Freight Focus- Episode 1 Windsor Agreement and MultiModal

Get ready for your dose of insights from the logistics industry! I'll be sharing the latest news, along with my ideas and thoughts on how the industry can flourish.

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The Windsor Framework

What is the Windsor Framework?

Earlier this year the UK government reached an agreement with the EU on changes to the Northern Ireland protocol.?

The primary objective of the protocol is to maintain Northern Ireland's inclusion in the EU's single market for goods. This arrangement has been instrumental in preserving an open Irish land border, while simultaneously necessitating inspections and controls on products entering Northern Ireland from other parts of the UK.

Green Lanes and Red Lanes

The essence of this agreement revolves around the implementation of two distinct pathways, known as "green lanes" and "red lanes."

• For British goods remaining within Northern Ireland, the green lane at Northern Ireland ports will be employed, resulting in minimal paperwork and exemption from regular physical inspections.
• Goods destined for Ireland will be directed to the red lane, where they will be subjected to customs procedures and various checks at Northern Ireland ports.

To qualify for the green lane, businesses must register as trusted traders under the newly introduced United Kingdom Internal Market Scheme (UKIMS).

What do these changes mean for me?

• For now, continue to use the Trade Support Service (TSS) to move goods into and out of Ireland
• You must register for UKIMS from 30th September to access the Green Lane in the future- Apply for authorisation for the UK Internal Market Scheme if you bring goods into Northern Ireland - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Seeing the new updates coming forward looks to me to be a positive step. By creating the green lane/red lane system we will see a drop in paperwork and bureaucracy which must be a positive thing. However for me, the most important element is ensuring we are all prepared and ready by the 30th September to minimise any disruptions.

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Multimodal dates confirmed for 2024.

Save the date! Multimodal 2024 is confirmed to take place on 11-13 June at NEC Birmingham - a must-attend event for the logistics industry.

The conference will once again feature key sectors like manufacturing, retail, automotive, and more, while covering all modes of transportation, from sea to air.

Multimodal 2023 was seen as a smashing success, boasting a sell-out exhibition and a record-breaking number of visitors. With 320 exhibitors and 12,267 attendees, the event saw a 25% increase in visitors from the previous year. Additionally, the awards ceremony received over 250 entries, making it the leading industry event.

Having attended multimodal a couple of months back, I can attest to the incredible community they've built since 2008. This exhibition serves as a real hub for the supply chain and logistics industry, attracting shippers, retailers, and manufacturers.

The event is all about finding ways to enhance supply chains and tackle the challenges we face in the industry. With so much expertise and innovation on display, it provides a great platform for new technologies and solutions.

Over 300 companies showcased their offerings at Multimodal in 2023 It was truly impressive to see how these solutions are designed to make supply chains more cost-effective and efficient, a valuable asset for any business in this competitive landscape.

If you're in the supply chain and logistics field, Multimodal is a must-attend event. The chance to network with industry leaders, explore innovative approaches, and learn from the best in the business is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Multimodal is making a significant impact, and I'm excited to see how it continues to shape the future of the industry.

This year was our third Multimodal in a row and it continues to provide us with great opportunities to not only to make new relationships in the industry but also to strengthen our existing relationships. The key highlights for me were Google digital garage, a fantastic free online resource talking the basics of online marketing (find here- Sign-in - Google Digital Garage (learndigital-staging.withgoogle.com)). This is a great step forward to ensure we have the resources to upskill ourselves and our teams all which can be done at our own convenience. The key highlight for me however, was more of a personal one. I loved watching the full IFS team in action, meeting with those customers they speak to on a day to day basis but see a lot less regularly. Nowadays We have all the digital capabilities to have video calls all around the world, at all hours, however not much beats an in person discussion over a cup of coffee. We hope we will see you all there in 2024.

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