Metro Archives | Page 25 of 34

Air France and KLM sign inaugural environmental deal with Metro

Jan 5, 2023 | Air, Environment, Metro

Metro is the first of the airlines’ customers in the United Kingdom to invest in their joint, innovative Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) programme, confirming our shared ambition to contribute to the development of reduced greenhouse gases within the aviation logistics sector.

(Pictured above are Grant Liddell (left), Metro's managing director and Arturo Marte (right), cargo director, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo.jpg

Metro has already made its head office operations carbon-neutral and is committed to extending this zero-emission strategy as far down customers’ supply chains as possible, which is why we have become the first forwarder to join the Air France KLM Martinair Cargo (AFKLMP Cargo) SAF programme and invest in sustainable aviation fuel.

IATA member airlines and the wider aviation freight industry are collectively committed to making flying net zero by 2050 and Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which was first flown on a commercial flight by KLM in 2011, and has been identified as one of the key elements in helping achieve this goal.

Aviation biofuels are produced from plant sources, waste oils, solid biomass, or from synthetic biology and can lower CO2 emissions by up to 98% compared to conventional jet fuel.

Arturo Marte, cargo director, Air France KLM Martinair Cargo said. “I’m pleased to welcome Metro as our first UK customer to join our Sustainable Aviation Programme and helping us raise awareness in our industry.”

Grant Liddell, Metro’s managing director. "We are proud to be partnered with Air France KLM Martinair Cargo and take this collaborative approach directly with the airline.”

“Air France and KLM have been pioneering SAF since 2009, but it is still a pioneering technology and Metro’s participation in the AFKLMP programme will help fund the research and development, which can increase production and make SAF available in greater quantities and in more locations.”

“Although it is currently early in the switch to full SAF on cargo flights, this will gather pace over the coming years, and we are already promoting the benefit in greenhouse gas reductions to our customers that are using time-critical modes across the industry."

The signing ceremony took place at Metro’s head office in Birmingham, with officials from both companies attending, including Arturo Marte, cargo director for the United Kingdom & Ireland at Air France KLM Martinair Cargo, and Grant Liddell, managing director of Metro.

The same toolkit we use to measure, reporting and offset our emissions, to achieve carbon neutrality, is available ‘free of charge’ to our customers.

Part of our MVT supply chain platform, the ECO module monitors the energy emissions, emission costs and CO2 equivalent emissions, of customers’ consignments, by every mode.

Reports and key eco statistics related to their movements, allow them to see which areas will benefit most from emissions offsetting and where efforts can have the most impact.

To request a demo or discuss your requirements, please contact Simon George, who can outline our proven carbon reduction strategies and the availability of offset projects.

Metro proud to be supporting children in need

Nov 30, 2022 | Metro

The last couple of years have been incredibly hard for children and young people. Living through COVID has caused feelings of anxiety, fear and hopelessness in many children; and the cost of living crisis is now pushing even more families into hardship, which is making fundraising for the BBC’s Children in Need more important than ever.

Children in Need fund the grassroots organisations and project workers that provide the vital relationships children need to help them navigate challenges in their lives; supporting, inspiring and championing them to ensure they have opportunities to reach their goals.

The Children in Need SPOTacular appeal inspires communities to come together every November, to raise funds and show support. And once again Metro continues to actively participate.

Children in Need support thousands of charities and projects in every corner of the UK, that support children and young people to feel and be safer, have improved mental health and wellbeing.

Good mental health and wellbeing is important for everyone and it is increasingly common to see ‘therapy animals’ being brought into the corporate workplace, where they make employees feel less stressed and more productive.

Eclipse House, our global HQ, recently welcomed a trio of very unusual visitors, who spread plenty of goodwill, cheered up the Metro team members that came out to greet them and boosted our fund-raising efforts.

The alpaca is a species of South American mammal, that is similar to, and often confused with, the llama. However, alpacas are noticeably smaller than llamas and these friendly, inquisitive animals are considered very therapeutic, charming everyone with their gentle nature and big enthralling eyes. Much like the Metro team that take care of your global freight movements 🙂

You can donate HERE

Metro’s unique selling proposition – there’s a lot of them!

Nov 29, 2022 | Metro

In crowded markets companies can start to look the same, but in these cluttered conditions, those that identify their unique selling proposition (USP) have the opportunity to be different - to differentiate - and stand out from the pack.

