CEVA Logistics signed a five year contract with Intermas Nets, S.A., a manufacturer of extruded plastic nets. Within its multi-customer warehouse located near Barcelona, CEVA will manage Intermas' inbound logistics, warehousing activities, order preparation and outbound logistics for 2,500 garden products, which will be then distributed to 1,500 stores across Iberia. CEVA will also support Intermas using its Matrix Warehouse Management System (WMS), which allows CEVA to guarantee control and visibility of the customer's products and inventory. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

GEFCO will provide vehicle distribution service for automotive manufacturer Chevrolet. Under the new arrangement, GEFCO will provide finished vehicle logistics for onward distribution of Chevrolet products to approximately 33 dealers across the North of England, Scotland, South West England and Northern Ireland. An estimated 5,500 new Chevrolet vehicles per annum will be collected by GEFCO from their recently upgraded facility at Royal Portbury Docks, with the capacity to increase volumes in line with Chevrolet's business requirements. Delivery includes fleet locations in all regions, as well as fleet deliveries and distribution of North American produced vehicles such as Cadillac, Corvette and Camaro. This new partnership builds on GEFCO existing work with Chevrolet in other European countries. Currently GEFCO provides finished vehicle distribution across Russia and Northern Portugal, as well as distribution of North American vehicles from Antwerp into France. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

Panalpina has opened a new logistics center focused on high-value cargo near Moscow. The facility has 6,000 sq m of storage area with 2,500 sq m dedicated to cross-docking activities and about 1,500 sq m to Value-Added Logistics Services (VAS). The logistics center lies within the fenced Krekshino logistics park with controlled entry and exit gates and is within a 70 kilometer radius of three major airports. Within the facility there are 15 inbound and outbound docks. The mezzanine offers an additional 1,500 sq m for spare parts management and reverse logistics or VAS such as fulfillment, postponement, re-packing or kitting. Panalpina expects the logistics center to be fully certified for the highest security standard (TAPA "A") by the end of 2012. By that time the company also expects certifications for occupational health and safety (OHSAS 18001) and environment (ISO 14001) Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

DB Schenker has introduced a new intermodal service. The company will now provide semi-trailers to travel along the Antwerp-Novara route via intermodal transport. A new group of up to four well cars will now be coupled or decoupled in Domodossola, Italy, on the Swiss border. Schenker Italiana S.p.A., the Italian DB Schenker company, is responsible for terminal activities in Domodossola. The main leg between Basel and Aachen is under the responsibility of the Market Unit Intermodal at DB Schenker Rail. Specialists at the Swiss headquarters of DB SCHENKERhangartner will also load their own semi-trailers in collaboration with national companies in Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. The journey from Belgium to northern Italy takes two days door-to-door. The train previously traveled only between Antwerp and Novara. Thanks to the new solution, with up to five weekly departures and eight parking docks, an additional 2,000 full loads can be transported annually in each direction. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Agility announced its recent ISO 14001:2004 and OHSAS 18001:2007 certifications in Italy. The certifications were presented to Agility by Certiquality, a member of the International Certification Network, in recognition of its quality management standards and efforts to implement, maintain and improve its environmental and safety management systems. The certifications apply to all Italian sites and products, including all administrative functions. These achievements follow the ISO 9001:2008, AEOF - Authorized Economic Operator (Full) and SQAS (a safety and quality assessment for companies working with chemicals and dangerous goods) certifications the company has received over the past few years. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Apple has had a good month and a bad month... On the good side, its recent results have made it the largest company in the world in terms of capitalisation, overtaking Exxon. On the not so good side, it has been at the centre of a scandal about working conditions at the company to whom it outsources the assembly of its iPhones and iPads. In a report of a conversation between the late Steve Jobs and Barack Obama, the founder of Apple replied to the question, "What would it take to make iPhones in the United States?" by stating that it could never happen because the US lacked the engineers and the motivation to manufacture the products. iPhones and other Apple products are largely made by a Taiwanese contract manufacturing company which operates under the brand of 'Foxconn' and which bases its huge factory complexes mainly in China. A New York Times story last week reported that the working conditions in these outsourced plants broke the supplier code of conduct between it and Apple, with assembly-line staff often working over 60 hours on assembly lines. In his conversation with Barack Obama, Steve Jobs' explanation for the attraction of these Chinese plants was their flexibility. He cited their willingness to adapt...

Canadian Pacific (CP) Railway Limited has announced an agreement with Canadian Tire Corporation Limited. This agreement extends to early 2017 and awards the railway with the vast majority of Canadian Tire's domestic container traffic. "We're delighted to renew our longstanding partnership with CP," said Pat Sinnott, Executive Vice-President, Supply Chain and Technology, Canadian Tire Corporation. "We rely on rail extensively to get our goods to market. Rail is the most efficient and sustainable way to move our products and CP is a trusted partner that will enable us to continue to deliver products reliably to over 1,700 Canadian Tire, Mark's and FGL Sports retail locations across the country." The agreement builds on the shared successes the companies have had in servicing Canadian Tire's dealers and corporate stores. Recent rail network enhancements completed at CP, and the work already underway to further maximize efficiencies through a facility co-location strategy, will allow the companies to continue to develop and deliver supply chain solutions for Canadian Tire's growing retail business. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

FedEx has announced it is expanding the availability of its SenseAware(SM) service which provides customers with near real-time tracking and increased visibility into their shipments. First announced in November 2009, the information service was initially available to customers in the healthcare and life sciences industries. Now it is available to customers in all industries--such as aerospace, the arts, financial institutions and more--who can benefit from this added level of visibility and monitoring. SenseAware(SM) is a tracking service that provides near real-time data about customer shipments and the ability to share that information collaboratively with business partners. A multi-sensor device enables customers to stay connected to their shipments. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

