How does stuff get to us?
The Bottom Line
BBC
4.6 • 615 Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2017
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
How does a can of Italian tomatoes reach the supermarket shelf and a car manufacturer receives its parts in time? Evan Davis finds out about the hidden transport networks that bring goods from around the world to our high street shops and factory floors.
Joining Evan to discuss the business of logistics are:
Paul Dyer, CEO of DHL Supply Chain Maggie Simpson, Executive Director of the Rail Freight Group , the representative body for rail freight in the UK Oliver Treneman, Park Development Director, DP World London Gateway
Producer: Julie Ball.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This is the BBC. |
| 0:03.0 | In this edition of the bottom line, we'll be discussing logistics, the process of managing and moving goods, anything from cucumbers to cars. |
| 0:13.3 | Hello and welcome to the programme. Today we'll be talking about an activity that you never have to think about until it goes wrong. |
| 0:20.2 | Logistics is our topic, |
| 0:21.6 | the process of making sure everything is where it needs to be at the right time. We're talking |
| 0:27.2 | anything from cucumbers to car parts, transported by planes, trains, ships or trucks, carried in |
| 0:33.5 | containers, from factories to warehouses to stores and sometimes to the home. |
| 0:38.4 | It's an activity that has been revolutionised in the last half century and has revolutionised |
| 0:44.7 | the world, making globalisation possible on the scale we now observe it. |
| 0:50.1 | It is a huge industry, something like one in 12 workers are involved in it. |
| 0:55.0 | And so today we'll look at the journey logistics has made and where it is taking us. |
| 1:00.0 | Joining me are three guests, so I'm hoping we'll be able to shed some light on how it all works. |
| 1:05.0 | Let's meet them now. |
| 1:06.0 | And first up is Paul Dyer, who's chief executive of DHS supply chain. |
| 1:12.1 | And Paul, just explained the structure. |
| 1:13.4 | DHL is a name that many people will have heard. |
| 1:16.1 | Supply chain is one of the divisions, but just give us the bigger picture. |
| 1:19.1 | Yes, we're part of the global logistics leader. |
| 1:22.1 | We have four divisions around the world, express parcels, a global freight forwarding, |
| 1:27.3 | and a PEP, which is an e-commerce |
| 1:29.8 | business, and I operate the supply chain division for here in the UK and Ireland. |
| 1:33.3 | Supply chain. |
... |
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