Issue 6, Vol 1

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FEDERATION NEWS

FSDF Golf Day

Now taking Bookings Click here

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Exhibit at IMHX with the FSDF

This year FSDF will be supporting the IMHX show at the NEC with a Food Logistics Pavilion. Click to find out further information

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TDG director on committee of FSDF

Martin Palmer, Shared User Business Unit director at TDG, has taken on an additional role as director with the trade association Click to read full press release

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Julie Pizzey has done it !

Click here

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COMMITTEE FOCUS

Technical and Safety

F Gas Regulations Regulations and Ozone Depleting Substances

The dire warnings about R22 shortages have not yet materalised, although there are concerns that shortages could be experienced later on in 2010. Click here for more information

 

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R22 Availability

F Gas Support have covered in detail the key obligations for operators of stationery equipment, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment in the UK, and a full set of guidance notes is available from the Defra website To read more click here

 

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Business Affairs

Proposals to change EU food law could cost industry dear

Trade groups warn that implementing changes could cost millions of pounds. to read more click here

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Logistics Management

European Bureaucracy Threatens Freight Transport

Contingency plans for goods movements during the disruption resulting from the volcanic eruption, could be thwarted by European bureaucracy, according to the Freight Transport Association in the UK.Click here

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BUSINESS NEWS

Distribution centres return to the menu

Demand for industrial property is back on the up, driven by the big grocers.Click here

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Cold Store refurbishment

Langdon Industries Ltd are a logistics service provider who specialise in controlled temperature operations.Click here

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Racking repair- staying strong, keeping safe

For your pallet racking installations, there is a risk that fork lift trucks can hit the racking. When they hit, they hit hard. And load-bearing uprights can suffer considerable damage. Click here to read more

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Tesco results strengthened by improved availability

Tesco has released its results for the 52 weeks to 27 February 2010. Click here for more info

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The Effects of the Icelandic Volcanic Eruption

In the past few days the Farmers Association of Iceland has received greetings and inquiries from its affiliates, partners and friends around the world in relation to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull glacier. To read more click

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Samworth to supply puds to Sainsbury's

Samworth Brothers has won a multimillion-pound contract to supply Sainsbury's with chilled own-label desserts. To read more click

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Star’s fast track chiller solution for logistics specialist

Food and drink supply chain specialist Culina Logistics has invested in an environmentally efficient chill store cooling system from Star Refrigeration. Click here to read more

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Forklift industry and truck users warned about dangers of shrinking product release times

There is a danger that in their rush to bring new ranges and highly customised products to market, some forklift manufacturers could be undermining the resale value of their existing ranges.Click here

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Brakes hopes for hit with matured meat

A leading foodservice operator is hoping for success with the launch of a new branded range of matured beef cuts. Prime Meats, the speciality butcher operation for Brakes, has launched Birchstead 21 Day Matured Beef, a premium range of traditional joints and primal cuts, as well as individually and multiple skin-packed steaks.Click here to read more

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Food industry slow to embrace vendor-managed inventory

The UK food industry has proved surprisingly reluctant to embrace vendor-managed inventory (VMI), despite its many proven benefits, according to the Food Storage and Distribution Federation (FSDF) and standards body GS1 UK. Click here to read more

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Keep a tag on temperature


Chiltern Cold Storage Group chose Sealed Air's TurboTag T-700B to monitor the temperature of goods being transported in its fleet of modern, refrigerated vehicles. Click here to read more

LEGAL & TAX Updates

New legislation

Several new pieces of legislation affecting UK businesses came into effect on 1st April 2010. Click here to read more

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Bribery law ahead

The Bribery Bill is expected to come into force in June 2010. Click here to read more

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Sharing Childcare

The government is proposing to allow new fathers to take up to 6 months of paternity leave. They say this change will make it easier for parents to share the childcare responsibilities. click for further information

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Tax Codes

HMRC has fallen behind with issuing tax codes ready for April 2010.Click here to read more

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New compliance checks - factsheets

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have published a series of factsheets to help customers understand the new framework for compliance checks.Click here to read more

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FSDF Golf Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Exhibit at IMHX with the FSDF

 

 

 This year FSDF will be supporting the IMHX show at the NEC and will be organising and managing the Food Logistics Pavilion.

The show runs from 16-19 November and presents a unique opportunity to showcase your solutions and services to key food and drink supply chain decision makers. Stands are available in the Food Logistics Pavilion in 3m x 2m and 4m x 2m sheel scheme booths. For more information and to book your space at the show contact Rob Fisher on 01895 454 442 or email robfisher@quartzltd.com.

Spaces are limited and there is a discount for FSDF members.

