Employee whistleblowing telephone calls up 7% at UK transport and logistics firms

The trend for employees at transport and logistics organisations to use whistleblowing hotlines has accelerated following last year’s Hollywood harassment scandals.

New research shows a 7% increase in calls in 2017 according to Expolink, Europe’s leading provider of outsourced speak up “whistleblowing” services.

Employee whistleblowing telephone calls up 7% at UK transport and logistics firms

Expolink’s annual Whistleblowing Benchmarking Report includes an analysis of 8,281 reports raised by UK employees in 2017. Expolink hotlines cover over 600 major organisations worldwide employing 5.35 million people, including more than 20 of the UK and Europe’s largest transport and logistics businesses.

John Wilson, Expolink’s Chief Executive, said: “The tsunami of public whistleblowing that was unleashed in the autumn following revelations in Hollywood, and then elsewhere, has emboldened Britain’s transport employees to increasingly report workplace problems, whether harassment or other issues.

“The rise is particularly notable in the transport and logistics sector where problems can include Health & Safety/Environmental Safety (HSES) issues, which account for more than 15% of all reports from this sector, almost three times higher than the UK average.

“However, the percentage of HSES reports has almost halved for the transport and logistics sector over the past year (HSES issues accounted for 28% of this sector’s reports in 2016). This suggests employees are reporting HSES breaches less frequently, which employers need to look into, but a wider range of issues are being reported by employees within this sector.

“The nature of the transport and logistics sector presents organisations with unique challenges when it comes to promoting and managing a speak up “whistleblowing” service. Such challenges include the split of the workforce between warehouse, transport and back office environments. Nonetheless, the leading companies in this sector have successfully introduced a whistleblowing service, using a multi-pronged approach to ensure employees know where to raise their concerns, whether they are in an office or on-the-road.”

Expolink’s research has shown that in recent years employees have become more comfortable with speaking up and using whistleblowing hotlines where they see unsafe, dishonest or inappropriate activity. This trend has leapt forward since the autumn following the Hollywood and ensuing scandals, which has encouraged employees to examine their own organisations more objectively and speak up if they see unethical behaviour.

John Wilson added: “Readily available speak-up channels, combined with a culture of listening to employee concerns, is often the best defence for organisations against festering problems that could eventually lead to injuries, staff problems or even damage to the company’s reputation. By having a whistleblowing service in place it helps to identify issues before they escalate, providing management is willing to listen, of course.”

Complimentary copies of Expolink’s Benchmarking Report are available via this link:    https://www.expolink.co.uk/resources/benchmarking-report-2018/

BVL Forum to be hosted in Antwerp

The German Logistics Association (BVL International) is to hold its next Chemical Logistics Forum for the first time in Belgium.

BVL Forum to be hosted in Antwerp

Antwerp is the venue for the 2018 forum which will be held on 20-21 June. The programme is heavily influenced by the connections between Germany and Belgium within the global chemical industry network. A further focal point is logistics and supply chain management in the field of polymers, one of the main areas of expertise of the Belgian port city.

One of the highlights of the programme will be a panel session moderated by Prof Christian Kille, director of the Institute for Applied Logistics at Würzburg-Schweinfurth University. This session will present the findings of a study ‘Fourth Party Logistics (4PL) in the Chemical Industry’ at the forum.

The study was conducted by Prof Kille together with business consultants Camelot and supported by logistics provider Dachser. It highlights the special factors that come into play in the deployment of 4PL and LLP service providers in the chemical industry. 

The forum will be held in English. Potential attendees can register at www.bvl.de/fcl

Environmental Initiative of the Year Award for CHEP at Industrial Pack 2018

CHEP, a Brambles company, received the Environmental Initiative of the Year Award at Industrial Pack 2018 in Atlanta earlier this monthEnvironmental Initiative of the Year Award for CHEP at Industrial Pack 2018. The award honors CHEP and its new carbon neutral half pallet, a circular supply chain solution that helps customers reach both sustainability and business goals.

“We had a large number of entries for the inaugural Industrial Pack Awards, and the jury came to a unanimous decision that CHEP’s carbon neutral half pallet was the deserved winner,” said Tim Rusbridge, Event Manager for Industrial Pack. “The carbon neutral half pallet is a great product that will positively impact the entire industry.”

Rusbridge said the Environmental Initiative of the Year Award was established to recognize and honor “the product, service, person or company that demonstrates its dedication to protecting the environment via the use of latest technologies, materials or ways of thinking.”

Protecting the environment is an essential aspect of how CHEP and its parent company operate, according to Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, North America Director of Sustainability, Brambles.

“We’re honored to receive this award in recognition of CHEP’s ongoing work to create a circular, sustainable economy,” said Lindsay-Walker. “Given the size and scope of our organization, Brambles has the ability to make a real contribution to smarter, more sustainable supply chains – and we take that responsibility to heart.”

CHEP’s life cycle analysis includes initiatives to reduce the half pallet’s environmental impact. The use of CHEP’s solutions produce a significant reduction in emissions when compared to other market alternatives. Additionally, CHEP’s half pallet carbon footprint is further reduced by supply chain optimization activities such as purchasing offset credits for the remaining carbon to ensure it’s completely neutral. The credits purchased benefit the Mississippi Alluvial Valley Reforestation Project, an American Carbon Registry listed project.

First edition of Industrial Pack a resounding success

Launch event connects top buyers and suppliers in the industrial packaging community, celebrates industry’s achievements and lays foundation for future shows.

