Logistics Management

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The Senate voted 78-20 to pass a bill to renew the U.S. Export Import Bank's charter for another three years and raise its lending cap from $100 billion to $140 billion.    The Coalition for Employment through Exports (CEE) and National Foreign Trade Council applauded the passing of H.R. 2072 (Securing American Jobs Through Exports Act of 2011) reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank.    John Hardy, president of CEE, said, “with the extension of the charter expiring at the end...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   The Kuwait-based logistics provider said it had a profit of 7.1 million Kuwait dinar ($25.4 million) for the first quarter of 2012, 8 percent less than what it earned in the same 2011 period.    Revenue was 321.8 million Kuwait dinar, a 1 percent increase from the same 2011 period.    “2011 was the first year that we began reporting our numbers excluding defense and government contracts. Relative to this baseline, 2012 has started off on the right track,” said ...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   Stamford, Conn.-based Daymon Worldwide has launched its new Daymon Global Logistics division to offer transportation management and logistics support for its retail and supplier partners.    To start the logistics arm, Daymon developed a partnership with Echo Global Logistics, a provider of transportation and supply chain management services based in Chicago. Echo supplies proprietary technology, sourcing knowledge, and access to its network of carriers.    "We...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   European farmers will be able to quickly receive time-critical parts for malfunctioning farm equipment on weekends and holidays during the upcoming harvest season with the help of German emergency logistics provider time:matters.     The independent courier, which is co-owned by Lufthansa Cargo, said it will rush spare parts for harvesting machines to their destination within a day to help minimize downtime and revenue losses.     time:matters arranges...

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   DSV Solutions has appointed Brian Ejsing to managing director.    He has been with DSV since 1986 and held the position of managing director of DSV Road in the Netherlands since 2008 as well as managing director of DSV Road Germany since 2009.    Ejsing takes over from Anton van Beers who helped lead the integration process of Frans Maas back in 2006 and has successfully developed DSV Solutions since then, the company said.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   An item in Monday’s AS Daily about the death of Jean-Louis Cambon failed to note that he first came to the shipping industry via a stint at the French carrier CGM.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   In an attempt to unify supply chain activities, eBizNET Solutions and SPS Commerce announced a deal to develop a cloud-based service that focuses on retail, e-commerce, distribution and manufacturing companies.    eBizNet will bring its software-as-a-service (SaaS) supply chain applications, while SPS will mix in its on-demand supply chain management services. The integrated service is expected to provide connections to more than 1,500 customers.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Kuehne + Nagel said a unit in Japan has been granted by the Chiba prefecture government a manufacturing license for packaging, labeling and storage of medical devices at its logistics facility in Ichikawa.    “The license is a huge step forward for Kuehne + Nagel to expand its position as a leading logistics provider to the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry,” said Tadhg Meaney, president of Kuehne + Nagel Japan, in a statement.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Enterprise resource planning and business intelligence provider Pronto Software will partner with local data synchronization specialist Leadtec on a new supply chain application for Australian and New Zealand businesses.    Leadtec has provided electronic-data-interchange (EDI) services, synchronized catalogues, and logistics applications for Australian businesses for more than 20 years.    The deal will integrate Pronto services with Leadtec’s GS1net...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Amware Logistics Services said Tuesday it has acquired Parcel Port, a small non-asset based warehousing, distribution and fulfillment company based in Arizona that has a strong focus on managing e-commerce parcel delivery.    Amware, headquartered in Eagle, Colo., is an Eastern provider of warehousing and transportation services that bought Parcel Port to expand to new locations and take on direct consumer fulfillment for Internet-based and catalog retailers, said Vin Gulisano, Am...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   Schenker Khimji’s LLC, a joint venture that DB Schenker Logistics has established with long-time partner Khimji Ramdas Group in Oman, has started operations.    The new company provides services for air and ocean freight, land transport, contract logistics, supply chain management as well as event logistics.    “We see a big potential in Oman to become another hub in the Middle East," said Peter Glatz, chief executive officer for DB Schenker in the Middle East a...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   AIT Worldwide Logistics’ co-founders Dan Lisowski and Steve Leturno have sold majority ownership of the company in a management buyout to the newly created board of directors headed by Vaughn Moore, president and chief executive officer, with executive vice presidents Keith Tholan, Ray Fennelly and Joe Kayser.    The acquisition of the Itasca, Ill.-based freight forwarder was finalized on May 4. Financial details were not disclosed.    Commenting on the buyout,...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   DB Schenker Logistics has opened an office in Namibia.    For the past five years, the third-party logistics provider relied on partner Desert Logistics to oversee its services in this market. DB Schenker decided to acquire 100 percent ownership of Desert Logistics. The acquisition was approved by the Namibia Competitions Commission.    Schenker Namibia (Pty) Ltd. is now representing the global DB Schenker in the African country. “We plan to grow and expand our market sh...