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TDG director on committee of FSDF

Martin Palmer, shared user business unit director at TDG, has taken on an additional role as director with the trade association supporting the interests of the food logistics industry, the FSDF (Food Storage and Distribution Federation).

FSDF promotes excellence in food and drink logistics and covers the whole range of temperature regimes from frozen to ambient. FSDF administer the Climate Change Agreement for the UK temperature controlled food and drink logistics industrial sector. It is currently working with DECC to develop the Climate Change Agreement Extension, which will drive further UK carbon emission reduction targets up to 2017.

“I’m looking forward to working with FSDF to help maintain the high standards of food logistics in the UK,” says Martin. “The Federation celebrates its 100th anniversary next year, and I hope that with TDG’s involvement we can keep it at the forefront of the food industry for another 100.”

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 Our congrats to Julie Pizzey for completing the Brighton Marathon

Julie and her running buddy ran the Brighton Marathon on Sunday 18th April in what turned out to be unseasonably warm weather.

Julie ran the marathon for CLIC Sargent to support children with Leukemia and Cancer, raising over £1800.00 and managed a good first marathon time of 4 hours and 25 minutes.

You can still donate to her event, click on the link below, or let us know if you would rather not donate over this website and we will keep a record of your pledge.

To sponsor Julie please click the following link:

http://www.justgiving.com/Julie-NeilMarathon

To find out more about CLIC Sargent:

http://www.clicsargent.org.uk/Aboutus

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F Gas Regulations and Ozone Depleting Substances

F Gas Support have covered in detail the key obligations for operators of stationery equipment, air-conditioning and heat pump equipment in the UK, and a full set of guidance notes is available from the Defra website – www.defras.gov.uk/fgas. The issues and obligations have been covered in previous editions of Frozen and Chilled Foods and Temperature Controlled Storage and Distribution, but if more information is required, FSDF are here to help and advise.

Current focus is on the necessity for owners of refrigeration plant to ensure that F- Gases are contained through leak testing, the registration and qualification of engineers and to ensure that records are kept of work undertaken. Refcom Certification Ltd has been appointed by Defra to operate the mandatory certification scheme, which is understood to mirror the existing voluntary scheme which has been in existence since 1994. In particular the scheme requires all personnel involved in the installation, inspection, repair and removal of refrigeration and air conditioning plant to be certificated to the new qualification standards of either City and Guilds 2079 or CITB J11-J14 by July 2011 – only 14 months away.

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R22 Availability

The dire warnings about R22 shortages have not yet materalised, although there are concerns that shortages could be experiences later on in 2010. There is still a significant demand for reclaimed R22, but this is significantly lower than that experienced during 2009. However, major suppliers indicate that there is sufficient to satisfy it.

At the same time, industry supply sources have indicated that reclaimed R22 is around 50% more expensive that replacement drop in blends, where these are able to be used. As refrigeration plant owners and operators consider their options in the lead up to 2015 and the total ban on R22 use of any description, DuPont, manufacturers of the Isceon range of alternative refrigerants have seen significant increase in interest in these alternatives.

However, time is not on our side, and FSDF continues to urge cold store operators across the food supply chain need to develop contingency and longer term capital expenditure plans of action now if they are to avoid at best additional operating costs, or at worst business disruption. We are here to support operator companies which need further information and advice.

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European bureaucracy threatens freight transport

Contingency plans for goods movements during the disruption resulting from the volcanic eruption, could be thwarted by European bureaucracy, according to the Freight Transport Association in the UK. While many freight forwarders are looking to move goods by road, rather than air, there is a concern that bans on weekend lorry movements could stop them in their tracks.

 

FTA’s Jo Tanner said: "Like passenger carriers, many of our members are using mainland Spain as a hub and then moving goods from there to the UK by road and rail. However, the success of these contingency plans could be severely hampered by the weekend lorry bans that are in place in many parts of Europe. We are calling on those countries to deactivate those bans and help us keep the goods and produce moving."

 

Although fresh and perishable produce are normally exempt from the bans, frozen produce is not and, despite its longer shelf-life, this could present a logistical challenge for producers and retailers. The bans will also impact on other goods, such as manufacturing components, postage and some pharmaceuticals and, as a result, on UK industry.

 

Jo Tanner continued: "While we should be able to keep fresh produce moving, this is about more than mange tout. We need co-operation across Europe to make sure that the impact of this unprecedented situation is minimised as much as possible."

 

Fresh and perishable products – such as fresh fish, fruit and vegetables – are normally exempt from the bans, whereas frozen goods are not. Drivers must be in possession of air cargo waybill to prove consignment was due to go by air originally if driving during ban times

Examples of European bans include:
French lorry ban: 2200 Saturday to 2200 Sunday
German lorry ban: Midnight to 2200 Sunday
Italian lorry ban: 0800 to 2200 Sunday
Spanish lorry ban: Complicated restrictions only on certain roads at certain times and easy for operators to get caught out.
Swiss lorry ban: All day (midnight to midnight) Sunday, also every night from 2200 to 0500.
There are no bans in place in Belgium, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Ukraine and many other eastern European states.

