No matter where you are in the world, one of the most important parts of economic systems is competition. It pushes the industry forward, stimulating companies to improve their services in order to get ahead of others. It also opens a healthy way of income distribution. These days, the main way to obtain a competitive advantage is to embed a new innovative technology into the production. Here the logistics industry is no different from any other. Nowadays, you will not get ahead of your competitors just by finding better ways or buying faster cars. To gain an advantage, you need to apply more innovative approaches. A survey shows that most game-changing technologies are new and less common. But which competitive advantages exactly do these innovations give you? Technologies that are expected to be game-changing for the logistics industry. Source  Reliable Security Security has always been a pressing issue for the logistics industry. Now people are interested in increasing surveillance by physical means as well as by means of embedding advanced technology. Blockchain, one of the most common information technology branches right now, is said to be a major instrument to be practiced in both physical and cyber security. Reduced Delivery Time Company automation allows minimizing the presence of employees at different stages of the delivery process. The possibility of a human mistake is minimized as well. Thus, the involvement of these technologies decreases the time needed to process and deliver each separate order and increases the accuracy of orders. Enhanced Customer Experience The customer experience is about placing an order and waiting for its completion. By using the Internet of Things (IoT), companies are able to supply more accurate tracking information. This means that clients can be follow the location of their parcel anytime. It also gives them the possibility to plan their day according to the more precise delivery information. Transparent Process Automated process means that the information about it can be digitized. This enables the company to know about everything that is going on with the user’s order. It opens the door towards a more understanding and trusting relationship between company and customer -. exactly the kind of relationship that has a good chance to grow into a long-lasting one. Cheaper Order Cost Considering everything mentioned above, it seems like technology can increase the number of orders due to the improvement in their handling. But what about the price of each order? Well, the more effective overall processes and the minimization of errors leads to a decrease in the average order handling cost, which means more financial gain for you. Conclusion Using advanced technologies is a perfect way of growing for any business. Nevertheless, the task can turn out to be not quite so simple unless you’re an expert in the IT branch. But with the help of professionals like Artelogic you can be sure that the process of custom logistics software development and embedding will run smoothly.

Kier Construction will be continuing to grow its industrial portfolio with the latest appointment to deliver a £39 million regional distribution hub facility in Wixams, Bedford, for developers UK Land and Property. The facility will be occupied by B&M Retail Ltd and will serve as its Southern Distribution Centre. The equivalent to 12 premier league football pitches, the 21.5 m high, 1 million sq ft warehouse will help meet market demand. The Distribution Centre consists of warehousing and distribution facilities including temperature controlled zones to accommodate chilled and frozen goods, offices, recycling and ancillary areas. There will also be other provisions, including a refuelling area, a maintenance area for vehicles and a gatehouse, surrounding the main building. “First class warehouse space is in real demand and working with UK Land and Property LLP, we are looking forward to delivering this space in a perfectly situated location for deliveries across the country. As the UK is the eighth largest manufacturer in the world, we are proud to be supporting UK businesses and their growth and also help secure thousands of job opportunities in the area,” said Mark Pausey, managing director of Kier Construction Central. “It is an exciting award for Kier and not only is the size of the warehouse going to be impressive, but it also includes 200,000m3 of earthworks and will see us use 4,500 tonnes of steel throughout the build. The finished distribution hub will create around a thousand new jobs and we’ll also be supporting employment growth in the local area throughout the build,” he continued. The news on the Distribution Centre follows on the announcement that Kier will be building a major extension to the Telford-based Müller factory. The £10 million project will see Kier double the size of the existing site and enable Müller to significantly increase its yoghurt production.

