Distribution Centers

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

     U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Wednesday published a notice of proposed rulemaking that would make substantial changes to the way imported merchandise is transported inland under a bond, enabling the cargo owner to defer payment of duties until it reaches the destination port or is exported.     The primary fixes involve making the in-bond process electronic and tightening up procedures to better track merchandise and prevent diversion. In the past, CBP has...

Monday, February 20, 2012

      SourceProcureDeliver.com (SPD), based in Mumbai, India, has launched a new supply chain and distribution platform.    The service is initially aimed at suppliers looking to enter the Indian market. SPD said companies currently face a risky choice of either shipping stock against confirmed advance paid orders or entering the market on their own without an existing order base.    SPD’s platform introduces a supplier to its target segment and tak...

Monday, February 20, 2012

   WOW Logistics has appointed Mike Gebhardt as its director of business development.    Gebhardt, previously with OHL and Saddle Creek Corp., comes to WOW with a background in the warehousing and distribution industry.    Based in Appleton, Wis., WOW is a third party logistics services firm with 7 million square feet of warehouse space in 23 locations across three states.

Monday, February 20, 2012

     Motorola Solutions unveiled its SL Series portable radio and its new XPR 5000 mobile radio to address new issues in the modern logistics environment.    The two devices fall under its MOTOTRBO umbrella that focuses on voice quality, extended battery life, and a large application developer program aimed at increased productivity and enhanced worker safety.    The SL Series weighs less than the average smartphone, and Motorola said it's aimed the slim design at...

Friday, February 17, 2012

     Third-party logistics provider Performance Team will open a container transloading facility at the Port of Charleston to shuttle cargo from ocean containers to truck trailers for distribution throughout the Southeast.    Performance Team will operate from the Wando Welch Terminal's container freight station and handle both import and export cargo.    Performance Team said transloading cargo onsite will increase its efficiency, reduce costs, and...

Friday, February 17, 2012

     Zumiez, a specialty retailer of sports related apparel, footwear, equipment, and accessories, will relocate its e-commerce fulfillment operations from the company’s headquarters in Everett, Wash., to the Kansas City area this May.    Zumiez will lease a 153,000-square-foot space and create 100 new jobs in the area. Zumiez said it is moving to better address its online business needs and increase the speed of products it delivers throughout the United States.    "T...

Friday, February 17, 2012

     Old Dominion Freight Line's warehouse in Thomasville, N.C., will be able to offset more than 90 percent of its energy costs with the help of recently installed rooftop solar panels, the company said.     The 1.8 megawatt system is the first foray into solar energy for the less-than-truckload carrier, which has an extensive network of cross-docks around the country. It can produce more than 2.2 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.    The project is the t...

Friday, February 17, 2012

   The Leeds, U.K.-based logistics company Torque has appointed Paul Boland as its new head of freight.    Boland has been with Torque for more than 10 years and will oversee imports, exports, air/sea, and courier services. He will also take charge of the architecture and implementation of Torque’s purchase order management system, which will be rolled out across Europe, Asia and India later this year.

Monday, February 13, 2012

   U.S. Customs officers at Detroit Wayne County International Airport discovered wood-boring insects and evidence of their tunnels on 13 occasions in January while inspecting wood pallets and other packing material, the agency said.    Six inspections in late January resulted in the interception of eight live wood-boring insects. Customs said it refused to allow the wood packing material to enter the commercial stream.    Under international st...

Monday, February 13, 2012

   Kintetsu World Express, a Japan-based logistics service provider, has acquired a 30 percent stake in Gati Limited, paying roughly $54.25 million.    Gati's supply chain and 3PL businesses will be turned into a 70:30 joint venture called Gati Kintetsu Express. The venture will combine Gati’s 3PL and distribution in India with Kintetsu’s freight forwarding service and large customer base.    The companies said the revenue generated from the deal wi...

