Logistics

North American Freight Volumes Declined 1.1 Percent in August

September 12, 2012

North American freight volumes continued to drop off, and on a year-over-year basis, shipment volumes were down 1.1 percent from last August. This is the third time this year freight shipments have fallen below the level for the same month in 2011. Freight volumes grew 9.9 percent during the first half of the year, but after two months of consecutive contraction, the annual growth has fallen to 8.0 percent.

Understanding Independent Distributor Certifications and Anti-Counterfeiting

September 12, 2012

Smith & Associates, Rockwell Automation

Quality management systems are at the core of every set of critical business processes, and essential among these are anti-counterfeit strategies. Recently, industry headlines have been replete with analyst and government reports documenting the pervasiveness of counterfeit product in supply chains. Rather than a new problem though, counterfeit criminal activity is as old as business itself, and with this history comes an equally long history of anti-counterfeit strategies and risk management practices.

Zebra Uses Own Technology to Track Its Own Assets

September 12, 2012

RFID Journal

Zebra Technologies has put its own real-time location system (RTLS) technology to work at two of its warehouses - one in Vernon Hills, Ill., and a second in Heerenveen, the Netherlands. The solution saves time employees previously spent locating the proper place for loads of picked goods (approximately three minutes per load), says Gary Meekma, Zebra's senior manager of warehouse operations, while also reducing the amount of space required to stage each load by about 40 percent.

Container Lease Fleet Robust in 2011 and Should Remain So This Year

September 11, 2012

Drewry Maritime Research

Drewry Maritime Research's latest Container Leasing Industry report indicates that the rental container fleet grew by 10.6 percent during 2011, improving on the 9 percent returned in 2010 and giving a compounded rate of 9.5 percent for the two years combined. Up to 9.5 percent is also being forecasted for 2012, as lease demand is again holding up well.

CSX, UP Execs Join Chorus of Railroad Chiefs Who Are Pessimistic About Holiday Shipments

September 11, 2012

Wall Street Journal Market Watch

Executives of some top U.S. railroads provided a dim outlook for peak autumn shipping season - the time when retailers traditionally stock up in advance of the holidays - saying that the economy clearly has slowed.

The Shifting Dynamic Between Logistics Providers and Their Customers

September 11, 2012

SupplyChainBrain

In-house logistics professionals want a lot more information and attention from their prospective logistics service providers these days, says Bill Weaver, senior account executive with United Transportation Services Inc.

Stanford Slates Responsible Supply Chains Conference

September 10, 2012

Stanford Graduate School of Business

Stanford University's Graduate School of Business will host a one-day conference on socially and environmentally responsible supply chains. Entitled "Shared Value and Supply Chains - Strategies for Success," the event will take place on Oct. 10, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. to 5:20 p.m., and be followed by a networking reception.

FedEx, Aeromexico and Etihad Top This Week's Air Cargo News

September 10, 2012

AirWaves Weekly

FedEx is changing its aircraft on the route between Memphis and Queretaro, Mexico to a Boeing 757-200 and will operate five times weekly, increasing its capacity in the market by 50 percent. Jorge Torres, recently named president of FedEx in Mexico, stated: "The decision to increase our cargo capacity is in response to our strategy to become a real business partner with the business in the region, offering competitive services at very reasonable prices ... The decision to increase our cargo capacity responds to our strategy of listening to our clients and their solicitation in a quick way."

Inchcape Shipping Services Opens Office in Alaska

September 10, 2012

Inchcape Shipping Services

Inchcape Shipping Services (ISS), a global provider of maritime services, has opened a new office in Dutch Harbor, AK.

Production of Freighters to Double by 2031, Airbus Forecasts

September 7, 2012

Air Cargo World

In the most recent Global Market Forecast from Airbus, the European aircraft manufacturer projected that the global aviation sector will generate a demand for 3,000 freighters by 2031. This figure, which represents a near doubling of the global freighter fleet, will be propelled by increased urbanization and economic growth in emerging regions, according to Airbus.