Steelwork has been erected as the construction of a £14million industrial/warehouse development in Northamptonshire continues to make good progress. Main contractor MCS Group has been appointed by St Francis Group in joint venture with the Richardson family to deliver five units totalling 270,000 sq ft at Cransley Park, Kettering. Construction started on site in May. MCS Group managing director Keir Edmonds said: “Cransley Park, which is adjacent to the A14, is in a prime location for business. On behalf of St Francis Group, we’re delivering high quality units of up to 100,000 sq ft which will cater for a range of occupier requirements, within a landscaped environment. “Very good progress is being made on site, with the steelwork starting to go up, and we’re on schedule to reach practical completion in February 2019.” Cransley Park comprises a 32-acre gateway site strategically located just off junction 8 of the A14 in Kettering. Gareth Williams, development director at St Francis Group, said: “We appointed MCS Group because they have an excellent track record in delivering developments in the industrial/warehouse sector. This is an exciting development, which will deliver much-needed space into a strong regional market where the supply is currently limited. We expect a great deal of interest from potential occupiers now that work is well underway.” The units are being offered for both lease and purchase and have been designed to a high specification to achieve the BREEAM Very Good and EPC ‘A’ rating, featuring 50K/n floor loading, 50M service yards, 8-10M eaves height, dock levellers, level access doors, car/HGV parking and first office accommodation. Prop Search and LSH are the letting agents. Keir added: “This is one of a number of industrial schemes that we are working on. We are delivering around 1,000,000 sq ft of industrial space this year and it’s where we believe there is a major opportunity to win substantial levels of new business and to establish ourselves as one of the leading main contractors in the sector.” MCS Group is currently constructing several warehouse units at sites across the UK and has recently won contracts in Lutterworth, Hatfield and Bristol. The company has also built and refurbished more than 300 car dealerships including Audi, BMW, Mclaren and Jaguar Land Rover since its inception in 2003.

JLL’s H1 2018 UK Big Box Industrial & Logistics research has been published, revealing that over 12 million square feet of logistics properties were let in the first half of 2018.  Logistics companies were the most active source of take-up in H1 2018, at 38% of the total whilst the growth of online retail has continued to generate new demand for warehousing with retailers accounting for 34% of demand. Moreover, Grade A availability increased over the first six months of 2018 to 20.2 million sq ft, following a pick-up in both new and good quality second hand supply. Nationally, the vacancy rate rose from 6% at the end of 2017 to 7% at mid-2018. Distribution rents are also forecast to grow by 3.4% this year throughout the UK. “Take up in the occupational market was exceptionally strong in the first six months of this year, indeed it was one of the strongest half yearly levels on record and 27% higher than the five-year half yearly average, H2 2013 – H1 2018 (9.7 million sq ft). The sharp rise is partly attributable to a number of large transactions, that had initially been expected to complete last year, rolling over into 2018. Of the 12.3 million sq ft taken up in H1 2018, around 9 million sq ft comprised new units, with the remaining 3.2 million sq ft consisting of good quality second hand space,” said Richard Evans, director Industrial & Logistics. Regionally, the research revealed that the East Midlands accounted for the largest share of take-up of new floorspace in H1 2018 at 45% of the total. This was followed by the Greater South East (South East, East and London) which took a 16% share and the West Midlands, which accounted for 15% of total demand. “Despite the likelihood of slow economic growth this year and continued uncertainty over Brexit, we remain positive about the logistics market in 2018. With over 4 million sq ft of logistics space currently either under offer or expected to complete in the short-term we expect a robust level of take-up this year, potentially around the 20 million sq ft mark which would be above the five-year annual average,” said Jon Sleeman, director Industrial & Logistics research. “With more speculative development taking place nationally we also expect to see a change in the take-up of new space with speculative product eating into the dominant built to suit (BTS) share. Based on our monitoring of the supply pipeline, we expect speculative development to continue to rise, including larger units,” Jon concluded.