Friday, February 10, 2012

     Provista, a Texas-based supply chain improvement company, has launched Provista Pro, an inventory management tool for its medical industry customers.    Provista, which has 70,000 sites in health care, education, hospitality and corporate markets in the United States, said its tool provides data across the entire supply chain, will ensure the best price available for supplies, can coordinate prices among multiple customer locations, will reduce the amount of money invested ...

Thursday, February 09, 2012

     Pantos Logistics, a South Korea-based freight logistics business, opened a new logistics center in Laem Chabang, Thailand to enhance its warehouse and distribution business.    The new 10,000-square-meter distribution center was built close to the Laem Chabang port, the largest container terminal in Thailand, and Pantos said the facility will allow it to handle up to 200,000 cubic meters of cargo annually.    Pantos said it also will focus on the large n...

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

     New regulations modernizing the in-bond transportation process that enables importers to defer entry and duty payment at the port of arrival until reaching another port are expected to be issued in the next few days, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials said Tuesday.    Homeland Security leaders and the Office of Management and Budget have signed off on the final rulemaking, Acting Deputy Commissioner Thomas Winkowski said during a lunch speech at the National ...

Wednesday, February 08, 2012

     The American Shipping Group unit of Saltchuk Resources said it is rebranding itself using the name TOTE Inc.    TOTE will also organize its five businesses into three groups: TOTE Maritime consists of Totem Ocean Trailer Express, which operates a liner service between Washington and Alaska, and Sea Star Line which operates between Florida and Puerto Rico. TOTE Ship Management includes Interocean American Shipping, a technical ship management and ship crewing company. T...

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

   Dubai-based Centre Point Logistics (CPL) has signed an agreement to support Geodis Wilson’s logistics operations in the United Arab Emirates.    Sascha Geiken, managing director for Geodis Wilson in Dubai, said, "demand for contract logistics is very high in the Middle East region.”    Dubai is used by many companies as a hub to facilitate trade and transportation of goods across the Middle East.

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

     Global Logistic Properties (GLP), an operator of warehouses in China and Japan, has added 86,900 square meters of both new and expansion leases in its China portfolio.    The company now has roughly 5.8 million square meters of space in China.    GLP has three new lease agreements catering to China's growing domestic market. First is a 52,500-square-meter area leased to Dahang International Transportation, a subsidiary of Hitachi Transport System, a...

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

     Americold said Monday that Jeffrey M. Gault has been appointed by the board of trustees as president and chief executive officer, effective immediately.    He succeeds Jos Opdeweegh, who has resigned for personal reasons.    Gault, a director of the company is an architect and environmental planner who has held senior executive positions at H.F. Ahmanson & Co, Home Savings of America, Sun America and KB Homes. He has been a managing partner...

Monday, February 06, 2012

     LogFire, an Atlanta-based cloud-based supply chain services provider, has added a productivity tracker for labor management and a new analytics engine to its dashboard.    The additions, Productivity Tracking System and Supply Chain Analytics Dashboard, can be fully integrated with the company's existing products.    The Analytics Dashboard focuses on data collection and real-time alerts for activities like inventory thresholds, failed replenishment, and inve...

Friday, February 03, 2012

     Yusen Logistics (Americas) Inc. has promoted Mike Liantonio to senior vice president and general manager of its Transportation Division.    He previously served as the Secaucus, N.J.-based freight forwarder’s vice president of sales and operations. Liantonio, a 25-year industry veteran, joined Yusen Logistics in October 2010. Prior to that he held management roles at Momentum Transportation, Vexure, and NYK Logistics.    Joe Giudice was also promoted to senior vic...

Friday, February 03, 2012

     ODW Logistics has appointed Carl W. Neverman to regional vice president of client solutions.    In this role, Neverman will identify new commercial opportunities for ODW’s U.S. business, while maintaining several of the existing client relationships.    ODW is a third-party logistics provider with shared warehouses in Columbus, Ohio; Chicago; Milwaukee; and Chino and San Bernardino, Calif. Dedicated locations include Urbana, Ohio; Chicago; Battlecreek an...

