February 2024
Looking back on the first month of the year, our new Managing Director, Caroline Noblett, has been busy on many fronts, not least welcoming Clare Bottle, CEO of the UKWA and our local MP, Kate Hollern, to Granby.
January also saw us publish our 2023 Carbon Reduction Report, one highlight is we are now sourcing more than 86% of our packaging from sustainable sources.
Victoria Pittman, our Head of Client Services / Business Development took a deep dive into the future of the third sector, as well as being invited to judge at the BIBAs industry awards for the second year.
And finally, we hope your year has started well and we look forward to meeting up with you as soon as is possible. Let's all have a great February.
This month our picture is of the promenade overlooking the Ribble Estuary on the Fylde Coast, Lancashire.
UKWA visit Granby as part of Year of Warehousing
The national UKWA 2024 Year of Warehousing campaign continued in January as Clare Bottle, CEO of the UK Warehousing Association (UKWA), arrived at Granby as part of her nationwide tour of 80 UK warehouses to showcase our sector. The visit was jointly hosted by our Managing Director, Caroline Noblett, and Head of Client Services / Business Development, Victoria Pittman. The 2024 Year of Warehousing campaign marks the 80th anniversary of the UK Warehousing Association and this visit recognised Granby’s own close relationship with the UKWA – Victoria Pittman sits on the UKWA membership board – as well as Granby’s own focus on many of the issues close to the heart of The Year of Warehousing campaign.
The visit also allowed Granby to demonstrate how it embraces social value responsibilities within the circular economy, as well as reducing its own carbon footprint. Granby is also supporting UKWA efforts and strategies to gain wider recognition for the industry, across government, media, and the general public.
Carbon Reduction CO2 reduction of 25.6% from 2020
Granby appreciate that we have the power to use our experience, knowledge and partnerships to influence positive environmental change and innovation in our sector, across the supply chain, and for our clients. For the past three years, our Net Zero working group has been researching, planning and driving carbon reduction in our business.
In 2020, we committed to achieving Net Zero emissions by 2050. To fulfil this commitment, we aimed to reduce output emissions by 40% by 2025 and now, just 3 years in, we’re more than halfway to our initial goal. This equates to a CO2 reduction of 25.6% from our 2020 benchmark.
We are also delighted to share that we now source 86.5% of our packaging from sustainable sources.
Granby Muay Thai members nominated for Community Team Award
Congratulations to Moh, Dillon and Lewis, all are members of our team here at Granby and they have been nominated for the 1V Group of the Year award for their work with Shin Gi Ruh. Moh Mall (Production Team leader) runs the Blackburn Shin Gi Ruh club where Dillon Healy (Warehouse Team Leader) and Lewis Brannigan (Production Operative) are committed members.
Shin Gi Ruh Muay Thai Camp are an inclusive and diverse Thai Boxing club who have been working in our community for more than 20 years. Of course, the club has a strong focus on health and wellbeing, including mental health, and the group has helped many individuals with their self-esteem and confidence. Not only do our team promote Muay Thai boxing as a discipline, but they also have a focus on building a diverse community by offering equal opportunities to ethnic minorities as they look to promote understanding and respect amongst the wider community – here in Blackburn and oversees.
Charity expertise Granby and Third Sector challenges
At the end of January, Victoria Pittman, attended a charity sector webinar at which keynote speakers from the Fundraising Regulator and Oxfam looked closely at the future of the third sector in the UK.
The webinar focused on three core areas, societal change, future regulation, and operational and logistical challenges faced by charities.
After the event, Victoria shared her thoughts, “This was a fascinating session, and although the many issues raised are not necessarily new news to us, or to the charities we currently work with, it was good to hear them discussed openly.
As a third-party logistics partner to household brands and public sector organisations we are ideally placed to cost-effectively support the logistics challenges of charities, indeed the entire third sector. We can be the perfect match for any charity or not-for-profit organisation looking to improve their logistics operations.”
Time & Motion Lisa explores Time Study
In January, Lisa Widdowson spent two weeks studying Time and Motion. The effective time management of each aspect of our operations is mission critical for our teams at Granby where productivity is absolutely key to delivering what our clients, and their customers, need. We know this subject starts from the premise that the real responsibility for productivity or performance improvement should be largely in the hands of those organising the work rather than the individual worker. Lisa’s experience will bear fruit over the coming months and years as she shares learnings with colleagues.
Caroline Noblett says “We are delighted that Lisa got so much from this course. Looking at the strategic goals we have for the business in 2024, her experience is directly related to firstly, getting things right first time, and secondly, making the best possible use of people and space. We have an Ops Team that are used to embracing change and we have every confidence that Lisa will be able to communicate not just what needs to change but why change is needed”.
10 Trends to look for in '24
Here at Granby, we are always looking to the future and here are 10 trends we expect to see more of in our sector over the coming 12 months. From the increased adoption of automation and the growth of smart warehouses to the expansion of e-commerce fulfilment centres and omnichannel marketing, we look at all the key trends in our sector.
“Of course, as we’ve all seen in recent years, the world is a complex one and there will undoubtedly be something that comes in from left field for us all to address.” says Victoria Pittman “Predicting the future is just so difficult. But we can be sure that in 2024 our focus will be on delivering innovative, comprehensive, and transformative fulfilment solutions for all of our clients, in any way that we can.”
Employee of the Year Phil Meldrum
We are thrilled to announce that Phil Meldrum has been awarded the 2023 Granby Employee of the Year Award!
Phil has been an integral part of our team for over 20 years, showcasing his versatility and adaptability by working in various departments. He started in the warehouse team and has now transitioned to his current role in maintenance and site services.
What sets Phil apart is his unwavering commitment to going above and beyond in his work, often working outside of regular hours to ensure minimal disruption and create a safe working environment.