UKWA salutes warehousing’s finest
As UKWA celebrated excellence in the sector at its Annual Lunch & Awards event at the Royal Lancaster London this week, Baroness Scott of Bybrook, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department for Levelling Up Housing & Communities, told a delighted audience that ‘warehousing is leading the way within the wider logistics sector, with sustained growth, innovation and a diverse, inclusive workforce.’
SPEAKING AT the event, the Baroness acknowledged the key issues facing the sector, touching on the need for reformed planning systems to allow for commercial development to support communities, and better electrical connections and networks, facilitating the generation of solar energy to save costs and enable sustainability for the future. She referenced UKWA’s letter to Ofgem pointing out that outdated processes were holding back growth for an industry increasingly dependent on automation and robotics, and she noted that UKWA CEO Clare Bottle has been invited to join a governmental subgroup on solar power.
“It’s important for the government to hear – and listen to – this sector’s voice”, she said. “40% of all young people in the logistics industry are employed in warehousing. There’s more than bricks and mortar at stake, it’s about investment in the sector that drives the economy and ensures that UK is provided with the goods it needs.”
After lunch, journalist and broadcaster Ayesha Hazarika delighted guests with her quick-fire humour and hilarious anecdotes from behind the scenes at Westminster, adding her own take on the UK political landscape and urging business to interrogate political parties in the run up to what is likely to be a hard fought and highly unpredictable general election.
Moving on, Ayesha ably compered the presentation of the UKWA Awards for Excellence 2023, presenting winners in eleven categories with their trophies.
The winners are:
BEST NEW MEMBER, Sponsored by Unipart Logistics – Communisis
DIGITAL INNOVATION PROJECT (SYSTEMS), Sponsored by CPA – SEC Storage
TECHNICAL INNOVATION PROJECT (HARDWARE), Sponsored by Dexory – German Bionic
EXCELLENCE IN INFRASTRUCTURE, Sponsored by Glamox Luxonic – Miniclipper Logistics
EXCELLENCE IN SUSTAINABILITY, Sponsored by Zestec – Rhenus Warehousing Solutions UK
EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE, Sponsored by IMHX – ILG
EXCELLENCE IN VALUE ADDED SERVICES, Sponsored by Nulogy – Omni Channel Fulfilment
LOGISTICS SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR, Sponsored by ASG Energy – Howard Tenens Logistics
YOUNG EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR, Sponsored by SmartFreight – Joint winners, Dhinay Chohan, SEC Storage & Kathryn Sansbury, Unipart Logistics
WAREHOUSE MANAGER OF THE YEAR, Sponsored by Aisle Master – Mike Ward, Wincanton
CHAIRMAN’S AWARD, Sponsored by DP World – Jayne & Peter Masters, Miniclipper
Commenting on the day, Clare Bottle said, “We had the most wonderful time at the Royal Lancaster London. It was fantastic to hear Baroness Bybrook pay tribute to our sector, our guests loved Ayesha and cheered our brilliant winners to the rooftops – my grateful thanks to our generous sponsors, to all who helped us raise over £2,400 for Transaid, and most importantly, big congratulations to those who represent the best of our industry and were recognised with an Award this year. It was certainly a day to celebrate the sector!”
For more information, visit www.ukwa.org.uk
