Management Training Presentations – 9th June 2022

Today was a real milestone for the 9 Managers of Simarco International Ltd who have been attending the bespoke 12 month Management Training and Mentoring Programme I created just for them in line with the aspirations that Trevor Scott and Simon Reed had for this group of Managers.  The milestone reason?

It was the final session of the programme and, in three groups of 3 Managers, they made presentations to Simon (CEO), Trevor (MD), Stephen Emler (FD) Dave Knowles (European Ops Director), Sairah Knight (HR Director) and the rest of the team. The presentations demonstrated their journey, how they had implemented the learning individually and within their teams, ideas to promote the Simarco culture and the way forward for them and the company from here. It was innovative, inspiring and enlightening!

As well as a day of Presentations, it was also a day of recognition of the hard work and application of the skills learned in a practical and effective way, which has allowed each of them the opportunity to expand their horizons within the company and be an active part of its growing future.

As a group, we are all going to miss our monthly training days but I know that this is not the end for these Managers, it is just the beginning. I have observed the wonderful transition of each of them, coming onto the course as Managers and, through the application of our work, evolving into Leaders of their teams who inspire, upskill and set great examples to those team members. I am truly proud of their achievements and particularly in the way they have allowed their mindsets be open to change, new ideas, ways of working and being collaborative and supportive as a group.

The Managers came from Simarco sites around the country: Witham, Stoke, Manchester, Bristol and Gloucester. They got to know each other, recognised the challenges of being countrywide and worked hard to form supportive relationships, bounce ideas off one another, address thorny issues and innovate for an improved way forward. It was a joy to witness!

To conclude the day, each Manager was presented with a framed certificate and they very kindly showed their appreciation to me with flowers and chocolates, which was lovely. Catherine Swann, Chris Martin, Jennie Roe, Liam Byrne, Marisa McFerran, Richard Jackson, Scott Hutchison, Steven Wherrett and Stuart Watt – thank you for being amazing participants, engaging with enthusiasm and optimism, applying the skills learned and for making the journey enjoyable, lively and fun! Congratulations to you all and I know you will continue the journey in ‘challenging yourself to be successful!’.

Tina Dulieu – Coaching Dynamics

Simarco Celebrates Pride Month

Simarco is committed to ensuring an equitable, diverse, and inclusive workplace.  This year marks the 50^th anniversary of the first PRIDE march in 1972 and we continue to celebrate with and show support for all members of the LGBT+ community.

We are showing our support and solidarity, by hosting a Company Rainbow Day, where we will encourage all employees to come to work in their brightest colours as well as promoting our Equality and Diversity Policy.

We want to ensure that our practises promote diversity and inclusion, so we are also planning to raise awareness through further training on how to remove unconscious bias, the importance of equality and diversity in the workplace, as well overhauling our job descriptions to include gender neutral language.

If you would like to find out more about a career at Simarco, please visit our jobs and careers page or view our current vacancies.

Simarco Closures During Queen’s Jubilee

This week see’s the UK celebrate The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which is being recognised with an extension to the traditional Spring Bank Holiday.

Therefore, the offices and facilities of Simarco will be closed on the following days:

Thursday, 2nd June 2022 – The Queen’s Jubilee Day
Friday, 3rd June 2022 – Spring Bank Holiday Day

The Queen is due to become the first British monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee this week, following her seventy year reign, and the UK has four days of public celebrations planned, which extend through the weekend until Sunday 5th June.

Previous celebrations include the Silver Jubilee in 1977, Ruby in 1992, Golden in 2002 and Diamond in 2012. The 2012 Pageant was reportedly the ‘world’s largest outdoor party’, when more than 1 million people lined London’s River Thames to watch 1,000 boats sail past!

