The Logistics Podcast

With salons closed until very recently, there's been high demand from consumers for beauty products, especially salon-quality nail gels and home hair dyes. That's according to Sarah Booth, account director, Supply Chain, UK and Ireland for XPO Logistics. Some of XPO’s customers in the beauty and personal care sectors have witnessed an increase in demand of between 200% and 300% for their products....

The future of warehousing, 3D printing, mini power stations, artificial intelligence and blockchain all feature in the latest episode of The Logistics Podcast. Supply chains have faced the ultimate test in recent months. COVID-19 has shined a light on business models, disrupting the norm, forcing operators to think differently. In the second of a series of thought leadership interviews f...

COVID-19 has exposed vulnerabilities in supply chains, according to Maureen O’Shea, Operations Lead Partner for KPMG (https://home.kpmg/xx/en/home.html) . In the latest episode of The Logistics Podcast, O’Shea says now is the time to examine market demand, supplier relationships and to take bold steps.   She’s joined by Shane Brennan, chief executive of the Cold Chain Federation (https://www.coldc...

Deputy Editor James Burman takes a trip to Nottingham city centre to interview Chris Holmes and James Turpin from NHS Supply Chain.   In the first of a series of ‘Out of Office’ interviews with winners from last year’s Logistics awards, NHS Supply Chain had a lot to say about the challenges and rewards of facilitating the logistics operation behind the country’s national health service – no easy t...

Step aside Sir David Attenborough, get on your boat Greta, this episode it’s SHD Logistics’ turn to tackle plastic waste. We talk to Unipart Logistics on how it removed single-use plastic from Sky’s supply chain before heading to London’s West End to meet the co-founder of Garçon Wines, Santiago Navarro. Santiago and his team have developed the first flat wine bottle, made from 100% recycled plast...

The Logistics Podcast learned what year-round care and compassion look like on a recent visit to GEFCO’s Coventry warehouse, which won our Wellbeing Initiative Award in September. Retention of engaged staff, fewer absences and close teams are just some of the business benefits.    GEFCO Incentives include free fish & chips, free health checks, free haircuts, free camping festivals for family and f...

This episode we grill Oxford Street shoppers on their Black Friday bargains and discuss the impact of consumerism with some Extinction Rebellion protestors nearby. Then we take you to DHL Supply Chain’s TK Maxx in Coventry to speak with Jim Hartshorne, MD retail & consumer, DHL Supply Chain. We also share figures from Barclays, KPMG and high street tracker BDO. Here are some facts from Black Frida...

British brand Denby tackles packaging at the UKWA Annual Luncheon and SHD Logistics editor Kirsty Adams joins an international audience at the recent ReBOUND Conference to discuss fast fashion.

Interviews with Ocado, XPO Logistics, Diamond Logistics and JLL are featured on the IMHX 2019 Preview podcast. Digital twinning, Brexit and urban logistics are some of the trending topics covered by our guests which include Alex Harvey, general manager for warehouse automation & embedded systems, Ocado Technology and Gavin Williams – supply chain managing director – UK&I, XPO Logistics. Alex and G...

Chaos at Westminster over a no-deal Brexit is not necessarily transferring into UK warehouses - at least not for Gavin Williams, managing director at XPO Logistics or Andrew Baxter, managing director of Europa Worldwide Group. The business leaders share how they’re preparing for no-deal (and have been for a while...).

How much power does your warehouse need? In the latest episode of ‘Out of office’ from The Logistics Podcast, Simon Cox, first vice president, project management & sustainability officer at property developer Prologis UK, tells us what he thinks.   The cost of energy is going up due to new demands on our power supplies. Electricity has always powered lighting, the office but now we’re powering ele...

Black Friday, Singles Day and Talent in Logistics are the focus of this month’s docu-podcast brought to you by SHD Logistics. We hear from James Hyde of James and James Fulfilment, Dominic Hebbard of Hermes, Colin Donnelly of Sainsbury’s Argos and Hannah Chapman of Ava May Aromas on how they’re preparing for the biggest event in the UK retail sector’s calendar. Claire Piotrowski, head of future ta...

Gayle is responsible for parcel activity out of Ted Baker’s three main distribution centre hubs - in Derby for distribution activities in the UK, in Atlanta for the US, and Hong Kong. This encompasses the distribution of products via e-commerce and products that go into its retail stores.  She talks to SHD Logistics Assistant Editor David Tran about which retailers’ logistics activities most inspi...

