IOC Carl Lomas was with Minister Seema Malhotra for a Ten am ribbon cut in West London sunshine with Chief of Staff Heathrow, Nick Milton and West Thames College Principal Tracy Aust to launch a brand new West London Logistics hub focused on finding, preparing and delivering our next generation logisticians. Fulfilment to door, air and road, mail, parcel and food final mile, there was a fork truck guard of honour with a red ribbon to cut and begin a day of next steps for our next generation logistics workforce. Around the red ribbon, a yard of final mile vehicle showcase. Hands-on with gas & EV – truck to cargo bike, Dawson placed a twenty-ton EV rigid Volvo zero emission alongside an Evri gas tractor. Waitrose food delivery with fridge and a line of Nissan NV200s from TVS Rico to Skynet. Yamaha added two-wheel delivery solutions and operators were treated to a what’s what of clean air vehicles on the road and available today for final mile logistics.
The new West London Logistics hub focused on next generation workforce with a huge turnout of students for the free logistics recruitment fair. A Heathrow marketplace for job seekers looking for logistics roles. Operators offered career, apprentice, learning and job routes. Dnata stepped into vision with virtual role simulation at Heathrow.
Making it a three way win, the third special was an employer masterclass, air freight delivered by Nigel Milton, Road by Chris Floyd Evri, education and apprenticeships by Tracy Aust West Thames College. Carl Lomas focused the questions with a building project on vision for logistics in 2030.
The Masterclass keynotes of air and road
Nigel Milton Heathrow spoke extensively on the route to carbon neutral, with Heathrow cutting carbon every day. Alternative fuel use in the air, but on the ground vehicles are also becoming electric. Under Nigel’s tutelage the direction of travel now sees the vast majority of Heathrow on the journey to decarbonisation. This is not an opt-in or opt-out, it is the future to work together to a non-negatable and for our future generation we need to be part of the solution for the unknown challenges of the future. Protecting aviation for the future, we must decarbonise for the future to be strong and at Heathrow we recognise it as a commercial necessity and do the right thing. Air Freight is not seen as a sustainable or green product so complexity bureaucracy and vision mean that Heathrow needs to work with businesses to understand how air freight can be sustainable. That means we need the college, the students and the businesses.
Chris Floyd Evri focused on road. Talking about the journey to Net Zero, EVRi started with the question of ‘we must be able to do this better?’ Utilising independent services that measure the targets to reduce carbon output every business requires training, tracking and discussing net zero but importantly a business should have a person on the top table who is championing it. Moving towards Net Zero requires a business to try alternative vehicles. Chris emphasised that this is the importance for any business, ‘Try out alternatives’. The application of different delivery solutions moves towards a strong trajectory of lower emissions towards net zero. Investing in the target means you need to map the network and understand the demands. Quick wins can be by using a bike, or courier EVs but you can utilise lockers, the PUDO system that provides alternatives. Longer term, more cycle couriers, improve worker standards and achieve climate related SCG report; TCFD. The outcome of planning for low emissions and the result of Net Zero means that road safety plays a key part of reducing emissions by not blocking the road. Chris took a whistle stop tour of how EVRi is moving towards Net Zero, all the time delivering 3.8 million per night.
