front-dec1508.jpgWelcome to the 15 December issue of Warehouse & Logistics News, our last edition before Christmas. Soon it’ll be goodbye to 2008. As years go, it’s hard to be polite about this one. The marriage vow runs, for better for worse, for richer for poorer. 2008 has certainly been a worse and poorer year for many people. Thankfully there are still plenty of success stories coming through in this industry: how was it for you?

December is traditionally the time for taking stock and reviewing business. So in an exclusive supplement we’re proud to present the Warehouse & Logistics News Review of The Year 2008 – a look back at some of the stories that stood out in the last 12 months. Thankfully, whatever else has happened in the economy, the goods still have to be delivered: warehousing and logistics continues to be a bustling industry, and as you’d expect this is a bumper Review, crammed with stories about people out there making it happen.

Tesco’s UK sales growth slowed to 2% in the three months to 22 November, reportedly its slowest growth rate since the recession of the early 1990s. If our biggest retailer is suffering like this, spare a thought for the rest. Meanwhile on the highways and in the warehouses and distribution centres across the land, once again the spotlight is on the real heroes, who keep the supply chains moving.

Busy supply chains mean palletised goods needing to be moved, loaded and stored at higher work rates, so there’s still plenty of demand for quality forklift trucks. We hear from John Maguire, Narrow Aisle Director of Sales & Marketing, and the latest chapter in the continuing success story of the Flexi range.

We’ve also got an exclusive combined interview with Psion Teklogix’s MD Paul Westmoreland, and Mike Pullon, CEO of Varlink. It’s almost a year since Psion Teklogix announced an overhaul of its UK channel strategy. As part of this they appointed York-based Varlink as their channel partner for the distribution of their mobile terminals.

Finally, our final scheduled features of 2008 are on Strapping & Wrapping and Floors & Floor Care, to keep you up to date on these essential parts of the warehouse. We’ll have plenty more interviews and features like these in the 15 January issue, plus all our regular sections, so make a date to keep up with industry developments. Have a very Happy Christmas, and see you next year!

Charles Smith

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