Reflecting on what has been arguably the most difficult twelve months since the Association was founded during World War II, UKWA can feel rightly proud of the role we have played in supporting our members through three lockdowns, the major changes driven by the super-acceleration of e-commerce, the implementation of new COVID-secure working practices and, of course, the departure of the UK from the European Union.
During this time, we established a COVID information hub to share latest information with our members and hosted a series of webinars to provide practical advice and offer insights into how industry leaders were coping.
In addition, in engaging with HM Border Protocol & Delivery Group, UKWA worked hard to ensure the voice of our industry was heard by Government and that our members were kept abreast of planned changes. UKWA’s Get Ready for Brexit campaign saw the Association produce fact sheets and videos from specialist partners on new customs regulations, changes in employment and taxation laws, and more.
Despite the dark times, there have been some positives too. The warehousing and logistics sector has assumed a new prominence in the eyes of both government and the consumer, and the UKWA’s Logistics Users Panel Discussion – held almost a year to the day since the panelists gathered at our National Conference in Chester prior to the first lockdown – confirmed strong optimism for the future and a clear appetite on the part of retailers and manufacturers to work in partnership with 3PLs in the new post-pandemic, post-Brexit world.
Membership of the Association has grown since this time last year and we are delighted to welcome new specialist partners to the fold, such as Open Border Direct, enabling UKWA to offer even more benefits to members in the coming months.
We are also launching our new digital self-assessment portal, developed exclusively for UKWA by legal specialists rradar. Designed to replace the former one-off audit, the new system will help improve operational efficiency as well as protecting members by ensuring regulatory compliance, reducing business risk and saving costs on insurance.
Looking ahead, to paraphrase one of our Logistics Users panelists, there are big challenges and great opportunities ahead. UKWA is in great shape to take full advantage of those opportunities and we will continue to support members in meeting the inevitable challenges wrought by the seismic changes of the last twelve months.
Peter Ward
UKWA, CEO
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