FTA will change its name to Logistics UK on June 1, 2020, in a move it describes as “essential” if it is to “continue to grow and achieve more for its members in a fast-changing world”.
Membership numbers at the association have grown by almost 25% over the past five years, and chief executive David Wells is confident this is testament to the efforts of the association’s team and the language used in communications.
He said: “We have been really successful over the past couple of years in raising our media profile and achieving the long list of policy wins which that profile has helped to secure. That’s testament to the hard work of the team, but also to the changes in language and logo that have already been positioning us as Leading UK Logistics.
“Most broadcast and national media now describe us as ‘FTA, the organisation that represents all of Logistics in the UK’. This has been a very natural and frictionless evolution for FTA, and our latest change of name will continue that journey. We’ve worked hard to take that space, and our media coverage and influence are growing, but sometimes our name does not reflect what we do.”
Wells believes Logistics UK better represents the association’s involvement across Logistics and stresses that the support, services and advice its provides to members will not change.
With a policy team of 30 people, FTA has achieved more than 70 quantifiable policy wins – on topics ranging from infrastructure to regulations, recruitment, the environment and the future shape of the industry – in the past year.
Wells said: “To understand why we need to continue evolving our name, it’s important to understand how we achieve those policy wins. FTA is strong because of its size and scale, and because we already represent all of Logistics, a very large sector critical to the success of UK plc.
“Our breadth, size and scale is unique, and gives us strength and depth in expertise across important issues in all of the sectors we represent. Increasingly, policymakers and the media look to consult with organisations which can represent the whole sector. This has been especially important, and continues to be so, in our discussions around Brexit.”
The creation of a new ministerial role, Minister of State for the Future of Transport, to oversee and shape the development of the Logistics sector, directly acknowledges the interconnectedness of supply chains, says Wells.
“This is another example of how the world around us is changing, and why evolving our name now will help strengthen our voice and our influence.”
Matt has been an automotive journalist for eight years. As senior staff writer he is responsible for the automotive content on Fleet News and also contributes to Automotive Management. Prior to this, Matt worked in the automotive industry for 10 years.
Sage & Onion - 19/02/2020 10:44
I'm not sure this is a good idea, especially for own account operators that don't necessarily involve themselves with "logistics" in the true sense and operate vehicles as a necessary part of delivering their core business. We'll see how it goes but I may open up discussions with the RHA now as they might perhaps suit our needs better.