Simarco Quiz Raises Funds For Brainwave

Simarco recently held a quiz at the Simarco Stadium, home of Witham Town FC, which raised over £500 of funding for Brainwave charity.

The Quiz, which was very well supported by Simarco staff, friends and colleagues, was a multiple round format and finished off with an interactive challenge to build the tallest freestanding tower using spaghetti, masking tape and a marshmallow. 

Naturally, there were a few mishaps along with some very interesting creations. The winners’ tower, a great effort created by our warehouse admin team, managed to reach the dizzy height of 42cm.

Brainwave are a local charity that Simarco work closely with. They help children with disabilities reach their bespoke milestones, gain greater independence and achieve their full potential in life.  The donation will help their therapists increase their partnership work, enabling more children with disabilities to walk, speak and eat independently.

Nicky Evans from Brainwave attended the event and commented “Thank you for a fantastic night, I haven’t laughed that much in a long time!  Thank you to all the fabulous staff at Simarco for all you do.”

New Government Scheme Introduced For Northern Ireland

The existing UK Trader Scheme (UKTS) is now being replaced by the new UK Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS) as part of the new Windsor Framework arrangements for Northern Ireland.

The UKIMS will enable more businesses to benefit and will ensure that goods moved into Northern Ireland under the scheme are free of customs paperwork, checks and duties from September next year.

HMRC are encouraging traders to begin their UKIMS registration process NOW. From 30th September 2023, traders authorised under the new scheme will be able to move goods into Northern Ireland under expanded scheme criteria.

If you are currently authorised for UKTS then you may continue to use this scheme for moving goods into Northern Ireland. However, UKTS holders will NOT be automatically transferred to UKIMS, therefore you should apply sooner rather than later.

If you are NOT currently authorised for UKTS, then it may well be worth applying for UKIMS, as the previous criteria has changed and more companies will be able to qualify.

A large number of businesses are expected to be moving over to UKIMS, and HMRC are requesting that you take action before 31st July 2023, which should ensure they have enough time to complete enrolments prior to 30th September 2023. 

UKIMS registered businesses will be able to use the ‘green lane’ into Northern Ireland, which comes into place in October 2024 under the Windsor agreement.

You can find more information and start your registration HERE.

UK introduces new developing country scheme

This week has seen the introduction of the new Developing Countries Trading Scheme (DCTS), which applies to 65 countries around the world.

The government’s new post-Brexit trading scheme replaces the outgoing Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), and is reportedly set to save £770m per year.

The DCTS aims to support sustainable growth in developing countries through a more generous unilateral offer and sets out the following provisions:

• reduce tariffs
• liberalise rules of origin requirements
• simplify the conditions attached to the scheme

65 countries are set to benefit from the scheme, including 37 from Africa and 26 from Asia and Oceania. We understand that countries previous benefitting from GSP are included.

The UK’s International Trade Minister recently suggested that the scheme will “benefit UK businesses and consumers by lowering import costs on a whole range of products.”

More details can be found HERE.

Ruby Celebrates a Double Win!

Congratulations to Simarco sponsored Ruby Moores, who recently put on a faultless display to get her first ever double win in rounds 3 and 4 of the BMX National Series in Manchester. The achievement was made even more amazing by the fact she was racing above her age in the 14 year old category.

Ruby’s Mum Sarah, commented “She has worked so hard to get where she is, so it was thoroughly deserved, and we couldn’t be happier for her.”

It’s been a busy schedule and Ruby has been competing in the Midlands Regional rounds, in the Superclass female category, which is the highest category she can race in.  For Ruby to be able to race in this category she had to get special authorisation from British Cycling, the main national governing body for cycle sport in Great Britain, who can see her potential and progression.  

The category includes adult women and much older girls, and Ruby is rising to the challenge; to date there have been three competitions, and Ruby has taken 6th, 4th and 5th places.

The first session of the Regional School of Racing Development takes place on 10^th and 11^th June and Ruby is also taking part in the National in Gosport at the end of the month. This is followed by the Euro Championships with a couple of regional races thrown in between.  

The Simarco team are absolutely delighted for Ruby and very impressed with her family’s commitment, which is a testament to Ruby’s success.  We are all wishing Ruby the best of luck in her next instalment of races!

