Logistics Management

Friday, May 24, 2013

   A bridge on Interstate-5, the major U.S. West Coast highway, collapsed into the Skagit River on Thursday evening.    The bridge, north of Seattle, is the major artery for vehicles moving to and from Vancouver and other locations in Western Canada.    The Seattle Times reported the bridge is used by an average 70,000 vehicles per day, 12 percent of which are trucks . Sean McNally, press secretary for the American Trucking Associations, said those appeared to be 2007 estima...

Friday, May 24, 2013

   The Ocean Freight Industry EIPP Standards Advisory Board (SAB), an independent organization of containerized shipping executives, on Thursday said it has made progress on several key electronic invoicing initiatives following its sixth bi-annual meeting in Hamburg, Germany, earlier this month.    During the two-day gathering, the SAB reached several important milestones to advance the use of electronic invoicing in the industry. The group successfully formalized best practices...

Friday, May 24, 2013

   Americold, a temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics provider to the food industry, appointed Jed Milstein to executive vice president and chief human resources officer, and Jeff Hogarth to senior vice president for Asia-Pacific.    Milstein joins Americold after serving as executive vice president of human resources for TransCentra, a billing and payments provider. Prior to this, he was the head of HR for Cerberus Operations and Advisory Co.    Hogarth, a 23-yea...

Friday, May 24, 2013

   A friend of mine who dabbled in filmmaking has always been troubled by the decision of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to award the 2004 Best Picture Oscar to Million Dollar Baby instead of The Aviator .    His theory is this: while both are great, enjoyable films, the sheer scale of directing the sweeping biopic of Howard Hughes was more technically demanding than filming a cozier story essentially involving three actors. Given that they both are great, the determi...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

   Third-party logistics providers will see 2013 revenues of $148.4 million, an increase of 4.6 percent, according to a recently released report by Armstrong & Associates.    Revenues of third-party logistics providers in the United States increased by 6 percent, year over year, in 2012 to $141.8 billion.    According to Armstrong & Associates, the compound annual growth rate for the 3PL industry fell by 0.3 percent from 1996 to 2012. The company expects this d...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

   Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank last week wrapped up a seven-day trip to Latin America to help drum up business for U.S. companies engaged in infrastructure planning and construction with a speech at the American Chamber of Commerce Panama where she highlighted the importance of trade relations with the Central American nation.    Twenty companies specializing in project management, transportation, energy and water resource infrastructure accompanied Blank on her ...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

   Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics will manage vehicle processing for the 78,000-square-foot Subaru facility at the Port of Brunswick, Ga., starting in July.    With the agreement, WWL becomes the automaker’s supplier for the Southeast United States.    The contract includes import processing, accessory installation, transportation preparations and pre-delivery inspections.    The company also manages Subaru holdings in Lafayette, Ind., and Baltimore.  &n...

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

   DHL Supply Chain announced that it will invest INR 650 million ($11.7 million) in its new 320,000-square-foot warehouse in Luhari, Delhi, anchored by Proctor & Gamble.    The company is planning additional facilities in Ahmedabad, Bengaluru and Chennai in 2013.    The new facility, and the forthcoming construction, is part of the INR 6.85 billion DHL pledged to invest in India last year to strengthen the logistics market. DHL has already built 350,000 square feet of ...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

   Third party logistics provider CEVA’s revenue dropped 6 percent, year over year, in the first quarter to 1.6 billion euros ($2.06 billion), and adjusted earnings dropped from 66 million euros to 31 million euros.    Officials attribute the lackluster revenue performance to the challenging market and said the earnings drop came primarily because of the divestiture of some of CEVA’s holdings. Air freight volume was down due to modal shift leading to a 6.8-percent revenue drop in the...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

   Officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development have launched an initiative with Tunisia to establish trade in the region and internationally, and encourage the local growth of small and midsized businesses.    The Office of the United States Trade Representative helped develop the initiative, which is part of the U.S-Tunisia Trade and Investment Framework. Work between the countries will be achieved through online platforms and partnerships, according to a news release....

