Ceva opens global excellence centre in Ashby-de-la-Zouch

Ceva Logistics has opened its third global centre of excellence, at its UK head office in Ashby-de-la-Zouch. This European centre joins others in Florida and Singapore and is designed to demonstrate and develop Ceva’s end to end supply chain services for potential and existing customers.

The centre will also act as a showcase to highlight the various careers available in logistics for schoolchildren, university students and others interested in learning more about the industry, and Ceva has issued an open invitation to use the centre as a resource to promote the sector.

Officially opening the centre, Leigh Pomlett, president of Ceva Europe, said: “This is a misunderstood industry and the centre is designed to enhance the understanding of the supply chain. It is not seen as a sexy industry but it should be. It is fast and dynamic and not enough people want to be in it.”

The centre features several linked demonstration areas, including a mock up of an automated warehouse and a truck dashboard, showing how goods can be sourced, moved, stored and delivered from factory to shop or home.

“Collaborative solutions can be hard to explain,” added Pomlett. “If you can see and feel it, it becomes more enjoyable. We are often accused of a lack of innovation – with some merit. This centre also allows us to think in an innovative way.”

Local MP Andrew Bridgen – himself a qualified transport manager - welcomed the opening of centre, pointing out that 85% of job in north west Leicestershire were in the private sector and a third of those were in logistics.

“Projects like this help sell the industry to young people and that will be absolutely essential,” he said. “We need more training to get them into logistics or there will be another tranche of eastern European migration- the lorries have got to roll,” said Bridgen.