Welcome to the 15 February Warehouse & Logistics News. With spring just round the corner, we’ve given the printed magazine and digital edition a fresh look. The changes are subtle, but we hope you agree they make it easier to read.

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Front
We’ve still got all our regular sections and a brace of features scheduled for you throughout the year. In this issue we’ve got features on Pallet Networks, Power Sources and Order Picking. ‘Pallet Networks’ is an update on the major European, UK and regional pallet networks; ‘Power Sources’ looks at motive power in the warehouse and logistics environment, including batteries, LPG and engines; and ‘Order Picking’ covers pickers, pick to light and voice picking.

It’s always good to report upbeat news at any time of year, and our front cover lead story is just that. Production efficiency at Hanson Springs’ hot coiling facility in Rochdale has increased significantly since the beginning of 2011 following the installation of a 25-metre-high storage tower from Kasto to house the bar from which the springs are made.

Hanson’s springs are used globally for flow control applications in the oil and gas, petrochemical and power generation sectors. The good news is that all of these are currently buoyant and demanding more springs in faster delivery times. It used to take Hanson up to three hours to find material buried at the bottom of conventional racking, but thanks to Kasto, bar is now available from the tower within three and a half minutes of calling it up on the computer control screen.

The plant processes 15 tonnes of cut-to-length steel bar every day, and the resulting increased profitability will readily amortise the £1 million Hanson have invested in the storage tower and associated civil engineering work.

Despite the mixed news we’ve seen from the high street over the last few weeks, strong sales growth in the grocery has added a touch of sparkle to overall retail sales. So says Judith McKenna, Asda Chief Operating Officer and Chair of the CBI Distributive Trades Panel. She goes on to say that we are far from out of the woods, with tough trading conditions and subdued consumer spending leaving retailers continuing to face tough market conditions in the coming months. It means that once again the spotlight is on warehousing and logistics. Retail is one of the UK’s largest users of warehousing and logistics services, and continues to invest in this crucial area through thick and thin. So here’s to a busy next few months!

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