Logistics News

Move underscores commitment to Europe, establishes regional headquarters and enhances customer base

Alameda, CA and Hamburg, Germany, January 22, 2008 — GT Nexus today announced that it has acquired Metaship AG, an innovative provider of Logistics management Technology for importers, exporters and Third Party Logistics providers (3PLs). The Metaship team and operations, based in Hamburg Germany, are now part of GT Nexus and serve as the company’s headquarters for Europe.

"We think Europe has tremendous growth potential and this acquisition positions us to take full advantage of the opportunity," said Aaron Sasson, CEO of GT Nexus. "Metaship has an impressive list of customers, an outstanding team and a Technology that is very complementary to the capabilities currently available on the GT Nexus portal. With this foundation in place, we are poised to grow rapidly in Europe."

Quality of the European Logistics network will be further improved by the expansion of multimodal transport facilities

(Berlin, 25 February 2008) Hans-Jörg Hager, Chairman of the Board of Management of Schenker Deutschland AG and member of the Schenker Board of Management responsible for land transport in Europe, has informed the DB Board of Management that he plans to leave the company this year. Mr. Hager has made his intention to tackle new challenges from the age of 60 clear for some time.

The DB Board of Management regrets this; however, it accepts his wishes. “We at DB Schenker will take the time to discuss the next steps in the course of the coming weeks and will decide on a successor who will ensure a seamless transition.

Luxembourg, 24 February 2008 - Cargolux reacts to an increase in fuel prices and adapts its fuel surcharge on all cargo shipments as of 10 March 2008. The decision reflects the rising costs that Cargolux is exposed to.

The current level of the fuel surcharge will be adjusted to € 0.80 per kilo. The level of the adjustment in currencies other than the Euro will be communicated on request by the local Cargolux Sales representatives. The charge is based on actual weight and will be implemented across the Cargolux network according to local legislation and wherever it is legally permitted.

Krasnoyarsk, February, 16, 2008 - A ceremony has taken place at Emelyanovo Airport in Krasnoyarsk in the Russian Far East to mark the opening of a new cargo terminal forecast to evolve into Russia's first world-class multi-modal air cargo hub. The ceremony was attended by project partners – Krasnoyask Territory Administration, AirBridgeCargo Airlines, subsidiary of Volga-Dnepr Group and the principal cargo operator in Krasnoyarsk, Kratos Investment Group and Krasnoyarsk Airlines.

AirBridgeCargo Airlines commenced scheduled cargo services via Krasnoyarsk Airport in November 2004 recognising the unique potential of its geographical position on the shortest routes connecting Europe, Asia and the US and its ability to support extended network deliveries around Russia.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (Feb. 19, 2008) – HighJump Software, a 3M company, a global provider of Supply Chain execution solutions, today announced that third-party Logistics provider (3PL) Richmond Cold Storage (RCS) has selected the HighJump Warehouse Management System (WMS) to support nationwide distribution. RCS will implement the solution at 12 facilities in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama using a centralized deployment model. The company chose the HighJump solution for the overall flexibility of the HighJump suite and its new billing management functionality for third-party Logistics providers, Logistics service providers (LSP), and outsourced service providers (OSP).

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (Feb. 19, 2008) – HighJump Software, a 3M company, a global provider of Supply Chain execution solutions, today announced that third-party Logistics provider (3PL) Richmond Cold Storage (RCS) has selected the HighJump Warehouse Management System (WMS) to support nationwide distribution. RCS will implement the solution at 12 facilities in Virginia, North Carolina and Alabama using a centralized deployment model. The company chose the HighJump solution for the overall flexibility of the HighJump suite and its new billing management functionality for third-party Logistics providers, Logistics service providers (LSP), and outsourced service providers (OSP).

