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Spellar blames JIT for jams
Page 7
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• Transport minister John Speller has hit out at 'Just in Time' (JIT) logistics, blaming it for increased congestion and an unreliable supply chain.
In his speech to last week's Freight Transport Association Freight Summit, Speller said that the government was doing much to provide a reliable transport infrastructure, but added that the industry needed to play its part.
He told delegates: "The low 'Just in Time' inventory and cost-efficient logistics brings benefits for companies and their customers. Indeed, the UK economy increasingly depends on continual resupply through extended supply chains.
"Consequently, lorries undertake more journeys. So the downside is more congestion, less reliable journey times and a decrease in the resilience of supply chains. I'm not saying there's an easy answer to this, but it's something the industry should seriously look at."
However, Richard Turner, chief executive at the FTA, says Speller should be looking closer to home to find reasons for increased congestion. He adds: "9 really don't agree with the assertion that we make more journeys because of JR-. As an
industry, we seem to be doing more with fewer vehicles.
"I think it's a little bit surprising that he didn't want to talk about the performance of the road network, but perhaps he's concerned that he hasn't got a very good story to tell."
• Speaking at the conference, Tom Fanning, managing director of Midland Expressway— the firm running the new M6 toll road—warned that it could not guarantee reliability once the road was opened. He says: "If there are no Incidents, then the journey will take 20-25 minutes. As far as we are concerned, we will go for that reliability but If an incident occurs then we can't give a guarantee."
While refusing to be drawn on a price for trucks to use the road, Fanning promised that it would be competitive.