GPR Logistics (GPR) has announced the acquisition of the East Coast facilities and operations of The Gilbert Company from Maersk Inc., the US land-based component of container shipping company, Maersk Line. GPR now owns The Gilbert Company's East Coast facilities and operations, as well as the rights to The Gilbert Company name and website. The Gilbert Company has been an established warehouse, distribution and transportation services provider to the retail industry for more than 25 years. The company serves customers nationwide across three market segments — big-box, specialty apparel retailers, and their vendors — out of a 300,000 sq ft multi-client warehouse located in Keasbey, New Jersey. The 87 dock-door facility sits on 20 acres and features 280,000 sq ft of warehouse and distribution space and 20,000 sq ft of office space. "Across the board, shippers are challenged by supply chains that are growing longer and more complex, and capacity that's only going to get tighter," said Gregg Prisco, president and CEO of The Gilbert Company. "The Gilbert Company differentiates itself from its competitors by maintaining a customer-centric business model. Our mission is to offer more than just the...

Stolt-Nielsen has reported its unaudited results for the fourth quarter and full year ended November 30, 2011. Net profit attributable to shareholders in the fourth quarter was $22.2m, with revenue of $512.9m, compared with $22.4m and $529.8m, respectively, in the third quarter of 2011. Net profit attributable to shareholders for the full year was $108.2m, with revenue of $2,029.4m, compared with $106.1m and $1,793.7m, respectively, in 2010. A highlight for the company in fourth quarter of 2011, compared with the third quarter of 2011, was Stolthaven Terminals which reported an operating profit of $18.0m, up from $15.8m, reflecting the impact of the company's acquisition of Marstel Terminals and the opening of its new terminal in Singapore. Commenting on the company's results, Niels G. Stolt-Nielsen, Chief Executive Officer of SNL, said: "Operating results at Stolt Tankers continued to be held down by an oversupply of tonnage and continued soft market conditions. In contrast, Stolthaven Terminals and Stolt Tank Containers both reported strong operating results for the quarter and the year. Stolt Sea Farm had a good year overall, though it ended on a weak note due to falling turbot prices toward the end of the...

Meet the following Leaders of European Retail Supply Chain in Dusseldorf Global Customer Supply Chain Director, Unilever Corporate Vice President Supply Chain, Henkel Head of Supply Chain, World Duty Free Vice President of Logistics, Coty Head of Supply: Retail Operations and Supply, Boots Head of Logistics Strategy and PMO, Adidas Group The 2nd Retail & FMCG Supply Chain Summit provides an unrivalled opportunity for you to network with top supply chain peers. In addition learn from the most innovative projects that are taking place in the retail & FMCG industries today. You can see a full list of speakers and attendees here.   The agenda is split into three simultaneous sessions: Supplier-Retailer Collaboration Inventory & Forecasting Multi-Channel Delivery This means that you can choose to attend the sessions that are of most relevance or interest to you. Complimentary passes including one night’s accommodation are available for executives working in a senior supply chain role for a Retailer or FMCG. Find out more about the summit and how you can be involved directly here.   Dusseldorf, Germany April 12th-13th 2012

In the run up to the World Economic Forum meeting at Davos, John Manners-Bell, Ti's CEO spoke at the Horasis Annual Meeting in Zurich, Switzerland. The meeting was entitled 'Thriving on Risk' and addressed the salient political and economic risk factors affecting the OECD, BRIC and New Frontier economies. In his address, Manners-Bell warned that although global supply chains had created mutual benefits for developed and emerging markets alike, these same supply chains had increased risk to the entire global economy. Reliance on production in markets such as China and the rest of Asia Pacific has put Western economies at the mercy of inflationary pressures, including labour costs, oil price rises and shipping. Production in remote locations has also brought with it increased exposure to natural disasters, such as the tsunami in Japan and the floods in Thailand. These events brought massive disruption to automotive and high tech supply chains, but both could have been much worse. In addition to this, transport bottlenecks such as the Suez Canal and the Malacca Straits are exposed to terrorism and the seas off Somalia and Nigeria are vulnerable to piracy. However, it is shipping costs which may prove to be the major factor in...

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has bolstered its operations on the Africa trade route. Supporting the trade between Africa and the rest of the world, its weekly cargo capacity into and out of the continent will be over 6,000 tonnes after the launch of flights to Lusaka and Harare on February 1, 2012. The addition of flights to the capitals of Zambia and Zimbabwe comes less than three months after the launch of a dedicated weekly freighter to Accra and Lome and means Emirates SkyCargo now has a total annual capacity of more than 300,000 tonnes to and from the continent. The two new gateways mean Emirates SkyCargo can connect businesses in 22 countries across Africa to its network of more than 100 destinations, while also providing increased opportunities for key trading partners such as China and Japan. "While many regions are experiencing challenging economic conditions, Africa – with a population in excess of one billion and rich in natural resources - is one of the few areas to record growth and the long-term outlook is very positive," said Ram Menen, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President Cargo. "We expect demand to be strong for a variety of commodities going into and out...

Panalpina has announced the launch of six new direct Less than Container Load (LCL) services through its in-house carrier Pantainer Express Line. The new guaranteed weekly services all run out of Shanghai (China), separately connecting to Keelung (Taiwan), Manila (Philippines), Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam), Bangkok (Thailand), Singapore and Jakarta (Indonesia). The new services meet increased customer demand for reliable LCL solutions on the Intra Asia trade. The company said the six new guaranteed weekly services have been launched to meet increased customer demand especially in the consumer, high-tech and telecom industry and to strengthen Panalpina's position in the LCL market on the Intra Asia trade. The services to Bangkok and Singapore have already existed, but have now been upgraded to two and three sailings respectively per week. The new LCL services are part of Panalpina's long term strategy to grow business on key Asia trade lanes, especially on the Far East Westbound, Transpacific Eastbound, Intra Asia, Asia to Latin America and Asia to Middle East trade. "Intra Asia plays a pivotal role in our global LCL network and in the Group's growth strategy and we are committed to delivering new solutions that meet our...

