15 September, 2021

London Gateway to get fourth berth

Posted on 15 September, 2021 by Keith McKinley

DP World will begin work in October 2021 on a new fourth berth at its London Gateway logistics hub to increase supply chain resilience and create more capacity for the world’s largest vessels.

The £300m sum – which builds on the £2bn investment DP World has made in Britain over the last decade – represents the next step by the provider of smart logistics in delivering integrated supply chain solutions for customers.

Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World, said: “I am delighted to announce that we will go ahead with our latest major investment in the UK, which will give London Gateway more capacity to handle the world’s largest vessels than any other port in the country.

“As a central pillar of Thames Freeport, London Gateway’s new fourth berth will allow even more customers to benefit from world-class ports and logistics, with unrivalled global connectivity, on the doorstep of Europe’s largest consumer market. DP World plans to be at the heart of Britain’s trading future and this investment shows that we have the ambition and the resources to boost growth, support businesses, create jobs and improve living standards.”

Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer, was guest of honour at the commercial launch of Thames Freeport at the Savoy Hotel in London. He added: “Our new freeports will create national hubs of trade, innovation and commerce, and attract more investment to regenerate communities and level up the UK.

“Bringing ports and business together to invest in their regions is crucial to the Freeports success story – that’s why I’m thrilled that DP World is investing £300 million to support Thames Freeport – creating new opportunities, boosting growth and supporting local jobs.”

In the first six months of 2021 London Gateway saw record throughput of 888,000 TEU, a more than 23% increase on the previous best performance for the first half of a year. The new fourth berth will raise capacity by one-third and completion will coincide with the delivery of a new wave of 24,000 TEU vessels in 2023/2024, which will all be operated between Asia and Europe.

Along with the Port of Tilbury and Ford’s Dagenham plant, DP World London Gateway will form Thames Freeport after being awarded freeport status by the Government earlier this year, with the partners currently progressing the business case with a view to receiving formal accreditation. DP World Southampton has also been awarded freeport status as part of Solent Freeport, further cementing the critical role of both logistics hubs in the UK’s international trade.

Yale truck ideal for landscaping expert

Posted on 15 September, 202125 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The new Yale UX Series range proved to be the ideal solution for the intermittent needs of German landscaping and horticultural company Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn GmbH.

Cities, towns and villages around the world are witnessing a resurgence in the use of outdoor spaces. They provide a place to unwind, to exercise, and to briefly forget the stresses of everyday life. These spaces don’t just miraculously appear; they require precise planning, regular upkeep and maintenance to remain a source of escapism. It may not be an application that requires a full fleet of materials handling equipment, but it is the perfect challenge to rise to for the new UX Series from Yale Europe Materials Handling.

Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn GmbH was established over 70 years ago. Based in and around Hamburg, it is an expert in the construction of new outdoor spaces, tree pruning, and maintenance. The company also builds children’s playgrounds in schools and public areas, providing new opportunities for kids to get outside for fresh air and have fun. Businesses can also rely on Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn to create tailormade and attractive recreation areas for their employees to enjoy.

Sowing the seeds of an idea

Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn needed to replace an existing truck in its building yard. The company was on the search for good quality machines that performed tasks well, but without superfluous features. To assist with finding the ideal solution, Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn turned to Yale dealer MF Gabelstapler.

“We are careful not to simply sell equipment to our customers; we work with them to find the perfect fit and configure it,” said Bendix Sperber, salesperson at MF Gabelstapler. “We design the solution personally with the customer. It doesn’t matter whether the customer needs a single device or a full fleet, everyone is of equal importance and receives first-class, personalised advice throughout the sales process.”

Taking into consideration the equipment being replaced in the work yard and the budget, both a used truck and a Yale Veracitor VX were suggested in the initial discussion. However, it was during an honest and direct moment during the conversation that it became clear the Yale UX Series was the way forward.

Nurturing the working environment

Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn was convinced by the level of performance of the Yale UX Series, as well as the attractive price. The company had perceived Yale to be a premium brand in the materials handling market, but learned through MF Gabelstapler that Yale offers new trucks for all budgets.