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   Governments in Belize, Central America and the Dominican Republic should create an environment that embraces an integrated, intermodal sea-land network, according to a recent report by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).    A stronger supply-chain network would help push global trade forward and would also encourage trade exchanges between the countries in the region.    The two authors of the study, Amar Ramudhin and Don Ratliff, posit that a number of initiative...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   The Kahala Posts Group (KPG), an alliance of 10 postal administrations around the world, has signed a deal with the global trade management solutions provider Amber Road aimed at increasing their competitiveness in the international delivery market.    KPG member organizations include the Australian Postal Corp., China Post Group, Correos y Telégrafos SAE, Groupe La Poste, Hongkong Post, Japan Post Co., Ltd., Korea Post, Royal Mail Group, Ltd, Singapore Post Limited and the U.S. Po...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   The logistics information technology solutions providers Descartes Systems and Freightgate have both signed deals with NetSuite, a provider of cloud-based financials and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software suites.    Descartes said it has signed a SuiteCloud Developer Network agreement, with the integration of NetSuite's SuiteCloud and Descartes' Logistics Technology Platform intended to enable customers to more effectively collaborate with their trading partners and carrie...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   The White House on Wednesday welcomed growing exports for U.S. businesses, farmers, and ranchers on the first anniversary of the entry into force of the U.S.-Colombia trade agreement.    Via the U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement, U.S. manufacturers have substantially increased their exports to the South American country.    In specific, U.S. exports of transportation equipment, petroleum and coal products, processed food, and computer and electronic products have risen t...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   The world's largest wholesale technology distributor Ingram Micro said this week it is opening a new facility in Costa Rica for its Ingram Micro Mobility mobile device lifecycle services and logistics solutions subsidiary.    The facility is designed to support Ingram Micro Mobility’s growing business in Latin America. Initially, the facility will be fully dedicated to supporting the company’s mobile device lifecycle services, specifically device recovery and technical repair. &nb...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   DHL Supply Chain will invest 10 million euros ($12.9 million) in Vietnam over the next two years, hiring new staff, upgrading current infrastructure and building a new facility in North Vietnam.    The integrator began operations in the country in 2001.    DHL plans to hire 1,400 new workers in Vietnam, increasing its workforce by 170 percent. This new influx of employees will be added to an employment base that has already expanded by 800 workers in the past there years...

Thursday, May 16, 2013

   The U.S. Grains Council (USGC), along with the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), MAIZAR, representing Argentinian producers and the maize supply chain, and ABRAMILHO (Brazilian Association of Corn Producers) signed a memorandum of understanding this week to form an alliance of North and South American corn producers to collaborate to address key issues concerning food security, biotechnology, stewardship, trade and producer image.    The organizations will operate under th...

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

   FedEx Trade Networks has broken ground on an 83,000-square-foot facility at the Riverview Solar Technology Park in Tonawanda, N.Y.    The first wave of employees is set to move in near the end of this year.    FedEx is paying $5.2 million to build the 22-acre facility, which will include 55,000 square feet of office space. New York State has committed $2.56 million in tax credits to the project, and FedEx will receive another $1.9 million in tax relief from Erie County. ...

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

   Yusen Logistics (Americas) will open a new 229,000-square-foot warehouse in Chicago on May 20 that will employ 170 people.    The warehouse will include 185,000 square feet dedicated to distribution and container freight station services, a climate-controlled area of 15,000 square feet, with separate freezer and refrigerated units totaling 3,000 square feet to accommodate the company’s growing perishables customer base.    The new facility is located near the cargo entra...

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

   The Port of Long Beach is recirculating a draft environmental impact statement for a proposed grain export facility at Pier T on Terminal Island.    The public is being encouraged to comment on the EIR in writing or at a public hearing scheduled for June 5.    The grain transload facility proposed by Total Terminals International would receive railcars with 53-foot domestic containers full of grain and dried distillers grain with solubles, a byproduct of ethanol pro...