Monday, May 14, 2012

   Global air and ocean freight transportation management software and portal provider Acuitive Solutions has launched a new air cargo spot quote tool called Acuitive SpotManager.    SpotManager is an auction site where freight forwarders must be invited by an Acuitive customer on a shipment-by-shipment basis. When a customer selects carriers they wish to participate in the bidding process, an email alert for the available shipment is broadcast to the invited forwarders and cont...

Monday, May 14, 2012

Cambon    Jean-Louis Cambon, the influential chairman of the European Shippers’ Council’s Maritime Transport Council, and a major advocate for global shippers, died at age 59, the council announced last week.    Cambon, who was also head of the ocean management committee for tire manufacturer Michelin, had cancer.    “Jean-Louis was major figure in the liner shipping arena, often out-spoken, always considerate of all positions in the arguments and issues whic...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   Homeland Secretary Janet Napolitano has formally notified Congress that her department will postpone by two years the mandate that all inbound ocean containers be scanned for hidden nuclear weapons or other terror-related contraband at foreign ports by July 2012.    The 9/11 Recommendations Act that required the 100-percent inspections included authority for the secretary to waive the deadline under certain conditions.    In a May 2 letter to the House and Senate Homelan...

Friday, May 11, 2012

   FedEx said Thursday it has signed an agreement to acquire the French business-to-business express transportation company Tatex.    It had revealed it was in negotiation to buy the company last month, three weeks after Netherlands-based TNT Express agreed to a $6.7 billion cash buyout by FedEx rival UPS.    The Tatex acquisition is subject to necessary regulatory approvals and customary conditions.    Founded in 1976, Tatex, a privately-held company, has over 1,...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Caterpillar has made good on its December promise and signed a deal to sell Platinum Equity a 65-percent equity stake in Caterpillar Logistics Services LLC, the company’s third-party logistics division of subsidiary Caterpillar Logistics.    The overall transaction is valued at roughly $750 million, and Caterpillar will retain a 35-percent equity stake. Other terms of the deal were not disclosed.    Caterpillar began considering the sale in March 2011, calling ...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Axway, which develops cloud-based software, has announced Nathan Associates has picked the company’s business-to-business integration (B2Bi) service to run a single window pilot program.    The pilot is being put into place by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The goal of the single window is to reduce the time needed to process import and export documents, allowing businesses to operate more efficiently. ASEAN also said it expects the program to b...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   As part of a multipronged effort to streamline compliance requirements, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open two more industry-focused units aimed at centralizing the import process for trusted shippers, one for automotive and aerospace in Detroit and one for petroleum, natural gas and minerals in Houston.    Customs officials made the announcement Thursday in Long Beach, Calif., during the agency's annual Trade Symposium, which is being held on the West Coast for fir...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   Accellos, a provider of supply chain software, has launched an updated version of its AccellosOne Workspace, an application that serves as the foundation for existing and upcoming products from Accellos.    Chad Collins, Accellos’ chief marketing officer, said Workspace was created with Microsoft technology and designed to answer three customer concerns: Make software simple and easy to use. Allow companies to provide access to any employee, partner, or customer both internal...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   U.S. and European Union customs officials have finalized an agreement to treat qualified shippers in their respective supply chain security programs as equivalent to their own, but a wide range of technical details must still be worked out before low-risk companies can enjoy reduced fees and inspection levels for ocean freight.    Under the agreement signed last Friday, Customs and Border Protection will recognize voluntary participants in the EU's Authorized Ec...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   The U.K. managing director for container line MOL laid out the reasons why different shippers receive significant variations in price quotes from different shipping lines.    “Calculating a realistic price for a container movement can be very complex – it depends on how full the ship is, the price of fuel, how fast it sails, how long a container might stay in the port and so on,” said MOL’s Adrian Jones, speaking at a multimodal exhibition in Birmingham, United Kingdom. “With the ...