During this year’s celebrations, thousands of beacons will be lit by communities and groups throughout the UK and 54 beacons will be lit in all capital cities of the Commonwealth. The principal beacon will be lit on the 2nd June in a special ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Customs Declaration Service (CDS) To Become UK’s Single Customs Platform 

In August 2021, HMRC announced they will be closing its Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system on 31 March 2023. From this date, all business will be required to declare goods through the Customs Declaration Service (CDS). Services on CHIEF will be withdrawn in two stages: 

• after 30 September 2022 – UK import declarations on CHIEF will no longer be supported. Simarco will be switching to CDS from Monday 1st August 2022 

• after 31 March 2023 – UK export declarations on CHIEF and National Exports System (NES) will also cease. Simarco are aiming to switch UK exports to CDS by the end of 2022 

The new CDS system will provide a more secure and stable platform, with the capacity and capability to grow in line with the Government’s ambitious trade plans to have the world’s most efficient customs system by 2025. 

ACTION YOU MUST TAKE NOW… 

In order for us (or any customs broker in the UK) to continue handling UK export or UK import customs entries on your behalf, all businesses MUST register themselves for CDS through their own Government Gateway portal. 

It takes less than 5 minutes to register and confirmation from Government Gateway is currently received within 24 hours. To access the link please click: 

Get access to the Customs Declaration Service – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

A trader checklist is available from the GOV.UK website. To download, please use this link: 

UK Trader Checklist: Moving to CDS 

Please note that if you have not registered for CDS prior to the dates outlined above, an export or import declaration cannot be made on your behalf. This will mean your goods are unable to export from UK (for UK departures) or clear UK customs (for UK arrivals).

 If you have any questions, please contact cdsenquiries@simarco.com 

Simarco Support Mental Health Week

With this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week officially over,  it is important to reflect on what we can all do to keep the spotlight on this important issue throughout the year.

Simarco have taken a pro-active approach to recognising mental health issues in the workplace by introducing Management Training, offering an Employee Assistance Programme and extending our Mental Health First Aider programme as part of our own awareness campaign.

We have raised internal awareness by signposting and are working hard to create an environment where employees feel safe talking about their mental health.

We know we are at the beginning of a journey, and we have lots of work yet to do but we commit to doing so as we recognise the significant impact this can have on the wellbeing of our Simarco colleagues.

Simarco’s Energy Saving Lighting

We are excited to announce yet another project as a part of our Sustainability Strategy. This project lays a pathway for our energy usage transformation.

Thanks to the cooperation with Connolly Electrical Ltd., we are redesigning and changing entire lighting infrastructure at one of our transport hubs in Witham. The project will include installation of highly energy efficient lighting systems across the warehouses and offices, allowing us to reduce our onsite electricity consumption and related CO2 emissions by an estimated 70%.

Jason Connolly at Connolly Electrical Ltd commented, “As lighting specialists, we are regularly tasked with designing and installing lighting schemes. Energy efficiency is the key motivation both for cost saving and sustainability.

Simarco International Ltd approached us with a completely refreshing vision and objective; to design a scheme that would attain the maximum CO2 reductions possible.

We designed optimal solutions for all areas of the business including office spaces, warehousing and outdoor areas. By utilising a combination of highly efficient light fixtures, and incorporating intelligent presence detection devices, we were able to assume annual reductions of 52 tonnes of CO2e.

We look forward to getting this scheme underway, and to be working with such a forward-thinking business that wants to make a real difference in order to offset their operational impact.” 

As well as reducing our CO2 emissions, the move to energy saving lighting also benefits our business by reducing maintenance costs, energy savings and improving a positive working environment.   Studies show that using energy efficient lighting can increase work productivity, alertness, supports mental wellbeing and decreases fatigue, bringing a positive synergy with our employee wellbeing strategy.

Further details on our sustainability strategy can be found HERE. If you would like to find out more about Simarco’s extensive range of international logistics solutions, please email sales@simarco.com

New Requirements For NI Shipments

With immediate effect, all companies transporting goods from the UK to Northern Ireland are now required to have both a GB and XI EORI Number.

Unfortunately, Simarco are unable to accept bookings unless customers provide both numbers, since the government’s Trader Support Service (TSS) will no longer allow the movement of goods without them.

