Sustainability

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

   European farmers will be able to quickly receive time-critical parts for malfunctioning farm equipment on weekends and holidays during the upcoming harvest season with the help of German emergency logistics provider time:matters.     The independent courier, which is co-owned by Lufthansa Cargo, said it will rush spare parts for harvesting machines to their destination within a day to help minimize downtime and revenue losses.     time:matters arranges...

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

   The U.S. Export-Import Bank announced Monday that U.S. business aircraft and helicopters manufacturers will benefit from a new process to assess credit risks and expedite foreign-buyer financing.    The bank hopes the new process will further facilitate the country’s exports of U.S.-made business aircraft.    “Ex-Im Bank understands that business-aircraft transactions require specialized knowledge and experience but has limited resources to meet the growing demand for ex...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Retailers on Tuesday advised the House Committee on Natural Resources' subcommittee on fisheries, wildlife oceans and insular affairs that several significant compliance challenges have emerged from the 2008 Lacey Act Amendment that deserve attention from Congress.    The law requires importers to provide to U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service details such as the genus, species and country of harvest for products that include wood m...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has launched a new capabilities mapping tool that will allow it to geographically target companies with the potential to provide resources during disasters.    The project is funded by grants from The UPS Foundation and the Regional Catastrophic Preparedness Grant Program, Project on Supply Chain Resilience.    The capabilities mapping tool is a geo-coding tool that will be populated with data on the member companies from ALAN's ...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   The International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (FIATA) has voiced concern over a pending EU regulation that requires independent validation of agents involved in air cargo shipments to Europe.    The law is an amendment to the EU security regime for air cargo and mail and went into effect Feb 1. It requires an airline to validate agents in third-party countries on all shipments into Europe.    “Simply put, there seems to be a gap between the expected cap...

Wednesday, May 09, 2012

   Transplace, a provider of transportation management services and logistics technology, has implemented of a compressed natural gas (CNG) fleet in Southern California for Sunny Delight Beverages Co.    The fleet, deployed by Glacier Transportation, will lower emissions and fuel costs for the beverage shipper. The five-year deal covers product delivery to Sunny Delight's customers in the Southern California region.    Sunny Delight has announced a long-term goal ...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   The European Shippers Council has named Paola Lancellotti its new secretary general.    For the past six years she has been secretary general to the European Marine Equipment Council, and from 2001 to 2005 was director to the Short-Sea Shipping Council of Italy.    Denis Choumert, ESC's chairman, said: “it is an honor to welcome into the ESC such an accomplished individual, who will lead the ESC through an important time of growth for our organization...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   China’s new five-year plan for its solar industry threatens to further incapacitate U.S. domestic and world market share, an industry group warned.    "The Chinese government launched a trade war against the U.S. domestic industry, took over the leadership of the largest American industry trade association and began driving U.S. solar manufacturing pioneers out of business," said Gordon Brinser, president of SolarWorld Industries America, the largest U.S. solar manu...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   Third-party logistics services provider Damco said its South Asia operation is focusing on the pharmaceutical industry by offering "green" logistics in India.    The company has started offering a Dynamic Flow Control tool which it says helps static supply chains evolve into "dynamic" systems with a focus on reducing carbon footprints. The company said it expects the system to save companies double-digit percentages on cost.    Gre...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   APL said its largest and most advanced ship, the 10,700-TEU APL Southampton , called on the Port of Singapore during its maiden voyage Monday.    APL noted the ship has a number of environmental-friendly features, including a ballast water treatment system and an electronically-controlled main engine.    "We are modernizing our fleet with more sustainable and more efficient ships," said APL President Kenneth Glenn, in a statement. "All our new ve...

Monday, May 07, 2012

   RedPrairie Corp., a supply chain and retail technology provider, released its 2012.1 product Monday.    The company said the new release aims to connect supply chain execution capabilities with stores and commerce sites to improve visibility for retailers, manufacturers and distributors. Additions to its service include new integrations, global labor standards compliance, support of industry standards such as GS1 barcoding requirements, and a new traceability offering. &...

Thursday, May 03, 2012

   Seven chief executives from the solar power industry on Wednesday announced the formation of an association to expand global trade in their companies' products.    Global Solar Council members will engage policymakers worldwide to demonstrate the importance of a supportive policy and trade environment, which will enable the ongoing development of competitively‐priced solar energy, driving job creation and economic growth.    “Through its members, the Global Solar Council ...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

   Zepol Corp., a trade intelligence company based in Edina, Minn., has released its newest trade data tool, ComplianceIQ, to help U.S. importers comply with government import regulations.    The tool bridges multiple import-compliance datasets in a unified interface in hopes of bringing as much information to the customer as possible for specific Harmonized Tariff Schedule codes.    Zepol said users can view product classifications, search by binding rulings...

