Torus will provide resilient, agile and integrated defence supply chain solutions, helping the UK defence sector adapt to the evolving threat landscape and build the agile capacity required to enhance sovereign capability.

Designed to help address the UK Government policy shift to readiness, visibility and data exploitation, Torus draws on alliance members’ proven capabilities and mission-critical expertise in military domain, procurement and supply chain. The alliance is underpinned by a shared commitment of collaboration, compliance and continuous improvement to solve complex challenges in the UK defence market.

• Amentum will provide overall integration and programme management based on more than 60 years of support to UK defence operations, procurement, logistics support, programme/project delivery and transformation. Its global expertise, built over decades of defence, aerospace and national security experience in the USA and UK, ensures interoperability with allied sustainment systems and proven global buying power. Last September, Amentum announced plans to add another 3,000 people to its current UK workforce of more than 6,000 over the next four years.

• GXO will develop and operate innovative logistics solutions, leveraging its more than two decades of experience partnering with leading aerospace and defence organisations. With A&D operations spanning more than 30 global sites, GXO recently bolstered its UK defence capabilities through the acquisition of Wincanton, a longstanding trusted partner to the UK defence and industrial sector. GXO currently employs more than 60,000 team members across 450 sites in the UK and is a Gold Award level member of the UK’s Defence Employer recognition scheme for its work with the Armed Forces.

• Accenture will lead digital reinvention with a core role to deliver digital enablement and integrated decision support capability. Accenture’s deep experience of defence logistics information systems and digital transformation will enable real-time, single-version-of-the-truth visibility and smarter, data and AI-powered decision making that balance readiness, cost and resilience.

• Maersk will provide global integrated movement solutions utilising its extensive network across multiple modes to enable global reach ensuring compliance with stringent security standards for defence and government cargo whilst ensuring the scale of its owned assets provide agility and resilience to allow defence to plan and react to a changing need.

Loren Jones, Amentum Senior Vice President, said: “Our combined global reach and military domain experience, specifically Amentum’s proven success in deployed logistics and integrating complex systems for the U.S. Government, perfectly aligns with the UK Defence sector’s requirement for future operational resilience and it’s imperative to move beyond systems optimised for just-in-time to ones of assured readiness and global reach.” 

Gavin Williams, Managing Director, GXO UK & Ireland, said: “The defence sector is tasked with responding to dynamic global challenges which has created substantial demands on its supply chains. GXO’s proven capability in the global defence sector optimises efficiency and builds resilience in complex supply chains, providing leading defence organisations with the assurance they will have the adaptive capacity required to deliver with confidence.”

Mark Smith, EMEA Defence Lead at Accenture, said: “This alliance brings together unmatched expertise in logistics systems and data-driven digital transformation – enabling scalable, interoperable solutions that enhance mission readiness. Accenture’s deep defence logistics knowledge and cutting-edge digital capabilities, refined through working with over 20 NATO countries, can help ensure operational continuity and resilience in complex global environments.”

Beyond focusing on supporting UK sovereign mission readiness, the alliance is committed to investing in UK infrastructure, contributing to economic growth and fostering digital skills in local communities.

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The acquisition will strengthen IBS Software’s leadership as a technology provider to the air freight industry by bringing together complementary solutions and a shared vision for innovating and transforming the air cargo businesses. Boosting the freight business is an increasingly critical priority for airlines and the AFLS acquisition consolidates latest innovations to accelerate growth, especially AFLS’ cloud-based collaboration platforms which deliver advancements in airline partnerships – a major focus area for carriers.

The acquisition is also a strategic step in recognizing IBS Software’s vision to establish itself as an end-to-end player in the global freight supply chain. AFLS has a strong heritage in ocean freight innovation with a suite of new generation platforms that enable ocean carriers to automate critical business functions and make data-led decisions for commercial operations. Further, the transaction helps the company to deploy its cargo and logistics management expertise in the ocean transportation sector.

With increasing industry focus on the digitalization of the ocean supply chain to improve efficiencies, expansion into ocean cargo presents a significant growth opportunity for IBS Software. The acquisition will also allow the company to tap into a highly capable talent pool of experts in logistics and supply chain management that can drive innovation and deliver value to the industry.

To support this expansion, IBS Software will open a new development centre in Chennai, its fourth in India, for travel, transportation and logistics. The centre will accelerate the company’s mission to transform how travel companies operate in a digital world by delivering next-generation products to accelerate growth, drive efficiency, and create differentiated customer experiences.

“The acquisition of AFLS is a strategically important milestone for our cargo and logistics business to broaden its global footprint, with ocean transportation being a natural adjacent industry in which to expand our expertise,” said V K Mathews, Executive Chairman of IBS Software. “It is a synergistic opportunity to bring our decades of experience and expertise to the ocean cargo business, as well as strengthen our own capabilities to provide greater value to the air cargo customers.”

