A post by Forbes on 16th January gave its “Supply Chain Predictions and Outlook for 2025.” It stated that:
“Over the past years, the risks and shortfalls in our global supply chains have been brought to the forefront across all industries. Supply chains are now recognized as central to business survival, success, and growth, rather than just an opportunity to just reduce costs. But this creates the ultimate supply chain balancing act.
“As geopolitical tensions rise— such as new governments threatened tariffs, political conflicts such as Russia and Ukraine and China and Taiwan —supply chain executives must focus on diversifying their supplier base and enhancing their operational resilience.”
A media release posted by Logistics UK on 26th February announced that: “The leaders of 30 major UK businesses have signed a letter to Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds MP, urging him to ensure that the logistics industry is made a cornerstone of the government’s Industrial Strategy, which is set to be published in the coming months.
“Led by business group Logistics UK, the 30 businesses, which include Amazon, Heathrow Airport and Tesco Stores, are urging Mr Reynolds to acknowledge the critical role that effective supply chains play in all parts of the economy, including the growth-driving sectors already recognised by the government. The business leaders are clear that making the transportation of goods more efficient is fundamental to growth across the whole economy, and that the logistics sector must therefore have a voice in the development of future economic plans by being represented on the new Industrial Strategy Council.”
The Government’s Green Paper Green Paper “Invest 2035,” updated in November 2024, states: “The UK has major strengths to celebrate and build on, such as high-quality research institutions and innovative firms, its status as a global trading nation, a recognised set of regulatory and competition institutions, the pro-entrepreneurial environment, a highly skilled workforce, and investment opportunities across the country. But the UK also faces significant challenges.
“The UK economy has faced significant shocks in recent years and has had a poor productivity record over the past decade and a half, consistently investing less than its international peers, and lagging on the performance of city regions outside London and the South East.”
Nationwide Skills and International Presence
The logistics sector holds the key to solving many of the challenges relating to the UK’s position as an international trading nation as well as promoting prosperity across all the nation’s regions.
Taking the latter point first, logistics companies like Relay not only provide transport networks across the nation but also have a physical presence in the form of strategically located regional depots, in our case in the South East and North West of England and in Scotland. These provide hubs for technical and managerial capabilities supported by advanced technology, nurturing the type of highly skilled workforces the Government refers to.
Turning to our involvement in global trade, Relay delivers sophisticated, high value, fragile and frequently bulky electronic devices worldwide in collaboration with our freight forwarding partner Tech Cargo.
As we explain on the Technical Freight Forwarding page of our website: “As well as providing the highest quality freight services for UK deliveries, Relay offers exceptional expertise in international specialist freight forwarding, with a 24-hour service that brings in a worldwide network of experienced, highly qualified and trusted agents. In addition to our head office in Iver, Buckinghamshire, our nationwide network of depots provides all the expertise and services of a freight forwarder company: Warrington and Coatbridge Lanarkshire teams will provide you with top level support.”
The UK-supplied advanced electronic equipment we transport by land, sea and air across the globe is offered by the types of “growth-driving sectors” described by Logistics UK. Decades of skill and experience of working with these high value customer assets have ensured that these consignments will be delivered safely and securely to the point of end use by ourselves and our international partners in spite of challenges disrupting world markets.