First edition of Industrial Pack a resounding success

Exhibitors at Industrial Pack, the first and only trade show dedicated to the North American industrial, transit and protective packaging market, have hailed the first edition of the event as a resounding success.

Taking place this week at the Cobb Galleria Centre in Atlanta, the show brought together over 1,000 of the market’s top packaging engineers, technicians, specifiers and buyers with the very best suppliers of industrial, transit and protective packaging.

Representatives of household-name businesses from a range of industrial sectors visited the show to source new solutions and meet suppliers, including 3M, Akzo Nobel, BASCO, Bostic, Caterpillar, Coca-Cola, Eastman Chemical Company, HB Fuller, Henkel Corporation, Honda, MetroSite, Pratt & Whitney, Nordson, Nova Chemicals, Procter & Gamble, Snap-on-Tools, Solvay USA, The Dow Chemical Company, Unilever, Viking, Wayfair, Yamaha and many more.

Features at the show included the first Industrial Packaging Awards, which celebrated the outstanding new products and initiatives in the industry, and the Industrial Pack Conference, which saw top experts share case studies and insights on hot topics such as sustainability, cost management, legal compliance, tariffs and more.

The show floor was also host to a unique feature, Pack Testing Live, which saw a range of packaging formats being put through their paces in front of a live audience. Plans are already underway for Industrial Pack 2019 and the second edition of the event will be back at the Cobb Galleria Centre on March 27-28, 2019.

Event manager Tim Rusbridge said: “It’s been fantastic to see this event come to life and we’re delighted with the feedback we’ve had from both visitors and exhibitors for this launch edition. The quality of the booths and the senior positions of our visitors only underlined the need for a show of this type to serve the industrial, transit and protective packaging sector.

“The features ensured that the show offered the visitors great opportunities to learn from, and network with, the leaders of this dynamic industry and colleagues across the business. We have laid a strong foundation for next year’s event and we’re really looking forward to working with our many partners and friends in the industry to ensure it connects and inspires the sector even better than this year’s.”

Exhibitor testimonials

“Considering this was a launch event, we were pleasantly surprised by the number of quality leads we received, and we are already looking forward to exhibiting at the 2019 show!” – Jim Baibak, Sumter Packaging

“The first edition of Industrial Pack went well! Great connections with visitors and professionally organized. The outcome was simple, efficient and focused on doing business.”- Koen Adams, NEFAB

“Best new packaging show in the South! Nothing but growth to come… thank you Easyfairs for an awesome job!” – Shannon Chaney, Schaefar Systems

“Show started out strong with a good selection of venders and people walking the show were quality leads.” – Randy Cleveland, Tyoga Container Company

“We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and met plenty of potential customers. Being near the Braves Stadium was also a treat – ABC Polymer will be returning next year without a doubt!”

– Patrick Williams, ABC Polymer Industries

Visitor testimonials

“Industrial Pack turned out to be a very useful expo. As a buyer, there were plenty of networking opportunities and new product demonstrations. I will be back next year and look forward to it!” –

Jeff Baker, AMEC

“I’ve been looking for recycling containers, and there were a number of suppliers here that I made good connections with –  I’m looking forward to following up with those and hopefully we’ll have some good business with them.” – Dana Burns, Procurement Manager, Central Garden & Pet Company

“There really hasn’t been a show like this that focuses on the rigid side, so we were particularly interested in seeing this. We have some 40+ plants across 12 business units and I’ve found a lot of suppliers here and found a lot of benefit – I’m coming back tomorrow to see a couple of the talks and am pretty sure I’ll be back next year too!” – Alexei Main, Procurement Manager, Arkema

For more information regarding the exhibition and conference visit www.industrialpackexpo.com.

Eddie Stobart invests in the next generation of motorsport engineers

Eddie Stobart today announces it is partnering with the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) and Albatec Racing to train the next generation of motorsport engineers.

This announcement marks the latest in a series of training initiatives by the supply chain, transport and logistics company since opening the doors of its flagship Training Academy to the wider logistics and supply chain sector last September.

The collaborative partnership will provide students studying Motorsport and Automotive Performance Engineering at the University of Bolton with hands-on experience in the development, assembly and preparation of the “Albatec NCME partnered by Eddie Stobart Peugeot 208 RX Supercar”.

Through a mixture of in-class, workshop and event-day learning, NCME students will work directly with Albatec engineers during the Toyo Tires MSA British Rallycross Championship, as British Rally Champion Mark Higgins takes to the wheel of the Peugeot 208 RX. 11 students were able to accompany and support Higgins and the team during the opening race of the campaign at Silverstone earlier this month.

Eddie Stobart invests in the next generation of motorsport engineers

Higgins will also be on hand to work closely with students during the championship and, as the stunt driver for the last three James Bond movies, Higgins has a wealth of experience to share.

Having already completed the first race of the campaign, Higgins will again take to the wheel of the Peugeot 208 RX Supercar for round two of the rallycross championship in Kent on Easter Monday. To celebrate the new partnership, Eddie Stobart will be running a social media competition over the Easter bank holiday weekend for one lucky individual to name the team’s turbocharged Peugeot 208 RX Supercar.

Eddie Stobart will also be working closely with the University of Bolton to understand how it can extend this partnership to aid the development of its graduate scheme which will be launched in September this year.

Angelina Miley, HR Director of Eddie Stobart said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Albatec and the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering. With the core aim of providing career development opportunities for the next generation of motorsport engineers, this partnership perfectly epitomises Eddie Stobart’s ideals and the team has our complete support for the year’s rallycross campaign. Motorsport has such strong links to the logistics world, and we’re committed to helping deliver for Mark and the team.”