Thursday, May 10, 2012

   XPO Logistics said it had a net loss of $2.7 million for the first quarter, compared to a profit of $1.1 million for the same 2011 period.    Total revenue was $44.6 million for the quarter, a 7.4 percent increase from the same period last year.    Bradley Jacobs, XPO's chairman and chief executive officer, said the company has a strategy to "scale up our operations through acquisitions, cold-starts and organic growth" and had made its first acquisition this we...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has launched a new capabilities mapping tool that will allow it to geographically target companies with the potential to provide resources during disasters.    The project is funded by grants from The UPS Foundation and the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, Project on Supply Chain Resilience.    The capabilities mapping tool is a geo-coding tool that will be populated with data on the member companies from ALAN's ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Ryder System, a third-party logistics services provider, has expanded its food packaging and distribution capability through enhancements at its facility in Beaver Dam, Wis.    The Beaver Dam Logistics Center (BDLC) serves food manufacturers with frozen and refrigerated requirements.    BDLC was recently expanded with a 15,000-square-foot, temperature-controlled addition Ryder will use to target companies needing to package refrigerated and frozen foods, vegetables, frui...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The chief negotiator for U.S. East Coast and Gulf terminal operators and ocean carriers in ongoing contracts discussion with the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) said Tuesday he didn’t think unionized dockworkers at U.S. West Coast ports would join ILA members if they strike this fall.    The ILA and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing terminal operators and ocean carriers in collective bargaining, are negotiating a new multiyear contract, with the cu...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) has voiced concern over a pending EU regulation that requires independent validation of agents involved in air cargo shipments to Europe.    The law is an amendment to the EU security regime for air cargo and mail and went into effect Feb 1. It requires an airline to validate agents in third-party countries on all shipments into Europe.    “Simply put, there seems to be a gap between the expected cap...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Toronto-based customs brokerage firm Livingston International has acquired M.G. Maher & Co. of New Orleans, as well as the business of its sea freight affiliate MCLX.    Established in 1949, Maher offers forwarding, brokerage and logistics services. The firm employs about 100 people in New Orleans and Houston.    Not included in the transaction is MBLX, the barge freight-handling and transportation affiliate of M.G. Maher. MBLX will continue to op...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Domestic intermodal volumes continued their upward climb in the first quarter of 2012, according to the latest figures from the Intermodal Association of North America.    Domestic volumes soared 14.9 percent in the quarter, to nearly 1.3 million containers. IANA attributed the rise to market share growth from trucking, “as trucking capacity was tight during the quarter and diesel prices resumed their rise after softening in Q4 2011."    International intermodal volume r...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Deutsche Post DHL said Tuesday that it had earnings before interest and taxes of 691 million euros ($894 million) in the first quarter ended March 31, 9.9 percent more than the 629-million-euro EBIT recorded in the first quarter of 2011.    Revenue in the quarter was 13.4 billion euros, 4.3 percent more than the 12.8 billion euros recorded in the first quarter of 2011.    The company's postal business uses the Deutsche Post brand, while its other businesses use the DHL b...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier CaroTrans has opened an office in Seattle, the company said Tuesday.    The office, the NVO’s 14th U.S. branch, will provide less-than-containerload, full-containerload, and breakbulk services.    CaroTrans said it expects further expansion in 2012, with new office openings in the U.S. Midwest, and in global locations.    “We are committed to opening offices where our customers are located to better serve their...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Eleets Transportation Co., a Jacksonville, Fla.-based asset-light provider of transportation and logistics services, has appointed Mitch Luciano to chief operating officer.    Al Steele, president and chief executive officer of Eleets, said Luciano’s “leadership and experience will help propel this company to our revenue goal of $200 million by fall of 2012.”    Prior to this appointment, Luciano served as president and COO of Magellan Transport Logistics.

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   The supply chain management company CEVA Logistics, which is majority owned by Apollo Global Management, is planning an initial public stock offering to raise up to $400 million, according to a report by Reuters .    It also said the company plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange.    Meanwhile, CEVA reported earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization of 66 million British pounds ($106 million) in the first quarter of 2012, a ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Murphy    Richard T. Murphy Sr., long-time head of Murphy Warehouse Co. in Minneapolis, died on May 1 at the age of 87.    Murphy was the third generation to operate the family transportation and warehousing company founded in 1904. He began his formal career as a dispatcher in 1948, and at the age of 27, was named president of the company.    He retired from day-to-day management in 1993, but continued to be active on the board and as a strategic advisor. Today, Murphy ope...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   Non-vessel-operating common carrier Troy Container Line has started a new less-than-containerload service from Chicago to Rotterdam.    The direct, 16-day service will begin on May 21 with a sailing on board the APL Melbourne . Also included are reduced rates to Hungary, Ireland and Prague from the Midwest, the Red Bank, N.J.-based NVO said.    Patricia L. Fitzgerald, Troy Container’s chief operating officer of exports, said the NVO will distinguish the service from its ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   WNS Holdings Limited, a provider of global business process outsourcing (BPO) services, has entered a partnership with GT Nexus, which provides cloud-based supply chain services, on a new platform-based BPO offering to shippers and the logistics industry.    The companies have agreed to jointly develop the service around documentation, freight management, contracts, pricing, and analytics with the ultimate goal of improving services and lowering costs.    “The ...