To support its growing business in Russia, Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics (WWL) has opened a new office in Moscow, in addition to its current presence in St Petersburg. Moscow is the central vehicle logistics hub in Russia, a market that, after a short set-back in 2009, has seen rapid growth in the automotive and rolling equipment sector over the past years. The Moscow office, located close to Leningradskiy railway station, will be run by Boris Kaportsev, Corporate Account Manager for Rolling equipment customers, and Dmitri Vostrikov, Corporate Account Manager for Auto customers. "Automotive and rolling equipment importers as well as foreign companies building up local production have their main offices in Moscow , and we want to be close in order to support their logistics needs in the best possible way," says Søren Tousgaard Jensen, Managing Director for WWL Russia. The St. Petersburg office will continue to be the WWL head office in Russia. St. Petersburg with its port is the primary location for import and export, and home base for many of the companies' breakbulk and project cargo customers and forwarders. WWL has been operating in Russia since 2003, establishing a fully owned branch office in St....

CEVA Logistics has appointed Marco Galbusera as Managing Director for its operations in Iberia. Galbusera, who was previously Facility Management and Procurement Director for the Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa region, located in Milan, is responsible for managing CEVA's strategy, operations and business growth in the Iberian market. Galbusera has broad experience in the logistics and transportation sector and has worked for CEVA since 2003, when he was Technical Services and Real Estate Director in Southern Europe, Middle East and Africa, gaining additional responsibility for Security in 2004 and Procurement in 2006. Gianfranco Sgro, President of CEVA, Southern Europe Middle East and Africa, said: "We are delighted to appoint Marco as our new Managing Director in Iberia, as he brings strong leadership that will contribute to the development of our business and team in Spain and Portugal. His professional career, solid experience within the company and deep knowledge of the logistics market will be key to strengthen and grow our business in Iberia and reinforce our market position in the two countries, which represents a strategic opportunity for us." Quelle: eyefortransport Portal:...

Damco has appointed two new senior executives to lead the company's drive for strategic growth in the North Asia region. The company has appointed Henriette Hallberg Thygesen as Chief Executive Officer of the North Asia Region and Richard Morgan as Chief Commercial Officer for the region. Both appointments went into effect on January 2, 2012. Henriette Hallberg Thygesen has been with the A.P.Moller-Maersk Group for 16 years, primarily working within the field of logistics and comes most recently from a role as global Chief Process Officer for Damco. Earlier in her career, Thygesen also worked in China both as Shanghai Branch Manager of then Maersk Logistics (now Damco) and later as Operations Manager for the Greater China Area. "North Asia is a key territory for Damco and I am very pleased that Henriette has agreed to take the position as CEO. It is a challenging task as our overall growth ambition is high, but I have no doubt that Henriette is the right person for the task", said Rolf Habben-Jansen, CEO of Damco. Henriette replaces Steffen Schiottz-Christensen who will remain in the North Asia region as Vice President & Head of Airfreight for the recently acquired New Times International Transport Service...

Daikin UK and Daikin Europe NV have signed a three-year UK warehousing and distribution contract with Norbert Dentressangle. Based in Ostend, Belgium, Daikin Europe NV is the European sales and manufacturing headquarters of Daikin Industries Ltd, a global leader in the manufacture and supply of commercial and industrial air conditioning and heating products. Originally appointed by Daikin UK in 2005, Norbert Dentressangle receives containerised product from Daikin's manufacturing facilities in Belgium, Czech Republic and the Far East and is responsible for the unloading and palletisation, storage, picking and distribution of products to customers throughout the UK and Ireland. The company is also responsible for the line-haulage operation from the Port of Felixstowe. Norbert Dentressangle also provides Daikin with a range of value-added services including pre-delivery customer calls, two-man deliveries, the provision and operation of heavy lifting equipment and removal and disposal of packaging. It is also responsible for managing the delivery of aftermarket parts to both engineers and customers, primarily via parcel carrier. To accommodate growth in Daikin's business, under the new contract, Norbert Dentressangle will...

Dachser Food Logistics, a German provider of temperature-controlled food logistics services, has signed a contract with Swiss milk processor Emmi, to provide warehousing and distribution for the German market. From July 1, Dachser Food Logistics will handle logistics for dairy and fresh food products as well as Swiss cheese for Emmi. As part of the deal, Emmi Germany will occupy around 3,000 pallet spaces at the Allgäu logistics centre in Memmingen. Here, the products, over two thirds of which will come from Switzerland, will be consolidated with products from Germany, Italy or other countries, picked and delivered to customers in Germany and parts of Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. "In Dachser's logistics centre in Memmingen we have identified an optimal location for linking up with the Emmi group's European network as well as for distributing goods to our discerning customers in Germany," said Elisabeth Wagner-Wehrborn, managing director of Emmi Germany. "Dachser will provide us with all our logistics services from a single source, from collection of the goods directly from production through to delivery – including electronic proof of delivery. What's more, Dachser is an innovative,...

