For many members of our network, this was a completely new experience; allowing them to follow the journey of the goods they transport as they leave/enter the UK.

Up until the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Members of the Young Forwarder Network could sign up for a Port Tour in person. However like many events, these visits have been switched to a virtual forum and have been growing more and more in popularity as a result. This session in particular had over 90 participants in attendance!

Our guest speaker Lexi is a Customer Service Officer at DP World and is a long-standing member of our Network. Being based the port herself, her knowledge and experiences of working there make her the perfect tour guide!

Lexi walked us through each stage of the journey for hauliers entering and exiting the Port as well as the key zones that make up the Port's operation.  

One of these zones is London Gateway’s Logistics Park - the biggest of its kind in Europe (the size of 400 football pitches!). We were able to spot some of the biggest household names in the UK who have set up distribution hubs there.. from Dixons Carphone to Lidl, Made.com to DHL.

We also got to see the process of how containers are loaded and unloaded, plus gain an understanding of the latest technology that is in place there to ensure that the right goods are loaded onto the right vehicles for onward travel across the UK - quickly and efficently. 

To round off our tour and to test our new-found knowledge, it was over to Carl Hobbis to host a short Quiz, with questions based on the facts previously shared by Lexi.

Congratulations to Thomas Willats who was our Quiz Champion - We hope you enjoy your £20 Amazon voucher!

 

Thank you Lexi for being such a fantastic host and for sharing so many interesting insights!

If you are interested in being a Guest Speaker at a future Young Forwarder Event, or would like to nominate a topic you would like us to feature, please email BIFA's Communications team: BIFAcomms@bifa.org