Logistics

Mode Transportation Takes Control of Its Carrier Base

October 12, 2012

Brad Young, VP Network Solutions & Services, Mode Transportation

Holistic Approach Needed to Deal with Inventory's 'Multiple Personalities'

October 11, 2012

How much inventory and which items should a company hold, overall and at each stocking location (each DC, store, stockroom, salesperson's vehicle, service depot, etc.)? When to replenish and how many? To the uninitiated, these seem like relatively straightforward daily decisions. But they are anything but simple and can make the difference between a highly profitable vs. out-of-business company.

September Shipping Increase Due More to Potential Strike Than Normal Peak Season Orders

October 11, 2012

Cass Information Systems

North American freight shipments rose modestly in September, a month usually associated with a peak season increase. This month's 2.2-percent increase can be attributed, however, more to contingency planning for the anticipated International Longshoreman's Association (ILA) dock workers strike than to a seasonal surge in orders. Although federal mediators stepped in at the last minute and negotiated a three-month extension to continue talks, many shippers had already scrambled to re-schedule October shipments for September. The alternative, should the strike have occurred, was to reroute goods to the West Coast, where carriers were charging strike surcharges ranging from $300 to $1,000.

Verification of Ocean Container Weights 'Crucial' to Safety

October 11, 2012

TT Club

The TT Club, a mutual insurance association, urged all participants at the International Maritime Organization's session on Dangerous Goods, Solid Cargoes and Containers to redouble their efforts to come up with a global regulation to verify the weights of containers.

Class 8 Preliminary Net Orders Continued to Be Soft in September

October 11, 2012

ACT Research

North America heavy duty GVW Class 8 commercial vehicle preliminary net orders for September, as reported by ACT Research Co., remained soft. The final numbers, which will be released mid-October, will approach 15,600 units for heavy duty Class 8 trucks and 14,000 for medium duty Classes 5-7 vehicles. The preliminary net order numbers are typically accurate to within 5 percent of actual.

Logistics Companies Weathered Tepid Economic Conditions in 2011, Survey Finds

October 10, 2012

Penske Logistics

In spite of a slow economic climate, 74 percent of the North American logistics companies surveyed achieved or exceeded revenue projections in 2011. However, companies that failed to meet their financial projections were up sharply from 14 percent in 2010, to 26 percent in 2011.

Strong U.S. Air Cargo Industry Critical to U.S. Exports, Transportation Secretary Says

October 10, 2012

TIACA

A healthy air cargo industry is essential in helping the U.S. government achieve its goal of doubling U.S. exports by 2015, Ray H LaHood, U.S Secretary of Transportation told delegates at the 26th International Air Cargo Forum + Exposition in Atlanta.

EC to Monitor Carbon Emissions from Shipping, But Critics Say Measure Is Insufficient

October 10, 2012

Maritime Executive

The European Commission has announced that it will propose, in early 2013, measures to monitor, verify and report on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shipping. This measure will apply to all ships calling at EU ports and could also be the basis for a global approach towards cleaner shipping.

Vehicle Seating Supplier Relaxes with New 3PL

October 10, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

Shelby Foam Systems, which supplies padding and Velcro to one of the world's largest seating manufacturers for cars and trucks, wasn't sitting comfortably with its transportation provider. It needed better inbound monitoring, and at a lower cost.

Future of Healthcare Industry Requires a 'Borderless' World, FedEx Head Says

October 9, 2012

FedEx

With a current world population of more than seven billion, and expectations that number will exceed eight billion by 2030, the global healthcare industry is growing exponentially. But to achieve its potential, providers across the industry - from R+D and manufacturing to the caregivers themselves - must go "borderless." This interconnected view of the industry's future was the focus of the FedEx Corp. healthcare industry summit, held in New York City recently.