Daniel Hahn, CEO at Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn said: “We’re very pleased with the simple efficiency of the Yale GDP35UX. The Yale UX Series is a reliable all-rounder that can handle our intermittent tasks easily. The price was unbeatable.”

The combination of affordability and the personal service from MF Gabelstapler enabled Yale to plant its first roots with Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn.

Used in the loading and offloading of trucks, the Yale UX Series truck moves a variety of loads around the yard. These are mainly pallets of goods but can often include big bags or, on rare occasions, attachments for the tractors and earthmovers. To enable it to transport these bulky loads with ease, the Yale truck features side shift and fork extensions.

The forklift’s ability to adjust from light to medium use in these occasional activities was a feature that particularly impressed the customer. “We can enjoy the security of the brand-new truck and its associated guarantee, which we wouldn’t have with a used truck,” added Daniel Hahn. “All in all, it was the best possible option for our needs.”

The benefits Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn enjoys from the Yale UX Series filters down to its individual projects. Items move around the yard efficiently, ready to be used for the latest landscaping project or playground construction.

Simply efficient

The Yale UX Series was introduced in 2020 aimed at customers with low-intensity applications. Although they may only be used for short periods at a time, they are designed to provide the high levels of efficiency and productivity associated with the Yale product range. The Yale UX Series can also be the ideal alternative to a used truck.

“For our customers, the offer of a new machine for the price of a used one with extremely attractive features sounds too good to be true – but it is a reality with the Yale UX Series. It was the logical choice for many of our clients who approached us looking for a pre-owned machine. Ferdinand Wiese & Sohn is reaping the rewards of what they have sown with its investment, and its business is blooming,” concluded Bendix Sperber.

UK businesses believe Brexit created data challenges

Posted on 15 September, 2021 by Keith McKinley

More than half of UK businesses (54%) say Brexit has presented them with data access and management challenges, according to research from MuleSoft, an integration and API platform provider. This finding highlights that the challenges of siloed data and skills shortages are being amplified as businesses adapt their operations in response to Brexit.

However, these pains are not just being felt by UK businesses: 40% of German and 39% of French businesses also report that Brexit has made it more difficult for them to access and manage data.

These difficulties have helped fuel the supply chain issues that have prompted recent headlines around product shortages and availability. The findings also suggest that businesses may have a hard time navigating future regulatory changes. While there may currently be close regulatory alignment between the UK and EU, businesses’ inability to unlock and act on data quickly may limit their ability to respond to changes in the future.

“Brexit has laid bare just how underprepared many businesses are for the challenges around data access and management in an increasingly digital economy,” said Justin Wilson, head of UK&I at MuleSoft. “At a time when businesses need to be more agile than ever, the UK’s departure from the EU has made it harder for them to harness the data they need to do just that. There’s also the issue of skills shortages. While digital transformation is at the top of their agenda, the exodus of skilled IT professionals has left many businesses without the resources they need to deliver those projects.”

As businesses continue to adjust to the post-Brexit landscape, they urgently need a more agile approach to integrating data and delivering digital transformation. API-led connectivity will be key to this, enabling businesses to break down data silos and overcome borders, so they can quickly create actionable insights. For instance, APIs can be used to connect supply chain data between multiple stakeholders, so UK and EU businesses can achieve the visibility needed to ensure their products are available where they’re needed and mitigate disruption.

Better still, an API-led approach reimagines digital assets as a network of reusable capabilities that anyone can draw from. This enables a wider range of business users to compose their own innovations without IT’s involvement, improving autonomy, business agility and accelerating digital transformation.

“APIs help businesses to overcome many of the most pressing problems they face in the aftermath of Brexit, because they make the process of drawing disparate data sources together far easier,” continued Wilson. “This more flexible approach to integration also enables businesses to package their digital capabilities as a series of reusable building blocks. Not only does this make businesses more agile for change by removing the need to start digital initiatives from scratch, but it also helps ease the skills burden. Now, anyone within the business – not just the IT team – can draw on these pre-existing IT capabilities to drive digital innovation.”

Sowing the seeds of an idea

Nurturing the working environment

Simply efficient

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