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

   CEVA has opened the 20,000-square-meter "City of Pharma," a healthcare warehousing and handling facility, in Stradella, Italy.    The area can be doubled in a short time to address future market demands, the company said.    The integrated logistics hub places many different companies from the same industry in one location. According to a press release, this configuration will allow CEVA to better respond to fluctuations in the market. City of Pharma takes an approa...

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

   During the first quarter, DHL increased its revenues by 0.6 percent, year over year, to 13.4 billion euros ($17.4 billion), and before-tax earnings rose by 4 percent to 427 million euros ($553.9 million).    Net income increased by 45 percent, year over year, but net profits fell to 498 million euros ($646 million) from a total of 529 million euros ($686.2 million) during the first three months of 2012.    Frank Appel, DHL’s chief executive officer, noted these relativel...

Monday, May 13, 2013

   Maritime industry officials in Virginia remain actively involved in efforts to promote the development of offshore wind farms and say the Port of Virginia represents an ideal staging area for the massive equipment and infrastructure necessary to produce energy from wind.    The port has lay-down space for wind towers, blades, cable and other hardware and equipment at its 285-acre Portsmouth Marine Terminal, which recently was converted to a breakbulk and roll-on/roll-off cargo...

Monday, May 13, 2013

   Three-fourths of global logistics companies are unable to get the prices they deserve for their services, according to the findings of the Global Pricing Study 2012 , conducted by strategy and marketing consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners.    The causes, managers say, are a price-aggressive competitive environment and a prevalence of standardized products. The study incorporated responses from 151 people in the transportation and logistics sectors throughout Europe, Asia, North...

Monday, May 13, 2013

   Agility has signed a five-year, $24.4 million contract with Kuwait National Petroleum Co. for transportation services.    In addition to moving oversized and traditional petroleum shipments over Agility’s air, land and sea networks, the company will provide origin logistics, customs clearance, freight forwarding and procurement services.      “The contract plays to many of our core strengths,” Tarek Sultan, Agility’s chairman and managing director, said in a st...

Friday, May 10, 2013

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank approved a final commitment for a $45.5 million loan guarantee to VRG Linhas Aereas S.A. (GOL), a Brazilian airline.    The financing will support the export of engine maintenance services by Delta TechOps (Delta), a subsidiary of Delta Airlines. This transaction will support about 400 jobs, according to Ex-Im Bank.    GOL engines will be shipped from São Paulo, Brazil, to Atlanta for heavy maintenance to be performed by Delta’s maintenance, r...

Thursday, May 09, 2013

   DHL Global Forwarding has added daily intermodal services from Shanghai and a weekly service from Chengdu to the European border.    The offerings will use a combination of rail and truck transportation.    According to DHL officials, customers will see faster shipments of up to 21 days compared with ocean shipments and lower transportation costs.    This service offers the option of booking variable capacity — "ranging from a single container to a whole t...

Thursday, May 09, 2013

   The Messenger Courier Association of America (MCAA) has changed its name to the Customized Logistics & Delivery Association (CLDA).    The rebranding effort was announced today by CLDA president, Rob Johnstone, at the association’s annual meeting in New Orleans.    “The name change comes as part of an overall rebranding effort to better reflect what our members do,” Johnstone said in a statement.    “Several years ago, the MCAA board began wrestling with the...

Thursday, May 09, 2013

   The U.S. Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration has released a Spanish language version of its Trade Finance Guide: A Quick Reference for U.S. Exporters .    The guide was created specifically to help U.S. small and midsized businesses overcome one of their major export challenges, how to get paid from export sales, thereby helping turn their export opportunities into actual sales, the department said.    “Since the publication of its first edition in 20...