Wednesday, May 02, 2012

   Envirotainer, a Swedish manufacturer of temperature-controlled air cargo containers, has named Gustaf Ljunggren to chief executive officer.    He replaces Niklas Prager, who has opted to leave his position at the company and return to a post on the Envirotainer board.    Ljunggren has held senior positions in logistics, production and business development, including positions with Unilever and as CEO of Inflight Service Europe.    In the past year, Envirotainer...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   More than a dozen industry associations has asked the Obama administration to include sugar as part of the comprehensive free trade negotiations between the country members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.    “We believe that for purposes of the TPP, all products and subject areas should be on the negotiating table regardless of any less-than-comprehensive free trade agreements that may already exist among two or more of the parties. In particular, sugar should not be excluded fro...

Tuesday, May 01, 2012

   Austin, Texas-based fleet management technology provider EFueling Technologies has reportedly signed a confidential deal with QuikQ to begin work on a fueling system that is entirely based on radio frequency technology like RFID chips and readers.     QuikQ, headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., develops new technologies to improve the trucking industry's control of diesel fuel transactions.    The companies aim to make fueling an entirely cardless system where an ...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

   Pregis Corp., which develops protective packaging to minimize environmental impact, has launched a new “On Point” iPad app to help logistics personnel make protective packaging decisions around individual product requirements.    The app also allows customers to contact Pregis’ staff and distribution partners for assistance in acquiring needed materials.    The assessment checklist service collects data around packaging categories – cushioning, v...

Thursday, April 26, 2012

   Intelleflex and DeltaTRAK have announced a partnership to broaden the use of Intelleflex’s RFID-based readers and data services as well as DeltaTRAK’s line of environmental monitoring products.    Intelleflex, whose on-demand data visibility services are largely used to monitor the freshness of perishable foods and pharmaceuticals, said the partnership will expand DeltaTRAK’s cold chain solutions to its RFID tags. The Intelleflex XC3 Technology-based tags and readers will also be o...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has released its Global Engagement Report, detailing the many activities and strategies the agency is currently using to transform itself from a domestic to a global public health agency.    Specifically, the report describes steps FDA is taking to ensure that imports of food, drugs, medical devices, and other regulated products meet the same rigorous standards for safety and quality as those manufactured domestically.    “As our wor...

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

   iCargo, a pan-European cargo and logistics project partly funded by the European Union, has officially launched its three-and-a-half-year framework program with the first focus on reducing emissions and facilitating load combining.    The “Intelligent Cargo in Efficient and Sustainable Global Logistics Operations” project has a goal of improving real-world logistics operations and problem resolution with a focus on the EU, though systems and recommendations can be easily applied el...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   States, local governments and non-profit organizations can apply for up to $20 million worth of grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to help programs aimed at replacing older diesel engines with cleaner alternatives.    The EPA on Friday opened the fiscal year 2012 application process for the Diesel Emission Reduction Program (DERA). Another $9 million in funding will be available through state environmental programs, it said.    Late-model diesel en...

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

   foodcareplus, an Antwerp-based logistics services provider specializing in food products, has joined with Nova Fresh Logistics to deliver an all-in-one logistics offering for the seafood industry.    Nova Fresh Logistics is involved in the food supply chain and part of Belgium-based Nova Natie Group.    The companies said the joint service will cover shipping, handling, and distribution of seafood, while offering complete cost control and regulatory compliance. ...

Monday, April 23, 2012

   The U.S. Department of State on Thursday announced $2.6 million in funding to help train foreign governments on investigating and prosecuting intellectual property rights crimes in Asia, Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa.    Workshops and training seminars will be conducted for customs authorities, judges, prosecutors, police, and other enforcement officials in Mexico, Chile, and Colombia    A dozen projects were selected for training and technical assistance with inp...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   The South Carolina Ports Authority said it is doubling, to $10,000, the financial incentive for local truck drivers who shuttle containers in and out of the Port of Charleston to replace old, polluting trucks with ones made since 2004.    The port launched its voluntary truck-replacement program last fall, offering $5,000 towards the purchase of a newer truck to frequent port users driving pre-1994 vehicles. Removing the old trucks is a priority for many ports around the nati...

