appropriate staff, employee qualifications, recognition, and motivation. Employees expect recognition, not only higher payment. Thanks to motivated employees, committed management, where the key level in achieving the goal is production and focusing on quality, everyone works effectively bringing profit to the organization and customer satisfaction, which can only be achieved with the help of satisfied employees. Total Quality Management is designed to meet the customer's needs and expectations. Satisfying and correcting the requirements of an internal customer means satisfying and meeting the requirements of an external customer. Each link in the organization has a decisive impact on it, which is why in many organizations’ employees are divided into teams and subgroups to which individual tasks are directed. Comprehensive quality management is of great importance when it comes to the competitiveness of enterprises on the market. Many customers focus on the good quality of the products and services they receive, which is why companies primarily invest in their employees, their qualifications to the customer's needs. Nowadays, many customers are demanding, so to ensure their satisfaction, many organizations improve the quality of them. All employees should know and understand the goals and tasks entrusted to them, because a well-structured quality policy and system is a source of gaining customer trust and their expectation. Share this story