Wednesday, May 08, 2013

   National Retail Systems is adding transloading to the suite of logistics services it performs for Pep Boys, a large automotive aftermarket service and retail parts chain.    NRS said Tuesday it will deconsolidate ocean containers at its Pooler cross-dock facility four miles from the Port of Savannah and repack them into larger, 53-foot containers for the trip to Pep Boys' distribution center in Atlanta.    The third-party logistics provider currently handles domesti...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   The former Steel Shipping Container Institute on Monday announced it has adopted a new name, the Industrial Steel Drum Institute (ISDI), along with a new logo and Website.    The new Website  provides purchasers of industrial packaging, warehouse and corporate risk managers, fire protection professionals, and others with information about the benefits of steel drums, how steel drums are made, and resources available to the industry.    “Industrial packaging has evol...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   In response to increased demand from Europe, logistics software provider Catapult International has opened an office in Hamburg, Germany.    This expansion complements Catapult’s other offices located throughout the world. In addition to Hamburg and its Kansas City headquarters, the firm now has locations in Cebu, Philippines; Hong Kong; and San Francisco.    “Growth and the ability to provide the needed support to our clients in Europe are vital and continue to be a lar...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   The logistics transportation management services provider Transplace said Monday that Philadelphia-based PaperWorks Industries, a North American packaging company, will use its transportation management system (TMS) to manage shipments in North America.    The TMS will be used for outbound shipments from two PaperWorks mills to customers located throughout the country, as well as select inbound shipments from the manufacturer’s fiber supplier network. The company’s paperboard...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   The logistics and international freight forwarding company Extra Logistics said Monday it has launched Web-based ocean and air freight booking services.    The online services are designed to enhance Express’ network 22 cargo receiving terminals in both U.S. and affiliate offices in 97 countries.    Customers now can submit shipment details for import/export air and ocean freight to put their international shipments in motion. The services also include instant less-than-...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   Dockworkers in Hong Kong have decided to end a 40-day strike after securing a promise of a 9.8 percent wage increase and improved working conditions.    The Union of Hong Kong Dockers (UHKD) said it had received on Monday a written confirmation jointly signed by the four contractors at Hongkong International Terminal - Everbest, Comcheung, Lem Wing and Pui Kee - via the Hong Kong Labor Department that confirms the 9.8 percent increase in the basic wage for all their employees ...

Tuesday, May 07, 2013

   Jesper Praestensgaard, who has been responsible for the global markets and global accounts departments on Hapag-Lloyd’s executive board since January 2011, will be leaving the company in June.    Until further notice, Michael Behrendt, board chairman of Hapag-Lloyd, will assume responsibility for the departments.    Yusen Logistics (Americas) has hired John Palma to lead its central region transportation sales team as regional sales director.    Prior to joining...

Monday, May 06, 2013

   Toyota exported its first shipment of Venzas through the Port of Brunswick, Ga., last week.    The cars departed on a "K" Line vessel for Russia and Ukraine, according to the Georgia Port Authority.    The move underscores the growth of exports by U.S. auto manufacturers as the industry rebounds from the 2008 global financial crisis and the United States becomes more competitive as a manufacturing center.    The Venzas are produced at Toyota's plant in Georgeto...

Monday, May 06, 2013

   North Carolina’s Port of Wilmington will now offer shippers direct access to Manzanillo, Panama, and Puerto Moin, Costa Rica, in addition to Puerto Cortes, Honduras, and Santo Tomas, Guatemala, in northern Central America, via vessel calls added by Maersk Line to its weekly South Atlantic Express (SAE) service.    New trade lanes to South America’s west coast and the Caribbean for Port of Wilmington users are also open via transhipments at Manzanillo, the North Carolina State ...

Friday, May 03, 2013

   Thirty-four national trade associations representing port authorities, water carriers, retailers and other shippers, the construction industry and unions, along with dozens of state-level business groups, signed a letter this week urging members of the U.S. Senate to support quick passage of the Water Resources Development Act.    The Senate Environmental and Public Works Committee unanimously approved the bill in late March and forwarded it for Senate consideration. It spells...

Thursday, May 02, 2013

   Logistics IT solutions provider Descartes Systems said Thursday it has acquired KSD Software Norway AS (KSD), a leading Scandinavia-based provider of electronic customs filing solutions for the European Union, in a $33 million deal.    The EU customs compliance market is characterized by a complex framework of member states, each with different regulations, languages and systems, Descartes stressed.    "EU customs compliance is complex," said Svenn Widerberg, CEO of KSD....