Budweiser Brewing Group (https://budweiserbrewinggroup.co.uk/age-gate/) is the world’s leading brewer which includes favourite brands Stella Artois, Budweiser, and Bud Light. Its site in Magor, Wales is their beacon light in warehouse operational innovation, with an automated design that can store 23m pints of beer. Opened in October 2018, this is the company’s first installation of a multi-deep s...

The National Health Service is the largest public service organisation in the UK. However, as the NHS is facing rising costs, increasing and an ageing population, the organisation has to find ways of becoming more cost-efficient.  In 2016, Lord Carter published a report which identified unwarranted variation in procurement across the NHS. To ensure delivery of consumable medical supplies are cost-...

Will robots shut the door on humans in warehouses? What impact could human displacement have on society? This episode we debate the role of the human in logistics. We’re joined by Vin Grainger, solutions director at [iForce](https://www.iforcegroup.com/); Peter Ward, chief executive of the [UKWA](https://www.ukwa.org.uk/) and Prof. John Manners Bell, managing director of research consultancy [Tran...

All-electric delivery company Gnewt delivered its 500,000th parcel for ASOS the week the Ultra Low Emission Zone hit London (ULEZ). Gnewt – which was acquired by Menzies Distribution in 2017 – is emissions-free therefore hasn’t suffered the same frustrations as some of its competitors under new ULEZ regulations. Kirsty Adams interviews founder of Gnewt Sam Clarke and driver Jose on the last metre,...

[XPO Logistics](https://www.xpo.com/) UK supply chain managing director Gavin Williams is one of the company’s key figureheads driving the company’s automation plans. These include the rollout of some 5,000 cobots across warehouses in North America and Europe, and the launch of a new automated distribution centre in Leicestershire next year with confectionery company Nestlé, dubbed the ‘warehouse...

SHD Logistics editor Kirsty Adams visited [Europa Worldwide Group](http://www.europa-worldwide.com/)’s 1Hub in Dartford this week, the day after Theresa May’s second deal was slammed by MPS in the Commons. Dan Cook, group operations director for Europa Road, left one of many Brexit meetings he’s been having, to tell The Logistics Podcast about the preparations they’re putting in place in case of a...

Nike (http://www.nike.com/) , Selfridges (http://www.selfridges.com/) and Hotel Chocolat (https://www.hotelchocolat.com/uk) are coronated as we discuss winning retail logistics operations in the latest episode of The Logistics Podcast. Guests include; Caroline Luxton, head of logistics at online retailer LoveCrafts (http://www.lovecrafts.com/) ; Prof. Neil Ashworth, CCO at Yodel (http://www.yodel....

Does your post person deliver your drugs? Did you know that logistics could disrupt critical votes in Parliament? In this episode, we interview Amy Shortman, founder and CEO of ASC Associates (http://www.ascassociates.co.uk/) alongside the company’s chief operating officer Henry Moran, to discuss trends in pharmaceutical and healthcare logistics. They share insight on the importance of predictive...

Kevin is an EU citizen, an Irish man who works as a driver for UK business Fresh Logistics, who waits uncertain of his post-Brexit future. Andrew Baxter is managing director of Europa Worldwide Group, he campaigned to leave, admits there will be short term complications, but hasn’t changed his opinion. Brexit is a huge and heavy topic across our industry and its many levels. Brexit is being descri...

This year's The Logistics Awards was SHD Logistics' fifth ceremony. It celebrated some of the most impactful logistics projects over the past 12 months from companies including Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Wed2B. SHD Logistics’ assistant editor David Tran highlights some of the most memorable moments from the awards, held on Thursday 20 September at the UnderGlobe, Shakespeare’s Globe. Hear from some of...

Dark human-free warehouses? This isn’t the picture being painted by this month’s podcast guests as we discuss machines, humans and job titles of the future. This episode explores how human roles are changing, collaboration and embracing automation. Guest Alex Harvey, head of robotics and autonomous systems at Ocado, says automation frees up humans to do jobs that use their cognitive abilities. Eri...

John Lewis’ base in Magna Park, Milton Keynes is a gigantic 2.1m sq ft space which initially opened in June 2009. Its operations are spread across two warehouse facilities, Magna Park 1 and Magna Park 2, working harmoniously to fulfil online customer orders and in-store stock. Ever wondered what goes on inside these vast facilities? SHD Logistics assistant editor David Tran went along to visit one...