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

   International Longshore and Warehouse Union President Robert McEllrath on Tuesday issued a strong statement supporting U.S. East and Gulf coast dockworkers in their talks with maritime employers, saying the two unions have similar goals and depend on solidarity to ensure strong contracts on both coasts.    The International Longshoremen's Association and the United States Maritime Alliance (USMX), representing terminal operators and ocean carriers in collective bargaining, are...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   A group of House lawmakers told President Obama not to compromise on the country’s “Buy American” procurement policies during Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement talks.    Under the proposed TPP framework, individual states and the federal government would be required to bring existing and future domestic policies into compliance with the agreement. One of the 26 TPP chapters specifically covers government procurement policy.    “Failure to conform our...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   The European Shippers Council has named Paola Lancellotti its new secretary general.    For the past six years she has been secretary general to the European Marine Equipment Council, and from 2001 to 2005 was director to the Short-Sea Shipping Council of Italy.    Denis Choumert, ESC's chairman, said: “it is an honor to welcome into the ESC such an accomplished individual, who will lead the ESC through an important time of growth for our organization...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   China’s new five-year plan for its solar industry threatens to further incapacitate U.S. domestic and world market share, an industry group warned.    "The Chinese government launched a trade war against the U.S. domestic industry, took over the leadership of the largest American industry trade association and began driving U.S. solar manufacturing pioneers out of business," said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America, the largest U.S. solar manu...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   Third-party logistics services provider Damco said its South Asia operation is focusing on the pharmaceutical industry by offering "green" logistics in India.    The company has started offering a Dynamic Flow Control tool which it says helps static supply chains evolve into "dynamic" systems with a focus on reducing carbon footprints. The company said it expects the system to save companies double-digit percentages on cost.    Gre...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   Expeditors International of Washington last week reported a profit of $76.7 million for the first quarter of 2012, 16 percent less than the $91.2 million earned in the first quarter of 2011.    Revenues for the first quarter of 2012 were $1.41 billion, 3 percent less than the $1.46 billion recorded in the first quarter of 2011.    The company warned shareholders earlier that earnings would be lower.    “Our public comments on the state ...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   RedPrairie Corp., a supply chain and retail technology provider, released its 2012.1 product Monday.    The company said the new release aims to connect supply chain execution capabilities with stores and commerce sites to improve visibility for retailers, manufacturers and distributors. Additions to its service include new integrations, global labor standards compliance, support of industry standards such as GS1 barcoding requirements, and a new traceability offering. &...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   XpressRate.com and CUSTOMS Info have partnered to offer a new portal for online rate quotes from international carriers, promising results within in seconds.    User can sign up for XpressRate for free and only pay for shipments they end up booking. It will provide CUSTOMS Info’s users with shipping rates and assistance with export paperwork and import customs clearance.    The service, powered by XpressRate, is being made available on CUSTOMS Info’s subscription service...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Google is starting to sell some of its analytics capabilities as an online service to compete with engines like Amazon Web Services for enterprise cloud computing.    The services these two offer lag behind many dedicated logistics service providers and trade management systems, but they may appeal to smaller companies that can't necessarily afford the higher-end software.    In specific, Google is selling access to what it calls BigQue...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Chapman Freeborn has expanded its On Board Courier (OBC) product with the introduction of a new Web tool for tracking shipments globally.    Now, as well as receiving regular updates directly from the company’s OBC team, customers can log into the online tool and view real-time updates on the status of their cargo no matter where it is. Users can also see details around every arrival and departure movement between sender and recipient.    Carsten Volk, Chap...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Ocean capacity for export lumber shippers is tight these days, according to Curtis Struyk, president of Carolina Ocean Lines and a founder of the U.S. Lumber Shippers Association.    Speaking on a panel about U.S. export expansion at the Virginia Maritime Association’s International Trade Symposium Thursday, Struyk said he has to scrounge for capacity aboard vessels and can’t see why lines won’t serve his business.    “I understand that repositioning contai...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Looking for a light at the end of the economic tunnel?    Economist Bill Ralph said Thursday there are signs that confidence is growing among consumers and that he’s projecting containerized trade to grow 5 to 7 percent on the transpacific this year.    Ralph, president of the transportation and logistics consultant R.K. Johns & Associates, delivered the morning keynote Thursday in Norfolk, Va. at the Virginia Maritime Association’s International Trade...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   The Swiss forwarding and logistics company Panalpina said it had a 40.4 million Swiss franc ($44.1 million) loss in the first quarter because of provisions for antitrust fines from Switzerland and European Union, compared to a 34.9 millon Swiss franc (CHF) profit in the first quarter of 2011.    Panalpina has decided to appeal the European Commission’s decision to the European General Court. “We believe the amount is not justified, which is why we are going to appea...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Yodel has unveiled a new service in response to changing conditions in the online delivery market and demand for increased flexibility.    While pushing further into the online shopping business, Yodel, one of the United Kingdom’s larger delivery companies, has announced plans to alter its service in response to consumer service demands and increasing needs for flexilibity.    The changes will include a six-day week for Yodel service, increa...

