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BIFA celebrates quarter century of excellence in freight

[ January 17, 2014   //   ]

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) revealed the winners of its Freight Service Awards 2013 at a ceremony in London on 16 January, presided over by BBC Countryfile presenter and noted long-distance walker, television presenter Julia Bradbury.
The winners of the eight General and Modal categories of the Awards, which has established a benchmark of quality for the British freight forwarding industry for a quarter of a century, were: Cardinal Maritime, Dachser, Damco UK, DSV Road, James Cargo Services, OHL International, Spatial Global and Yusen Logistics.
In the Individual category, the winner of the Young Freight Forwarder Award was Phoebe Rockwood of Damco UK.
IAG Cargo also received a special award in light of the airline’s sponsorship of the Awards for the full 25 years since their inception.
BIFA President Sir Peter Bottomley MP again welcomed guests to the Awards luncheon ceremony and helped Julia Bradbury present the finalists with their certificates.

Peter Quantrill, BIFA Director General, says: “Such is the prestige of the event that in this landmark year, the Awards attracted even more entries than usual.
“The luncheon represented a splendid landmark, both for the Awards and the Association. I congratulate every company and individual who took the trouble to enter our Freight Service Awards 2013 competition.
“It was a pleasure to reveal a surprise Award for BA World Cargo, now part of IAG Cargo, for its sterling support of our Awards from the very beginning. This very long-standing sponsor has been supporting the Awards for the full 25 years since their inception and, along with valued support of other sponsors, has helped make them possible.
“Given the strength of support for the Awards, and the enjoyment each luncheon has provided for the last twenty-five years, I have no hesitation in forecasting that we will be toasting the success of the 50th Freight Service Awards in 2038!”
To mark the special Silver Jubilee anniversary, a special programme was distributed at the event, commemorating the Awards’ 25 years and revealing every sponsor and winner’s name since the event started. A special retrospective audiovisual presentation, sponsored by American Airlines Cargo, looked at how the Awards and the Association had supported the industry over the last 25 years and was enjoyed by the luncheon guests.
Other ceremony sponsors, in addition to the category sponsors (mentioned below against the category they sponsored), were: Delamode, DP World London Gateway, Impatex Freight Software, MCP, Port of Antwerp, Simpex Freight Management and Woodland Group.

Finalists and winners
General categories
The Environment Award – sponsored by Red Recruit
Winner – Damco UK – The judges considered that Damco UK exhibited a range of initiatives with a far-reaching scope that extended beyond their own organisation, including reporting the carbon footprint to their customers, demonstrating total transparency.
Finalists – Freight Systems Express (Wales); Hellmann Worldwide Logistics; MacAndrews & Company

The Project Forwarding Award – sponsored by Peter Lole & Co
Winner – Spatial Global – The company impressed the judges by undertaking a major project that demonstrated project forwarding at its best. It involved co-ordinating the arrival of cargo from multiple destinations to meet a fixed installation sequence with excellent planning.
Finalists – Charles Kendall Freight; Moto Freight (Highly Commended); UFS

The Special Services Award – sponsored by Forward Computers
Winner – James Cargo Services – The judging panel said that the company submitted a concise presentation detailing an outstanding service. The unusual requirement of moving gorillas presented numerous logistical challenges which were handled and met with complete success.
Finalists – ASAP Cargo (UK); Charles Kendall Freight; Interspan Freight Solutions

The Staff Development Award – sponsored by Albacore Systems
Winner – Dachser – The judges felt that Dachser showed outstanding commitment to staff development with numerous schemes. These included setting up its own training facility and monitoring progress every step of the way.
Finalists – 512, Customs Clearance, GKN Freight Services

The Supply Chain Management Award – sponsored by BoxTop Technologies
Winner – Yusen Logistics (UK) – The company impressed the judges as it worked in partnership with AstraZeneca, demonstrating a thorough approach to creating solutions across a wide range of transportation modes in a demanding sector. They showed tangible financial benefits for the customer, reduced stock levels as well as shorter transit times.
Finalists – Damco UK, OHL International; WS Logistics (Procurus)

Modal categories
The Air Freight Award – sponsored by IAG Cargo
Winner – OHL International – The judges felt that OHL International described the implementation of an innovative solution in a growing UK export sector. Not only has the solution demonstrated the effective utilisation of the company’s own skills, but has also delivered service benefits to its customers.
Finalists – Geodis Wilson UK; IJS Global (UK), RIF Worldwide

The European Logistics Award – sponsored by TT Club
Winner – DSV Road – The company conducted research into the European marketplace to fully understand its customers’ needs and expectations. Its investment in new I.T. and operations enabled them to achieve greater customer satisfaction through shorter transit times, and improved accuracy of deliveries.
Finalists – IJS Global (UK), MacAndrews & Company, WS Logistics (Procurus)

The Ocean Freight Award – sponsored by CargoWise
Winner – Cardinal Maritime In a toughly contested category, Cardinal Maritime’s submission stood out from the other finalists due to the company’s revolutionary approach to providing full transparency. This demonstrated its utmost confidence in the overall quality of its service delivery.
Finalists – Brunel Shipping (London); Estuary Logistics; Ideal International

Individual category
The Young Freight Forwarder Award – sponsored by Virgin Atlantic Cargo
Winner – Phoebe Rockwood of Damco UK – On graduating in 2007, Phoebe made a conscious decision to work in the international logistics industry where she gained a highly sought-after position on the AP Moller-Maersk graduate program in the United States. During her six years in forwarding Phoebe has actively managed her career with periods in China and now the UK.
Finalists – Samantha Bates, OHL International; Sam Camphion, Kuehne + Nagel; Michael Keeble, Professional Freight Solutions.

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