The Port of Long Beach has reached a tentative agreement on a 40-year, $4.6bn lease with Orient Overseas Container Line (OOCL) for its Middle Harbor property. The lease has been agreed to in principle by Hong Kong-based OOCL and its US subsidiaries OOCL, LLC and Long Beach Container Terminal (LBCT). The Port is investing $1.2bn to develop the new 300-acre Middle Harbor terminal, while OOCL and LBCT will invest approximately $500m in cargo-handling equipment. The lease would secure a tenant for the Middle Harbor Redevelopment Project, which combines Pier F and E into one container terminal. LBCT has occupied Pier F since 1986 and will operate the Middle Harbor Terminal. "This agreement represents a major endorsement of our vision for the Port by one of the leading maritime companies in the world," said Port of Long Beach Executive Director J. Christopher Lytle. "We thank OOCL and LBCT for sharing in our commitment to this community and the city of Long Beach. We look forward to working with them to bring more jobs and economic vitality to Southern California while building the most technologically advanced and greenest container terminal in the world". "I am very pleased that OOCL has reached an...

Maersk Line has become the first container carrier to join Port of Gothenburg's fuel switch programme. The aim of the programme is to reduce sulphur emissions by 90% within the port control area. Maersk Line announced the fuel switch programme will be implemented on all its vessels calling at the Port of Gothenburg. Maersk Line vessels, calling at the Port of Gothenburg on a weekly basis, will switch to low sulphur marine diesel oil containing less than 0.1% sulphur from January 2012 before entering the fairways into Gothenburg. The vessels are sailing in direct service to Asian ports such as Malaysia and China. "Maersk Line really welcomes the Port of Gothenburg fuel switch programme and hopes that other Northern European ports will follow this example," said Nicklas Viby, Senior Director Maersk Line Northern Europe Operations. "Port of Gothenburg's programme basically maintains a level playing field while keeping it costly for polluters to continue their behaviour and at the same time providing incentives for the ones that change behaviour and take extra costs for switching to low sulphur fuel." Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

Following the introduction of a new service to Eastern Germany at the end of last year, Hellmann Worldwide Logistics UK has announced the launch of a further direct feed service into Poland to begin in February. The service will operate from Basildon and Lichfield in the UK to Poznań in Poland and vice versa. From the new Poznań base, Hellmann will utilise overnight transport to major Polish cities such as Wroclaw, Kraków, Lódź, Warsaw and Gdańsk, further strengthening Hellmann UK's network. The new direct service will be orientated towards heavier consignments and part-loads. It will compliment the company's express road service that currently operates daily to Poznań and Warsaw. Matthew Marriott, Commercial Director at Hellmann UK, said: "We are very aware of the speed with which Eastern European countries are developing, and Poland is no different, creating a growing demand for high quality logistics and freight forwarding provision. With that in mind, it is a logical step for Hellmann to launch a direct feed service within the country. As an experienced, international company with a strong knowledge of European markets, we are confident that we can ensure reliable, fast and...

Unsurprisingly, global logistics service providers (LSPs) are continuing to invest in China. The past couple of months has seen a particular burst of activity from the likes of Logwin and Kerry, but also Panalpina, Kuehne + Nagel and DB Schenker as they look to develop their presence in the country. Of these, Kerry's strategic development in China is of particular interest. Kerry is of course a Hong Kong-based company and has had a well established presence in China for some years, however its latest project in Zhengzhou, Henan Province illustrates how central and western China's economy is developing. The 47,000 sq m logistics centre is being built in the newly opened 'Singapore International Logistics Industrial Park'. Kerry's managing director for Mainland China explained that "China's coastal provinces have refocused to attract manufacturers of higher value-added products and there has been a migration of production to the central and western regions due to lower land and labour costs, we see the potential to transform Zhengzhou into one of China's manufacturing and processing hubs". Sited on the Yellow River, Zhengzhou is also at the cross point of two key east-west and north-south railway lines alongside road...

The World Bank published on Tuesday (January 17) revised forecasts of global growth over the next twelve months. Its 'Global Economic Prospects' report headlined it's opinion that "developing countries should prepare for further downside risks, as Euro Area debt problems and weakening growth in several big emerging economies are dimming global growth prospects". As a result, the World Bank has reduced its forecasts of growth in the developed world from 2.7% to 1.4% in 2012. For developing economies, it has reduced its forecast from 6.2% to 5.4%. Even more importantly for the logistics market, world trade is projected to grow at 5.2% in 2012 compared with 6.6% in 2011. Indeed, the World Bank is of the opinion that trade had already begun to slow appreciably in the last quarter of 2011. Whilst these forecast revisions are generally being regarded as a sign of the worsening economic climate, a growth rate of 5.2% does suggest a continuation of the impressive levels of expansion seen over the past couple of years in global trade. Possibly, the World Bank's tone of pessimism is driven by its belief that the underlying 'trend' growth rate of world trade is even higher. For example, in 2013 the World Bank estimates that...

Hong Kong Air Cargo Terminals Limited (Hactl) has announced it ended 2011 on a more positive note, narrowing the gap to its record performance in 2010. The last three months of 2011 saw total tonnage improve steadily, closing at 4.3% below 2010 by December. This compared favourably with the worst month of 2011, May, when tonnage reached a trough of 12% below 2010. The fourth quarter of 2011 – as usual, the strongest of the year - saw Hactl handling a total of 710,021 tonnes of cargo, down 7.3% on 2010. Total exports in the fourth quarter were down 9.3% and imports were down 11.9%, while transhipments once again showed growth at 3.8% over 2010. For 2011 as a whole, Hactl handled a total of 2,719,321 tonnes (down 6.2%). This comprised 1,445,458 tonnes of exports (down 9%), 676,695 tonnes of imports (down 8.8%) and 597,168 tonnes of transhipments (up 5.1%). Transhipments showed growth in nine months of 2011. Lilian Chan, Executive Director of Hactl, said: "After a year when traffic was as much as 12% behind, to finish just 6.2% down on the record throughput of 2010 is a very satisfactory result. The last quarter showed improvement, and gives us some hope that 2012 may start more strongly than we expected. "But...

