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BIFA’s Golf Day Raises Thousands For Chosen Industry Charity

Posted on by David Priestman

BIFA’s Golf Day, held at the prestigious Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa, was a resounding success, raising an impressive £3100 for Transaid.

The British International Freight Association’s (BIFA) Golf Day, held at the prestigious Formby Hall Golf Resort and Spa, was a resounding success.

The event saw participants from across the freight and logistics industry come together for a day of friendly competition and charity fundraising.

This year’s golf day was particularly special, as it raised an impressive £3100 for BIFA’s official charity partner, Transaid, a cause close to the hearts of many in the industry. The funds will go directly to supporting Transaid’s work, making a meaningful impact on the community in sub-Saharan Africa.

BIFA congratulates the winning team from Logicall for its outstanding performance on the course. The Logicall team, consisting of Jordan Phillips, Jon Lilley, Brendan Beech and Paul Phillips secured first place, on count-back, with an impressive score of 87 points in the foursomes competition. A team from Irish Freight Solutions came a close second.

In addition to the main tournament, the event featured several mini-challenges, including longest drive and nearest the pin competitions. These added excitement and further opportunities for participants to contribute to the fundraising efforts.

Carl Hobbis, BIFA member services director, said: “We are thrilled with the turnout and generosity shown at this year’s Golf Day; our first for many years. The event not only brought together key members of the freight forwarding community but also raised vital funds for a wonderful cause. Congratulations to our winner and a heartfelt thank you to all 72 who participated and contributed.“

Following the success of this year’s event, BIFA will expand the number of golfing events it holds in 2025, continuing the tradition of camaraderie, competition, and charity. To register your interest for an event next year, visit our events page.

Logistics Cyclists raise £225,000 for Transaid

Posted on by David Priestman

The transport and logistics industry has successfully fielded two strong teams of riders to complete Transaid cycle challenges both in the UK and Kenya, raising more than £225,000 towards our projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

Last week a team of 30 pedalled 295 miles from the foothills of Mount Kenya to stunning Lake Victoria in just six days, raising an incredible £165,000 in Transaid’s first cycling fundraiser in the country. This followed just two and a half weeks after a separate group of 40 riders raised £60,000 for a demanding 159-mile, two-day ride battling the elements, from Newcastle to Edinburgh.

The unrestricted funds will be used to support Transaid’s life-saving road safety and access to healthcare projects, which currently span ten countries.

Maddy Matheson, Head of Fundraising for Transaid, says: “Ever since our first Cycle Challenge in Malawi, back in 2006, we’ve enjoyed excellent support from riders across the industry, and this year was no different. We had two fantastic groups, each passionate about our life-saving work. We are so grateful to everyone who participated, whether they were in the saddle, or sponsoring a friend, family member or colleague.”

Peter Whitehead, Managing Director at PF Whitehead Logistics, one of the riders taking part in Cycle Kenya and challenge sponsor, explains: “It was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure with a great group of people. I feel very fortunate to have been able to participate, and the opportunity to visit a country where Transaid works brought home the true impact of their road safety and access to health care programmes. I would honestly recommend it to anyone considering signing up for a future ride.”

Participants of the Newcastle to Edinburgh event represented 15 organisations from across the industry, including AAL Shipping, Backhouse Jones, Brigade Electronics, Cold Chain Federation, Columbia Shipmanagement, Dawsongroup Truck and Trailer, Edrington, Elddis Transport, EORI, GXO, Idris Logistics, IVECO, RHA, Stanley Travel, and The Malcolm Group, and was sponsored by Dawsongroup Truck and Trailer, with Stanley Travel providing coach transfers for the group.

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Transaid Welcomes New Corporate Member

Posted on by David Priestman

International development organisation Transaid has welcomed Iron Mountain as the latest supporter to enrol in its corporate membership programme.

Iron Mountain, a global leader in innovative warehousing, storage and fulfilment, data centre infrastructure, asset lifecycle management and information management services, will help support Transaid’s critical work in sub-Saharan Africa through its membership. The aim is to support the charity’s primary goals of improving commercial driving standards and ensuring people in rural areas have access to healthcare.

Through this partnership, Transaid can test and implement new projects to understand their impact and appropriateness – as previously achieved through the MAMaZ Against Malaria (MAM) pilot programme, which first trialled its innovative, community-led response and use of bicycle ambulances to improve severe malaria case management in rural Zambia.

Maria Torrent-March, Warehousing & Logistics Strategy Director, Iron Mountain, says: “I am delighted to support Transaid in their commitment to improve global road safety and access to healthcare. We are looking forward to being involved in Transaid projects and to working with the Transaid Road Safety Advisory Board sharing expertise, resources and best practice to help them deliver its professional driver training.”