 

Source : ISN

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Distribution centres return to the menu

Demand for industrial property is back on the up, driven by the big grocers.

National commercial property consultancy Lambert Smith Hampton reported this week that demand for distribution centres rose at the end of 2009, with retailers and particularly grocery retailers being the main customers.

However, LSH head of industrial and logistics Michael Alderton warned that the amount of vacant industrial space was continuing to grow as companies ran into difficulties.

"Our findings are certainly encouraging and we are starting to see real improvements in the industrial sector," he said. "However, there is still a huge oversupply of second-hand space in the market as inefficient businesses continue to suffer."

At the end of last year there was 320 million sq ft of industrial space available in the UK, which was a 22% increase on the previous year, he added.

source :  Grocer

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Cold store floor refurbishment

Langdon Industries Ltd are a logistics service provider who specialise in controlled temperature operations. Their Bridgwater depot is the centrepiece for their temperature controlled distribution centres throughout the UK. The floor within one of the cold stores was in need of refurbishment to better support their operational requirements.

Working alongside Caer Urfa, Consultancy and Project Management, CG Flooring Systems Ltd were brought in to undertake the floor refurbishment work. The floor upgrade would involve the removal of approximately 15mm of damaged concrete from the surface of the existing floor slab. The floor was to then be mechanically cleaned prior to the application of, Cemart’s, Cemdek Industrial Floor Screed as the newly finished floor surface.

The racking system within the cold store consists of movable racking which runs on steel rails, fixed within the concrete floor and static racks along perimeter walls. Extreme care had to be taken around the steel rails within the floor to ensure they were not damaged or knocked out of alignment. The mobile racking area also had limited working floor space. In order to reduce clients’ operational down time, maximise project output and increase the size of the open area, the fixed racking and one section of the mobile racking were removed before commencing with the floor works.

The temperature within the cold store was increased to approximately 15 degrees centigrade to provide an ideal environmental condition for the application of the floor screed. Once all pre-start requirements had been met the project got underway. The first stages involved isolating the steel rails and removing approximately 200 bolts from within the floor. The damaged concrete was removed from the surface by the road planner, undertaking a number of controlled passes over each area of the floor. The newly exposed concrete was then mechanically cleaned by captive enclosed shot-blasting, before the industrial floor screed was applied at a nominal thickness of 15mm. The 1,088m2 floor was completed within 8 days with minimum of fuss.

CG Flooring Systems Ltd are part of the CoGri Group of companies.

Images are shown with slight yellow tints due to the industrial lighting used.

Source :  warehousenews

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Racking repair - staying strong, keeping safe

 

 

 

For your pallet racking installations, there is a risk that fork lift trucks can hit the racking. When they hit, they hit hard. And load-bearing uprights can suffer considerable damage.

Link 51, understands the consequences of structural damage to heavy load-carrying installations. Safety guidelines laid down by SEMA see it the same way.

All Link 51 products, not just pallet racking, conform to rigorous safety procedures. They're designed, manufactured and installed to do the job. Your people's safety is paramount.

But any damage affects integral strength and safety, and eventually reduces load carrying capacity. Even apparently harmless dents can lead to potential collapse.

The consequences? Let's not go there.

So you get it straightened out, right?

Before you do, know this. The most important racking component is the upright.

It can't just be beaten back into shape like a panel on a car. Here's why:

• Pallet racking uprights are load-carrying members.
• They're predominantly made from strain-hardened, cold-worked steel – ideal for the job they're meant to do. But once damaged there are no guarantees.
• Tests on components 'repaired' in the best quality controlled environments show a marked drop in performance.
• After being straightened, the properties of the racking are altered to an unknown degree so no manufacturer would guarantee its future performance.

In fact, in the absence of scientifically backed, industry-approved investigations that say it works, the repair of upright damage is a game of Russian roulette.

Do you want to play?

The thing to understand

Only the recommended replacement of damaged components with new components will maintain the required structural integrity of the racking. Simply straightening a damaged upright might appear an attractive, low-cost option. But no manufacturer with any integrity would advise you to do it.

1. The load carrying capacity could be reduced.
2. The structure weakened.
3. Human life put at risk.

Monitor, identify, act, prevent

Section 9.7.1 of European Standard EN 15635 - Steel static storage systems - application and maintenance of storage equipment clearly states: 'Repairs to damaged components shall not be allowed unless approved by the equipment supplier'.

