The UK Warehousing Association’s 80th anniversary year has been celebrated throughout this year with the strapline “Around the Warehouses in Eighty Visits”. But just how apposite was this theme? In Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel, “Around the World in Eighty Days”, Phileas Fogg – a wealthy, eccentric Englishman who lives a predictable life in London – makes a bold wager that he can travel around the world in just 80 days!
The 1872 novel remains a classic, showcasing Verne’s imaginative take on themes of exploration, technological advancement, and the shrinking world of the 19th century as global travel became more feasible. Setting off with his loyal French valet, Passepartout, Fogg has many unexpected adventures along the way, completing the challenge in the nick of time. His journey takes him across Europe, Asia, and America, using all sorts of transport, from steamships to elephants. A 1956 film starred David Niven as Fogg, and the image of him travelling by hot air balloon became an iconic symbol of the voyage.
She may not be a man from London, nor has she traversed the globe, but like Fogg, UKWA’s Chief Executive Clare Bottle has forged an original path and achieved an unlikely goal: in her case, visiting eighty warehouses within the year. The modes of transport were less varied, but the commitment to technology was noticeable, as Clare undertook all eighty visits in her EV – a Tesla Model 3, specially ‘wrapped’ in UKWA branding for the tour – demonstrating that range anxiety need not dampen ambitious travel plans.
Visit number eighty even featured a hot air balloon! Hosted by Delamode International Logistics, a UKWA member company since 1987, the afterparty venue was decked out in coloured silks, replete with a huge basket, to simulate the final landing. Delamode manages FMCG supply chains from product origin to customer delivery in the UK, Ireland and across Continental Europe. Their Southampton Distribution Centre offers a unique 65,000 pallet, bonded facility, situated just 200 metres from the quayside, with accreditations including AEO and Investors in People. And this was the final stop on UKWA’s odyssey.
Verne’s fictional protagonist experiences a personal transformation, learning to embrace a new adventurous life, rich in meaning and connection. And according to Bottle she too has forged closer bonds with some of UKWA’s 1,000 member companies, benefitting from an enriching and uplifting insight into the state of the UK’s warehouses. A common theme observed across all eighty visits was the pride that people take in providing excellence to their customers.
Just as Verne’s novels were serialised – in his case in a French magazine – so UKWA’s regular updates, visit by visit, have been drip fed to followers on LinkedIn. And now the tour has prompted a longer piece: not quite a novel, but a thought-leadership paper on the Warehouse of the Future. Jules Verne would surely approve.
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