1926–2026
This year CILT(UK) celebrates 100 years since the Institute of Transport was granted its Royal Charter in 1926. Founded in 1919, the Institute had already brought together those committed to advancing transport as a profession. The Charter recognised that ambition and established a lasting foundation for professional standards, knowledge and public service. A century on, this milestone is an opportunity to reflect on how the profession has changed - and on the principles that continue to guide it.
The physical movement of goods and raw materials around the world still requires road, rail and sea. Decision makers in the industry still need to understand cost, risk and service. Changes in technology, politics and finance have always evolved. However, the pace of change has increased dramatically, as have social expectations, sometimes creating conflicting priorities, such as climate impact versus faster delivery or minimum stock versus contingency. Across its century of chartered recognition, CILT(UK) has helped the profession respond to these challenges. Three areas demand more attention than before.
Communication
Communication has become a key skill for those in the industry which until recently has sometimes been too opaque to company boards and consumers alike. Communication needs further improvement both tactically and strategically.
Supply chain operators need to digest greater volumes of information generated by new technology in order to adapt to a volatile environment and communicate clearly within their organisations and companies. This requires the skills and judgement, borne of experience, to interpret data correctly and deliver the right decisions.
Secondly, at a strategic level, Hormuz and other disruptions have shone a light on the critical importance of supply chain activity. Recent national and international policy initiatives in UK and elsewhere indicate that the message is beginning to inform policy makers of the trade-offs. The initiatives need to be followed through consistently to sustain confidence.
Collaboration
With scarce resources and time, everyone in the supply chain needs to collaborate effectively to minimise waste through duplication of effort and reduce the risk of inconsistent policy between government agencies. Historically transport has often been seen by all stakeholders in modal silos. Seventy years ago, containerisation transformed international supply chains. Shipping lines adopted the operation and invested in the developing infrastructure. However, the container benefits road and rail and is an example of cross transport coordination. The whole chain should be planned and managed as a single system both domestically and across borders. The agreement to remove SPS inspection between UK and EU revealed this week recognises the benefit of reducing the process. They also highlight how coordination across governmental agencies can be coordinated.
Technology
The exponential increase in technological capacity is a double-edged sword. The value and risk of new developments need to be fully understood. The elimination of routine manual processing is welcome but not at the expense of undetected problems being embedded into a process or worse where malign intervention can disrupt and cause harm as recent cyber-attacks on food refrigeration across Europe have demonstrated.
Conclusion
As CILT(UK) celebrates 100 years of chartership, it continues to have an important role in informing, educating and raising standards across the sector to meet new challenges. The Royal Charter is both a mark of professional recognition and a responsibility: to advance knowledge, support practitioners and help shape transport, logistics and supply chain for the public good.
The next century will bring further change - but the need for professional expertise, collaboration and sound judgement will remain.