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Coronavirus tops the agenda at Shippers’ Council
FTA’s modal councils – road, air, water and rail – follow the 13 regional Freight Councils that take place quarterly across the UK. FTA’s Shippers’ Council, which is designed for the buyers of third-party freight services or the managers of multimodal supply chains, also meets quarterly.
SHIPPERS’ COUNCIL
FTA was founded by the own account sector and cargo owners, and has been representing them since its creation more than 130 years ago. Today, a significant proportion of FTA’s membership is still made up of high street and online retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers, which rely on efficient logistics services for their supply chains and local deliveries. These cargo owners meet as part of FTA’s Shippers’ Council, which provides a ‘safe’ place to discuss pertinent issues of the day and influence policy issues of interest to cargo owners at a UK and international level.
Every quarter, whether in London or other UK locations, FTA’s shipper members meet to discuss the pressing issues of the day, from Brexit and how to prepare for it – an issue which largely dominated the Shippers’ Council’s agenda throughout 2019 – to implications of regulatory changes such as IMO 2020 or new road transport rules on shippers and most recently, information sharing on the latest situation regarding the coronavirus and its implications on global supply chains as well as domestic operations in the UK. The group allows members to keep abreast of the latest and forthcoming developments that will have a direct or indirect impact on their operations, their transport suppliers and the supply chains they are responsible for. It is also an environment where cargo owners can have an open and frank discussion about the challenges they face and exchange information and best practices.
The last meeting of the Shippers’ Council, which took place on 4 March, focused on the impact of the coronavirus on supply chains and logistics operations, Incoterms 2020 and how to make the most of them to review commercial contracts in preparation for the end of the transition period – with the Co-Chair of the ICC drafting board, the UK Global Tariff, government’s international trade priorities and Brexit. Members were also updated on shippers’ liability provisions in new road transport rules stemming from the EU Mobility Package and talked about KPIs for maritime logistics.
The next meeting will take place on 5 May in London, after the FTA Annual General Meeting, and will be followed by a seminar on maritime transport. If you work for a retailer, manufacturer or wholesaler, want to find out more about the Shippers’ Council or ensure your company can take part in these discussions, you can contact me via email at aveitch@fta.co.uk.
★www.fta.co.uk/membership/fta-councils/britishshippers-council
Published On: 01/04/2020 11:39:15
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