Aljex Software Inc., a vendor of software and systems for third-party logistics providers and carriers, is offering free accounts to carriers and brokers willing to serve as beta testers for software improvements.

CTL Global Inc. has opened a new warehouse in Bensenville, Ill. The facility was designed to meet the needs of the company's clients while accommodating future growth within its final-mile delivery division, Continental Transportation Solutions.

time:matters, a provider of expedited logistics by air, rail and road, has expanded its service network through cooperation with Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

Nearly one-third of distribution centers are entirely outsourced, according to the survey-based Supply Chain Metrics Report released by the Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium.

Inttra, an electronic commerce network for linking ocean carriers and shippers, is expanding its service to include members and customers of the WorldWide Alliance.

The U.S. arm of Air Menzies International (AMI) has launched click2ship Imports, the import version of its online, door-to-door express wholesale service for air freight.

The number of pirate attacks fell sharply in the first half of 2012, led by a drop in Somali piracy, according to the International Maritime Bureau's global piracy report. At the same time, those positive numbers were offset by a worrying increase of attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.

Performance metrics for warehouses and distribution centers have steadily improved since 2003, when the Warehousing Education and Research Council first conducted its annual "DC Measures" study, says Joe Tillman, senior researcher at Supply Chain Visions and co-author of the study. Moreover, the gap has significantly narrowed between best-in-class companies and those lower on the performance scale, he says.

The worldwide market for warehouse management systems grew by more than 10 percent in 2011. Growth was broad-based, occurring in both emerging markets and mature market segments. The high growth in the mature market segments implies that the post-recession market rebound is still active. "Going forward, we expect longer-term user adoption and technology trends to drive growth within the WMS market, as the effects from pent-up demand from the preceding global economic recession diminish. Emerging markets, add-on functionality, and numerous end-user industries are expected to lead the charge," says Clint Reiser, enterprise software analyst and the principal author of ARC's "Warehouse Management Systems Worldwide Outlook."