Regulation 5 of the Provision & Use of Work Equipment Regulations (1998) requires employers to 'ensure that work equipment is maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair'.

EN Standards, HSE guidelines and SEMA Codes all recommend that you inspect your racking regularly to make sure it's maintained properly and kept safe.

 Here are the steps to  take.

• Carry out weekly inspections of your storage equipment - just as you'd service a vehicle.
• Get in a qualified inspector at least once a year to conduct a full inspection - they will give you good advice on the effects of change of use/load, or reconfiguration of the rack geometry to suit new requirements.
• If you're installing racking for the first time, buy from an experienced and knowledgeable provider working under SEMA design codes.
• And get any repair/replacement approved by the manufacturer to avoid accidents and the liability for any potential failure.

Periodic rack safety audits not only make good business sense, but are also critical for every warehouse's successful planning and operation.

If you think you could live with any old repair, ask yourself if you could live with the consequences.

 

www.link51.com/inspection-service-training

www.link51.com/health-safety-guide-pallet-racking

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Proposals to change EU food law could cost industry dear

EU food hygiene proposals could cost the food industry millions of pounds extra annually, according to several trade groups. The European Commission (EC) is pursuing amendments to EU food regulations requiring stricter traceability for all Member States. It has canvassed trade organisations to ascertain how much the legislative changes would cost the industry.

The Food Storage and Distribution Federation (FSDF) has claimed it would cost its members an extra £5M per year. Meanwhile, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has warned the bill could amount to as much as £294M.

The main question is whether online supply chain data should be immediately accessible. If so, this would require an expensive IT overhaul that the industry could ill afford, according to the trade bodies. The FSDF, the BRC and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) believe the changes would be unnecessary for the UK, because it already has sufficiently robust traceability procedures. “A food business operator only needs to know where you have got animal foodstuffs from and where they are being sent to – the EU wants every step covered,” said Chris Sturman, chief executive of the FSDF. “You’re talking millions of pounds of additional costs for software; staff training; gathering and storing information ... It would cost £5M to implement per year, with ongoing costs in excess of that.

“We will need to collect additional information to that which is currently recorded and this could delay the movement of product. The current system provides traceability that would identify infringements as long as they are properly policed and operated.” Sally Barber, BRC food policy executive, called the proposals “a recipe for disaster” and “a frustrating piece of legislation to be working on”. She said: “You would have to think about substantial costs to industry.” The proposals were made in response to food fraud cases in which suppliers were selling meat fraudulently with misleading labels on it, Barber said. However, she added: “This proposal won’t stop people who are potentially fraudulently engaging in illegal practices.” She called for the wording of the legislation to be specifically targeted at the original source of the problem. The FSA believes the trade bodies have over-estimated the costs to its section of the industry. “We agree with them [the FSDF] that the costs should not outweigh the benefits, but it’s likely the amendments will go through because most member states are in favour of that,” said an FSA spokeswoman.

The EC is shortly expected to produce an assessment of the impact of the regulatory amendments on the European food industry.

Source : foodmanufacture.co.uk

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Tesco results strengthened by improved availability

Tesco has released its results for the 52 weeks to 27 February 2010, revealing a 7.1% increase in total Group revenue to £56.9bn (ex. VAT) with underlying profit before tax growing 10.1% to £3.4bn. In the UK, like-for-like sales were up by 3.2% (ex. fuel) with net sales increasing 4.5% to £38.6m

Tesco chief executive, Terry Leahy, commented:

"By remaining focused on our strategy Tesco has weathered the economic storm well. Across the Group, we have successfully adapted our cost structures and ranges to help customers save money when they've needed to and treat themselves when they've wanted to. Our positions in international markets and non-food meant we faced strong headwinds when the downturn came but it will be these parts of our business which will grow fastest as the recovery strengthens."

Source : supply chain analysis

 

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The Effects of the Icelandic Volcanic Eruption

In the past few days the Farmers Association of Iceland has received greetings and inquiries from its affiliates, partners and friends around the world in relation to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull glacier. The Association wishes to convey its gratitude for the sympathy expressed towards Icelandic farmers and share some information on recent events and their effect on Icelandic agriculture.

Farmers in South Iceland are experiencing significant difficulties as a result of the Eyjafjallajökull eruption. There are great quantities of volcanic material in the atmosphere and ash deposits on the ground. There is also a risk of lowland flooding due the volcanic activity being under the glacier.

Volcanic activity around Eyjafjallajökull originally started on 20 March with an eruption at Fimmvörðuháls. This eruption lasted for approximately 3 weeks and did not result in major disruptions for people or livestock. Nevertheless over six hundred people needed to evacuate their homes on the first night, mostly residents in urban areas in the South. The people were then allowed back home in stages during the next few days. On Wednesday, April 14, a new and larger eruption occurred in a new location underneath the glacier itself. Its behaviour and effects are different from the first eruption and have proven more severe.