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising at Transaid voiced her appreciation for the company’s commitment, and says: “Our corporate members are fundamental to the success of our operations, and we are incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work closely with Iron Mountain. They bring a wealth of new expertise to our membership base and will enable us to extend our reach into more communities in sub-Saharan Africa, with the aim of improving even more lives.”

Transaid transforms lives through safe, available, and sustainable transport. Founded by Save the Children, The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT), and its Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the international development organisation works with communities, partners, and governments to solve transport challenges throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid works in two core areas, road safety and access to health, to solve two of the biggest transport challenges in sub-Saharan Africa. Transaid’s road safety work focuses on influencing safe driver behaviour with long term programmes in Ghana, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, responding to local needs for improved training for drivers and riders of trucks, buses, motorcycles and forklift trucks. On the access to health side, Transaid is working with local partners and communities to strengthen access to health services, primarily in rural areas. They are also working to strengthen health supply chains in collaboration with local partners and governments.

Transaid Project Attracts Deputy High Commissioner

Posted on by David Priestman

The British Deputy High Commissioner to Ghana, Keith McMahon MBE, has visited Transaid’s professional driver training programme in Tema, Greater Accra, Ghana to see how the international development organisation is working to improve road safety in the country, which has seen an increase in road crash fatalities in recent years.

During the visit he observed practical refresher training with a group of 11 HGV driver trainers, who have collectively trained almost 1,000 professional drivers to new or improved standards within the last 12 months.

Transaid’s work in Ghana forms part of a three-and-a-half-year project which began in 2021, funded by Puma Energy Foundation, to raise training standards and expand training capacity for HGV drivers – in a country where almost 95% of freight is transported by road.

Commenting on the reason for his visit, McMahon says: “The High Commission provides technical and financial assistance to the African Continental Free Trade Area, and part of increasing trade and investment is improving road transport corridors – which in turn requires highly skilled drivers.

“With HGV traffic on Ghana’s roads set to increase, ensuring access to improved standards of driver training is paramount. Transaid’s ‘train the trainer’ model is helping the country to develop and retain these skills locally, and it was fantastic to meet the team behind it.”

Thelma Ayisi, a Project Manager at Transaid, says: “It was an honour to introduce the British Deputy High Commissioner to our project, and highlight how we are working to ensure consistency of training standards, with the aim of saving lives.

“Our next priority is to focus on securing buy-in from more private sector fleets, by highlighting the advantages of employing drivers who have followed a specific HGV driver training curriculum. These are important steps to improve access to future jobs and help to drive economic growth in Ghana.”

Transaid’s approach is to build local skills to ensure sustainable and lasting change, which it has been able to demonstrate in this project by advancing several Ghanaian driver trainers, with additional training, to achieve the level of master trainer. This enables them to train other driver trainers, as demand dictates.

The initial three-and-a-half-year project in Ghana is set to run until July 2024, by which time Transaid expects to have helped deliver professional driver training to more than 1,500 HGV drivers.

The World Health Organisation estimates that around 7,000 people lost their lives on the road in Ghana in 2016.

 

Combilift Donates 75,000th Truck to Charity

Posted on by David Priestman

As part of Combilift’s celebrations for its 25th anniversary, the Irish materials handling specialist has announced that it is donating its 75,000th truck – an Aisle Master articulated forklift – to Convoy of Hope, a non-profit humanitarian and disaster relief organization.

Convoy of Hope works alongside communities and its wide network of volunteers aim to alleviate poverty and hunger and to bring help and hope wherever they are most needed in the world. As this type of aid is sadly always in demand, operational expansion has also seen a corresponding increase in the requirement for warehousing capacity to accommodate the vast volume of supplies that are stored and ready for delivery to areas in need.

The World Distribution Center is based in Springfield, Missouri, and from this location at the “crossroads of America” truckloads of relief supplies and food are sent on their way across the USA and further afield around the globe. Combilift supplied its first Aisle Master for this site four years ago, and a further three units were delivered last year. Convoy of Hope’s Senior Director – Distribution Jeff Smethers, said: “A lot of our exponential growth has been down to the Aisle Masters, as they enable us to get more loads in and out faster. And thanks to Combilift’s free warehouse layout service and the Aisle Master’s narrow aisle capability, we have achieved the best possible storage density and very efficient operation.”

The announcement was made at a gala dinner in Chicago during the ProMat trade fair, where Combilift’s CEO and Co-Founder Martin McVicar said: “The work that Convoy of Hope does is invaluable to relieve suffering around the world and we wanted to make our own contribution by donating our 75,000th truck to this very worthwhile charity.”