The New World Alliance (TNWA) – APL Co. Pte Ltd (APL), Hyundai Merchant Marine (HMM) and Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) - has announced the launch of a new Trans-Atlantic service connecting Europe with the US East Coast and Panama. The Americas Europe Express (AEE) service is TNWA's third dedicated Trans-Atlantic service. It offers multiple weekly sailings from major US and European ports, as well as competitive transit times from Latin America to North Europe via the trans-shipment hub in Panama. The Alliance will deploy high reefer capacity ships with an average capacity of 3,200 TEUs. APL will operate three vessels, and HMM and MOL will operate one vessel each.The AEE service rotation covers the following ports: Manzanillo (Panama), Charleston (US), New York (US), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Bremerhaven (Germany), Felixstowe (UK), New York (US), Charleston (US), and Manzanillo (Panama). Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

After several years of co-operation, SDV International Logistics has taken a minority interest in the FAST Overseas group, present in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Italy. FAST Mondial & Marine, the Lebanese entity of the Group, is a leading freight forwarder in Lebanon with revenues of $30m and 90 employees. Combined with its subsidiary companies in Jordan and Syria, FAST Overseas group significantly increases SDV's presence in the Middle East. In conjunction with this, SDV also took a majority stake in the company FAST France. FAST France, with revenues of €12m, is specialised in outbound flows to the Middle East. The company has cooperated with FAST Lebanon for 25 years and is involved in significant volumes to the Persian Gulf. Finally, SDV has also acquired 100% of FAST Italy (revenues of €3m) which is managed jointly with FAST Overseas and FAST France. Fast Italy also specialises in outbound flows to the Middle East. The company said that the aim of this particular acquisition is to bring FAST Italy closer to its own existing Italian entity, SDV Italy. A company statement said: "By this strategic move, SDV International Logistics reinforces its presence in the Middle East and continues to strengthen its...

BP has awarded Panalpina a contract to provide oil and gas freight forwarding services. The scope of the multi-year agreement comprises transportation services for air, ocean, road and rail, industrial projects, freight management and other logistics services connected with the exploration and production of oil and gas. The agreement unites Operations and Freight Management Services for upstream capital projects under a single contract. The upstream sector is known as the exploration and production (E&P) sector. It involves the searching for potential underground or underwater oil and gas fields, drilling of exploratory wells, and subsequently operating the wells that recover and bring the crude oil or raw natural gas to the surface. The industrial projects division of Panalpina, Panprojects, will mostly handle upstream business under this agreement. "The agreement with BP is great news for Panalpina. We've gone through tough times in Oil and Gas in the past years," said Panalpina CEO Monika Ribar. "Today we are stronger than ever before in that area of expertise. We are best-in-class when it comes to compliance and standards for Health, Safety, Security and Environment. And more importantly, we have the...

Global economic uncertainty and political turmoil in the Middle East are doing little to dim the attraction of emerging markets. A new study reveals that emerging markets are showing signs of reducing their dependency on developed markets, as they compete to be the trade hubs of the future. In spite of the economic slowdown and political upheaval, output in powerhouse economies such as Brazil, China and India remains high, and the so-called "Arab Spring" countries are now viewed as more attractive places to do business, according to the Agility Emerging Markets Logistics Index 2012 compiled by Transport Intelligence. The annual Index spotlights 41 emerging markets and ranks them by their investment potential and progress each year. Attractiveness is measured by: market size and growth, market compatibility (foreign direct investment, security, urbanisation and wealth distribution) and market connectedness (international and domestic transport infrastructure). As part of the Index, 550 senior logistics executives were surveyed, making this the biggest survey to date in the emerging markets logistics sector. For the first time, the Index offers trade lane analysis from 2005 to 2011. While emerging markets cannot...

In December 2011, new passenger car registrations in the EU declined by 6.4% to 953,108 units. Details of these statistics can be seen at Ti Dashboard – Car Registrations: Europe. Germany was the only market to see growth in registrations of 6.1%. Spain and the UK saw registrations fall 3.6% and 3.7% respectively, while Italy and France saw significant declines of 15.3% and 17.7% respectively. For the full year 2011, the number of new registrations totalled 13,111,209 units, a 1.7% decline compared with 2010. This marks the fourth consecutive year of decline (2007 was the last year to see growth, when new passenger car registrations rose 1%). On a national basis, Germany was the only major market to see growth in 2011, with registrations up 8.8%. France, the UK, Italy and Spain all saw new passenger car registrations decline 2.1%, 4.4%, 10.9% and 17.7% respectively. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

Wincanton has been awarded a five-year contract with Premier Foods - the UK's largest food producer. The contract will see Wincanton operating an ambient warehouse in Corby, Northamptonshire (UK), processing 80m cases per year across the company's product range. This includes brands such as Ambrosia, Batchelor's, Bisto, Oxo and Lloyd Grossman sauces. On average around 35,000 pallets will be stored at Wincanton's 280,000 sq ft warehouse in Corby. When volumes increase during peak periods, additional space will be available at one of several Wincanton sites in the area. Chris Kingshott, Managing Director for Manufacturing at Wincanton said, "This contract win is testament to our commitment to driving collaboration, and creating a win, win outcome through the utilisation of surplus warehouse space which became available after changes to another of our customers' supply chain networks. We are delighted to welcome Premier Foods to our business and are looking forward to developing a long and successful relationship with the company through delivering consistent performance and efficiency benefits across the length of the contract. "We see the securing of the Premier Foods contract as another demonstration of our...