Pride@Simarco

Simarco celebrated its own annual ‘Rainbow Day’ with brightly coloured themed decorations adorning our offices and our colleagues wearing rainbow colours to show their support for all members of the LGBT+ community. A pride themed Simarco bake off was arranged by our very own Simarco Connections group and the icing on the cake was companywide training delivered on the important subject of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. Simarco is committed to creating a culture where people feel safe, welcome, heard and differences are celebrated. #Simarco#Pride

Moving Freight the Sustainable Way

As a part of Simarco’s sustainability strategy and continuous improvement plan, we recently reviewed our UK transport strategy when moving our client’s freight from our HQ in Witham Essex, for delivery to the North of England.  

This involved the analysis of geographical data and working on a solution that could not only reduce the number of miles travelled but increase the care and control of our client’s cargo within our transport network.  

The review identified that by extending our internal network to incorporate our Stoke-on-Trent DC and reducing our number of touch points, our overall freight miles would be significantly reduced.

By re-configuring our running miles, we have been able to decrease our network mileage by 78,000 miles per annum and in turn invest and increase in our domestic fleet.

Furthermore, in line with our Science Based Targets (42% reduction in scope 1 and scope 2 GHG emissions by 2030), we will be able to reduce our Scope 1 emissions by 115 tCO2e annually.”   

Simarco makes further investment into its WMS

Simarco recently upgraded its Warehouse Management System (WMS) to a cloud-based facility offering flexibility, multi-site capabilities and depth of functionality.

By future-proofing our resources, it drives efficiencies and processes meeting today’s evolving warehousing and fulfilment demands.  It also enables our teams to manage and enhance our customers’ experience delivering cutting-edge technology which is highly configurable to individual customer requirements.  

This cloud-based platform also ties in nicely with our sustainable goals and contributes to our plans for becoming a paperless business. 

Our warehousing and supply chain solutions can offer in excess of 300,000 sq. ft of high-security warehousing at our two main distributions centres in Witham and Stoke-on-Trent.  For more information please do not hesitate to contact us.

Simarco Connections raises employee engagement

Last October, we launched ‘Simarco Connections’ within the business, which has successfully increased employee engagement, bringing fun and enjoyment through a number of collaborative events.

The ‘Pay Day Treats’ scheme started in January and has proved to be a great success. Our staff have gratefully received fresh fruit, love hearts in celebration of Valentine’s Day, cake to celebrate Simarco’s birthday and even Easter Eggs.

In February, Simarco staff successfully completed a ‘Walk to China’ challenge. The goal was to collectively walk 4,846 miles, the equivalent of walking from the UK to China, to promote good health. Steps were recorded and not only did they complete the journey, but with 6,575 miles they almost made it halfway back.

We launched, “The Connections Virtual Bake-Off” this month, based on the popular TV Show – the Great British Bake Off which highlighted just how many creative and excellent bakers we have at Simarco.  This included the Pride Bake Off just last week to commemorate Pride Month in June.

Simarco Connections is a forum to further enhance our engagement throughout the company, as part of our ongoing commitment to provide a positive and collaborative workplace. It is just one of many initiatives that we undertake to ensure we maintain a productive environment, leading ultimately to a better working experience for our colleagues.

Driving Mental Health Awareness throughout Simarco

Simarco’s Mind Matters team organised a week of activities for Simarco colleagues, to mark last week’s Mental Health Awareness Week.  Anxiety was the theme, and our goal was to provide a selection of resources and guidance for support.

The team sent advice on how to cope with anxiety, arranged a “ Walk and Talk” highlighting the benefits of being outside in the fresh air and the “Wear it Green Day” which proved very popular, ending the week with promoting a “quick cuppa and a chat” with a colleague.

Our very own meditation expert, Jaqui, offered an Office Mindfulness break and guided us through breathing techniques to reduce feelings of stress or anxiety.

We know we have a long way to go but we are committed to driving Mental health awareness throughout Simarco and supporting our colleagues through any challenges that they may be facing.”

Planning ahead of the French Public Holiday

Thursday, 18th May is a public holiday in France, with businesses, shops, banks, public offices and schools closed during Ascension Day.

As a result, there is the possibility of delays for customers using our Regime 42 and 40 services. 

We would therefore suggest that when planning any shipments to depart 18th-19th May, bookings are sent through to us by Wednesday 17th May, which should enable us to avoid any delays to Regime clearances. 

We very much value your cooperation regarding the above

For those unaware, our Regime services improve EU customs efficiencies and usually reduce door to door transit times for DDP export shipments moving to European Union countries.

Should you require any further information regarding the upcoming public holiday or our Regime services, then please do not hesitate to contact your operational contact or alternatively email michael.dunne@simarco.com.