NEWS\\\


Multimodal 2017 Daily Issue 3 - Freight Business Journal


RMS captain stands down


Peter Aarosin has sold his shares in ports operator RMS Group and left the business to focus on other commercial opportunities. He has been at the forefront of the development of Goole-based RMS since 1995, with two spells at the helm of the business during which it has grown from a single terminal at the Port of Goole to operations around the Humber estuary. The


Goole-based


businessman was a 50% shareholder


in RMS from


1995 until 2004, when it was the subject of a management


buyout supported by institutional


investors


Yorkshire Fund Managers and Partnership Investment Finance. Though he has resigned


from the company and sold his shares to the remaining shareholders to focus on his roles as a shareholder and managing director of Danbrit Holdings, an umbrella company operating in the UK and Denmark with businesses in the shipping, ship management, haulage, warehousing and industrial packing sectors.


Palletways opens Poland central hub


The Palletways Group has opened its new hub at Łódź in central Poland. Comprising 2,500sq m (26,900 sq ſt) of distribution and logistics space, it will provide collection and delivery services to every postcode area within Poland for the new Polish network, which currently has 12 members. Palletways is currently recruiting additional Polish members, with four more expected to sign in the coming months as volumes continue to grow. Łódź offers daily connections


with Germany and the rest of the Palletways international hub


“another major step towards our vision of being the European Pallet network of natural choice for all customers across Europe. We have worked very hard to recruit the best possible team and the best network members to deliver service excellence to all. “In 2017 alone we’ve added


three new hubs to our network, including Bristol in the UK and Jaen in southern Spain, together with Łódź in Poland. We are also continuing to invest in award winning IT systems and enhanced infrastructure to continue to offer the best support for our members


our Polish customers particularly. In-bound and outbound volumes between Poland and the rest of our pan European network will move faster and more efficiently than before, which presents the opportunity for us to offer market leading customer service.”


7


All quiet on the Chief replacement front


Silence is not always golden, says BIFA director general,


Robert


Keen. Certainly not if three years ago you submitted your industry’s aspirations for the replacement customs computer system, CDS, and have not heard anything back since. “Total silence from a


government department is worrying,” he told FBJ in an interview at


the Multimodal


exhibition in Birmingham on 4 April. “And we do have serious soſtware concerns.” With Brexit looming, Customs


will need a system that is man enough for the job up in running with what is, in computer industry terms, virtually no lead time and the Government’s track record in successfully implementing new IT systems isn’t exactly sparkling. The ageing Chief system will


continue handling the country’s import and export declarations, which is a bit like relying on a 1971 Morris Minor for a 100 mile daily commute. Meanwhile, the trade will have


to plan for Brexit on t he basis of little more than rumours. Could there be some sort of ‘electronic passport’ for goods, or a trusted trader scheme? One thing is clear, though: stopping everything that


comes into Dover or Cheriton for customs clearance isn’t going to work.


All that said, BIFA can see


potential solutions to the issues. Robert Keen says: “Actually, it’s a bit of a myth that all customs clearance


for intra-EU traffic


ceased when the Single European Market opened on 1 January 1993. We still have Intrastat” - the pan-EU system for collecting data on trade in the Community. This, Robert Keen postulates could be kept in being and used as the basis of the simple customs declaration that would be needed to allow goods to move across the UK/EU frontier. There is also a trusted trader-type scheme for trucks and of course there is AEO, he points out. Whatever happens, some sort


of transitional arrangements will be needed to keep the UK’s trade running, he adds. A self-assessment scheme for


traders could also solve many problems, Keen agrees – BIFA is on the government working group for this – and perhaps Brexit will be the trigger for something revolutionary in this area. It could be an opportunity to strip out “unnecessary interventions” at the border, as the ‘Rickwood Report’ postulated a quarter of a century


ago. Maybe the opportunity could


be taken, as part of the Great Repeal process, to strip out unneeded customs legislation and create a simpler system. Why not flat rate rather than ad valorem duties? Could something be done to strip out the many interventions by agencies at the border, covering anything from endangered species to illegally- traded weapons? As a Multimodal


seminar


suggested, one reason why countries such as Singapore are such successful traders is that they have very simple customs rules. While it does make sense to align UK regulations with the EU in areas where it is necessary – for example, truck weights and dimensions – there is no reason why the UK’s own customs rules should mimic Brussels. There is no doubt that Brexit


will change the pattern of UK trade – already there are some signs that business with Germany has reduced – and in some respects trade with the EU will not be as easy as before. The UK will undoubtedly have to find new markets. But BIFA’s aim will be to ensure that that change is as orderly as possible.


Perfect for production peaks.


When you find reliable transport companies for your transport orders quickly. You too should test Europe's largest transport platform now for up to 4 weeks for free.


network, including Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia and a full range of Economy and Premium domestic services within Poland. Palletways chief executive, James Wilson, said it represents


and customers.” Managing director of Palletways


Poland, Tomasz Cegielski, added: “The new Polish network offers an outstanding improvement to our Eastern European connections for


Customers, whom we have convinced:


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16