Friday, February 03, 2012

     The German transportation and logistics company Dachser said it has opened a new warehouse in Shanghai to support growth of its contract logistics business in China.    Dachser moved from its existing Shanghai regional warehouse, in operation since 2007, to the new location to increase capacity. The new facility is located close to the center of Shanghai, directly on the G2 Beijing-Shanghai expressway and the G1501 Shanghai ring road, providing close access to the...

Friday, February 03, 2012

     Acsis has released the latest line of its Acsis ProducTrak, a set of data collection and task management software that can be integrated with ERP systems from SAP, Oracle, J.D. Edwards, and others.    Acsis aims the new software at bringing real-time connectivity to every point in the supply chain by supplying the infrastructure to manage data collection points to where they are gathered, namely the shop floor and warehouse.    Acsis said it targeted this area bec...

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

     Tegma Gestão Logística, a large logistics management provider in Brazil that focuses on transportation for the auto industry, has concluded its purchase of LTD Transportes LTDA’s operations.    Tegma said it made the decision to acquire LTD because of its existing logistics operations in e-commerce and customer relationships.    The business bought by Tegma consists of LTD’s distribution logistics segment, focusing on goods weighing more than 30 kg ...

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

     To boost its South American sales, Casio Computers set up Casio Latin America in Montevideo, Uruguay, as a logistics management company, and has recently started operating its regional distribution center in the country.    Before the change, which started in August, Casio shipped most of its products from China directly to each of its Central and South American country markets. With a centralized logistics operation in South America, the company said deliveries in the...

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

   Pennsylvania-based Matthews International has started a new division of its company, Matthews Supply Chain Automation.    The division encompass two established branches, Matthews Marking Products and Holjeron, and two recently acquired companies, Innovative Picking Technologies, Inc. (IPTI) and Lightning Pick Technologies.    The combination of these companies will allow the new unit to offer integrated technology that covers the supply chain from manufacturing to o...

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

   The Urban Institute has established a multi-dimensional Infrastructure Initiative designed to inform the public and government officials about the important tradeoffs in developing, operating, maintaining and financing the nation's core systems that support society.    The research effort will examine the fiscal, social and environmental costs and benefits of policy choices at all levels of government related to transportation, electrical, water, sewer, wireless and broadband ...

Thursday, January 26, 2012

     MIQ Logistics said Wednesday it has opened a new logistics center at De Voorde in Venray, The Netherlands.    The facility has 110,000 square feet of warehouse space and is equipped with a changeable racking system, deployed warehouse management technology and road transportation and distribution capabilities. The site also provides customs processing and is capable of operating as a bonded warehouse.    "Our new Venray facility gives our customers a dis...

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

     Encompass Supply Chain Solutions (ESCS) has appointed Robert Coolidge to president and Lanier Bivings to chief financial officer.    Coolidge has more than 20 years of industry experience, beginning with Vance Baldwin, a company founded by his grandfather in 1953 and acquired by Encompass in 2007. Coolidge is credited with improving Vance Baldwin from a $3 million company in 1990 to a $50 million operation in 2007. In addition to his new role, he wi...

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

   Pantos Logistics, a the South Korean third-party logistics company, has opened a second logistics facility at South Korea's Incheon airport, saying Incheon was the fourth biggest cargo airport by volume in 2010.    Bae Jae-Hoon, Pantos' chief executive officer, said the 45,000-square-foot facility is adjacent to its existing center built in 2005 and will bring the company to more than 105,000 square feet of capacity. He said that bringing this much space to customers...

Monday, January 23, 2012

     Massood Logistics, a North Carolina firm formed last fall after the shutdown of Furniture Transport Group, has added two executives and expanded its available services.    Tara Massood, a former executive with Thomasville Home Furnishings in New Jersey, is the company's new general manager, and Paula Powell Cubberley, previously of Furniture Transport Group, will join the company as an account executive.    The Massood family founded MGM Transport and continu...

