UKWA • A vote for change
October 17th 2006

This summer’s vote by UKWA members to adopt sweeping changes to the Association’s constitution, rubber-stamped a historic change of direction for the leading trading body in the third party warehousing and logistics sector, explains Roger Williams, the Association’s chief executive officer.

At a Special General Meeting held early this summer in central London members of the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA) – for 62 years the leading trading body for the third party warehousing and logistics sector – voted unanimously to adopt sweeping changes to the constitution and rules of the Association.

As a result, UKWA’s membership eligibility criteria has been dramatically widened. From now on membership is no longer restricted to companies operating in the third party logistics and warehousing sectors – many of whom offer archive storage facilities. This means that, for example, retailers, manufacturers and wholesalers will be free to join UKWA.

Companies in the retail and manufacturing sectors have all invested significantly in their warehouses and distribution centres as logistics has leapt up the business agenda, but until now, there has been no single trade body for the type of organisations that is involved in warehousing but for whom warehousing is not the core business. UKWA aims to fill that gap.

While most companies will have their own industry-specific trade association, we feel that supply chain management is now such an essential part of any business that the ability to compare best practice with the leading operators in the logistics field will be attractive to everyone with a warehouse or distribution centre - no matter the size or complexity of the facility.

By becoming members of UKWA, companies will be able to benchmark their warehousing function with the very best in the business and demonstrate that their company's warehouse facility achieves the highest recognised standards.

We don’t expect a flood of applications from these sectors, but it makes good business sense for UKWA to get closer to the vertical markets and I am certain we can learn from each other in terms of best practice.

In addition, for the first time in the Association's long and illustrious history, the vote for change has given the green light to UKWA to welcome members from outside the United Kingdom's borders into its membership.

The decision to open UKWA’s doors to companies based outside the boundaries of the UK has been particularly welcomed by Ireland's third party storage and warehousing community which, hitherto, has not had a recognised trade body dedicated to its needs.

Over the years we have had a steady trickle of interest from Ireland-based companies but until now, because of the way our constitution was written, we have had to turn them away. This policy no longer seems relevant and we have already started to welcome companies from Ireland ‘into the fold.’

UKWA has plans to establish a dedicated Ireland region combining existing Northern Ireland-based member companies with new members from the south. It will work closely with local companies on both regional and wider issues.

The vote also heralded changes in the way that the Association is run on a day-to-day basis. A newly established board of management now takes key decisions and supplier companies to the third party sector are represented on the empowered management board in the shape of Linde Materials Handling’s Mike Hawkins and Chris Cooper from Just Barriers Ltd.

The nine members of the new board reflect the full range of the Association’s membership and comprise representatives from the SME sector, and larger operations as well as suppliers to the sector.

Our existing rules had been in place since 1944 and, I am afraid to say, had reached the stage where they no longer represented best practice as far as trade associations are concerned. The steps we have taken mean that the United Kingdom Warehousing Association is in a position to move forward as the truly inclusive voice of the warehousing sector.

Who should consider joining UKWA?

Any company that provides warehousing and other logistics support services in the supply chain is eligible to join the United Kingdom Warehousing Association (UKWA). Retailers, manufacturers , wholesalers – in fact, anyone that operates a warehouse or distribution centre – has something to gain by becoming a member of the Association.

Membership benefits include:

• Informative publications

Members receive a free subscription to the Association’s award-winning journal Warehouse which is published 10 times per annum. This keeps companies up-to-date with UKWA activities, changing legislation, health and safety issues, Customs and Excise matters and other important developments in the logistics sector. Companies also receive free entries in the comprehensive Directory of Members’ Services which receives widespread circulation to users of logistics services both at home and abroad. UKWA has also published a definitive Warehouse Manual covering every aspect of warehouse management in 18 chapters, together with other titles on specific issues such as training and fire precautions.

• Valuable meeting points

Member companies can attend regular regional meetings with other members to discuss matters of mutual interest. Additionally, there are specialist groups within UKWA dealing with Customs & Excise, Operations & Safety and Training, an annual conference, the prestigious annual luncheon and AGM in central London and periodic seminars on matters of specific interest. Members and associates can also hire UKWA’s boardroom at the Association’s head office in London as a convenient and central location for their own private meetings.

• Professional guidance

Member companies have access to an impressive list of honorary advisers who specialise in such areas as IT, materials handling, pest control, insurance, security, legal matters, hazardous chemical storage, business ratings and property valuations. The Association also runs a free 24-hour telephone Legal Advisory Service which covers over 40 different subjects such as company and employment legislation, landlord and tenancy agreements, Conditions of Contract, insurance claims, insolvency, etc.

• Strength of representation

The strength of UKWA’s membership and its respected reputation for fairly expressing the views of member companies helps the Association in its dealings with Government departments, trade, official and semi-official organisations, many related UK trade associations, the media and other important channels of communication. On an international level, UKWA enjoys direct contact with the European Commission and provides the secretariat for two leading international 3PL trade bodies: the European Warehousing & Logistics Confederation (EWLC) and the International Federation of Warehousing Logistics Associations (IFWLA).

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