Thursday, May 02, 2013

   After a vote to eliminate a collateral deposit requirement from the Transportation Intermediaries Association’s services bond program, the organization will refund more than $2 million to members who paid the deposit fee when purchasing bonds.    The TIA board eliminated the $8,000 deposit requirement due to the program’s success. Members who hold $250,000, $100,000 and $75,000 bonds will receive the refund.    When the board initiated the bond program in 2012, it left t...

Thursday, May 02, 2013

   The U.S. trade deficit fell by nearly $5 billion from February to March, ending the month at $38.8 billion, according to the Commerce Department.     Last month, the United States exported $184.3 billion in goods, but imported $223.1 billion in cargo.    Year over year, the trade deficit showed a $12.9-billion decrease. Exports fell by $0.4 billion and imports declined by $13.3 billion when compared to Mach 2012.    March’s total exports fell by $1.7 ...

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Related Content U.S. program focuses on small business exports SBA opens export doors    Rep. Janice Hahn, D-Calif., is hosting an export business roundtable on Friday with Dario Gomez, the Small Business Administration's administrator of international trade, to provide information on SBA programs and resources for small companies seeking to export or only export on a limited basis.    The event is being held at 10 a.m. at Banning's Landing, 100 E. Water St., in Wilmington, Cali...

Thursday, May 02, 2013

   Kenco, a provider of logistics, real estate services and material handling equipment, has appointed Todd A. Johnson to senior vice president of operations for Kenco Logistic Services.    Johnson has 29 years of experience in the supply chain industry, including stints at UPS, Exel, and Trammell Crow. Most recently, he was with Menlo Worldwide Logistics for 15 years.    AIT Worldwide Logistics has hired Myung Kim as business development director.    Kim come...

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

   Iron ore exports are moving through Southern California's Port of Long Beach for the first time in 40 years.    The port said SA Recycling, a long-time exporter of scrap metal through the port, is working with CML Metals Corp. to send iron ore from mines in Utah, California, Arizona and Nevada to Asian steel makers. ( However, the U.S. Geological Service notes that in 2012, mines in Michigan and Minnesota shipped 97 percent of the usable ore produced in the Unit...

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

   Raytheon, a major international defense and aerospace company, will pay $8 million in civil penalties and remedial expenditures to resolve hundreds of alleged violations of U.S. export regulations designed to protect sensitive technology from falling in the hands of enemies.    The State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, which oversees exports of military goods, said Raytheon violated the Arms Export Control Act and the International Traffic in Arms Regulatio...

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

   Agility saw a 46-percent, year-over-year jump in profit to KD 10.1 million ($35.6 million) and a 10-percent revenue growth to KD 352.6 million ($1.24 billion) during the first quarter.    Before-tax earnings were up 36 percent.    Revenue for the company’s global logistics arm ticked up 7 percent due to new customers like Shell, which recently signed a three-year, $80 million contract for freight forwarding services, and Egyptian appliance provider Universal. Officials c...

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

   International Trade Systems (ITS), a provider of U.S. customs brokerage and freight forwarding software, said Wednesday it will release a new Web-based system that links Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) form generation with analytics.    The system, ITS Web, will be available June 1. ITS said the system is certified by ACE and is the only ACE compatible software system with an analytics engine.    ACE is the commercial trade processing system being developed by U.S....

Wednesday, May 01, 2013

   Kuehne + Nagel has broken ground on a 30,000-square-meter expansion to its 45,000-square-meter facility in Geel, Belgium, to further support its contract logistics business in the country.    Completion of the 20,000-square-meter first phase of the project is slated for October. This additional space will be used partly for two clients secured last year — a coffee machine supplier and a toy manufacturer. The second phase, which will be specifically geared toward the pharmaceutical...

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

   U.S. producers ramped up biodiesel generation in February, finishing the month at 68 million gallons, a slight increase from January's total of 66 million gallons, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.    Nearly 75 percent of the February production, which came from 110 plants that can generate up to 2.1 billion gallons per year, originated in the Midwest. Soybean oil was the most common feedstock, followed by corn oil, yellow grease and canola oil.   &...

