Penn Elcom, the Sussex-headquartered British steel manufacturer, has launched the country’s first DIY self storage system that it claims allows smaller businesses to enter the self storage sector.

There is a familiar face absent from this month’s And Finally .... My friend and regular contributor, Tony Allen, has decided to hang up his ballpoint and concentrate on more important things such as learning to like turkey at Christmas, paying for a new boiler, placating the grandchildren and wrestling with his ukelele (which is not a euphemism, just in case you wondered). ​

Rotom has reached an agreement with Englmeier Paletten & Verpackungen to become part of the Rotom Group in the South East of Germany.

Altair Global has announced new appointments for Liana Ciatto and Matthew Eschrich. Liana is stepping into the Central region as senior vice president of client services, while Matthew has been promoted to senior vice president of client services as the new leader of the Pacific region.

Shurgard Self-Storage and LEAP24 have joined forces to implement public fast-charging stations at Shurgard locations in the UK and the Netherlands, with the aim to create emission-free last mile delivery and mobility hubs.

The UK government’s Maritime Minister, Lord Davies, recently announced the winners of £33 million of government funding to develop green technologies for ports and ships – accelerating the UK’s race to decarbonise the sector while supporting jobs in coastal communities across the country.

UK government figures show an uptick in the seasonally adjusted number of house purchases in January 2024.

London-based self-storage company HOLD has opened its debut storage facility in the heart of Kings Cross, the first of five sites the company plans to open across London by the end of 2025, before building an integrated platform of more than 20 stores by 2030.

During the month of February, Smart Relocators in Singapore took its staff away from the familiarity of the office to help others and spend quality time together.

Momentum Worldwide Movers in Japan, founded by Nick Masee and Roku Nishikawa, has appointed Jeremy Laughlin to the position of vice president sales.

Protega Global, a supplier of sustainable packaging, has invested in a new distribution centre in Numbrecht, Germany to add vital capacity to its European supply chain.

The National Living and Minimum Wage rates in the UK are increasing from 1 April, 2024. Also, the National Living Wage will be extended to workers aged 21 and over (previously only for age 23 and over).

Scania UK has partnered with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), to help the charity continue saving lives at sea.

luggagecloud is a global door-to-door luggage delivery service whose parent company, Argid Technologies, has provided luggage courier services, mainly to the travel and hospitality industries, since 2004.

Wales & West Utilities (WWU) has partnered with leading hydrogen innovators First Hydrogen, Protium Green Solutions, and Hyppo Hydrogen Solutions to create a hydrogen ecosystem for a hydrogen-powered fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) trial.

AMJ Campbell in Vancouver, Canada has joined OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International). The company has a long association with OMNI having had its Toronto office in membership for many years prior to a corporate reorganisation some years ago.

Martin Wild from Kinnovis explains how you can use AI to create dynamic pricing for your self storage operation.

Ray daSilva from IAM Mobility Exchange (IAMX) talks about understanding and managing some of the risks associated with the trading partnerships that are so vital to our business.

Wonjun Jeong, Founder and CEO of Supermove, explains why he believes movers are happy to adopt new technology, if they can.

Insurance broker McCarron Coates explains why vehicle cameras are playing an increasingly important role in keeping insurance claims down.