Thursday, April 19, 2012

   The first set of hydraulic hybrid package delivery vans produced for regular service have made their way to FedEx, Purolator, and UPS for trial runs.    The parcel companies are members of the Hybrid, Electric and Advanced Truck Users Forum (HTUF) Parcel Delivery Working Group. Each purchased a vehicle with assistance from CALSTART through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. CALSTART is an organization dedicated to reducing emissions across the transportation industry...

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

   Telematics and fleet management services provider TomTom has updated its WebFleet to include a dispatch option that gives users the shortest travel time to assist their customers.    WebFleet, the online fleet management application that also became a mobile app at the end of March, creates routes based on the quickest possible arrival time instead of distance to customers. TomTom said the service takes things like traffic into account for estimated arrival times. This allows the ...

Thursday, April 12, 2012

   The Sweetener Users Association has continued its campaign to get the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase the country’s tariff-rate quota for raw and refined sugar imports.    “World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates sharply illustrate the need for a substantial and immediate increase in the tariff-rate quotas (TRQs) for raw and refined sugar, as well as a reallocation of existing TRQs and other steps, in order to assure adequate supplies at reasonable prices during t...

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

   GHX, a health care supply chain consulting service based in Louisville, Colo., has named Steve Cochran as its new chief technology officer.    Cochran will lead development of the company’s exchange service that connects providers with suppliers.    Cochran comes from GXS where he served as vice president of global product management. Cochran was the technology chief of Inovis until that company was purchased by GXS.    GHX, founded by five medic...

Monday, April 09, 2012

   CryoPort, a provider of cold-chain logistics services, said its board accepted Larry Stambaugh’s resignation as the company’s chairman, director and chief executive officer, effective immediately.    The company’s newly appointed director Stephen E. Wasserman has been named chairman and the board has formed a chief executive office made up of various directors to assume the day-to-day responsibilities while the board searches for a new CEO.    The San Dieg...

Friday, April 06, 2012

  A report released this week by a committee of the Institute of Medicine  urged the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its overseas counterparts from the top industrialized nations to work together to help developing countries improve their regulatory systems for food and drug oversight.   The discovery of a counterfeit version of the cancer drug Avastin earlier this year further underscored the challenges for U.S. regulators as imports increasingly dominate the American mar...

Friday, April 06, 2012

   The European Commission’s Directorate-General for Trade is starting work on the modernization of the European Union’s trade defense operations — mainly antidumping and countervailing duties, safeguards, and similar protections — and seeks input from importers, producers, and other companies that deal with cross-border trade.    Trade defense instruments in this case are largely the means that governments and companies use to address what they feel as unfair international tradi...

Monday, April 02, 2012

   South Africa’s fruit growing industry needs the support of logistics companies and networks to stay alive during times of deflated returns on export fruit sales, escalating production costs, and inefficiency and ineffectiveness at regional ports, according to a letter from Justin Chadwick, the chairman of Fruit South Africa (FSA).    The letter, sent to registered attendees and presenters of the Cool Logistics Africa conference in Cape Town later this month, asks the perishable log...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service recently completed a study which highlights the potential for alternative energy production at airports.    "Some available grasslands at airports have the potential to spur the type of innovation we need to build American-made, homegrown biofuels and bio-based products that will help to break our dependence on foreign oil and move our nation toward a clean energy economy," said Agriculture Secretary T...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   A trade association for the U.S. domestic shipping industry is expressing concern that a recent government report severely underestimates the size of the Jones Act's tank vessel fleet and its ability to transport petroleum products from the U.S. Gulf to the East Coast to make up for lost production as a result of East Coast refineries shutting down.    The Jones Act requires products moving between two points in the United States to be transported on vessels built and registe...

Friday, March 30, 2012

   TradeCard, Inc., which operates a supply chain and global trade platform, announced a new partnership with Technia to extend its services to more trading partners in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.    Technia supplies the Nordic region with a product lifecycle management system.    The partnership will extend TradeCard's growing presence in Europe and facilitate the delivery of its cloud-based supply chain service. The company said Technia's local know...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

   DDN, one of the largest providers of outsourced business services to the life sciences industry, will now offer DDN Urgent Access, a service for manufacturers of life-saving products that have time-sensitive delivery requirements.    The service promises to get these products to patients in eight hours or less anywhere in the continental United States, every day of the year.    “These products don’t typically have a constant or predictable demand,” said Mark Wi...