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

   DB Schenker Logistics has renewed its contract for supply chain visibility solutions with the cloud-based supply chain technology provider GT Nexus, the Oakland-based company said Tuesday.    DB Schenker has used GT Nexus since 2008 to provide cargo management capabilities for its customers, including end-to-end inventory and shipment visibility, purchase order management and origin management.    “We originally selected GT Nexus to offer our customers a strategic cloud-...

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

   Two members of Congress from Southern California are urging the City of Los Angeles and BNSF Railway to take further steps to mitigate the environmental effects of a planned intermodal container transfer facility to protect the health of Long Beach residents who live close by.    The Southern California International Gateway is planned for construction on property owned by the Port of Los Angeles a few miles from the marine terminals. It is designed to shorten the drive for trucker...

Monday, April 29, 2013

   The automotive supplier division of the U.S. conglomerate Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court against its long-time freight payment and audit vendor, TransVantage Solutions.    The lawsuit, filed April 8 in New Jersey, alleges that TransVantage had failed to make $17 million in payments to Johnson Control’s transportation providers, and the company had been systematically hiding its misuse of the funds it handled on Johnson Controls’ behalf. &nbs...

Monday, April 29, 2013

   Cargo theft in North America stayed flat, year over year, in 2012 as European theft rates rose by 24 percent, according to FreightWatch International.    Cargo theft in Asia also increased.    According to the company, however, the greatest theft threats still exist in Brazil, Mexico and South Africa. Last year, about 6,800 thefts were reported in Sao Paulo, and more than 6,000 Mexican thefts occurred in 2012.    Pharmaceutical thefts are on the rise in Europe, ...

Friday, April 26, 2013

   U.S. Gross Domestic Product grew 2.5 percent in the first quarter, according to a preliminary estimate issued by the Department of Commerce Friday.    The increase was less than many analysts had expected after 0.4 percent growth in the fourth quarter.    The increased productivity was aided by personal consumption, private inventory investment, exports and construction spending. - Eric Kulisch

Friday, April 26, 2013

   The Austrian freight forwarder ACS Logistics will use the ediEnterprise solution of logistics software developer CargoWise.    ACS was founded in 2011 and is managed by industry veterans Gerald Kleeberger, Ulrich Hartwig and Thomas Sticht. It offers global air and ocean freight, as well as integrated logistics solutions in Austria.    “We see ourselves as a ‘next generation’ LSP capable of applying the most advanced technologies in order to run a truly lean organization,”...

Friday, April 26, 2013

   Industry leaders concurred during testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday that the freight transportation industry is doing a lot to make fleets greener, but said Congress could help reduce air pollution by making it easier to adopt clean energy systems and get infrastructure projects completed that reduce congestion.     Fred Smith, the founder, chairman and chief executive officer of FedEx Corp., suggested a reduction in corporate tax rates would help companies ad...

Friday, April 26, 2013

   UTi Worldwide has opened a new multi-client logistics center in New Taipei City, Taiwan.    The facility, measuring 461,000 square feet, is located about 20 minutes from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and just off Taiwan’s Highway 2 for quick access to the island’s main distribution channels.    “This facility is adaptable to the requirements of several industries such as pharmaceutical, healthcare, and wine and spirits which may require temperature-controlled...

Friday, April 26, 2013

   Kuehne + Nagel is opening an office in the Russian Far East port city of Vladivostok.    The new office will be managed by the operation in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk where K+N started its activities in 2002 to cater to the needs of oil and gas companies.    In addition to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, K+N operates two more locations on Sakhalin, one in Nogliki in the northern part of the island, and a bonded/non-bonded warehouse in Korsakov south of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk.    “Ou...

Thursday, April 25, 2013

   UPS has acquired Budapest-based pharmaceutical logistics firm CEMELOG, a move that will help expand the integrator’s growing healthcare arm, for an undisclosed amount.    Officials expect to close the deal in the second quarter.    The 14-year-old European company boasts a number of large healthcare brands as clients and will help UPS gain a foothold in Central and Eastern Europe, according to a UPS release. The acquisition adds three distribution facilities, for&nb...