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. (Feb. 19, 2008) – HighJump Software, a 3M company, a global provider of Supply Chain execution solutions, today announced the release of HighJump Billing Management. HighJump Billing Management is designed to improve billing accuracy and capture charges on a client-by-client basis for third-party Logistics (3PL) providers, Logistics service providers (LSP), and outsourced service providers (OSP).

HighJump Billing Management gives companies full visibility into actual costs with comparisons to what was invoiced. This replaces the practice of spreading client costs evenly across all accounts, which can result in an oversimplified and incorrect analysis. Client-level costing data enables accurate labor costs, as well as profit and loss analyses and reporting. The solution also supports complex contractual requirements that often exist between an LSP and its clients, including billing based on material handling transactions, storage capacity utilization, and client-specific billing requirements.

New facility at airport to nearly double existing capacity

Essen/Dallas, February 19, 2008: Construction has now begun following a ground-breaking ceremony for the new DB Schenker Logistics center at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The roughly 19,000-square-meter facility for international air freight as well as national supply and distribution is expected to begin operating this fall.

The newly built facility will practically double BAX Global and Schenker’s existing capacity at DFW International Airport. 78 truck bays, state-of-the-art communications technology, an efficient infrastructure and security systems guarantee that freight is handled quickly while providing the highest levels of service quality. About 160 employees will work at the new site.

19/02/2008 : Leading Supply Chain provider, Wincanton, has announced that all 122 drivers working at its Trafford Park site have achieved NVQ Level 3 following a pilot scheme launched in October 2007.

Wincanton is the first transport company to introduce an NVQ qualification programme that will ensure all of its drivers achieve the certification, including any that do not qualify for funded support.

Wincanton currently has 533 drivers registered on the programme across the company, 75 of which are non-funded. 307 have already achieved the certification and Wincanton expects 1,100 drivers to gain the certificate in the first year of the initiative.

20.02.2008,Zurich – Switzerland: Swiss WorldCargo, the air cargo division of Swiss International Air Lines Ltd., announces a significant increase of air cargo capacity between Zurich and Tel Aviv thanks to the introduction of an additional A-340 on this route.

The new A-340 connection, which will be operated on days 5-6-7 from 9 February to 9 March 2008, will become daily from 12 March 2008. All in all, Swiss WorldCargo will offer around 42 tons of cargo capacity to and from one of the Near East’s most important gateways for air trade.

Israel has developed a broad-based economy with a number of high value-adding sectors. The major industries include high-technology electronic and biomedical equipment, metal products, processed foods, chemicals, and transport equipment. Moreover, the country possesses a substantial service sector and is one of the world's main centers for diamond cutting and polishing.

Solution Provides Flexibility, Visibility and Security to Crowley for Enterprise and Multi-Enterprise Integration

Dublin, Ohio – February 19, 2008 – Sterling Commerce, a subsidiary of AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T), announced today that Crowley Maritime Corporation has successfully implemented Sterling Commerce Gentran Integration Suite (GIS) as its business-to-business (B2B) integration platform. Crowley is a leading provider of diversified transportation, Logistics and emergency response services both domestically and internationally. Using Sterling Commerce solutions, Crowley is now able to build, deploy and manage B2B solutions more easily and quickly across diverse business partner communities.

Global alliance of small-to mid-sized Logistics firms will share resources to compete with larger companies

PHILADELPHIA, SINGAPORE, February 19, 2008 – BDP International (BDP) is forming a new global alliance of small-to mid-sized firms to challenge the dominance of the large multi-national Logistics and transport companies. The new unit will be based in Singapore.

Richard J. Bolte Jr., president and CEO of BDP International, explained the move is in response to market demand for more intensive customer service, following an unprecedented period of consolidation in the Logistics industry which has seen its largest players acquire many smaller firms.

At this year’s LogiMAT, Knapp AG will be present as the specialist for innovative all-in-one system solutions as well as best practice software solutions for conventional paperless and automated warehouses.