International transport is often perceived to be a commodity and freight forwarders may appear to be the same, or offering the same product. Without differentiation, prospective, and sometimes current, customers don’t know how they differ, what their services really are and which one is right for them.

Being clear about our differentiating factors and unique selling propositions helps customers understand what we do well and the choices most relevant to them.

An audit of the Metro business identified 135 differentiating and expertise factors across a total of 30 categories, covering everything from our new automotive department to artificial intelligence.

Metro is a big business, with a wide range of services, verticals, technology, business units, customer service, resources and social governance, so it is unsurprising that the audit should uncover so many strengths. We don’t just move freight, but have a plethora of other platforms, services and solutions that add value throughout supply chains and quite often beyond.

The ‘long list’ of differentiating factors will be invaluable when communicating the capability and benefits of specific Metro features, but it’s real value will be realised by distilling it down to Metro’s ‘core USPs’ - the values that match our customers’ priorities, needs and wants.

This distillation of core values and USPs will demonstrate how Metro stand apart from our competitors - our positioning - ensure that our branding still reflects those characteristics and provide the foundation for our marketing and messaging.

You can download and review our ‘long list’ of differentiating factors by clicking HERE. We recommend that you do - it could be enlightening.

We would welcome and invite your comments on the differentiating factors, which matter most and why, (do any not matter?) and just as importantly any factors that we may have missed – please EMAIL our managing director, Grant Liddell, or any of your team to discuss further. We are keen to share and provide more to you in the future.

Client wins Exporter of the Year at the British Business Excellence Awards

Nov 16, 2022 | Exports, Metro

The premium mixer brand, Fever-Tree, has been named the winner of the “Department for International Trade Exporter of the Year Award” at the 2022 British Business Excellence Awards, in recognition of their exporting ability and a glowing accolade of Fever-Tree’s innovative spirit.

Fever-Tree began its journey in 2005, when its co-founders spotted that premium spirits were growing in popularity and that a similarly premium mixer was needed, to really enjoy the ‘premium’ experience.

Exporting has been a core Fever-Tree growth strategy from the earliest days, when the Fever-Tree team worked with UK Trade and Investment, the Government department then dedicated to enabling businesses to export.

In 2006, when they wanted to accelerate Fever-Tree’s overseas expansion, they participated in the UKTI Passport to Export programme, to help them prepare for new international markets, including Dubai and India.

Flavour and quality are of the utmost importance and the reason why Fever-Tree is now the no.1 global premium mixer brand, growing at twice the rate of the wider premium category, with 68% of annual turnover coming from export sales in over 50 countries.

Describing what the Exporter of the Year Award was seeking to commend, the awards committee explained:
“In partnership with the Department for International Trade, we were on the lookout for great ambassadors for British business abroad, those companies that have achieved the highest and most sustainable levels of international growth through exporting.”

Broadcast legend Sir Trevor McDonald OBE, who expertly hosted the awards:
“This winner’s expansion is what really impressed the judges here, with a clear plan that was executed strategically resulting in 35% revenue growth in Europe alone. Their UK products are now carbon neutral - a clear goal to achieve this globally by 2025!“

Craig Armstrong, Global Logistics Director for Fever Tree, recognised Metro’s support. “Please pass on my thanks to the Metro team for making sure we got critical stock to our key markets”.

Fever-Tree continue to work with UKTI to grow and promote the Fever-Tree brand overseas and are looking forward to breaking into new markets such as China, South Korea and South Africa.

The Lloyds Bank British Business Excellence Awards celebrate the resilience, innovation and creativity of the UK’s business community, with a year-long programme of content, networking events, roundtables and judging, culminated in a glittering awards ceremony in central London last week, with over 1,000 business leaders attending.

Over the past four decades Metro has crafted multi-modal export supply chains to help UK exporters like Fever-Tree optimise existing and break into new international markets.

Our hyper-secure, cloud supply chain management platform MVT, gives our exporting customers a USP, that they can share with their own customers, to provide data, real time visibility, and an array of online management tools to manage their inbound supply chain.

To review your situation, future aspirations for global growth, or for advice on entering new markets, please contact Chris Carlile or any of the Metro client team, to discuss your options and achieve your export objectives. We know how to assist in achieving your goals and leave you to the business of focusing on producing and selling your products.

Image courtesy of British Business Excellence Awards