Menlo Worldwide Logistics, the global logistics subsidiary of Con-way Inc., today named Sheila K. Taylor as Senior Vice President of finance. In her new role, Sheila Taylor becomes Menlo’s top financial management executive responsible for the company’s financial reporting, systems and processes worldwide, as well as business unit accounting and regulatory financial compliance activities. “Sheila Taylor is a respected business executive with proven expertise in financial management in logistics and transportation,” said Robert L. Bianco, Jr., president, Menlo Worldwide Logistics. “Her varied experience and industry knowledge complement our leadership team and I look forward to her contributions.” Ms. Taylor joins Menlo from privately held CEVA Logistics, a global freight forwarding, logistics and supply chain management company where she was CFO of the Americas. Prior to CEVA, she was executive vice president and chief financial officer for YRC Worldwide. Over a nine-year career at YRC, she also served as vice president of finance for Yellow Transportation and held a variety of other positions that included investor relations, financial planning and analysis, corporate development and...

PostNL announced it has closed its delivery locations in Ede, Houten, Lunteren, Oosterbeek, Renkum and Wageningen in the Netherlands. A company statement said: "This closure is part of the previously announced reorganisation at PostNL. The company will be closing all its delivery locations in phases between early 2012 and the autumn of 2013. PostNL has been forced to make drastic changes to its operations in response to changing customer needs and the sharp decrease in postal volumes." The mail preparation activities that have, up to now, been carried out at the mail delivery locations mentioned above will be transferred to a central mail preparation site in Utrecht. This central site predominantly utilises part-time sorting staff to prepare the mail for delivery. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Norbert Dentressangle has been appointed to manage the French supply chain flows of Tokheim UK. Tokheim UK is part of Tokheim Group, a global manufacturer and servicer of fuel dispensing equipment. With global sales totalling €590m, Tokheim offers customers a range of fuel dispensers and pumps, retail automation systems, payment terminals, media devices, replacement parts and upgrade kits. For Tokheim UK, Norbert Dentressangle will transport finished product on a pre-scheduled basis from its UK manufacturing facility in Dundee, Scotland, to its plant in Grentheville, France. A vehicle then collects components from Tokheim's supplier in St Vigor de Monts, before consolidating loads at Norbert Dentressangle's hub in Ouistreham and crossing the channel for the return journey to Scotland. Gordon Hume, Materials Manager for Tokheim UK said: "Norbert Dentressangle has provided us with a tailored solution that enables us to move finished product from our Dundee site quickly, and an onsite trailer to free up factory space. Load optimisation combined with the company's capability to provide additional vehicle collections has cut our inbound costs and provides us with the flexibility to increase order volumes when...

The Coca-Cola Company has awarded DB Schenker Logistics two contracts for its warehousing and transportation operations in Poland. The soft drinks producer will integrate previously own-operated satellite distribution centres for Coca-Cola's finished goods into existing DB Schenker warehouses. "This DB Schenker Consumer Fulfilment solution will permit both parties to share synergies based on DB Schenker's established and proven network with the existing customers," said Dariusz Doroś, Head of Contract Logistics, DB Schenker. "These synergies are related to the shared usage of assets, regarding equipment and employees as well as warehousing and transportation. Furthermore, we will be in a position to increase the service level for our customers and to reduce their carbon footprint," concluded Doroś. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

The Port of Singapore saw continuing growth in 2011 even as the City-State's economy slowed sharply. Container movements through the port grew by 5.3% through 2011 to a total of 29.9m TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units). This is a record level for the port, surpassing the previous high seen in 2008. Gross tonnage of vessels increased at a more rapid rate of 10.5%, indicating possibly that oil and gas related activities as well as chemical production may be increasing faster than container traffic. Container shipping remains the most important trade for Singapore at 31% of tonnage, although tanker traffic accounted for only slightly less in 2011 at 30.8% of tonnage. Traditionally, Singapore has a distinct pattern of trade for its container traffic, with transhipment activities accounting for a high proportion of traffic. This is also reflected in other activities at the port, such as oil and gas shipments, where the port is a key hub for energy products for much of South East Asia and beyond. However, the Port of Singapore has recently expanded its chemical production facilities substantially and this is a significant consumer of oil products as well as a major exporter of bulk chemical shipments. Singapore is no longer the...

Goodman and Volkswagen (VW) Commercial Vehicles have announced the handover of the first section of the new VW logistics centre in the Schwarze Heide (Black Heath) commercial area of Hanover, Germany. The first part of the logistics centre comprises 10,000 sq m and is now fully operational. Completion of the 45,000 sq m property is planned for March 2012, when the facility will take over the production supply for VW's new Amarok pickup model. All of the automotive parts for the Amarok model will be stored at the new warehouse. "We are delighted to hand over the first section of the warehouse to Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. This project is extremely significant for us and to date has been a great success with the strong support of the team on site. Naturally, we also hope that this logistics centre is the beginning of long-term co-operation with Volkswagen," said Andreas Fleischer, Goodman Country Manager for Germany. The development was acquired by Goodman European Logistics Fund (GELF) at the end of 2011. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Lufthansa Cargo boosted tonnage to record levels in 2011. The cargo airline carried approximately 1.9m tonnes of freight and mail in 2011, an increase of 5% compared to 2010. The airline raised capacity over the twelve months by 8.6%. The company attributed the increase to the integration, since the second half of 2010, of the capacities of aircraft in the fleet of Austrian Airlines and the expansion to eight Boeing 777 freighters in the fleet of the AeroLogic joint venture. In an increasingly difficult market environment, Lufthansa Cargo lifted sales of revenue freight-tonne km by 6.5%, so that capacity utilisation reached 69.5%; a slight decline from 70.9% in 2010. "Especially in our German home market, we made full use of strong export demand to gain market shares. On the other hand, the economic climate in the important Asian airfreight market became increasingly bleak over the course of the year and led to over-capacities and increased competition for all airlines in the airfreight industry," observed Lufthansa Cargo CEO and Chairman Karl Ulrich Garnadt. "Lufthansa Cargo is excellently positioned in all growth markets. We will stay on our successful course and adjust our capacities flexibly in line with...

Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, has increased its South American operation in an attempt to meet the growing demand for air freight between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the carrier's global network. Following the launch of a daily passenger service from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires on January 3, Emirates SkyCargo is now able to connect three points in South America with trade opportunities in more than 100 destinations. In addition to the belly-hold capacity of the 14 passenger flights each week between Dubai and Rio de Janeiro-Buenos Aires, it also offers cargo space on the 14 passenger flights it operates each week between Dubai and South America's largest city Sao Paulo. The capacity on these two routes – both served by Boeing 777-300ERs – is bolstered further by Emirates SkyCargo's dedicated freighter service to Sao Paulo three times a week, which provides a further 620 tonnes of capacity on Boeing 777Fs. "Emirates' new direct flight will not only boost trade ties with the UAE, but also with South America's main partners in the Far East, such as China, Hong Kong and Japan, and numerous points throughout Europe," said Robert Siegel, Manager Cargo Commercial...

Imperial Logistics has acquired international, cross border transporter IJ Snyman Transport. The acquisition of Snyman Transport, which operates in Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Namibia, South Africa and Zambia, strengthens Imperial's African presence and capacity. IJ Snyman Transport focuses on the retail, FMCG and construction industries. "With increasing urbanisation and technological access as well as untapped resources and agricultural potential, development of Africa's supply chain is imperative for sustainable growth," said Marius Swanepoel, Imperial Logistics CEO. Through its Africa division, it is rapidly expanding across the continent, particularly as customers enter new markets. "We welcome the IJ Snyman Transport team to Imperial Logistics. Africa's strategic importance within the global supply chain will continue to rise. There is growth for all through developing and maintaining supply chains, end-to-end on our continent," concluded Swanepoel. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com

Odfjell has entered into a joint venture with Tianjin Economic-Technology Development Area (TEDA) to develop a new terminal and marine facilities for bulk liquid chemicals, petroleum products and gases in the Nangag Industrial Zone (Tianjin) in China.   Odfjell's joint venture participation will take place through its subsidiary Odfjell Terminals Asia (Singapore), while TEDA enters the joint venture through its subsidiary Nangang Port Company. The joint venture company will be named Odfjell Terminals Nangang (Tianjin), whereby Odfjell will hold 49% ownership and hold the operational management. The initial total investment is estimated to be about US$160m. The first phase will begin operations during the second quarter of 2014. The initial phase of the joint venture will consist of three deep sea berths and have a total storage capacity of about 150,000 cu m. The Nangang Industrial Zone is located about 120 km from Beijing and the two companies aim to develop the area as the major petrochemical complex in the Western Bohai Bay area. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

Logwin has opened a new sales office in Foshan, Guangdong Province, to strengthen its market presence across South China. The announcement comes a week after the company opened another new sales office in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. Foshan is a key hub for the manufacturing sector, in particular for home appliances, electronics products, furniture and garments. The city is 50 km from Guangzhou and 150 km to Shenzhen with connections to Guangzhou International Airport, Guangzhou Nansha Terminal and Hong Kong International Airport. The new office is part of a longer term plan by Logwin to expand its sales capability and office network across a region that includes Hong Kong, Macau, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Hunan, Hainan and Yunnan provinces. "The Pearl River Delta is China's major manufacturing centre and an engine of industrial and economic growth. This investment in the Foshan office means that we will be better able to serve our existing and future local and global customers more effectively through air freight, ocean and logistics operations team. We will also be able to expand our sales activities in the Foshan area," said Jimmy Chow, Country Director for Southern China and Hong Kong at...

Transplace to Continue Providing Strategic Transportation Management Services to Leading Consumer Packaged Foods Company: Transplace, a leading provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, today announced a continuation of its relationship with Del Monte Foods through a full contract extension. With the new long-term agreement, Transplace will continue to provide Del Monte with strategic expertise in transportation management and logistics, as well as high performance execution throughout the Del Monte network. Del Monte Foods is one of the country’s largest producers, distributors and marketers of premium quality, branded pet products and food products for the U.S. retail market. Roger Sechler, director of transportation and supply chain management for Del Monte, comments, "Del Monte appreciates its relationship with Transplace and is greatly looking forward to many more years of shared continued success." Since 2006, Transplace has worked collaboratively with Del Monte to help enable process improvements within the consumer packaged foods company’s organization through weekly, monthly and quarterly reviews to uncover new improvement opportunities, discuss ongoing...

Walmart is honoring 11 of its transportation suppliers for exemplary performance in delivering to Walmart distribution centers. Each year, Walmart recognizes transportation suppliers that have demonstrated excellence or exhibited significant improvement in meeting core business objectives, including small parcel, less-than-truckload and intermodal. “Walmart Transportation appreciates these carrier partners who have gone above and beyond to provide outstanding service over the past year,” said Rob Kusiciel, vice president of inbound transportation and global logistics. “By ensuring our products arrive intact and on time, Walmart is able to continue to fulfill our commitment to providing the products our customers want and need at prices they can afford.” Carriers recognized with each award consistently maintained a high level of service by providing on-time pick-up and delivery with minimal degrees of variability in performance. The 2011 Walmart Carrier of the Year Award Winners are: General Merchandise Diamond*: Schneider National Carriers General Merchandise Platinum*: Celadon General Merchandise Gold*: Epes Transport Grocery: C.R. England Grocery Dedicated: Swift...