Thursday, March 29, 2012

   AFS Technologies announced it has expanded its trade promotion partnership with Otis Spunkmeyer, a North Carolina-based baked goods manufacturer that leads in the cookie dough space.    With this expanded contract, Spunkmeyer will increase its use of AFS's ContractPro and related data services. AFS said Spunkmeyer will also extend the use of these tools to the Canadian market.    Spunkmeyer will integrate AFS’s new Discovery Analytics, an intelligence plat...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   Swiss freight forwarder Kuehne + Nagel Group said Tuesday it's introducing a new product for the pharmaceutical and health care industry.    KN PharmaChain will give shippers door-to-door temperature control, a 24-hour alert system, and optional wireless temperature measuring.    “KN PharmaChain is Kuehne + Nagel’s response to the pharmaceutical industry’s requirements for effective and proper air freight transportation solutions,” the company said. “If not cor...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   A new express service from Lufthansa Cargo provides a personal escort and short cut-off windows for time-sensitive, critical cargo to make sure it gets on the next flight.    Lufthansa Cargo said it accepts pallets and containers of any weight for "Courier.Solutions."    Customers at Frankfurt Airport can drop off cargo as late as 90 minutes prior to departure. The drop-off deadline is 60 minutes at some other airports. Lufthansa shortened the acceptance time from i...

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

   Damco, the logistics arm of A.P. Moller-Maersk, has launched a new supply chain service that it says will more efficiently deal with continual changes on the demand and supply side of logistics management.    Damco’s Dynamic Flow Control allows supply chain managers to continually re-plan shipments and redefine what is the most important aspect of the shipment, such as date, cost, or carbon footprint.    The company said the system eliminates the manu...

Monday, March 26, 2012

   LeanLogistics, a Michigan-based provider of transportation management system applications and supply chain services, has updated its On-Demand TMS software with new features centered on logistics, shipment optimization and emission reporting.    One of the key improvements of its On-Demand TMS v.12.1.0 is the inclusion of tools to calculate and report greenhouse gas emissions in line with government and industry standards, providing an overall view of a company’s emissio...

Friday, March 23, 2012

   Choice Logistics, a provider of critical service parts logistics, has hired Robert Andrews as its new vice president of global field operations.    Andrews, who has worked with logistics operations in a handful of countries, will focus on expanding the company’s overseas operations.    More than 75 percent of Choice's current clients have international service requirements and more than 45 percent of its 2011 revenues were generated outside of the Uni...

Friday, March 23, 2012

   Freight forwarder Panalpina has started the first phase of a finance and accounting business process outsourcing initiative as part of a seven-year agreement with Accenture that it signed in October 2010.    Panalpina said it's working with Accenture to consolidate and standardize financial processes for its global operations including purchase-to-pay, order-to-cash and record-to-report services. The goal is to unify these processes through new technology platforms that give ...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

   Marken, a global clinical supply chain service provider with a presence in more than 150 countries, has started a new shipping system designed specifically for biological samples and clinical trials.    Marken’s BioSystem is the latest addition to its biological-related logistics services and focuses on long-term temperature control as well as standardized box dimensions for freight costs and dry ice use.    The company said the new system will be available at ...

Thursday, March 22, 2012

   A new study by the nonprofit research organization RAND Corp. argues that traditional revenue sources are not sufficient to address the United States’ infrastructure shortcomings and their effects on U.S. supply chains.    The report, A Federal Role in Freight Planning and Finance , takes the approach that several key elements of many widely discussed freight infrastructure financing proposals are off the mark.    “The authors reject the notion that the federal governmen...

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

   The U.S. Coast Guard is stepping up its activity in the Arctic in response to increased shipping activity and oil exploration, said Sally Brice-O'Hara, the agency's vice commandant.    Speaking Monday at the Connecticut Maritime Association's Shipping 2012 conference in Stamford, Brice-O'Hara said the Coast Guard is watching as new trade routes emerge, noting there was "some success this year with north sea routes along the coast of Russia."    Sh...

Monday, March 19, 2012

   xMatters and Fusion Risk Management have partnered to streamline and integrate their risk-to-response process for large firms' supply chain operations.    "Globally, thousands of companies struggle to identify risks and ensure an appropriate response to crisis events," said David Nolan, chief executive officer of Illinois-based Fusion. "Countless millions of dollars and untold hours are annually invested in various activities.”    The companies' i...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a two-year, $109 billion bill reauthorizing Department of Transportation programs for highway infrastructure and safety.    The 74-22 vote in favor of S. 1813, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) was a rare display of bipartisanship in a legislative body that has had difficulty agreeing on anything in the past two years.    The bill allows spending for highway, transit and rail programs to continue at exis...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   Friedman Corp., a subsidiary of Constellation Software, has announced a business partner program to allow other companies to offer its new set of distribution and logistics applications.    The company said the program is for distributors, manufacturers, retailers, and logistics companies to aim at their existing customers.    The product suite from Friedman includes multiple transportation, warehouse, and supply chain management systems.    Friedman typically s...

