FULL STEAM AHEAD

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“Despite the economic woes that have washed up on our shores, the materials handling industry has shown the resilience and strength required to withstand these setbacks…and to present a confident face to the world,” says Graham Archer.

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Elsewhere in this publication, readers will see the annual feature ‘Forklift 2014 – the A-Z of forklift trucks in Ireland’.

As each year passes, I am amazed, in a positive way, to see what a delightful and uplifting picture the A-Z feature presents. One can only marvel at the array of products the market has to choose from; products that underline what a competitive sector ours is. Internationally, and at local level, brains are constantly at work developing new and improved product lines to help customers meet the challenges in handling, storage and distribution.

In related developments, companies such as Irish Ferries and its publicly-listed parent Irish Continental Group give us reason to be optimistic that better days are ahead, if they are not already here.

In a recent statement, that group reported a 10 percent improvement in ro-ro freight carryings year to date and a corresponding 11 percent increase in container freight volumes. Better still, over eighteen weeks to the beginning of November, its ro-ro freight carryings rose by 12 percent, with container volumes continuing to show double-digit growth.

Like the proverbial ship at sea (if you’ll pardon the pun), we may not see our economy turning, but clearly it must be. The significance for our sector is this: freight carryings, whether arriving into Ireland or heading overseas, mean more containers that have to be loaded and unloaded, with goods that have to be racked and stored in crates or on pallets that have to be lifted and moved around.

Against the backdrop of recent times, a growth of 12 percent is not to be sniffed at. On the contrary, if those figures keep rising, as one believes they will, it could soon be full steam ahead for all of us (if you’ll pardon another obvious pun).

And, as if that isn’t good enough, what else has Irish Ferries done? They’ve gone and chartered an extra ship to operate a new weekend service on an entirely new route from Dublin to Cherbourg and to use as a third vessel on their Dublin-Holyhead route.

What has caused this rush to the head? According to their statement, it all comes down to freight (and passengers too, of course). More ships, more sailings – which means more freight carrying capacity for trucks to haul from here to there. From the handling & distribution industry’s perspective, more space for trucks means more applications for the products we make and sell. Irish Ferries are no fools – their profits prove it. If they believe there’s growth to come in the freight market, it must be so.

Which brings me to another point: Have you noticed how advocacy has become the new religion that is guiding much of the thinking in Ireland? Today, you’re nobody if you’re not involved in advocacy. Soon they’ll be granting university degrees in the subject.

Advocacy – to you and me, that’s the art of bending ears – has grown in importance to such an extent that lawmakers have become extremely conscious of its power and influence. They know this, and they know too that there are many things they don’t know, things that they rely upon advocates – such as one involved in the handling & distribution sector – to bring to their attention.

For example, a few weeks ago I spotted a forklift truck with a wooden cabin. Can you imagine it? It looked like something Noah might have used to load up his ark. It led me to raise questions: Isn’t it time we had a forklift scrappage scheme? Isn’t it time that an NCT test for forklifts was introduced? Isn’t it time that insurance companies took notice of these things?

Another role for our advocate would be to monitor rules and regulations that are coming down the line so as to prepare positions and ensure that our industry’s voice is heard and its interests protected. It is in areas like this that a representative body has a role to play – knights in shining armour who would represent our views on key issues…fighting for attention in the media and in grappling with politicians to foster within them a greater understanding of our industry and its needs. That’s advocacy!

 

 

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