Power has been installed at the 700 acre site at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, supporting up to six million sq ft high specification logistics space and enabling occupiers to begin installing technology as part of their internal fit-outs. Moreover, construction of the 195,500 sq ft facility for global transport and logistics company Kuehne + Nagel begins. The senior executives from the company recently joined SEGRO on-site to mark groundbreaking at their 17 acre development, which will serve as the UK locations for its Overland operations. The new facility is expected to complete in April 2019 and will support up to 320 jobs. “This new facility will be integral to our UK overland  operations, and we are very pleased to see construction commence on site. Our aspiration is to create a best in class logistics facility, and we believe we have the right partner in SEGRO to do that,” said Jim Hedderwick, Kuehne + Nagel director of overland for the UK. SEGRO keeps advancing a number of infrastructure works at SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway, such as improvement work to the M1 at Junction 24 and 24A, a bypass linking the site to Kegworth, which includes a 1,200 tonnes bridge over the M1, and the delivery of a 50 acre rail freight link. “We have considerable momentum at East Midlands Gateway, where we are creating a state of the art, multi-modal logistics hub. Our strategy at SLPEMG is to deliver the off-site and on-site infrastructure in parallel, whilst also delivering the units for occupiers meaning the new facilities can be operational more quickly,” said Andrew Pilsworth from SEGRO. “The connection of power is a significant milestone as it allows Kuehne + Nagel, and other companies that have committed to the site, to begin their high-tech internal fit-outs. Construction will continue apace over the second half of 2018,” Andrew concluded. As well as providing critical infrastructure for the logistics supply chain, SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway will create 7,250 jobs, 900 construction jobs and 3,000 indirect jobs.

Goodman has pre let the Hamburg III Logistics Centre at Moorburger Bogen in the Port of Hamburg to two big-name customers – logistics service provider B+S, who will be taking over 12,000 sqm of the new facility on the southern Elbe on 1 August 2018 and Kühne + Nagel, who will occupy 23,000 sqm. The new logistics centre is already the group’s fourth major project in the region. The Hamburg III Logistics Centre has a total area of 35,000 sqm, highlighting Goodman’s strategy of developing flexible properties that suit the needs of clients in every industry. The project, as most of spaces developed by Goodman in Germany, is a brownfield conversion and its quality is emphasised by lofty hall heights of up to 12m and the light strips in the mezzanine areas. “Given that all customers are pursuing different objectives with their logistics properties, the best results are achieved if the buildings can be easily adapted to meet the individual needs of each customer. Businesses are asking for logistics facilities at short notice. We are actively responding by developing properties on a speculative basis, utilising our lengthy experience in building large-scale logistics complexes. That is why big-name businesses rely on our expertise,” said Christof Prange, Goodman Germany’s Head of Business Development. The location of the Logistics Centre, Moorburger Bogen, is a key logistics hub with excellent links with the A7 and A1 motorways and easy access to the Altenwerder, Burchardkai and Eurokai container terminals, around eight kilometres away. The 12,000 sqm logistics space will largely be used for contract logistics and e-commerce fulfilment by B+S, which has expanded its logistics space in Hamburg to 33,000 sqm. For its part, Kühne + Nagel is using the space for warehousing and distributing its customers’ goods. Kühne + Nagel is already renting 14 properties from the Goodman portfolio, 12 of which are in Europe, including two in Hamburg.

Huddersfield-based truck rental specialists Mac’s Truck Rental are celebrating a successful first half of to the year, following their well-publicised site move to a new custom facility on Crosland Road. Mac’s Truck Rental hail their success as a direct result of the improved services they now offer. This provides businesses across the UK with access to trucks built specific to their needs, with mounted cranes, custom bodies and more. In fact, the business has seen an increased number of local clients, with the local construction industry thriving in recent months. Industrial and commercial property projects are on the rise, and this is where the contract hire Mac’s Trucks offer can provide a significant benefit to businesses, explains Selena McDade-Smith, Head of Rental: “Mac’s Trucks has always been known for the quality of their service, and the huge capability of our team. When we originally established Mac’s Truck Rental, that was a key consideration in deciding on the contact hire option we provide for truck financing. This means that when businesses lease a truck from us, they still get access to our incredible service all as part of their truck hire – which includes servicing, maintenance, and breakdown assistance, because of the customer-focused contract hire option we provide.” The truck hire-specialist’s approach has been recognised as part of the BVRLA, the British Vehicle Renting and Leasing Association, the leading trade body for vehicle rental. After consistent year on year growth, Mac’s Truck Rental is now launching a standalone website, offering businesses more information on the trucks they can hire, as well as the custom-build facilities available from their new HQ. [URL: https://macstruckrental.co.uk] Mac’s Truck Rental continue to invest in their fleet and premises, providing another positive story for local industry.