Agriculture in affected areas. The area affected by the eruption is an important agricultural area, containing 15% of all cattle, 6% of all sheep and 17% of all horses in Iceland. 12% of all dairy production in Iceland also comes from the close vicinity of the eruption. Fortunately, the eruption has occurred during a time in which most livestock are still kept indoors.

One of the major dangers caused by the eruption is the floods, which began with the second eruption. The worst seems to have passed, although there is still a risk of further flooding. Croplands have seen some damage but nothing catastrophic. The lambing season has begun in some farms but sheep cannot be let out due to volcanic ash in the atmosphere and on the ground.

The inhabitants of around 20 farms closest to the volcano itself have been relocated. However, farmers are allowed to re-enter areas defined as danger zones to perform essential farm work. All other traffic has been forbidden in the area closest to Eyjafjallajökull. Several roads have had to be breached to channel floodwater. Driving is difficult in some places due to low visibility, caused by ash in the air. However, problems with milk transportation have been solved.

Source: ISN

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Samworth to supply puds to Sainsbury's

 

 

Samworth Brothers has won a multimillion-pound contract to supply Sainsbury's with chilled own-label desserts.

The £5m contract marks the first time Samworth, which supplies own-label ready meals, sandwiches and desserts to the multiples, has provided desserts to the retailer.

Samworth will initially pick up Sainsbury's existing chilled desserts but hopes to introduce NPD for the retailer in time, said chief executive Brian Stein.

"Winning Sainsbury's business means we've got four legs of the horse as opposed to one, two or three," he said.

Source :  www.thegrocer.co.uk/articles.aspx

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Star’s fast track chiller solution for logistics specialist

Food and drink supply chain specialist Culina Logistics has invested in an environmentally efficient chill store cooling system from Star Refrigeration.

The award-winning logistics company required a refrigeration plant for a 100,000 sq ft chill store at its new distribution centre in Avonmouth, near Bristol. Culina’s Cabot Park facility handles ambient and chilled food and beverage logistics for leading UK and European manufacturers.

Working to a strict time schedule, cooling solutions specialist Star designed and installed a high efficiency refrigeration plant incorporating two of its Azanechillers. These ammonia packaged chillers are complete refrigeration systems, ideally suited to temperature controlled storage as well as food processing, building services and process cooling.

Star worked as part of a project team to convert an existing warehouse into a fully operational chill store in just 13 weeks. The services infrastructure was installed and initially connected to a pair of temporary chillers. Meanwhile, Star’s engineering team designed, built and installed the final Azanechiller plant within a total of 18 weeks.

Star Refrigeration Sales Director Rob Lamb says: “Culina’s Azanechillers were pre-commissioned and performance tested at our manufacturing facility in Glasgow prior to installation on site. This meant the changeover from hired units to Azanechillers was fast and straightforward, thanks to offsite testing.”

He adds: “As a complete refrigeration package, Azanechiller is easy to install.  Only an electrical supply and flow/return pipework is required to provide cooling. This cuts down site installation and commissioning time, whilst also avoiding the need for a plant room.”

The plant is located externally on a concrete plinth adjacent to the chill store building, which features ten HGV loading docks and four level access doors. Star’s Telstar computerised control system ensures optimum performance, with HMI touch screen interface and broadband connection for offsite remote monitoring.

The Culina system features two AA750 air-cooled Azanechillers with ammonia as primary and glycol as secondary refrigerant. Each Azanechiller has an operating capacity of 450kW to maintain the chill store at +2 to +5 degrees centigrade.

Suitable for cooling both water and glycol, Azanechiller was developed by Star for environmentally conscious end users. Ammonia is a naturally occurring refrigerant with zero ozone depletion potential and zero global warming potential.

Azanechiller typically offers a 30% increase in performance compared with standard HFC chillers. Its packaged design and careful component selection result in an ultra low refrigerant charge, with all ammonia contained within the chiller and sited outside the warehouse or production facility.

Azanechiller features high quality, industrial components to offer unrivalled performance, reliability and low maintenance. Each unit includes two screw compressors, low noise drive motors, Star’s low charge, low pressure receiver and semi-welded PHE evaporator.

Azanechiller is available as an air-cooled or water-cooled unit with cooling capacity from 200kW to 850kW. Air-cooled Azanechillers feature high efficiency EC condenser fan technology. Water-cooled Azanechillers include a welded plate heat exchanger evaporator to minimise refrigerant charge. Both include floating header pressure control, which optimises efficiency at part load conditions and low ambient temperatures.