Previously, there had been an option to manually enter company address information, which is no longer available. Businesses transporting goods to Northern Ireland should be aware of the these requirements and take action should they not have the appropriate EORI numbers.

To comply, you can register for your GB and XI EORI numbers online at https://www.gov.uk/eori/apply-for-eori

Official help and guidance is available online at https://www.gov.uk/eori/eori-northern-ireland

If customers are unsure whether they comply with the newest requirements, then please do not hesitate to contact a member of the team for more information.

Simarco operate an extensive range of road freight services between the UK and both Northern and Southern Ireland, please check out our European Road Transport page HERE or email sales@simarco.com.

Government Delays Expected Import Controls

Jacob Rees-Mogg announced last week that the remaining import controls on EU goods will no longer be introduced this year, which includes those due to go live on 1st July 2022.

In a written statement, the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency referred to the war in Ukraine, energy increases and the rise in cost of living as key factors for this decision, going on to suggest that this decision will save British businesses up to £1 billion in annual costs.

Rees-Mogg suggested that businesses can stop their preparations for July now. Instead, the government will set out their new regime of border import controls by publishing a Target Operating Model this Autumn, with any new procedures expected to go live at the end of 2023.

Import controls that have already been introduced will remain in place, but the following controls planned for introduction from July 2022 will not be introduced:

• A requirement for further Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) checks on EU imports currently at destination to be moved to Border Control Post (BCP).
• A requirement for safety and security declarations on EU imports.
• A requirement for further health certification and SPS checks for EU imports.
• Prohibitions and restrictions on the import of chilled meats from the EU.

While this may be good news for importers, this news has angered many of the UK’s port operators. To support the government’s original plans, they have reportedly invested over £100 million in facilities as preparation for 1st July.

Port associations are seeking urgent engagement with the government, with some suggesting legal action to recover what they fear is now wasted time and costs to develop white elephants.

Simarco operate an extensive range of European road freight services, please check out our European Road Transport page HERE or email sales@simarco.com.

Simarco Bristol Service Development

Simarco’s Bristol operation is continuing to service customers in the UK’s South-west region by developing a number of its own in-house services to and from Europe.

Operating in conjunction with the companies hand picked and like minded partners throughout the continent, our Bristol team have continued to grow and expanded their European coverage extensively.

On the export side, Bristol provides daily full and part load services into France, Belgium, Holland and Germany and twice-weekly departures to Spain, Portugal, Poland, Czech, Austria and Italy. While import services include daily full and part load services from many origin points throughout Europe.

Part load services for exports and imports can include collections and deliveries on trailers, which speeds up door to door transit times and reduces handling. All of our services are complimented by an in house Customs team.

The team provide instant quotes and you can be assured of a dedicated and professional account manager. For further information, please do not hesitate to call us on 01454 227 500 or email sales@simarco.com.

*Please check out our European Road Transport page HERE.

Shanghai Lockdown And Logistics Impact

Shanghai has now entered its fifth week of lockdown, with Covid cases continuing to surge and many logistics services hampered in the region.

There seems to be no immediate signs of the strict restrictions being lifted, in fact some apartment buildings were fenced off during the past few days in a drastic attempt to enforce the tight controls.

Ocean and air freight have been significantly impacted. While the sea port remains open, restrictions on driver movements from surrounding regions have slowed exports through the port.

Vessel congestion has led to vessels switching to other ports and volumes through Shanghai have dropped by around 40% during the lockdown period.

Its a similar story for airfreight through the major hub of Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport (PVG), where trucking on and off airport is heavily restricted. Air cargo from other regions, that would usually fly from Shanghai, have been diverting elsewhere, leading to congestion at other Chinese airports.

We highly recommend that customers talk to our team before arranging any urgent orders for the time being. Should you require any further information, or want to find out more about our Asian ocean and air freight services, then please do not hesitate to contact us on sales@simarco.com.