Friday, January 20, 2012

     Transpak, a third party logistics firm specializing in packaging, warehousing, order fulfillment and distribution, has been recognized as a foreign-trade zone (FTZ) site by the Port of Milwaukee.    The designation will allow Transpak partners to benefit from deferral, reduction, or even possible elimination of tariffs on imported goods.    Transpak said it is the first packaging and logistics business in Wisconsin to receive this FTZ designation through the port,...

Friday, January 20, 2012

     United Kingdom-based Keswick Enterprises has entered into a new partnership to develop a third-party supply chain management service in Poland.    Keswick and Vector Global Logistics Sp. z.o.o., based in Gdynia, will call their joint venture Keswick Vector SCM Polska Sp. z.o.o. (KVS) and it will be owned 52 percent by Keswick and 48 percent by Vector Global.    Keswick had existing logistics operations in Southeast Europe focused around Romania...

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

   The Coca-Cola Co. has awarded DB Schenker Logistics two businesses for its warehousing and transportation operations in Poland.    The Atlanta-based soft drinks giant will integrate previously owned and operated satellite distribution centers for its finished goods into existing DB Schenker warehouses.    Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, nor was the length of the contract.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

   AEW Europe will merge its three existing logistics funds to create a 1 billion euro pan-European logistics platform.    AEW said the new fund will be one of the largest logistics investment portfolios in Europe.    The firm also noted the logistics market has been undergoing a large consolidation in recent years and believes companies will try to minimize the number of partners they have in the space.    The strategy of AEW's logist...

Thursday, January 12, 2012

   Chinese logistics companies are being encouraged to expand overseas, according to a  report published Wednesday by the China Daily newspaper.    At a logistics conference held in Beijing earlier this week, Ministry of Commerce officials reportedly encouraged Chinese firms to acquire overseas distribution centers to aid in trade growth.    The article cited last month's acquisition of the container leasing company GE SeaCo by HNA Group as a success...

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

     Kerry Logistics said this week it will build a new logistics facility at Zhengzhou in central China's Henan Province.    Construction is due to begin in the second quarter of 2012 with a scheduled completion date in the first quarter of 2013. The logistics center will be built on 70,000 square meters of land, and will be targeted at the electronics and technology, automobile, industrial and material science sectors.    "China's coastal provinces hav...

Monday, January 09, 2012

Manuel    Coral Gables, Fla.-based real estate firm Flagler has appointed Manuel A. Fernandez to executive vice president of logistics operations.    In this position, Fernandez will head development of Flagler’s South Florida Logistics Center - a 400-acre intermodal logistics complex adjacent to the Miami International Airport - as well as a newly launched logistics practice.    Fernandez brings to Flagler more than three decades of experience in supply chain and global lo...

Friday, January 06, 2012

     Overland Park, Kan.-based MIQ Logistics said Thursday it has opened a new logistics facility in eastern Pennsylvania.    The 70-acre property in Tannersville, Penn., is designed to provide easy access to the New York and New Jersey markets and ports, as well as regional and national distribution for potential customers.    The Tannersville center is the eighth MIQ has opened in the past year. Previous locations to open in that time were Atlanta, Chicago ...

Wednesday, January 04, 2012

     The Singapore-based Global Logistics Properties and China Investment Corp. have announced plans to buy 15 logistics facilities in Japan from LaSalle Investment Management for roughly $1.6 billion.    In total, the facilities will provide around 2.5 million-square-feet of space, more than 90 percent of which is in Osaka and the greater Tokyo area. All of the companies involved hail the move as a sign that the Japanese manufacturing and distribution markets are turning around...

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

     National logistics services provider Saddle Creek Corp. last month said it acquired ProLog Logistics Inc., a warehousing and fulfillment company located in San Diego.    Lakeland, Fla.-based Saddle Creek said ProLog will enhance its order fulfillment capabilities, further expanding available services that include warehousing, transportation and contract packaging. Saddle Creek has more than 14 million square feet of warehouse space under management.    ProLog, est...

