Auditel Consultant:
Simon Beechinor

Green shoots? … what drugs are you on?

13 Mar 2010 | Filed under: Uncategorized

I mentioned previously that if you wanted to gaze into a crystal ball to divine the direction of the economy, then you have to do no more than study the logistics sector – when the cargo flows THEN we can be a little optimistic, but in the meantime…

TOTAL UK port traffic volumes for 2009 fell 10% on 2008 to 494m tonnes, with inbound volumes down 11% and outward traffic declining 7%, according to provisional statistics published by the Department for Transport. The number of ‘units’ handled at UK ports fell 10%, with inward traffic down 9% and outward traffic down 11%.

According to the statistics, total port tonnage in the fourth quarter of 2009 was down 9% compared with the same quarter in the previous year. Inward traffic fell by 11%, while outward traffic fell by 6% compared to the like quarter 2008. Source Lloyd’s List.

This quiet time is our chance to do whatever we can NOW to husband cash, reduce and get a tight control on costs and wait. This is our “Phoney War”… and, I believe, our struggle is just beginning. Watch logistics, watch Asia and you will see the future for your business.