Thursday, March 15, 2012

   The Texas port of Corpus Christi officially started operations this week of six large wind turbines as part of the first phase of its Harbor Wind Farm.    The project, which was developed by Revolution Energy on the north side of the Port Corpus Christi Inner Harbor, is one of the first wind farms located on industrial port property in North America.    Revolution Energy began developing the Harbor Wind project in 2006. The $20 million project was financed using new mark...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

   The United States, Japan and European Union on Tuesday requested World Trade Organization consultations to settle an increasingly nasty dispute over China’s restrictions on exports of various rare earth metals, tungsten and molybdenum.    These metals are used heavily in the electronics industry. China reportedly controls more than 95 percent of these metal inputs.    China has arduously defended its export policy for rare earth metals, citing environmental concerns asso...

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

    Research and Markets  has added John Wiley and Sons’ Handbook of Integrated Risk Management in Global Supply Chains to its offering.    The book aims to be a primary reference for research on integrated risk management, modern applications, and management best practices.     “The set of the normal business risks is expanded as firms are now often facing unfamiliar and uncertain demand and supply markets, and unanticipated commodity price shocks a...

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

   Asda, a U.K. supermarket chain and subsidiary of Wal-Mart, has selected the supply chain technology service of ediTRACK to manage the franchises for its fashion and clothing brand, George.     ediTRACK's software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform will show inventory at distribution hubs and container freight stations from the United Kingdom to China and the Middle East, updating each product’s progress along the way via control checks. The platform can als...

Monday, March 12, 2012

   The U.S. economy added 227,000 jobs in February, the Labor Department reported Friday, but the leap in job creation did not alter the 8.3 percent unemployment rate because people who gave up looking for work are actively seeking jobs again, analysts said.    The stronger-than-expected increase was below the gain of 284,000 jobs in January, but is further sign that the U.S. economy is gradually recovering as companies hire to meet growing consumer demand. The manufacturing sec...

Monday, March 12, 2012

   As part of its "Powerfully Simple" supply chain planning service, ToolsGroup announced its first outsourced service that gives optimized inventory targets to companies, allowing them to manage and respond to changes in demand.    ToolsGroup, a provider of supply chain software, said the goal of this tool is to help companies collect detailed demand data and analyze it so they can go after the best inventory targets for their customers.    The new “Inventory Optimiza...

Friday, March 09, 2012

   U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced Thursday it will hold its first Trade Symposium event this year on May 10 at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif.     The annual event has taken place in Washington each of the past 11 years, but CBP officials decided to add a second Trade Symposium on the West Coast to reduce the cost and inconvenience for members of the trade community in that part of the country. CBP plans to hold the East Coast version of...

Friday, March 09, 2012

   Japanese liner carrier MOL, which recently announced a plan to begin publishing key performance indicators for its operations, environmental, and safety, said its U.S. subsidiary, MOL America, will supplement that effort by publishing a wider array of statistics detailing how the company is doing in areas such as customer service, electronic data interchange, and U.S. terminal operations.    The indicators are published on a special Website , which indicates what the company'...

Thursday, March 08, 2012

   UHC, an alliance of U.S. nonprofit academic medical centers, has launched a mobile tool for its RxLINK system, an existing online analytics tool that helps hospitals make pharmacy decisions based on price performance.    The iPad app allows UHC pharmacy members to see information that can support decisions as well as provide on-demand insight to industry pricing levels for supplies and related shipping services.    UHC said the goal of its software is to combine cli...

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

   DHL has received approval from the Australian government to collect and recycle products on behalf of television and computer importers and domestic manufacturers.    Australia’s National Television and Computer Recycling Scheme aims to reduce the number of electronic products ending up in landfills, and will boost the recycling rate for these products from 17 percent in 2010 to 80 percent by 2021.    DHL’s service is on track to start in mid-2012, with access to service...

Wednesday, March 07, 2012

   The Congressional Research Service (CRS) has released a new report finding that The Responsible Recycling Act (RERA, S. 1270, HR 2284) violates international trade law.    The report notes the total export ban called for by RERA will be “difficult to reconcile with the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), one of the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements and could be susceptible to challenge before a WTO panel.”    CRS works for Congress providing polic...