Vital signs. Cardinal Health Pharmaceutical Distribution has announced plans to install the Multistage Inventory Planning & Optimization software from SmartOps Corp. The software, which will function as an add-on to Cardinal's current purchasing and replenishment system, will be used to optimize inventory targets for over 32,000 health-care items at 25 different distribution locations.
Teaming up. SI Systems has entered into a cooperative RFID initiative with CheckPoint Systems to provide end-user customers with complete EPC-compliant RFID solutions. The agreement provides SI with access to CheckPoint's state-of-the-art RFID testing facility in New Jersey, where SI and its customers can evaluate hardware and design solutions for RFID programs.
Home run. Under a new three-year sponsorship agreement with Major League Baseball, DHL is now the Official Express Delivery and Logistics Provider to Major League Baseball and Major League Baseball Advanced Media. The agreement includes exclusive shipping arrangements, including deliveries for MLB.com Shop and a baseball-themed advertising campaign.
They auto see big improvements. Reliable Logistics Services, a distributor of wholesale automotive parts based in Salt Lake City, has implemented Trans-Soft's TS2000 Plus and TS2000Net freight forwarding software to improve communications with its customers and enhance its freight tracking system. The TS2000Net module gives clients instantaneous shipment status information via the Internet, while the TS2000 Plus software offers internal productivity enhancements.
Bon Voyager. Associated Grocers of Florida, which supplies food and beverages to independent grocers in the Southeast, has selected Logility's Voyager Solutions to cut inventory costs and improve forecasting. Together, the demand planning, inventory planning and replenishment planning modules will help Associated Grocers optimize its inventory investments.
Air apparent. Jettainer GmbH has selected TrenStar software for monitoring its unit load devices (ULDs), the very large containers used in the global aircargo industry. Jettainer, headquartered in Raunheim, Germany, will use TrenStar's Web-based management system to monitor the ULDs' movement history, flight information and inventory positions.
A brighter future. Kichler Lighting, which manufactures decorative lighting fixtures, has chosen Kewill's Javalin shipping management solution to streamline its shipping processes. Kichler is also in the process of replacing its existing warehouse management system with the HighJump Warehouse Advantage solution.
Something's brewing down under. Carlton & United Beverages, a division of the Australian brewing company Foster's Group, has implemented Marc Global's warehouse management system at its new warehouse near Brisbane, Australia. The software provides paperless processing, real-time visibility and warehouse optimized operations. The facility provides about one-quarter of all the beer consumed in Australia.
Far East mover. Exel in Japan has been selected by Seiyu, one of Japan's top retailers, to provide transportation services at Seiyu's Misato distribution center. When it opens next year, the facility will initially service 60 stores in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
Identifying a good deal. Omniplanar, a subsidiary of Metrologic Instruments, has inked a licensing agreement with SyGade Solutions, a maker of auto identification products. SyGade will use Omniplanar's SwiftDecoder software in its iDL mobile computer.
New outlet. Printronix has entered into a distribution agreement with ScanSource, an international value-added distributor of specialty technology products. Under the agreement, ScanSource will serve as a distributor of Printronix's radio-frequency identification Smart solutions, including the RFID Smartline printer family, and thermal transfer and direct thermal printers.
Toll's road to growth. Toll, one of Australia's top integrated transportation and logistics providers, has expanded its license with G-Log for optimizing its shipments. Toll experienced a four-fold increase in freight under G-Log's GC3 software management during 2004.
Bop around the clock. Shopbop.com, an online retailer of women's clothing and accessories, has chosen Intek Integration Technologies' Warehouse Librarian warehouse management and control system for installation at the company's DC in Madison, Wis. The software system will help Shopbop.com track inventory, improve order picking accuracy, attain visibility and enhance warehouse space utilization.
The number of container ships waiting outside U.S. East and Gulf Coast ports has swelled from just three vessels on Sunday to 54 on Thursday as a dockworker strike has swiftly halted bustling container traffic at some of the nation’s business facilities, according to analysis by Everstream Analytics.
As of Thursday morning, the two ports with the biggest traffic jams are Savannah (15 ships) and New York (14), followed by single-digit numbers at Mobile, Charleston, Houston, Philadelphia, Norfolk, Baltimore, and Miami, Everstream said.
The impact of that clogged flow of goods will depend on how long the strike lasts, analysts with Moody’s said. The firm’s Moody’s Analytics division estimates the strike will cause a daily hit to the U.S. economy of at least $500 million in the coming days. But that impact will jump to $2 billion per day if the strike persists for several weeks.