“Cargo and logistics are vital to the global economy. It’s an area ripe for growth and hungry for transformation. Recent moves by logistics businesses to enter air cargo as they seek to influence the supply chain at every level are evidence of the growing disruption in the sector. AFLS will be pivotal in our wider mission to transform the global supply chain through digital innovation,” said Anand Krishnan, CEO, IBS Software.

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As the impact of this continues to be felt, Accenture predicts that consumers will start to cut back on some non-essential items, while businesses will focus on improving operating efficiency.
However, the report sets out the argument for reinventing the supply chain. It sets out the case for optimising the supply chain for value and resilience, rather than just for cost. The three key ideas within this re-design are resilience, relevance and sustainability – three areas in which Yale can deliver.

Warehouses are increasingly using robotic lift trucks to improve productivity. Seasoned managers might be inclined to assume that such significant efficiency gains must come at a steep price, but the truth is that robotics lift trucks actually help lower operating costs. While investing in automation can seem like a large expense upfront, a combination of labour, maintenance and equipment savings means that robotic lift trucks can cut operating expenses – making them a sound investment. Because an operation can begin by deploying just a single truck as proof of concept before making a larger investment, robotic lift trucks can be trialled before industry leaders commit further investment.

Today’s environment is driving operations to carefully evaluate how they utilise labour, allocating workers only for responsibilities that make the most productive use of their time and considering alternatives for lower-value, repetitive tasks. In addition to rising wages, the constant cycle of hiring and retraining workers can further swell operating costs.
Against this backdrop, improving employee satisfaction and retention can help lower operating costs. Academic research shows that organisations augmented by automation technologies are 33% more likely to be “human friendly” workplaces, in which employees are 31% more productive. That’s because robotics can relieve workers of the monotony of repetitive tasks that are abundant in supply chain environments, and instead focus on more rewarding, higher responsibility work.

By reducing operating costs and improving productivity, robotic lift trucks can deliver efficiencies, but the timeline naturally varies by operation. Several variables, such as the number of manual trucks replaced, robotic units purchased, operating hours and burdened labour rate, will greatly influence the calculation of and speed with which an operation can reasonably expect to achieve ROI.

Yale is seeking to help customers with a truck that they can configure for their own application. The Series N is designed for companies in search of equipment that directly serves the ins and outs of their operation. To meet today’s challenges head on, customers need a truck that is configured to the unique demands of their applications. This means they do not need to pay for features they do not use; instead, they can configure the truck and pay for the features they require. The Series N is designed to meet the challenges of the individual operation. The perfect balance of energy, ergonomics and productivity, the Series N invites them to reject the status quo and set their own standard.

The value of the trucks goes beyond the movement of goods from A to B; the Series N can assist with staff retention and reduce labour challenges thanks to its excellent ergonomics.
Boasting an easy three-point access, a large grab handle and generous foot space reduces strain and twisting as the operator gets in or out of the cab. A flip-up armrest provides an unobstructed route when raised, and additional comfort when down.

We all work best with the right tools and supportive surroundings, so the Series N boasts a spacious operator compartment to be spacious, with excellent head and shoulder clearance and a full suspension seat. Even during a long shift, operators can rely on the Series N to provide comfortable working conditions.

Sustainability is also a major concern for many companies. Customers looking to reduce the environmental impact of their operations have a wealth of choice with Yale products. From efficient engines to electric batteries, there are a range of power solution options for Yale materials handling equipment. Yale experts are on hand to help guide customers to the best option for their individual needs. Lithium-ion batteries can be integrated in certain models of Yale products, and boast the benefit of opportunity charging during breaks in shift. This means Yale lithium-ion products offer more uptime as well as reduced running costs.

The Yale Series N lift trucks boast low fuel consumption, enabling them to do more work with less fuel; tests showed the trucks used 13% less diesel use than leading competitors. Reliable and robust components reduce the amount of maintenance required, keeping the truck moving for as long as possible and reducing downtime. An average 14% reduction in maintenance time helps keep costs under control. All these features are solutions that Yale can offer to help customers increase productivity and reduce their costs.

Not every application requires a new forklift. Demand for quality used equipment continues to grow, and with it a need for a professional approach. Second-life products offer companies an affordable option to meet their immediate requirements. Businesses may find themselves in a situation where they need to source a forklift immediately or are required to reduce expenditure. They may even need a back-up forklift to keep their operations moving smoothly. Yaleused.com enables them to source used equipment, from a local Yale dealer at a budget to suit their individual needs.

The platform gives customers instant visibility of the variety of used products available from an authorised Yale dealer and provides easy communication with the seller. Customers can find second-life machinery manufactured by a leading, global forklift manufacturer, offering the peace of mind that an official Yale dealer can offer. As well as fully serviced, well-maintained and high quality machines with instant availability, customers benefit from the local presence of an authorised Yale dealer who can provide full parts and service support, warranties and finance options.

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