Thursday, December 29, 2011

     Global Logistic Properties (GLP) of Singapore and China Investment Corp. have entered into a joint venture to acquire 15 distribution centers in Japan from LaSalle Investment Management for 122.6 billion yen ($1.6 billion).    The portfolio of 15 properties to be acquired will have a floor area of 770,989 square meters with more than 90 percent located in the Tokyo and Osaka areas. The current occupancy of the properties is 98.3 per cent with a weighted ...

Thursday, December 29, 2011

     Chatham, N.J.-based Preferred Freezer Services (PFS) is expanding in China.    The company in November opened a 25,000-square-meter temperature-controlled warehouse at Lingang Park near Yangshan port in Shanghai. A second facility is scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2012 in Waigaoqiao, while a third facility is under construction in Tianjin.    PFS said it seeks to raise standards for refrigerated frozen foods and distribution and food handling safety in ...

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

     The Ethiopian Ministry of Transport has issued a directive, effective January, requiring all government-owned cargoes to be transported by the Ethiopian Shipping and Logistics Enterprise (ESLE) and only delivered to ports and warehouses that are recognized by the country's customs service.     The directive also covers vehicle shipments of more than three tons, requiring them to be delivered to "dry" ports and warehouses that meet the same customs c...

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

   A new transportation management Website has popped up, promising to help shippers, distribution centers, manufacturers, and other companies get better rates from a list of more than 28,000 available carriers.    The RateMyShipment.com site comes from TranZcenter, a logistics and supply chain management services provider, and its head of operations Milton Collier. The network of multimodal carriers covers North America and includes modes like less-than-truckload (LTL), truckloa...

Thursday, December 22, 2011

     Wared Logistics, a unit of the Saudi-based Construction Products Holding Co., is nearing completion of the first temperature-controlled warehouse in a series planned for operation in Saudi Arabia by mid-2012.    This first warehouse is a 5,000-square-meter facility in Riyadh and is expected to be fully functional by Jan. 1. This operation will be followed by others in Jeddah, Dammam, and other locations in central and southern Saudi Arabia. The company expect...

Thursday, December 22, 2011

     Growers Express, a large U.S. supplier of fresh vegetables, has picked Junction Solutions to increase its warehouse efficiency and visibility.     Specifically, Growers will use Junction's Wireless Warehouse platform. The system allows companies to manage their inventory and order management with automatic data collection and wireless connections between the platform and handheld devices.    "Junction Solutions' Wireless Warehouse provides us with greate...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

     Panalpina has opened a 10,000-square-meter logistics center at Tianjin in North China, and has plans to set up more facilities across China in the next three years.    “We are establishing a truly integrated supply chain network in China that combines international air and ocean freight with comprehensive value-added logistics services (VAS) and supply chain services,” said Mike Wilson, Panalpina's global head of logistics. “This is in line wit...

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

     Global enterprise application provider IFS has signed an agreement to purchase 100 percent of the shares of LatinIFS Tecnologia da Informação S.A. in cash.    The acquisition is geared to strengthen IFS in the Latin American market. The move follows other acquisitions by IFS in the Brazil, Russia, India and China economies. IFS specializes in warehouse and supply chain management systems.    LatinIFS is an existing distributor of IFS’ application and was...

Friday, December 16, 2011

   Simon Hegele, a German third party logistics (3PL) services company, has picked TGW Systems to set up a material handling and storage system for Hegel’s new distribution center in Raunheim, Germany, about 25 miles outside Frankfurt.    The system will consist of a five-aisle automatic storage and retrieval system (AS/RS), 10 stations for receiving goods, and at least 12 other variable stations, with the ability to expand to nine AS/RS aisles. The new distribution center i...

Friday, December 16, 2011

     Kale Logistics announced two new information technology offerings for warehousing and distribution, and an end-to-end fleet management system.    PYXIS, the warehouse system, monitors each stage in the process, including the arrival and dispatch of cargo. The service monitors location, package information, shipping and packing procedures, and can be expanded to other aspects.    HELIOS is a Web-based transportation and fleet management system b...