Erick Meier, Senior Vice President – Supply Chain at Convoy of Hope, said: ”We are so grateful that Combilift and Martin and the whole team have actually given us one of these trucks for our operations. This is going to help people for years and ensure that every day someone in the world will receive aid – and that brings hope.”

 

 

Schmitz Cargobull provides help for Ukraine

Posted on by David Priestman

With its internal pre-Christmas initiative ‘Give the gift of solidarity’, Schmitz Cargobull employees have collected almost €19,000 to support their colleagues in Ukraine during the ongoing war with Russia. Most of the money raised will be used to purchase ‘PowerHouses’ for the colleagues, which they can use to charge electrical appliances during power cuts.

Schmitz Cargobull AG has been supporting its Ukrainian employees since the beginning of the war and also regularly donates to the aid organisation Brücke, which delivers medical supplies to crisis areas. Donations amounting to more than €11,000 have already been made to Brücke from the Schmitz Cargobull network.

On behalf of Schmitz Cargobull AG, CEO Andreas Schmitz is donating €30,000, thus doubling the support to a total of €60,000. The cheque was handed over to Andriy Leso, co-founder of the Brücke association at the Schmitz Cargobull plant in Altenberge.

“Brücke provides great humanitarian aid. Urgently needed medical equipment is delivered directly to the crisis areas. And what Schmitz Cargobull employees have now set up for their colleagues in Ukraine makes us on the Board really proud. We are delighted with the great commitment of our employees. By doubling the donations, we are showing how important to us it is to provide targeted support to our people in Ukraine during this brutal war,” says Andreas Schmitz.

Ongoing support for Ukraine

Since the beginning of the war, Schmitz Cargobull has supported the Ukrainian employees of its subsidiary in the country and ensured their safety. In addition, the company participated in numerous aid campaigns immediately after the war had started, for example by providing vehicles worth €130,000.

Before Christmas, the employees of Schmitz Cargobull initiated the internal campaign ‘Give the gift of solidarity’. Employees from all locations collected money to donate ‘PowerHouses’ to their colleagues in Ukraine. Due to the systematic destruction of the energy infrastructure throughout Ukraine, electricity is only available for a short period of time. With these large mobile charging batteries, electrical devices can be charged and thus contribute to a certain degree of security.

The association Brücke was founded by 11 German and Ukrainian committed members who have set themselves the goal of delivering urgently needed medical aid quickly and effectively to Ukrainian clinics in the crisis areas.

All donated funds are spent 1:1 on the purchase of the necessary equipment: Medicines, bandages, wheelchairs, electrocardiographs, defibrillators, stretchers, generators and much more. The donations have already financed two ambulances, among other things.

Toyota donates forklift to aid Ukraine

Posted on by David Priestman

Boxes of Hope, a humanitarian aid charity that was established to send food, clothing, medicine and other essential items to the people of Ukraine following the country’s invasion by Russia, has taken delivery of a vinyl-wrapped forklift truck donated free-of-charge by Toyota Material Handling (TMH) UK Ltd.

The forklift – a 2.5 tonne diesel-powered counterbalance model from the Toyota Approved Used fleet – has been vinyl-wrapped in the Boxes of Hope branding and will improve handling efficiency as well as the wellbeing of Boxes of Hope’s volunteer staff by reducing the charity’s reliance on manual handling at its national pick-up and distribution centre in Lincolnshire. The vinyl-wrapping for the truck was supplied by Bott Ltd.

Boxes of Hope’s founder and director, Mandy Baxter, said: “The truck has made a huge difference to the way that we work. It has allowed us to completely change the layout of our store thanks to the fact that we are now able to move items around the facility safely, quickly and easily. Of course, lorry loading has become a faster and simpler process too and, what’s more, we are now able to make full use of every vehicle’s load capacity – which means we can get more of the things that are so desperately needed to the people of Ukraine.

“It now takes about a third of the time to load a truck than it was taking to do the job manually, so the volunteers that were previously required to help with the loading process can focus on other tasks and, as a result, we are able to make optimum use of the time that they so kindly give us.”

Multiple lorry-loads

So far, Boxes of Hope has sent 16 lorries each containing some 18 tonnes of crucial supplies to Ukraine, and Mandy Baxter has made several trips to the war-torn country herself to personally oversee delivery of the aid.

“My visits to Ukraine have changed my life,” she says. “I will never forget the look on the faces of the soldiers that I met at Lviv military hospital. They had experienced things that nobody should go through, and you could see it in their eyes.”