Star Refrigeration is the UK’s largest independent industrial refrigeration engineering company. Star focuses on the design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and aftercare of industrial refrigeration and HVAC systems.

For more information, phone Star Refrigeration on 0141 638 7916, email Click here to email this company or visit www.star-ref.co.uk

Source :  http://warehousenews.co.uk/?p=8431

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Forklift industry and truck users warned about dangers of shrinking product release times

There is a danger that in their rush to bring new ranges and highly customised products to market, some forklift manufacturers could be undermining the resale value of their existing ranges. In turn, this risks increasing the cost of ownership of these trucks for forklift fleet operators as well as truck rental companies.

That is the view of John Maguire, sales and marketing director of Narrow Aisle Flexi, manufacturer of the popular Flexi range of articulate forklift trucks.

“We are aware of certain products that were launched as recently as three years ago with a lot of marketing collateral behind them, that have now been succeeded by newer models. Even in a market where product release times are rapidly shrinking this, in my opinion, makes no sense.” he says.

John  Maguire continues: “If I was a truck user or rental company who had been sold something that I thought represented the latest technology only for the product to quickly become all but obsolete, I would be very unhappy.”

“With any significant capital equipment purchase, the buyer needs to have the reassurance of knowing that the product s/he is buying is not going to be two or three models out of date when the time comes for it to be re-sold. If it is, the resale value will be seriously undermined. Quite simply, changing a forklift model too quickly, destroys the product’s used equipment value.”

A forklift truck’s ability to command a high resale - or residual - value has a significant impact on a product’s life-time running costs, particularly if the user is considering entering a lease rental package with a truck manufacturer or forklift rental company.

In simple terms, if a forklift is being leased, then its residual value (RV) will have a significant impact on its monthly rental price. A truck’s RV is calculated on its expected market value at the end of a lease period and monthly payments are worked out using a combination of the initial cost of the truck and its anticipated RV. For example, if a new forklift truck costs, say, £30,000 and its RV has been set at £6,000, the monthly rental fee is calculated on the difference between the two amounts. This means that forklifts that command the highest RV should be available on the lowest monthly rental fee.

It also means that forklift rental companies who lease lift trucks to end users must cover the truck’s net ‘book value’ at the end of the contract period. If, at the start of the lease period a rental company sets a RV for a truck which is not realised in the truck’s resale value at the end of the contract, then the rental company can suffer a significant loss.

“The complete process of bringing a new product to market involves idea generation, product design and detail engineering as well as market research and marketing analysis,” says John Maguire. “Innovation is one thing but it is essential that trucks are properly developed and tested over a period of time before they are brought to market. Anyone responsible for buying a fleet of company vans, for example, wouldn’t log on to the ‘Pimp My Ride’ website to find a product with a lot of modifications that had not been tested over sufficient time to ensure that it was reliable. Why would someone responsible for buying forklifts do the same?”

The Flexi truck celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2010. Since Narrow Aisle introduced the first Flexi articulated forklift truck in 1990, the company has gone on to develop six distinct articulated truck types.

“Each model in the range has been designed to offer reliable, safe and efficient operation to cover most industry requirements without resorting to ‘customisation’ of one product with the risks that this process can present,” says John Maguire.

The fourth generation Flexi model - the Flexi G4 was introduced in 2007 and has become the most popular articulated truck in Europe. Built on a standard platform, its design meets both US and European safety standards and offers proven low maintenance costs and, therefore, low rental costs.

For over 30 years, Narrow Aisle Ltd has been one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of very narrow aisle (VNA) equipment. Narrow Aisle manufactures and markets the award-winning Flexi range of articulated forklift trucks. Trucks, designed and manufactured at the company’s UK manufacturing plant are distributed world-wide through a fully supported distributor network.

Narrow Aisle Flexi

John Maguire, Director,

Sales and Marketing

Tel: 0121 557 6242

Email: Click here to email this company

www.flexi.co.uk

source : http://warehousenews.co.uk/?p=8334

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Brakes hopes for hit with matured meat

Recent customer research carried out by Prime Meats and Birchstead showed that consumers are looking for guaranteed level of maturation for the meat on menus.

The company said the new range is ideal for caterers, hoteliers and restaurateurs, and includes ribeye, sirloin and rump, as well what it described as the "hugely underrated" top rump. Caterers now have the option of buying primals, which they can cut themselves with the guarantee of 21-day maturation, offering better value for money and yield, as well as the flexibility to cut to their required size. All products in the range benefit from at least three weeks’ maturation, which improves the meat’s depth of flavour, texture, succulence and menu appeal, the company said.