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

     DHL Global Forwarding said it will open eight offices in the U.S. this year in what it considers to be expanding markets with the potential for future growth.    Offices have been opened in Austin, Texas; Albany, New York; Calexico, California; Reno, Nevada; Boise, Idaho; Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina; Louisville, Kentucky. Another office will be opened in Greensboro, North Carolina later this month.

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

   George Ortega of Kinnelon, New Jersey, the former managing director of Passport CFS Logistics, was arrested Dec. 7 for allegedly embezzling or obtaining unlawfully approximately $1.6 million from ARGIX Direct, doing business as Passport CFS Logistics, over an eight-year period. The arrest was announced by Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli in New Jersey    Passport's primary business involved the transporting shipping containers from various ports located in the ...

Monday, December 12, 2011

   Transmart India has sold its warehousing business to Future Supply Chain Solutions, the logistics and supply chain arm of Future Group. Included in the sale are more than 12 clients and a 2,000,000-square-foot distribution center outside Mumbai.    Future Supply Chain Solutions said that the deal will give it a readymade infrastructure able to handle goods worth roughly $288 million. The company currently has 60 hubs that service 2,600 retail outlets from five million-square-feet ...

Friday, December 09, 2011

   Pilot Freight Services, a logistics services provider, has opened a station in Washington D.C., adjacent to Washington Dulles International Airport.    The new location will support Pilot's existing station in Baltimore, which currently handles all traffic in and out of the D.C. area.    The D.C. location also marks the second new Pilot station opened this year, following the announcement of its first European station located in Amsterdam.    "Over the past sev...

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

   The logistics company Globe Express Services has added four new corporate locations in Moscow, Beijing, Nanjing, and Abu Dhabi, the company said Tuesday.    GES is a top 20 non-vessel operating common carrier (NVO) in the transpacific trade, and the new Beijing and Nanjing offices bring ithe total number of China locations to 12.    “As the importance of China continues to increase in the company's global strategy, we have added a presence in Beijing to strengthen ou...

Wednesday, December 07, 2011

   The Dallas-based 3PL Transplace said Tuesday it has won a deal from the toy manufacturer Winston Co. to manage inbound U.S. shipments from Ningbo, China.    Winston, based in Tulsa, Okla. and Bentonville, Ark., supplies to some of the world’s largest retailers, specializing in the production of scooters and quad cars. Transplace said it will also manage specific domestic services for Winston beginning in 2012.    “Transplace strives to become a partner versus a service-p...

Monday, November 28, 2011

   Global logistics provider Kuehne + Nagel has won a contract to manage inbound logistics for Bonfiglioli's new assembly plant in Chennai, India.    Bonfiglioli, Bologna, Italy, makes power transmission and control systems.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

   General Electric has a new central logistics center for renewable energy components in Olive Branch, Miss.    The facility is part of GE’s strategy to further improve customer response times throughout North America as more wind and solar energy projects are developed and existing power facilities require maintenance. Olive Branch is located 23 miles south of Memphis, Tenn.    In specific, GE Energy’s renewable energy services group will use the logistics cente...

Monday, October 17, 2011

   Cleveland-based ContainerPort Group said last week that Daniel Corcoran has joined the company as regional vice president for the West, where he will be responsible for the Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis, and Kansas City operations.    Corcoran was most recently president of TTS Terminals, and previously held vice president positions with Pacer Cartage and Triton Transport Services.    CPG operates terminals and facilities in the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Northeast regi...

Monday, October 17, 2011

   Yusen Logistics’ operation in the Benelux region has opened a new facility for the storage and regional distribution of solar panels for Chinese manufacturer Shandong Linuo Solar Power Holdings (Shandong Linuo).    The operation is based in one of the logistics services provider’s bonded warehouses in the Rotterdam area. As part of the service, Yusen will also act as a “limited fiscal representative, which will help effect import-cost savings for Shandong Linuo,” the company said. ...