The business community has been quick to get behind Boxes of Hope’s campaign.

“Companies big and small have been very supportive,” says Mandy Baxter. “For example, our warehouse is a former garden centre unit and the owner is not charging us to use it. He originally agreed that we could stay for three months but we’re still here nearly a year later! And we are working closely with a number of local and international logistics companies who not only transport aid from donation centres and individual donors throughout the region to our warehouse, but also provide the lorries and drivers needed to deliver the aid from England to Ukraine.”

Boxes of Hope liaises with other aid agencies based in Ukraine to ensure that the support it provides is targeted to the regions where it is needed most. The charity lists items – which can be anything from wheelchairs to 4×4 vehicle tyres – that it has in stock on a live online inventory system. The inventory data can be accessed by various Ukraine-based partner organisations that request the goods that are urgently required, such as medical or first-aid products, so they can be included on the next outgoing vehicle.

Toyota aims to make a difference

Toyota was initially approached about Boxes of Hope’s urgent need for a truck by a former TMH UK employee, as Amanda Rodgers, TMH UK’s Used & Trade Operations Manager, explains: “I received a call out of the blue from an ex-colleague who described what Boxes of Hope are doing and how having a forklift would help them to process even more vital supplies bound for Ukraine.”

Amanda contacted Mandy Baxter and, after visiting Boxes of Hopes’ site in Spalding, it was quickly agreed that Toyota would not only supply the truck at no cost but also provide complimentary ongoing service and maintenance support.

Supporting projects such as Boxes of Hope is a cornerstone of Toyota Material Handling’s corporate sustainability strategy. “A sustainable company engages in business practices that are good for people and Toyota’s approach to sustainability aims to make a difference to the wellbeing of those who are less fortunate than others,” says Amanda Rodgers.

Mandy Baxter concludes: “We are very grateful to Toyota for everything they are doing to support our work. Having a forklift allows us to operate far more efficiently and, ultimately, lets us send more aid to the people of Ukraine. We would also like to thank Bott Ltd for their contribution.”

Exiger joins WEF Innovators Community

Posted on by David Priestman

Exiger, a global leading third-party and supply chain management software company, has joined the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Innovators Community. The invitation-only unicorn group is comprised of leading companies, valued at over US$1bn, that are at the forefront of ethical technological and business model innovation. Exiger will contribute to the platform on Shaping the Future of Mobility, seeking to tackle issues on resilient supply chains and environmental sustainability.

“The World Economic Forum is pleased to welcome Exiger to join our Global Innovators community,” says Verena Kuhn, Head of the Global Innovators Community, World Economic Forum. “Including new, innovative voices is essential in the work we do at the Forum; we look forward to what Exiger’s expertise will add to our projects, dialogues and platforms.”

The Shaping the Future of Mobility Platform is dedicated to creating new ways of thinking that accelerate the global transition to safer, cleaner and more inclusive transportation systems, optimize the delivery of goods, and ensure easy access to mobility for all. Exiger’s work with the World Economic Forum will focus on the crucial role of supply chains in achieving sustainable and inclusive mobility; how cutting-edge data analytics can enable more sustainable systems; and how today’s mobility systems can meet future demand.

Exiger proud to join

“We’re proud to join the Global Innovators Community and look forward to working with pioneering companies as we demonstrate how every business can do well by doing good in the world,” said Brandon Daniels, CEO of Exiger. “Exiger is committed to bringing radical transparency to global supply chains and furthering the unique impact that the World Economic Forum recognizes rapidly expanding unicorns can have on society. We’re excited to collaborate with this great community to introduce new ideas and fresh thinking that can help protect lives, livelihoods and industries around the globe.”

Exiger’s proprietary real-time supply chain management technology empowers companies and government agencies to rapidly surface, understand, and mitigate critical threats to their entire supplier ecosystem. The platform delivers unparalleled transparency to better manage global supply chains and mitigate risks such as ESG, reputational, financial, cyber, operational risks, and adversarial ownership, control or influence at unprecedented speed and scale.

Exiger has dramatically accelerated its growth in the past several years including its acquisition of Supply Dynamics, creating the first end-to-end supply chain visibility and holistic risk management solution. Matt Hibbard, CFO of Exiger said, “Exiger’s focus on making the world a safer place to prosper is the reason we have been able to accelerate our client growth each year and join the Global Innovators Community at this level. We’re proud that our customers continue to view Exiger as the most trusted partner to help them achieve new levels of supply chain transparency, inclusiveness and sustainability, and we’re excited to work with the WEF to amplify this work.”

