Slowing global trade and a bloated orderbook of large vessel capacity mean that container shipping is set for another three years of overcapacity and financial pain, according to the latest Container Forecaster report published by global shipping consultancy Drewry.
Challenge: A top global publisher was looking to reform its supply chain to adjust to declining print volumes and increases in smaller, more customized orders.
General Electric Transportation's emissions-reducing rail systems have accumulated 100 million auto-control miles, helping the rail industry save 56 million gallons of fuel and $197m in fuel costs, as well as reducing greenhouse gases by 628 kilotons.
3PLs are much more than an outsourced logistics execution channel today: They're assuming larger contracts, more complex projects and increased authority as trusted advisors to companies navigating the omni-channel landscape. But with greater responsibility comes greater expectations all around - and it's up to 3PLs to rise to the occasion.
What seemed like a sure deal may not be a slam-dunk after all. Regulators in the European Union have said they may consider demanding concessions, including the selling off of some assets, with regard to the proposed takeover of TNT Express by FedEx Corp.
Challenge: A large retailer was faced with how to handle products that were coming back from stores into the reverse-logistics channel and needed an efficient and cost-effective way to process merchandise for redeployment, return-to-vendor and liquidation.
Transplace, a provider of transportation-management services and logistics technology, has acquired M33 Integrated, a third-party logistics provider with an emphasis on the packaging, chemical and advanced materials sectors.
As we head deeper into autumn and ever closer toward peak season, the airfreight traffic numbers for August provided some pockets of good news, but offered little encouragement that the current air cargo stagnation has abated. According to reports from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), WorldACD and Drewry, August 2015 provided only the slimmest of indications of hope for better performance at the end of the year.