Quicker deliveries to Europe
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EXPORT goods from the UK take an .L4 average of 10 days to deliver to European destinations. Part loads take up to 15 days, and there is a residue of 10 per cent of freight which may take from 1+ to 3 times the average transit time.
These facts were stressed by Mr. N. Freeman, chairman of an Economic Development Committee working party at a press conference called to launch the report entitled "Through Transport to Europe" (COMMERCIAL MOTOR, last week).
Mr. Freeman said that it was already clear that the report had not arrived "cold" —action was being taken in a number of quarters within government departments and industry to speed throughout transit times. Many exporters did not realise the bad feeling caused to customers by slow deliveries. A saving of 5 per cent in delivery times, said Mr. Freeman, could represent at least £3m. of goods in the pipeline, and if speedier deliveries could be made, and increased export orders resulted, there were great gains to be made—one per cent additional orders represented a gain of £17m.
Urging managements to take more interest in distribution problems, Mr. Freeman said he was surprised the subject did not occupy a high place in management thinking.
To facilitate importing and exporting by road, he continued, some licensing concessions were necessary in the UK. Unless we were prepared to act we could not expect reciprocal facilities for our own lorries on the Continent.
Lord Caldecote, chairman of the Economic Development Committee, said he hoped that C and U regulations would soon permit haulage of 40 ft. containers on British roads. Instancing the progress being achieved on various fronts, he said he had just learned that the £6m. cargo terminal at London Airport, and its linking tunnel with the central airport buildings, had now been authorized, and the cargo centre should be operational in the autumn of 1968.
He understood that a new inland clearance centre was to be set up near London, probably to the east of Croydon. British Rail, he said, were looking at the problem of standardized labelling of goods traffic. The Economic Development Committee, he concluded, was pressing strongly for improved road access to ports and airports, and to an easement of customs formalities.