To continue Prime Meats’ support of British producers, this range has been sourced in partnership with ABP Shrewsbury from the 1,200 British farmers in their producer group partnership.

Rob McFarlane, director of Prime Meats, said: “Prime Meats is a passionate supporter of the British countryside and British farming in particular. We work closely with Red Tractor and the NFU ensuring full traceability from farm to fork, and 70% of our range of meat  and poultry comes from British farms, where the emphasis is on high welfare standards.

“We constantly seek new ways to expand the range of British products on offer and firmly believe that British beef is the best in the world. Birchstead is a name caterers can trust and is synonymous with quality and provenance. The 21-day matured British beef is a great addition to our range.”

Customers of Prime Meats’ have the extra benefit of being able to use the name ‘Birchstead’ on their menus, ensuring their customers know that they serve the best-quality beef.

Source : http://www.meatinfo.co.uk

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Food industry slow to embrace vendor-managed inventory

The UK food industry has proved surprisingly reluctant to embrace vendor-managed inventory (VMI), despite its many proven benefits, according to the Food Storage and Distribution Federation (FSDF) and standards body GS1 UK.

But as commercial and environmental pressures forced the industry to look again at the structure of its supply chain, VMI was certainly worth exploring, said FSDF president Malcolm Johnstone, who is also MDof Associated Cold Stores & Transport (ACS&T).

Malcolm Johnstone, FSDF President

By shifting responsibility for managing stockholding from manufacturers to key packaging and raw materials suppliers directly or via third parties, VMI is designed to reduce buffer stock, help manufacturers plan production more efficiently and optimise transport.

In effect, the manufacturer no longer places ‘orders’, but hands over responsibility for replenishing stocks (along with the cost of capital in purchasing stock and storage costs) to key suppliers – who are in turn given access to manufacturers’ production plans and forecasts.

“The majority of food manufacturers still store ingredients in-house and order stock from each supplier separately. This means manufacturers have to bear the cost of storage, as well as paying for transport on a ‘by the pallet’ rate,” said Johnstone.

Lower storage costs

By adopting VMI, manufacturers could push back the cost of storage to suppliers and receive consolidated pallets/trucks of stock directly to their sites as required, freeing up space, reducing delivery costs and administration time, he claimed.

Manufacturers using ACS&T’s ‘production support’ service such as seafood giant Young’s have given ACS&T responsibility to work with their suppliers to supply their factories with selected raw materials and packaging. ACS&T manages the inventories and delivers daily consolidated consignments to these manufacturers from a facility in Grimsby, explained Johnstone. “We also provide real-time stock summaries via a website so clients can see how much inventory we are holding at any one time.”

The firm had a similar arrangement with Grimsby-based Kwok Foods until the firm went out of business late last year after its biggest customer (Asda) withdrew a large tranche of business, said Johnstone.

“There is increasing pressure from retailers for more frequent deliveries, which may not be economic for manufacturers or ingredients suppliers, but by offering production support services, we can enable ingredients suppliers to deliver in economic order quantities while helping manufacturers be more responsive to their customers.”

Local supply chains

Increasingly, predicted Johnstone, we might also see a move away from the centralised supply chains of the 1990s towards a more localised approach, with stocks held by third parties such as ACS&T closer to manufacturing facilities, rather than in manufacturers’ “vast cathedrals of stockholding” on the M1 and M6. GS1 UK business consultant David Weatherby, said: “VMI tends to work best with strategic suppliers – you see Unilever and Procter & Gamble doing it with packaging suppliers for example. But it requires trust on both sides as to make it work you have to share information with your suppliers about your short, medium- and long-term production plans and forecasts.

“But by giving suppliers this information, you are helping them plan their production more efficiently and ultimately, both sides should benefit.”

source : http://www.foodmanufacture.co.uk/

 

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Keep a tag on temperature

Chiltern Cold Storage Group chose Sealed Air's TurboTag T-700B to monitor the temperature of goods being transported in its fleet of modern, refrigerated vehicles.

The credit-card sized, battery-powered radio frequency identification (RFID) tag captures and delivers the temperature history of any product with which it is associated. This allows door-to-door monitoring of temperature-sensitive and perishable goods in transport.

Paul Jackson, Chiltern md, says: "The tag is unobtrusive, taking up no space on the pallet. It allows us to offer our customers real-time traceability and temperature data throughout the distribution cycle. We use it on every shipment we make, from foodservice to pharmaceutical products. It allows us to constantly monitor our supply chain and offer flexible service delivery to our customers."

The TurboTag system integrates the benefits of rapid reading and non-contact RFID technology to record and report an individual package's temperature history without opening the package. Each tag is accurate to within plus or minus 0.5°C over the entire range of operation. A full data file of 702 measurements can be determined in two seconds. There is no need for complex software at point of checking.

