Services

Shoppers plan to beat the Olympic traffic jams by walking to their local shops. So retailers should stock up, advises Allied Bakeries

Allied Bakeries warns about Olympic food stocks

By Mike Stones

As 5.3M more visitors prepare to visit London for the Olympics next month, Allied Bakeries has warned retailers to make sure they are well stocked to meet demand from local shoppers. 

Who's interviewing whom? Employers are forced to compete for talented recruits

Cadbury in list of top three preferred employers

By Mike Stones

Cadbury and Marks & Spencer feature in the list of the top three firms nearly 8,000 job seekers would most like to work for, according to recruitment and HR services firm Randstad.

The race is on to find solutions to what could become a logistical nightmare of olympic proportions

UK sleep-walks to Olympic logistics nightmare

By Freddie Dawson

The nation is sleepwalking towards a logistics nightmare that could gridlock the capital and other sports venues during the Olympic Games, warns a logistics expert.

The food and manufacturing industry has failed to reach out to the brightest and best recruits, according to one industry experts. The FDF said plans are in place to remedy that problem

Food manufacturers face jobs ‘time bomb’

By Sarah Hills

The food industry is facing a “demographic time bomb” with an ageing workforce and not enough talent to fill the skills gap, according to industry experts.

Engineering a degree of improvement: food and drink manufacturers are inviting universities to compete to become a centre of engineering excellence

University sought to offer food engineering degree

By Mike Stones

Food and drink manufacturers are looking for a university partner to establish the UK’s first dedicated food and drink engineering degree, designed to produce graduates equipped with sector specific engineering skills.

A review of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority could help to cut red tape

Food manufacturers back gangmasters review

By Freddie Dawson

A review of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), which polices firms supplying temporary labour, has been welcomed by the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) as a way of cutting red tape for food manufacturers.

Sam Richards, an engineering apprentice at Nestlé's Tutbury plant, warned food firms are missing out by failing to recruit in schools and sixth form colleges

Food firms miss recruitment chance: Nestle Apprentice

By Mike Stones

Food and drink manufacturers are missing out on recruiting young talent by failing to promote their industry in schools and colleges, Nestlé apprentice Sam Richards told the HR Forum at trade event Foodex, staged at the NEC.

Jack Matthews, chairman of Improve and the National Skills Academy, is to leave the organisation. His responsibilities will transfer as from April 30 to Justine Fosh as executive director and Stephen Chambers as finance director

Sector skills councils ‘fail to deliver value for money’

By Rick Pendrous

Sector skills councils (SSCs), including Improve, which represents the food and drink sector, have come under a scathing attack by the head of the Meat Training Council (MTC) for not meeting the needs of the sectors they represent.

Missed Budget opportunity? Cutting diesel duty by 2.5p per litre would have created an extra 175,000 jobs with no loss of revenue to the Exchequer, claimed the Freight Transport Association

The Budget for food manufacturers – in quotes

By Mike Stones

As pundits continue to pick through the fine print of Chancellor George Osborne’s Budget, we capture the implications for food and drink manufacturers in key quotes. There’s a a summary box too, listing the main points for food and drink firms.

Better by design: the simulator is designed to improve the efficiency of warehouse design

New virtual warehousing tool for food manufacturers

By Rod Addy

A futuristic 3D virtual reality warehouse simulator has been launched enabling food manufacturers and logistics providers to explore different warehouse designs and make more informed business decisions before committing to them.

The R&D investment could help boost export demand for British-made food and drinks

Food manufacturers welcome £15M R&D plan

By Mike Stones

 The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has welcomed the government’s plan to invest £15M in research and development dedicated to boosting food sector growth.

The firm's 'day-one for day-two’ strategy means that goods delivered to Culina depots on one day are distributed to retailers the next day

Culina Logistics targets big boost to food services

By Rod Addy

Culina Group is pressing ahead with ambitious plans to enhance services for food manufacturers and retailers – slashing store delivery lead times and pursuing rapid growth in fresh food and other categories.

In the money: £125,000 separated the lowest paid managers from their highest paid colleagues

Food manufacturing salaries: how does yours compare?

By Mike Stones

Salaries paid to managers working in manufacturing and industrial roles range from about £25,000 to £150,000, according to the latest income survey from recruitment consultancy firm Michael Page.

