Workplace equipment provider Slingsby, which supplies a wide range of products across all industries, has just launched a brand new catalogue showcasing the company's entire 35,000 strong product range.

As part of the company's on-going commitment to both competitive pricing and reducing its carbon footprint, for which it recently won a Carbon Reduction Award from Business in the Community, the new catalogue will be in circulation for the next 12 months.

Lee Wright, Marketing Director of Slingsby, explains: "In recent years we have produced a new catalogue every six months but we have specifically designed this latest edition to last until next year. This will reduce our carbon footprint further by substantially reducing our print and delivery requirements.

"We've also added an extra 32 pages of products and frozen prices on more than 15,000 products. In addition we've continued to improve the layout of the catalogue so it's even easier for customers to cross-reference products and find other items that complement their orders."

Slingsby also invests heavily in its website and the company's entire product range can be viewed and ordered online. Customers ordering through the website receive a five per cent discount on all products. The company also offers 24 hour phone lines that are open seven days a week and is continually expanding the number of products available with free next day delivery.

Couriers and hauliers are wasting opportunities to cut their carbon footprints, according to Lyall Cresswell, Managing Director of the Transport Exchange Group.

They are passing up chances to save money - and to save the planet at the same time - by needlessly running trucks and vans empty on return journeys across the UK.

"Private motorists are being urged to drive five miles less per week and play their part in cutting the UK's carbon emissions as part of the 'Act on CO2' initiative - so the least the transport industry could do is ensure it is not wasting journeys," said Mr Cresswell.

"Sending trucks and vans out on the road without a full load is simply wasteful when these days the technology exists to match loads that need transporting with empty vehicles heading along the right routes.

"Years ago, it would have been extremely time-consuming and difficult. Nowadays it is simple, swift and secure - loads can be matched even at short notice. There is no reason to miss out."

Despite the competitive pressures in the haulage industry, in 2007 Department for Transport figures revealed that the average haulier's vehicles ran empty for slightly more than a quarter of their time on the road.

"This is money down the drain - pure and simple. Even if we are coming out of recession, no-one can afford to be complacent about empty trucks and vans. If you miss an opportunity, you can be sure someone else will try to pick it up."

The 2,000 plus members of Courier Exchange, the world's largest trading exchange for the sameday courier and express freight industry, are boosting their bottom lines in the current tough economic climate by ensuring they make the most of every journey.

Courier Exchange, set up 10 years ago by the Transport Exchange Group, alerts members by text and email when a load or journey that fits their requirements is posted, so they can react quickly and pick up the business.

The more recently established Haulage Exchange offers a similar service for transport professionals in haulage, freight forwarding and logistics moving loads of 7.5 tonnes or above throughout the UK and Europe.

Both exchanges vet their members carefully and offer 'chat' forums where members can post comments on the services they received from other members.

"There is no reason to have misgivings about using Courier Exchange or Haulage Exchange as we carry out careful checks on members, including their operator licences, training certificates and other statutory documentation," said Mr Cresswell.

"Finding your own subcontractor can be time-consuming and expensive compared with going through Courier Exchange and Haulage Exchange which both have members across the whole of the UK and indeed internationally."

The cutting edge software used by both exchanges allows members to stipulate in advance which journeys and types of loads they are interested in, and then to receive alerts only about those which are suitable.

Members can also look at an interactive map which shows, in real time, which journeys are available and where there are loads which need picked up.

Both exchanges run on a subscription basis, with no hidden extras, and members can elect to pay for several different levels of service.

The ESR 5000 Series of reach trucks developed by Crown has taken the iF product design gold award for 2010. Of the 2,400 or so entries from around the world, just 50 were singled out for top honours by the jury of international experts, putting Crown in the top two percent. Every year since 1953, the iF award has gone to companies and designers whose products display all the hallmarks of exceptional design. A variety of criteria are used to evaluate each entry, including aesthetic quality, degree of innovation, ergonomics and safety.

The ESR 5000 Series combines productivity and optimised operator ergonomics with exceptional strength, and it was this combination of class-leading features that made such an impression on the jury. In particular, the reach truck series has set new ergonomic standards. While developing the truck, the Crown designers gave top priority to ensuring that every aspect of the vehicle is tuned to the driver's needs and working environment. The truck is designed to help warehouse operators transport more pallets in less time, substantially raising the bar for operational efficiency. For Crown, the iF award is a major coup: "We aim to develop innovative solutions that help our customers to manage their materials handling workflow as economically and efficiently as possible. The iF jury's decision to single out the ESR 5000 Series confirms that our approach is the right one", asserts Jim Kraimer, Director Industrial Design Europe at Crown.