The Global Innovators Community is part of the World Economic Forum – the international organization for public-private cooperation based in Geneva, Switzerland. Each year the World Economic Forum hosts its annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

 

Cycle challenge double-header raises £230,000 for Transaid

Posted on by Keith McKinley

A team of 40 riders drawn from the transport and logistics industry have completed a 505km cycle challenge across southern Malawi in soaring temperatures, pedalling through the spectacular Liwonde National Park to raise more than £205,000 towards Transaid’s projects in sub-Saharan Africa.

The remarkable sum of money adds to the £25,000 raised by the 16 riders who took on Hadrian’s Cycleway over two days in September. Combined, the non-restricted funds will be used by Transaid to focus on improving road safety and increasing access to healthcare in rural communities.

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising at Transaid, says: “It was incredible to complete the challenges with so many friends from across the sector who are committed to supporting Transaid’s life-saving work. To everyone who jumped in the saddle or sponsored a friend, family member or colleague, we are hugely grateful.”

Commenting on her experience in Malawi, she adds: “The anticipation ahead of Malawi was huge; for many of us it had been three years since we signed up for the original 2020 dates, and we were all eager to reach the tranquil shores of Lake Malawi. The experience didn’t disappoint – not even the longest 135km section on day three when temperatures reached 38 degrees Celsius, nor the steep climb up the Zomba Plateau on day four, dampened anyone’s enthusiasm!”

Tom Southall, Policy Director at the Cold Chain Federation, was one of the riders in Malawi and explains: “This was an incredible journey with an amazing group of people, and humbling too to experience the warmth and friendliness of the Malawians.

“The value of Transaid’s work is incalculable in these communities, building road safety awareness as well as programmes to support better standards of emergency transportation. I can’t overstate how much of an incredible experience this was and would recommend getting involved with future Transaid events and challenges!”

Cycle Malawi 2022 was backed by Gold-sponsor UKWA, and saw the riders tackle the full route over five days in the saddle. It marked a return to the country which hosted Transaid’s first ever cycle challenge in 2006.

Over the years Transaid has worked on both access to health care and driver training programmes in Malawi, the most recent of which involved bicycle ambulances, which have long proven to be a highly effective lifesaving mode of transport in rural Africa.

The riders who took part in Cycle Malawi represented 24 firms from across the industry, including ABE Ledbury, BigChange, Burton’s Biscuit Company, CAM Systems, Capex Commercial Partners, Cold Chain Federation, Clubbly, Cross Acre, Dalessi International Transport, EV Cargo, FloPlast, GRS Building Products, GXO Logistics, Hankook, Hoyer Petrolog, Innovate 360, LDH La Doria, MAN Truck & Bus, Marks & Spencer, Microlise, PF Whitehead Logistics, Problems Solved, Scala and TRS Tyres.

Last month’s Hadrian’s Cycleway saw riders taking part from companies including Alpine Travel, Backhouse Jones, Blue Cube, Boughey Distribution, Dawson Group plc, EORI (UK), Idris Logistics and Sworder Belcher Holt.

Scottish transport industry sets fundraising record for Transaid

Posted on by Keith McKinley

Transport and logistics companies from across Scotland recently came together for the inaugural Scottish Transaid Dinner, held in memory of the late Jayne Gray of Stirling-based H & R Gray Haulage. The evening raised an incredible £105,110.50 and marked the largest sum of money ever collected for Transaid on a single night.

Delayed for two years by the pandemic, the dinner was organised by Transaid Chair and former Scottish Traffic Commissioner Joan Aitken, together with a team of Scotland’s next generation hauliers including Lynsey Mitchell from John Mitchell Haulage & Warehousing and Nicola Robertson (Malcolm) of The Malcolm Group.

Hauliers from across Scotland were invited to attend, with more than 200 people coming together at The Bothwell Bridge Hotel, in Bothwell. Funds were raised through ticket sales, sponsorship, and a special charity auction which included a horsebox which sold for £10,000, and a rare bottle of Macallan whisky fetching £4,500!

Speaking after the event, Joan Aitken said: “This was a stupendous show of support by the Scottish transport industry and a demonstration of fellow feeling towards those in Africa who do not have the benefits of safe transport.”

Florence Bearman, Head of Fundraising for Transaid, said: “We have waited a long time to enjoy this special moment with our supporters in Scotland, and the generosity they have shown towards Transaid is truly unprecedented. Every single penny will support our work delivering road safety and access to health projects.”

The evening included a touching tribute to Jayne Gray, and a chance to celebrate Transaid’s activities, which currently span nine countries across sub-Saharan Africa.

 

 

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