“Manufacturers and retailers are clearly seeking to hold lower inventories so I suspect they will want to pursue more frequent deliveries in smaller quantities,” he said. “Collaboration will be more and more prevalent to continue to squeeze costs.

　　"Companies in the sector don’t compete on the logistics; they only compete on the shelves. So the principle of collaborating with competitors is something that we will probably see more of. Driving costs down will have to mean better use of equipment and facilities – and collaboration can help deliver that.”

　　Examples could include loads across business sectors, he says, so a lorry not quite full of toilet rolls could take a part-load of a light but bulky food transport such as potato crisps.

　　In addition, he predicts more collaboration between logistics service providers. “It’s all about trying to find the next level of efficiencies,” he says. “There’s constant pressure from customers to reduce cost. “It’s only by working smarter that the industry can maintain its cost competitiveness.”