Friday, May 04, 2012

   Dockworkers at the Port of Tilbury in England are set to strike May 7 over a change in their contract that calls on them to work when ships are ready for unloading, not in set shift patterns.    Forty-five employees are involved in the planned action, all of them at the Enterprise Distribution Centre in Essex and members of the union Unite. The union said it is the first strike by dockworkers at Tilbury since 1989.    The workers will picket outside the ma...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Panalpina Group, a global third-party logistics provider, has partnered with RedPrairie to include the Atlanta-based supply chain and retail technology supplier's applications in its systems.    Through the partnership, Panalpina plans to boost its value-added logistics services and enhance automation and efficiency.       One feature that RedPrairie’s system will give Panalpina is a standardized global platform to build customized ...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Amber Road, formerly Management Dynamics and a provider of global trade management systems, has released a study on U.S.-based mid-market companies' export compliance challenges and found they are increasingly at risk of violating federal regulations.    Of the 150 companies surveyed, 23 percent do not screen for restricted parties prior to engaging overseas customers. For those that did perform this screening, 30 percent make checks manually using sp...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   A new report, Transport Outlook 2012 , prepared for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's International Transport Forum in Leipzig this week, says that while the short-term outlook for trade and freight is bleak, "the conditions for returning to growth do exist."    "The impact of the current economic crises could well be a permanent loss of output rather than a direct return to pre-crises growth paths but global passenger transport volumes could grow to...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Seven chief executives from the solar power industry on Wednesday announced the formation of an association to expand global trade in their companies' products.    Global Solar Council members will engage policymakers worldwide to demonstrate the importance of a supportive policy and trade environment, which will enable the ongoing development of competitively‐priced solar energy, driving job creation and economic growth.    “Through its members, the Global Solar Council ...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Chattanooga, Tenn.-based Kenco, a provider of distribution, warehousing, transportation and information technology, is offering new international retail and logistics services with Germany’s Hermes Fulfilment.    The companies said the goal is to serve shippers on both sides of the Atlantic. In the United States, Kenco will provide warehouseing and distribution of online orders through more than 100 distribution centers and Hermes will provide online support for business...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Air Pacific, the national carrier of Fiji, has picked CHEP Aerospace Solutions to supply and manage its fleet of Unit Load Devices (ULDs) under a new three-year contract.    CHEP will provide Air Pacific with containers and pallets from its global pool of more than 45,000 ULDs, eliminating administration and reducing costs for the airline to position, maintain and manage its own ULD fleet. As Air Pacific transitions to a fleet of newer, more fuel-efficient planes, CHEP w...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Swissport International, a provider of ground services to the aviation sector, will start offering cargo handling in Denmark from July 1 after reaching agreements with several airlines, including launch customer Swiss WorldCargo, the air cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines.    Swissport’s cargo handling facility at Copenhagen Airport, Scandinavia’s busiest airport, will offer a range of cargo-handling services in Denmark, and is also looking to expand in the region. &n...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   RCS Logistics, a Secaucus, N.J.-based air freight forwarder, has promoted Evan Rosen to senior vice president of sales and marketing and Bill Wilkening to vice president of business development and emerging markets.    Rosen joined RCS in 2006. He began his logistics career in 1994 as an account executive at OOCL. In 1996, Rosen joined Maersk Line, where he held various positions within the line and logistics organizations, including director of sales for the Hong Kong-based Maers...