Class leading ergonomics mean better performance

Operators work more efficiently in an ergonomically enhanced environment, which is why the design team gave such a high priority to ergonomics during the development phase. The modular design of the ESR 5000 Series means that it can be adapted to specific applications and driver preferences: customers can choose between multi-task, fingertip and dual-lever controls, and the infinitely adjustable steering column means that finding a comfortable driving position is easy.

A low step reduces the cumulative strain of climbing in and out of the operator compartment, while the ergonomic seat with its shock absorbers and individually adjustable settings helps operators to work more safely and productively. Together with the patented overhead guard, the offset clear-view mast gives drivers an almost unobstructed field of vision during driving and lifting operations.

In a (S)pecial Class of its own

High-pressure warehouse applications place corresponding stress on drivers. With the ESR 5000 Series S Class, Crown has raised operator comfort to a completely new level, enabling drivers to cope with the toughest working conditions. The S Class MoveSeat™ with its tilting FlexBack sets new ergonomic standards for lift trucks: the MoveSeat can swivel through 30°, so drivers no longer have to twist their upper bodies unnecessarily, while the FlexBack, which comes with quick-adjust lumbar support, tilts backwards so drivers can look up without straining necks or backs. Built into the MoveSeat is an adjustable armrest with integral controls, so drivers maintain total control of the vehicle while moving to and fro. The S Class driving compartment also sports a desktop with an extra-large working surface and angled clipboard holder, as well as a Work Assist™ post on which data terminals and barcode readers can be mounted. Finally, the S Class has an extra wide compartment, so drivers have generous amounts of knee and legroom for less fatigue at the end of the shift.

Latest technology for best-in-class driver safety

The Crown-developed Access 1 2 3® control system in the ESR 5000 Series of reach trucks means that each vehicle's performance and driving characteristics can be adjusted to suit operator preferences and specific warehouse applications. Access 1 2 3 technology monitors key lift truck systems, analysing and responding to information flows throughout the truck in real time. This means that the truck reacts instantly to operator inputs, accelerating, braking and changing direction smoothly and safely. Performance profiles with adjustable settings can be used to match each reach truck's performance characteristics to a wide variety of ambient conditions - including, for example, the skill set of the individual driver. This adaptability is a major contributor to the safety and productivity of the ESR 5000 Series in day-to-day operation.

HRH The Princess Royal today stressed the global importance of the engineer in rebuilding the lives of those affected by natural disasters such as the recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and Turkey.

HRH was speaking at the 'Engineering a Better World' conference, organised by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Commonwealth Engineers' Council (CEC), to increase coordination between the efforts of charities, NGOs, public institutions, private companies and engineers in humanitarian aid. The event also marks the 2010 Commonwealth Week, which this year features a Science, Technology and Society theme.

Over 20 organisations across the Commonwealth and Latin America supported the event, which also saw speeches from Care International, Register of Engineers for Disaster Relief (RedR), the Royal Engineers, ARUP, Merlin, the Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust and ICE President Professor Paul Jowitt. Alfredo Brockmann, Advisor to the incoming Chilean government and structural engineer also spoke about the recent earthquake in Chile and the engineers' contribution to the relief operations.

HRH The Princess Royal, a patron of RedR since 1988, said: "Engineering forms an essential part of the humanitarian aid effort. Understanding the value and impact of the engineering solutions and skills available - and sharing this understanding - is vital in coordinating efficient disaster response.

"The recent disaster in Haiti presents a clear example of why engineering skills are of the utmost importance in mitigating the effects of disasters. The scale of destruction we have seen in Haiti isn't something we're used to and this is largely due to a lack of preventative engineering to ensure infrastructure is designed to withstand such forces of nature."

ICE President Professor, Paul Jowitt, said: "We know that when infrastructure fails, things go wrong. We saw it with the earthquakes in China, Pakistan, Italy, Indonesia and just recently in Haiti, Chile and Turkey. The scale of the damage and loss of life caused by these disasters just reinforces the urgency we face, in looking at how we can minimise the effects of such dramatic natural events."

Jo da Silva, Director, International Development, ARUP, said: "It is important to reflect on the lessons learned from previous post-disaster responses. This includes recognition by the humanitarian community of the need for engineering expertise, both in planning and implementing relief and re-construction programmes. But also the importance of engineers in recognising the complexities of post-disaster situations, and the need to enhance local capacity and generate livelihood opportunity so as to leave a legacy that is more than bricks and mortar."

Pete Sweetnam, Director of New Initiatives and Response, Merlin, said: "The engineering profession at large plays a huge role in addressing key relief operation issues, though the impact is magnified when the technical activities in areas such as shelter, safe water and accessible sanitation are balanced with community based activities. Taken together, these have a dramatic impact on the key life threatening health risks, security environment and dignity of those impacted by disasters. Whether emergency, recovery or development there can be no 'better society' without the engineer."