Sony Music UK has selected arvato as its exclusive e-commerce distribution partner in the UK and Ireland. Under the agreement arvato will provide supply chain services for Sony’s premium consumer offerings, such as music and exclusive merchandise from its MyPlay Direct artist stores including One Direction, Westlife and Kasabian. The three year partnership includes warehousing and direct to consumer (D2C) distribution for hundreds of thousands of orders. These services and a comprehensive returns management programme will be managed from arvato’s 16,500 square-metre distribution facility in Milton Keynes. arvato was selected due to its proven expertise and experience in the music and entertainment industry, along with its innovative approach to new channels. The appointment expands arvato’s existing six year supply chain and commercial order to cash service relationship with Sony, which has contributed to the business process outsourcing partner becoming the leading distributor of CDs in the UK. “arvato has the necessary expertise and flexibility to adapt to our evolving needs in market undergoing significant change. This is especially important when it comes to delivering premium products directly...

Odfjell has entered into a joint venture with Tianjin Economic-Technology Development Area (TEDA) to develop a new terminal and marine facilities for bulk liquid chemicals, petroleum products and gases in the Nangag Industrial Zone (Tianjin) in China. Odfjell's joint venture participation will take place through its subsidiary Odfjell Terminals Asia (Singapore), while TEDA enters the joint venture through its subsidiary Nangang Port Company. The joint venture company will be named Odfjell Terminals Nangang (Tianjin), whereby Odfjell will hold 49% ownership and hold the operational management. The initial total investment is estimated to be about US$160m. The first phase will begin operations during the second quarter of 2014. The initial phase of the joint venture will consist of three deep sea berths and have a total storage capacity of about 150,000 cu m. The Nangang Industrial Zone is located about 120 km from Beijing and the two companies aim to develop the area as the major petrochemical complex in the Western Bohai Bay area. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

US automobile sales defied a sluggish economy and increased 10% in 2011. The big winners were the US 'Big Three': Chrysler, Ford and GM who reported sales increases of 26%, 11% and 13%, respectively. However due to supply chain issues brought on by the Japanese earthquake/tsunami and the recent floods in Thailand, the Japanese 'Big Three' reported mixed results. Toyota reported that its US sales declined 6.7% in 2011. Honda's sales declined 6.8%, but Nissan's sales increased 15%. Both Toyota and Honda sales were seriously impacted by the natural disasters from last year, whereas Nissan was less affected. The three companies, Nissan, Toyota and Honda have all reported interesting strategies to increase their US market share. At the end of 2011, Toyota's share of the US market declined from 15% to 13%. Honda's market share slipped from 10.5% to 9% and Nissan's share was a little over 8%. Nissan announced plans to shift more automobile manufacturing to the US. In fact, the company's CEO noted that Nissan believes making cars in Japan is putting it at a competitive disadvantage. This may indeed be the case for all three, particularly as the Japanese currency continues to strengthen against the US dollar. Toyota plans to...

Logistics CIOs and IT Executives have revealed their thoughts on the future of IT investment in a global survey conducted in September/October 2011. The report identifies the areas of technology that CIOs plan to invest in over the next 12 months, and their decision-making processes. The report also looks at the role of the CIO and their involvement with the operational board or executive management team at their respective companies. In the 2012 Logistics CIO Industry Report, CIOs and IT Executives of transport and logistics companies discuss their IT investment for the coming year. The report revealed that over 50% of CIOs are looking to invest in Transport Management Systems (TMS). This was closely followed by mobile technology, which 44% of executives highlighted as a priority. The report proved very positive for many CIOs as 70% of transport and logistics companies are looking to increase their IT budget in 2012. This indicates exciting times ahead for these players in the industry as their role becomes more and more important in the coming months. The report goes on to explore just how many CIOs are currently sitting on operational or executive management boards, and who they believed they should be reporting to....

Los Angeles-based private equity firm Platinum Equity has acquired Carlisle, Pennsylvania-headquartered Keen Transport. Keen Transport, a national provider of heavy-haul logistics and transportation services for the construction, mining and agriculture equipment markets, has been owned by the Keen family for 43 years. M&T Investment Banking Group, a division of M&T Bank, represented Keen on the deal. "We thought Platinum Equity would be a great fit for Keen Transport due to Platinum's experience and investments in the transportation and logistics sector," said Stuart Smith, managing director in M&T Bank's Investment Banking Group. "We do a great deal of work with family owned businesses that attract private equity investors. Our knowledge of the Keens' strategy as well as Platinum Equity's interests made this an attractive deal for both sides" concluded Smith. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com  

CaroTrans, a global NVOCC (Non vessel operating common carrier) and ocean freight consolidator, has announced the expansion of its global LCL services with a new Los Angeles - Ho Chi Minh export and import service. The direct service from the US to Vietnam has a transit time of 18 days, port to port. CaroTrans' alliance partner, Seahorse Shipping will provide effective and reliable management of cargo shipments coming into Vietnam. In the US, export customers are supported by an extensive network of wholly owned and operated local CaroTrans offices and cargo freight receiving stations. "Vietnam is a key trade market for the global shipping industry. We are pleased to offer our freight forwarder customers this new fast, direct Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh service for their export customers shipping raw materials, chemicals, machinery and equipment to name just a few export products," said Greg Howard, CaroTrans Global CEO. Quelle: eyefortransport Portal: www.logistik-express.com