Welcome to the October 1st issue of Warehouse & Logistics News. Just six months after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the Covid-19 outbreak a global pandemic, the warehouse and logistics space as we know it has had to evolve rapidly and with it, changes have had to be made. So well done to the warehousing, logistics and fulfilment platform Trident Worldwide, which is taking control following the stretching of warehouse capacity by Covid-19. The end-to-end logistics platform harnesses the power of data and artificial intelligence to produce a single digital dashboard which enables full control of both stock and logistics. For warehouses that have space readily available, becoming part of Trident’s flexible network of warehouses means space is used more efficiently, with the platform sourcing just the space businesses need, where and when they need it, our cover story reports.

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The government’s Kickstart Scheme aims to help young people by providing £2bn of funding to employers to create job placements for 16 to 24-year olds. Although the proposed Kickstart support is for an initial six-month placement only, it gives the industry opportunity to showcase warehousing and logistics as a fast-paced, IT driven environment with clear career paths, and to recruit the young employees we need as rapid online retail growth brings increased demand for our services. In his regular column, Peter Ward of the UKWA encourages as many businesses as possible to take advantage of this timely government funding, which covers 100% of national minimum wage for 25 hours a week, as well as associated employer National Insurance contributions and minimum auto enrolment pension contributions.

With manufacturing and logistics operations having been fully or partly shut down due to the events of recent months, there are specific risks associated with this downtime. Forklifts restarting after idle periods are more susceptible to fire, explosion, or machinery breakdown. Thorough pre-start up plans and checks are required to minimise the risks, particularly of fire and explosion. As forklifts return to service after months of being idle, what better time to raise safety standards, says our fork lift trucks feature.

Warehouse operators may be concerned at the present time that their lifting equipment may be due an examination, subject to statutory inspection time limits. Operators of lifting equipment are legally obliged to maintain their equipment, carrying out thorough examinations, written schemes and statutory inspections. These legal obligations can be viewed in a positive way as they help avoid the potentially huge dangers that would result from the failure of equipment, our lifting gears and cranes feature points out.

High speed doors are an indispensable part of today’s warehouse, given that strict temperature and humidity control is needed. Now is the perfect time to make doors winter ready, especially if seasonal change comes sooner than expected, our doors and curtains feature suggests. Frost, snow, ice and wet weather conditions combine with shorter days and longer nights to create loading practice challenges for any warehouse.

Enjoy reading the issue.

James Surridge

Publishing Editor

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