Source: food manufacture

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CBI recent economic news

# The UK economy grew by 0.4% in Q4 2009, having been revised marginally up from the previous estimate of 0.3%. GDP growth was driven to a large extent by a slower rate of destocking than in the previous quarter. New figures revealed that household savings fell back somewhat from their 11-year high, but remained elevated, while year-on-year growth in real disposable income was the slowest in five quarters.

# Official figures showed that business investment fell by 4.3% in Q4 2009. While this decline is slower than provisionally estimated (-5.8%), the contraction remains sharp, having gathered significant pace on the 0.8% fall in Q3. Business investment remained well down on a year ago, with the annual decline (-23.5%) the fastest on record (since 1965).

# Latest data from the Bank of England showed that mortgage approvals fell slightly in February, now having declined for the third consecutive month, while total lending to households remained subdued. Lending to private non-financial companies continued to fall so that the year-on-year decline (-4.1%) was the fastest on record (since September 1997).

# According to Nationwide, house prices rose by 0.7% in March, almost completely reversing the decline seen in February (-0.8%). However, underlying house price inflation (as measured by the 3 month-on-3 month rate of growth) continued to decelerate.

# The Gfk index of consumer confidence fell marginally in March.

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New legislation

Several new pieces of legislation affecting UK businesses came into effect on 1st April 2010.

These include the following

- All businesses that register for VAT for the first time and all existing VAT - registered businesses with and annual turnover of more that £100,000 now have to submit their VAT returns online and pay any VAT owned electronically.

- A new concept called the 'fit note' in which an employee's doctor details the level of work he or she is able to undertake,replaces the sick note system.

- Landfill tax increased from £40 to £48 per tonne.

- Employees in firms with more than 250 employees now have the right to ask for time off for training. From April 2011, that right will be extended to all employees.

Any company found to have contravened the Data Protection Act may receive a fine of up to £500,000.

- Tougher penalties for failing to notify HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) or chargeability to a wide range of taxes and National Insurance came into force on 1st April 2010

Source: www.kingston.co.uk

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Bribery law ahead

The Bribery Bill is expected to come into force in June 2010. The bill tightens up some areas of current law, including defining for the first time what a bribe is -"a transfer of value to a public official, whether in the UK or another country, in order to win or retain business".

The big change for businesses is a brand new offence under which they can face an unlimited fine for failing to prevent bribery from being carried out by their officers, staff or agents. If a bribe is paid then the business is presumed guilty of this offence unless it can show it put in place ' proper procedures'to prevent corruption.

What does this mean? Any business which operates in a country or an industry with a reputation for corruption needs to have a good anti-corruption policy, well trained staff occupying exposed positions, finance processes with detect 'suspicious' transactions and, perhaps most importantly, excellent oversight of what agents may be doing in their name.

The good news is that it is clear what constitutes 'proper procedures'. The downside is that if these procedures are not in place and corruption occurs, the chances of a successful legal evaporate

Source :

www.kingstonsmith.co.uk

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Sharing childcare

The government is proposing to allow new fathers to take up to 6 months of paternity leave. They say this change will make it easier for parents to share the childcare responsibilities.

Fathers will have the option of using all or some of the last 6 months of the mother’s current 52-week maternity leave entitlement. If the mother decides to go back to work after 6 months, the new father will be able to take up to 6 months off. This will be described as ‘Additional Paternity Leave’.

Statutory maternity pay (SMP) at the moment lasts for 39 weeks, so if the mother returns to work after 6 months, this will enable the father to have 13 weeks of paid leave and 13 weeks of unpaid leave afterwards. It will be paid at the SMP rate - currently £123.06 per week (although there are proposals to extend SMP to 52 weeks). This is on top of current rights to which new fathers are entitled - see current position aside.

Source :

http://www.hrinsight.co.uk/NR/rdonlyres/FDE1729F-0DF3-46B5-A887-46A1DFC95C9D/0/05SharingtheChildcareMar10_HM_.pdf

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Tax Codes

HMRC has fallen behind with issuing tax codes ready for April 2010. In some cases, employees will not have had this confirmed. As a result, employees could end up overpaying tax in the early part of this new tax year. This is most likely to affect those with a company vehicle or fuel benefit and those earning more than £100,000.

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New compliance checks - factsheets

HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) have published a series of factsheets to help customers understand the new framework for compliance checks. A compliance check is how HMRC checks that your tax is correct. These factsheets explain each possible step of a compliance check. During a check an HMRC officer may give you one or more of these factsheets to help you understand what is happening and what your rights are. They will also give you their contact details so you can ask questions about the check.

Click the following link for further information :

http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/compliance/factsheets.htm

 

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