Visitors will have the opportunity of seeing new features of the KiSoft Warehouse Management System with the main focus on Logistics service providers (web visibility and service accounting) and commercial Logistics as well as innovative all-in-one solutions for automated distribution centres and intra-enterprise logistics.

In these warehouses, highly automated systems (e.g. goods-to-man solutions with Speeder and OSR technologies) are implemented concurrently with optimised paperless processes. Businesses, who build on the future and even today want to secure the competitive edge of their warehouse for tomorrow’s requirements, are the target group.

BIRMINGHAM, England, Feb 14, 2008 -- ProLogis (NYSE: PLD), the world's largest owner, manager and developer of distribution facilities, announced today that it will develop more than 262,000 square feet of warehouse space in northern England for Teva UK Limited.

Teva will be located in ProLogis at Glasshoughton, a new industrial building planned for development near the city of Leeds, England, along the M62, a major east-west motorway. The company is relocating from a smaller, existing facility nearby and will use the new space as its primary UK Logistics center and corporate headquarters. Teva is a major supplier for the National Health Service, the publicly funded health service for the UK.

Berlin, 14 February 2008 -- From 1 April of this year Dr. Lutz Freytag becomes the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Schenker AG, Essen. In this role he will be responsible for the Finance and Accounting, Controlling, Risk Management and Purchasing divisions. He is the successor to Dr. Marco Schröter, who will be switching at the same date to a post as CFO and Human Resources Director with Infineon Technologies AG, Neubiberg.

"I am particularly pleased that with Dr. Freytag we have been able to fill this important position with a man from our own ranks," said Dr. Norbert Bensel, Member of the Board of Deutsche Bahn AG with responsibility for Transportation and Logistics. "We thank Dr. Schröter for the good work he has done for us in the past, and wish him all the best with his new tasks at Infineon."

Amsterdam, TNT announces it will offer secured electronic invoices with digital signature in over 30 countries by the end of March 2008. Called 'Express Invoicing', the new service will be available for customers in most European countries, Australia, Singapore, Hong-Kong, South Africa, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. TNT’s web-based e-invoicing solution is free of charge. TNT already offers e-invoices in 37 countries around the world, with another ten countries preparing to introduce the paperless invoice this year. TNT estimates that it could eventually eliminate up to one million paper invoices per month.

Company Pays Dividend for 126th Consecutive Quarter
MIAMI, FL,The Board of Directors of Ryder System, Inc. (NYSE: R), a global leader in transportation and Supply Chain Management solutions, today declared a regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.23 per share of common stock, to be paid on March 14, 2008, to shareholders of record on February 20, 2008. The dividend reflects a $0.02 increase from the $0.21 cash dividend Ryder had been paying quarterly since March 16, 2007. This is Ryder's 126th consecutive quarterly cash dividend -- marking more than 31 years of dividend payments.
"Ryder's management team and Board of directors are committed to delivering continued strong earnings growth and enhanced value to our shareholders," said Ryder Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Greg Swienton. "This will mark the fourth dividend increase that we have delivered to Ryder shareholders in just over three years."

FedEx® QuickShip Allows Access to FedEx Services through E-Mail Application

SAN JOSE, Calif.FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) will now provide users of Microsoft Office Outlook, the world’s largest email application, the ability to connect directly to FedEx shipping services. FedEx made its announcement during the keynote event at the 2008 Microsoft Office System Developer Conference.

The application, FedEx QuickShip, is an add-in that utilizes web services to provide fast and easy access to FedEx shipping functions. It is available immediately for download at fedex.com/quickship.

With the FedEx add-in installed, Microsoft Office Outlook users will be able to generate labels, track packages, check rates, schedule pickups and find FedEx drop-off locations while still inside their Outlook 2003 or 2007 e-mail application.

CMA CGM has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s Fincantieri shipyards, the world’s leading cruise ship builder, for the construction of two luxuriously intimate cruise ships to be operated by the Group’s subsidiary Compagnie des Iles du Ponant (Ponant Cruises) specializing in cultural enrichment and discovery cruises.

