1813 Club and Premier Members


1813 Club and Premier Members


Greater Birmingham’s leading companies


A Birmingham-based international freight forwarding company boss has demanded that industry experts stop what he calls ‘scaremongering’ about the Covid- 19 crisis. Chadd Blunt says that the


Charity support: Jes Staley


Barclays offers help to charities


Barclays Bank has invited UK charities to apply for funding support from its £100m community aid package. The bank is going to make


100 donations of £100,000 this month to UK charities who can show that they are supporting vulnerable groups during the Covid-19 lockdown. Barclays CEO Jes Staley


said: “While the Covid-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global challenge, Barclays’ long and historic roots mean our business is inextricably linked to the UK communities in which we live and work. “Our community aid


package has been established to support the many charities and local organisations that are doing great work supporting Covid-19 relief on the ground. “We know that the charity


sector has been severely impacted by the effects of Covid-19. We hope our community aid package will provide relief to some of these organisations at a time of acute stress.” The bank expects to begin


distributing funds during June, subject to completion of due diligence and additional internal governance requirements.


30 CHAMBERLINK June/July 2020


experts should stop painting a negative picture of what is going on during the pandemic, as it is ‘harming the supply chain’. Mr Blunt, managing director of Millennium Cargo, says among the claims being made is that his own sector is facing extinction. But, he added, freight forwarding


was still playing a valuable part in the world’s logistics operation and would continue to do so.


‘False information has also become the latest symptom of the Covid-19 crisis’


He said: “Every industry is having


to adapt to the current situation – and freight forwarding is no different. Yet industry ‘experts’ are insistent on continuously painting a bleak picture of the future rather than attempting to work together to provide viable solutions to help freight forwarders navigate through the current crisis. “Additionally, false information


has also become the latest symptom of the Covid-19 crisis and unfortunately I have seen extensive reports pushing misinformation on the basis that it is physically impossible for goods to be moved


Chadd Blunt: Stop the ‘scaremongering’


due to the current restrictions in place, when this is significantly wide of the mark. “Of course, it’s no secret that the


widespread and comprehensives measures to help halt Covid-19 have had a major impact on the exchange of goods throughout the world. Lockdowns, travel bans, falling demand, labour and limited warehousing capacity are all causing unprecedented issues to the supply chain and as such business as usual has swiftly become a thing of the past. “But, in spite of the hardship that


we are all experiencing, global shipping is however still very much in operation and our peers continue to keep goods moving and despite the reports there are still a wealth


of opportunities out there. “For instance, rail freight services


between China and Europe are now offering similar transit times to air cargo operations – complementing the use of air and sea freight services which have taken a significant dip in recent months due to their inflated costs. “So, rather than signal an end to


the freight forwarding sector, it is more likely that the impact of Covid-19 will re-shape global supply chains and change the way goods are moved. In particular, single sourcing is set to become an outdated practice and as such, the diversification of a business’s supply chain will become the norm in order to mitigate the fallout from any future disruptions.”


Vending machine switches to PPE


A Walsall-based company has come up with a vending machine that swaps snacks for sanitisers – and other personal protective equipment. The life-saving vending machine


is being supplied through Coinadrink Ltd, of Bloxwich Lane, Walsall.


The machine – made by Evoca


Group – has been adapted from snack machine and works in the same way. It can be used to deliver not just sanitiser, but face masks, goggles, ear plugs and other equipment. The machines can be used in any environment, can be available


around the clock and can even carry out stock control functions. Alistair Ward, digital marketing specialist, Coinadrink, said: “Vending machines are a safe and reliable solution to provide vital PPE and Coinadrink Limited is delighted to play its part in helping to keep workforces safe.”


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Contact: Gary Birch T: 0845 6036650


Stop ‘scaremongering’ urges freight forwarder


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