BIFA FREIGHT SERVICE AWARDS WINNERS ANNOUNCED

APL Logistics, Ital Logistics, JF Hillebrand UK, Premier Showfreight, Schenker, Uniserve Group and Wincanton triumphed in the industry categories of the Freight Service Awards 2007 competition organised by the British International Freight Association (BIFA). Eve Gogarty and Derek W. Johnson MBE won the individual people categories.

The winners were revealed at BIFA’s Annual Lunch and 19th Awards Ceremony on Thursday 17th January at the Brewery, London EC1 by special guest, broadcaster and former MP, Mr Gyles Brandreth.

The awards are widely recognised as the most prestigious within the logistics and supply chain industry as they encourage and reward high professional standards and special achievements.

This year the competition comprised nine categories, and standard of the entrants was extremely high. Over 25 companies made the final shortlists.

The Air Freight Award, sponsored by British Airways World Cargo, was won by Schenker Limited.

Schenker exhibited a combination of both ingenuity and attention to detail in its delivery of an industry-leading transport solution for fresh perishable products out of the UK. Its dedication to providing a bespoke service to Scottish salmon producers yielded far-reaching benefits to, not only that industry, but all those end consumers who enjoy fresh British produce around the world.

The other finalists in this category were DHL Global Forwarding, Kuehne + Nagel and Uniserve (Airfreight) Ltd.

The Uniserve Group collected the Deep Sea Award, pipping Chaucer Freight Limited and Ideal Forwarding Ltd, the other finalists in this category, to the post.

Sponsored by Southampton Container Terminals, this category was deservedly won by Uniserve which submitted an entry showing logistical innovation that is producing efficiency and cost benefits to the customer. Lessening lorry miles via by-passing the distribution centre, and using dockside warehousing is also delivering significant and welcome environmental benefits.

The European Logistics Award, sponsored by Wincanton, was won by Ital Logistics Limited. Its entry stood above the others in terms of demonstrating, throughout the organisation, extreme commitment to customer service, which has helped it gain and retain many customers. The company’s focus on service is exemplified by the periodic deployment of customer satisfaction surveys and the development of self-monitoring performance statistics.

The other finalists in this category were Brendon International Ltd, Simarco International Ltd and Woodland International Transport Co. Ltd.

In the Project Forwarding category, Premier Showfreight triumphed. The Project Forwarding Award was sponsored by Ruslan International and the other finalist was Orion Shipping & Forwarding Ltd.

In winning this award Premier Showfreight demonstrated a complete service to its customers, which included a total logistics package tailored to meet its customers’ specialised requirements, and an innovative solution for storage of exhibition equipment. Not only did this service provide a cost saving to the customer but it also produced a smooth and efficient operation.

Sponsored by BoxTop Technologies, the Special Services Award was won by Wincanton. It presented an exceptionally well-managed project that clearly demonstrated the delivery of tangible benefits to its clients in terms of cost savings and efficiencies, in addition to greatly enhancing its own capabilities and portfolio of services.

The other finalists in this category were Aramex, C4 Logistics Ltd and YRC Logistics Ltd.

Four companies made the final shortlist for the Supply Chain Management Award, sponsored by TT Club, with APL Logistics coming out on top. The company demonstrated clear benefits to its customers from its supply chain management solutions including significant cost reductions, real-time supply chain visibility and carbon reporting. It deployed change management skills and worked with its retail customers’ suppliers to provide enhanced efficiency, introducing innovative ways of working.

The other finalists in this category were Ideal Forwarding Ltd, NYK Group Europe Ltd and Uniserve Group.

JF Hillebrand UK Ltd won the Training & Staff Development Award, which was sponsored by Maersk Line. The company’s winning entry confirmed the decision of the judges as it outlined a new approach with a very comprehensive range of courses, underlined by testimonials from a range of staff that have benefited from the training. This award complements the ‘Investors in People 2007’ award and illustrates the benefits to both company and employees from implementing a structured training strategy.

The other finalists in this category were the Bernard Group Ltd, Geodis Wilson UK Ltd and NYK Logistics (UK) Ltd.

This year’s Young Freight Forwarder Award, which recognises the work and achievements of people under the age of 30 in the industry, was won by Eve Gogarty from Worldwide Energy Logistics. This award was sponsored by Johnson Stevens Agencies Ltd. Eve was presented with a cheque for £1,000 and will go on to take part in the 2008 FIATA/TT Club/IATA Young International Forwarder of the Year competition.
Eve’s enthusiasm and commitment to the international freight industry was evident in her written submission and shone through during her face-to-face meeting with the award judging panel. Her initial involvement with international freight movements was from the consignee’s standpoint, working as a volunteer aid worker in Nigeria, and from this experience she developed a deep understanding of the industry, backed by extensive knowledge of multimodal logistics, project management and supply chain logistics.
The other finalists in this category were Pradeep Bhowmick from Geodis Wilson UK Ltd; Daniel McAllister from Ideal International; and, Sukh Shinji from Allport Ltd.

The final award, the Lifetime Achievement Award sponsored by the Bernard Group, was presented to Derek W. Johnson MBE from Johnson Stevens Agencies Ltd for making a significant contribution to the world of logistics and transport, also taking account of his overall contribution to society in general. Derek Johnson is a worthy winner after a lifetime of service to shipping and freight forwarding. The judges felt that the breadth of his interests, in particular his support of the freight forwarding sector and his influence over many years at the highest level of government, fully justified their recognition of his achievements.

Summing up this most successful Awards competition and ceremony Peter Quantrill, Director General of BIFA, said: "We are delighted with the level of professionalism and talent being displayed for these awards. The standard of entries in all categories was extremely high and the judges had a very difficult time this year in determining the nine winners.

"It is encouraging that the BIFA Awards remain so popular as they represent the chance for the best in the industry to be recognised by their peers. They are also an important part of BIFA’s mission to encourage its members in their pursuit of improved standards within the logistics and supply chain industry. Next year we look forward to celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Awards.”