I ND U ST RY N E WS Chuck to retire IAM President Chuck White is to retire at the end of 2023 after almost 19 years at the organisation. He will be succeeded by Brian Limperopulos, who has been Vice President for five years. White said: I feel very fortunate to have worked for this amazing association and especially to have been able to serve the organisations and amazing people. Fire study launched Leading container carriers have launched a project to address ship fires and cargo losses caused by lithium-ion batteries. The Safetytech Accelerator Cargo Fire & Loss Innovation Initiative (CFLII) is headed by carriers and ship owners Evergreen, HMM, Maersk, Offen Group, ONE and Seaspan and class society Lloyds Register and aims to develop technologies to prevent fires and overboard cargo losses. Third generation Chipman Relocation & Logistics has been officially passed from the second to third generation. Justin and John Chipman Jr. assumed ownership and control on 1 January 2023. Toasting a milestone Young movers head to Estonia Organised by Fedemac, YMC took place in Tallinn, capital of Estonia, the medieval and European Green city winner 2023. Though the location had been a late switch from nearby Riga in Latvia, because of an event clash for the conference hotel, the team at Fedemac and the local organising team who helped organise the event, made it a roaring success. More than 180 participants took part, mainly from Europe but with attendees also from as far as the US and Mexico. FIDI sponsored the event, which combines educational keynote speeches, teambuilding activities and discussion panels, helping to guide the next generation of movers in the early stages of their careers. FIDIs Customer Relations Officer Lydia Cope represented FIDI and enjoyed the opportunity to introduce FIDI and its benefits to attendees. Next years event location will be announced in mid-June, with Fedemac President Bertil Durieux promising it will be in a warmer location. AGS/Mobilitas reveal further expansion Indian Affiliate PMR has reached a turnover of 200 crores (US$24.1 million), after its business grew by more than 100 per cent in the past two years. The company organised a trip to Dubai to celebrate its achievement. VW to build in Canada Volkswagen has announced that it will build its first battery factory in Ontario, Canada. The PowerCo business will be located in St Thomas, and so the manufacturer may be able to benefit from US government subsidies. Cartus opens UK HQ Relocation management company Cartus has opened new UK headquarters, in Swindon. The Arclite House facility includes collaborative working spaces and meeting rooms. 16 AGS and its parent company Mobilitas have revealed further expansion plans. Mobilitas has announced that it will open a new branch in Vientiane, Laos, later this year, providing international moving, records management, and heritage preservation services. The company already has offices in Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Meanwhile, the business has acquired Bucharest-based records management company Distristoc. The company and further expansion in Romania will trade under the AGS Records Management brand. The group has bought a 10,000m piece of land in Bucharest for the construction of new facilities for its record management and moving operations. The companys France-based AGS Records Management has also acquired GEDIP in Antilles Guyana and expects to make a further acquisition in the Pacific islands. Report on freight cost increases A new report by Sennder has revealed figures for the growth in the cost of freight in Europe. In its first European report, the digital freight forwarder said that the price of road freight was at a record level, with an average increase of 13 per cent during 2022, and rises of 24 per cent on routes from Poland to Germany. German domestic routes, meanwhile, increased by 18 per cent; with growth of nine per cent for Spain to the Netherlands. However, the report showed that by the start of 2023, costs had started to fall again as economic activity weakened. It also found that demand for greener road freight options increased fivefold in 2022, with continued growth expected this year. Launching the report, the company said: The logistics industry continues to feel the ripple effects of macroeconomic shocks, which are likely to continue in 2023, with strong market fluctuations expected.