The immediate cost of the strike can be seen in rising surcharges and rerouting delays, which can be absorbed by most enterprise-scale companies but hit small and medium-sized businesses particularly hard, a report from Container xChange says.
“The timing of this strike is especially challenging as we are in our traditional peak season. While many pulled forward shipments earlier this year to mitigate risks, stockpiled inventories will only cushion businesses for so long. If the strike continues for an extended period, we could see significant strain on container availability and shipping schedules,” Christian Roeloffs, cofounder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a release.
“For small and medium-sized container traders, this could result in skyrocketing logistics costs and delays, making it harder to secure containers. The longer the disruption lasts, the more difficult it will be for these businesses to keep pace with market demands,” Roeloffs said.
The British logistics robot vendor Dexory this week said it has raised $80 million in venture funding to support an expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI) powered features, grow its global team, and accelerate the deployment of its autonomous robots.
A “significant focus” continues to be on expanding across the U.S. market, where Dexory is live with customers in seven states and last month opened a U.S. headquarters in Nashville. The Series B will also enhance development and production facilities at its UK headquarters, the firm said.
The “series B” funding round was led by DTCP, with participation from Latitude Ventures, Wave-X and Bootstrap Europe, along with existing investors Atomico, Lakestar, Capnamic, and several angels from the logistics industry. With the close of the round, Dexory has now raised $120 million over the past three years.
Dexory says its product, DexoryView, provides real-time visibility across warehouses of any size through its autonomous mobile robots and AI. The rolling bots use sensor and image data and continuous data collection to perform rapid warehouse scans and create digital twins of warehouse spaces, allowing for optimized performance and future scenario simulations.
Originally announced in September, the move will allow Deutsche Bahn to “fully focus on restructuring the rail infrastructure in Germany and providing climate-friendly passenger and freight transport operations in Germany and Europe,” Werner Gatzer, Chairman of the DB Supervisory Board, said in a release.
For its purchase price, DSV gains an organization with around 72,700 employees at over 1,850 locations. The new owner says it plans to investment around one billion euros in coming years to promote additional growth in German operations. Together, DSV and Schenker will have a combined workforce of approximately 147,000 employees in more than 90 countries, earning pro forma revenue of approximately $43.3 billion (based on 2023 numbers), DSV said.
After removing that unit, Deutsche Bahn retains its core business called the “Systemverbund Bahn,” which includes passenger transport activities in Germany, rail freight activities, operational service units, and railroad infrastructure companies. The DB Group, headquartered in Berlin, employs around 340,000 people.
“We have set clear goals to structurally modernize Deutsche Bahn in the areas of infrastructure, operations and profitability and focus on the core business. The proceeds from the sale will significantly reduce DB’s debt and thus make an important contribution to the financial stability of the DB Group. At the same time, DB Schenker will gain a strong strategic owner in DSV,” Deutsche Bahn CEO Richard Lutz said in a release.
Transportation industry veteran Anne Reinke will become president & CEO of trade group the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA) at the end of the year, stepping into the position from her previous post leading third party logistics (3PL) trade group the Transportation Intermediaries Association (TIA), both organizations said today.
Meanwhile, TIA today announced that insider Christopher Burroughs would fill Reinke’s shoes as president & CEO. Burroughs has been with TIA for 13 years, most recently as its vice president of Government Affairs for the past six years, during which time he oversaw all legislative and regulatory efforts before Congress and the federal agencies.
Before her four years leading TIA, Reinke spent two years as Deputy Assistant Secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation and 16 years with CSX Corporation.
National nonprofit Wreaths Across America (WAA) kicked off its 2024 season this week with a call for volunteers. The group, which honors U.S. military veterans through a range of civic outreach programs, is seeking trucking companies and professional drivers to help deliver wreaths to cemeteries across the country for its annual wreath-laying ceremony, December 14.
“Wreaths Across America relies on the transportation industry to move the mission. The Honor Fleet, composed of dedicated carriers, professional drivers, and other transportation partners, guarantees the delivery of millions of sponsored veterans’ wreaths to their destination each year,” Courtney George, WAA’s director of trucking and industry relations, said in a statement Tuesday. “Transportation partners benefit from driver retention and recruitment, employee engagement, positive brand exposure, and the opportunity to give back to their community’s veterans and military families.”
WAA delivers wreaths to more than 4,500 locations nationwide, and as of this week had added more than 20 loads to be delivered this season. The wreaths are donated by sponsors from across the country, delivered by truckers, and laid at the graves of veterans by WAA volunteers.
Wreaths Across America
Transportation companies interested in joining the Honor Fleet can visit the WAA website to find an open lane or contact the WAA transportation team at trucking@wreathsacrossamerica.org for more information.