The new Mercedes-Benz truck has a Blue Tec 6 engine, which cuts nitrogen oxide emissions by 77%

Breaking News on the Food and Drink Manufacturing Sector

By Rod Addy

Logistics specialist Norbert Dentressangle (ND) is targeting €1bn (£848.6M) in freight forwarding sales within five years, according to Dave Barron, global commercial director for Norbert Dentressangle Overseas (NDO).

Nick Clegg: determined to defuse the

Food firms to help defuse youth ‘time bomb’

By Mike Stones

UK food and drink manufacturers have pledged their support for Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s plan to encourage 16- and 17-year-olds who are not in work, education or training (NEET), back into earning or learning.

Food firms to outsource maintenance to meet demand

Food firms to outsource maintenance to meet demand

By Freddie Dawson

More than half (55%) of manufacturing firms are planning to outsource maintenance to help supply increased demand, according to research commissioned by trade fair organiser EasyFairs.

Determined to beat the bullies, the FSA could withdraw its inspectors

FSA threatens abattoir bullies

By Rick Pendrous

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is threatening to withdraw inspectors from abattoirs and primary cutting plants that fail to deal with a culture of bullying, which is said to be "endemic" across the industry.

The balance of food production power is shifting from governments to trans national corporations

Giant multi-nationals to dominate food production

By Mike Stones

The balance of power in global food production is shifting away from national governments to multi-national firms and from western economies to emerging nations, warns a new report from SAC’s Rural Policy Centre. In the first of a two-part series, we...

Food and drinks firms must battle Olympic congestion to deliver on time

Race to win 2012 Olympics gold

By Rod Addy

The food and drink supply chain is gearing up to ensure consumers are kept fed and watered during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Fall in line

Fall in line

By John Dunn

Food factories can be dangerous places. John Dunn looks at ways to make them safer

Food haulage firms could be a target for criminals to traffic drugs, illegal goods and illegal immigrants

Drug dealers target food industry

By Rod Addy

The food industry could be a target for criminals to traffic drugs, illegal goods and immigrants, according to the UK Border Agency (UKBA) and logistics experts.

Widepread disruption: Marmite on the M1 caused chaos among rush hour commuters

Marmite spread on M1 after lorry collision

By Dan Colombini

A driver was taken to hospital and a section of the M1 motorway was closed yesterday after an accident resulted in 20t of Marmite being spilled onto the carriageway.

Energy saving plans are often over ridden by excessive managerial caution, claims the Carbon Trust

Food firms’ fear of change delays energy savings

By Freddy Dawson

UK food and drink manufacturers are failing to make maximum energy savings because their managers are worried about change, warns a new business launched by the Carbon Trust.

TV Apprentice star Tim Campbell and Apprentice of the Year, Calum Marnock, from Kraft, at the Community Partnership Awards ceremony

Sign up to the apprenticeship pledge: FDF

By Mike Stones

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) is urging food manufacturers to sign up to its apprenticeship pledge and contribute to the growing number of opportunities in the food and drink manufacturing sector.

Switch on to the latest advice about complying with the new agency worker regulations, and a host of other business topics, by attending the SME Business Leaders' Round Table. This free-to-attend event will be held at legal specialist Eversheds’ Leeds office on November 29. For more details, telephone 01293 610231 or email foodmanevents@wrbm.com

New agency workers law highlights need for TLC

By Mike Stones

Food and beverage manufacturers risk claims of discrimination unless agency workers receive equal treatment to full-time employees, warns legal specialist Eversheds.

Pension experts warn new law will increase red tape

Pension experts warn new law will increase red tape

By Freddie Dawson

New legislation coming into force next year, which requires companies to automatically enrol employees in pension schemes, could prove unfairly burdensome on small food companies that have a high staff turnover, pension experts have warned.

Snakes and ladders

Snakes and ladders

By Freddie Dawson

Manufacturers are constantly looking for ways to improve efficiency. But those in the food and drink sector still lag behind others, such as automotive and chemical manufacturers, says John Saysell, business development manager at training consultancy,...

Here at last

Here at last

By John Dunn

The new Proficiency in Food Manufacturing qualification by Improve has been awarded to two UK companies – and not before time.

Chess and the
supply chain

Chess and the
supply chain

By Hugh Williams

The queen marched on, confident of her move. The bishop stayed near her, knowing that his position was vulnerable to attack. If the enemy struck, he would be the victim. Yet it would be an honour to die protecting his queen. The moment was tense. Then,...

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