These elegantly trim vessels are mega-yachts (140 meters long) that accommodate a limited number of guests (130 all-outside cabins and suites including 75% with balconies). They will be delivered in second quarter 2010 and are to be French flagged. The vessels will be equipped with the latest advances designed to protect the environment including a dynamic positioning system that enables them to avoid damaging the sea floor during mooring.

SAS Cargo presents today the annual result for 2007. It is affected by the hard competition on the key markets, and therefore it does not live up to the record result from 2006. Turnover was 3,355 MSEK (363 MEUR) and profit (EBT) was 22 MSEK (2,4 MEUR).

The air cargo industry is experiencing some big changes these years with consolidation among the customers and over capacity on key markets. SAS Cargo is going through a transition process in order to adapt to these changes. This has affected the result for 2007, which is not at a satisfactory level, says President and CEO of SAS Cargo Group A/S, Kenneth Marx.

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ATLANTA,today awarded $75,000 in scholarships to five minority students with NASCAR ambitions. The scholarships demonstrate UPS's continued commitment to helping NASCAR better reflect a changing workforce and fan base.

The UPS Racing Technical Edge Scholarship awards $15,000 to minority students demonstrating strong academic performance, leadership, participation in community activities and automotive-related career goals and work experience.

"We're proud to support the career goals of these talented individuals," said Ron Rogowski, UPS director of sponsorship and events. "UPS and NASCAR are committed to promoting diversity on and off the track."

Oracle Recognized for Wide Breadth of Offerings And Impressive Market Momentum

REDWOOD SHORES, Calif.,Forrester Research, a leading independent research firm, has named Oracle Transportation Management the sole Leader in its independent report "The Forrester Wave(tm): Transportation Management Solutions, Q1 2008."1 Oracle was among the nine companies that Forrester invited to participate in its January 29, 2008, Forrester Wave report.
According to the report, "Oracle scored the highest relative to its competitors across ground transportation planning, freight payment, multimodal transportation, implementation services and product strategy and vision."2 The report continues: "References were extremely positive and noted the depth of the implementation team's expertise as a key asset."3

Washington, D.C., January 31, 2008 - It is hard to imagine - 17,500 refugees, more than half of them children, living in small tented communities in the Sahara desert. Fleeing violence in war-torn Sudan, these refugees have sought shelter in refugee camps throughout the Central African country of Chad. One of those camps is Gaga Camp, located 60 km from eastern Chad's main city of Abeche. For many, Gaga camp has become a new home away from home over the past three years. The camp opened in 2005; more refugees arrive every day.

The UPS Foundation today announced a $100,000 grant to Africare to fund improvements at Gaga Camp.

ATLANTA, Jan. 31, 2008 - The UPS (NYSE:UPS) Board of Directors today increased the regular quarterly dividend to $0.45 per share from $0.42 on all outstanding Class A and Class B shares as a sign of its confidence in the company's growth prospects and financial strength.

The dividend is payable March 4, 2008, to shareholders of record on Feb. 11, 2008.

UPS's dividend has more than doubled since February 2003. The company has either increased or maintained its dividend every year for almost four decades.

The Board also approved an earlier payment schedule for the dividend typically declared in November. Beginning this year and going forward, that dividend will be paid in December instead of the following January. The actual payment date will be determined at the November meeting of the Board.

2008-01-24 -- Tension rises in the door-to-door delivery service industry as large domestic companies are successively entering the market.

According to industry insiders on January 21, Lotte is reviewing the possibility of entering the door-to-door delivery industry. Earlier, Eugene Group, Dongbu Group, Dongwon Group, had entered the market followed by Kumho Asiana Group which recently acquired a door-to-door delivery & Logistics company.

The acquisition of ¡®Big Four¡¯ door-to-door delivery companies by large enterprises including Kumho Asiana, is being marked as the biggest news ever in the door-to-door delivery industry.