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alliances: who's sealed a deal

  • Pain reliever. Witron Integrated Logistics will build and design a 300,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art distribution center in Ennis, Texas, for Rhode Island-based drug-store chain CVS. The new facility, slated to open in 2004, will feature Witron's Dynamic Picking System (DPS), which uses extensive automatic storage and retrieval system technology to present items to the picker as requested. CVS expects to save on labor and real estate costs- not to mention reducing strain on the pickers themselves— by commissioning the new facility, which will be about half the size of a conventional DC built to service a comparable volume.
  • Office help. Trizec Properties Inc., one of North America's largest owners of commercial office properties, has reached an agreement with Airborne Express to be its preferred shipping supplier. In addition to serving all of Trizec's own shipping needs, Airborne will provide preferred shipping services to tenants in the 69 properties Trizec owns or manages nationwide. Through the Trizec/Airborne partnership, Trizec and its tenants will have access to the full portfolio of Airborne services, including air express, ground and international services.
  • Meet the beetles. Exel has been selected by Volkswagen to manage the car manufacturer's national collection service, or "milk run," in Mexico. The Exel team is responsible for collecting automotive parts from all of Volkswagen's 164 suppliers in Mexico and delivering them to the VW plant in Puebla, Mexico, where Volkswagen manufactures the New Beetle, New Beetle Convertible, Classic Beetle and the A4 Jetta. With the assistance of a local software supplier, Exel's IT/IS team in Puebla developed the Transportation Network Manager (TNM) system. This system will manage interface with Volkswagen's IT system for daily parts requirements, routing, route following, in-transit inventory control, satellite tracking and Web inquiries.

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port of oakland port improvement plans

Port of Oakland to modernize wharves with $50 million grant

The Port of Oakland has been awarded $50 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) to modernize wharves and terminal infrastructure at its Outer Harbor facility, the port said today.

Those upgrades would enable the Outer Harbor to accommodate Ultra Large Container Vessels (ULCVs), which are now a regular part of the shipping fleet calling on West Coast ports. Each of these ships has a handling capacity of up to 24,000 TEUs (20-foot containers) but are currently restricted at portions of Oakland’s Outer Harbor by aging wharves which were originally designed for smaller ships.

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Commercial fleets drawn to GPS fleet tracking, in-cab video

Commercial fleet operators are steadily increasing their use of GPS fleet tracking, in-cab video solutions, and predictive analytics, driven by rising costs, evolving regulations, and competitive pressures, according to an industry report from Verizon Connect.

Those conclusions come from the company’s fifth annual “Fleet Technology Trends Report,” conducted in partnership with Bobit Business Media, and based on responses from 543 fleet management professionals.

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Averitt tracks three hurdles for international trade in 2025

Businesses engaged in international trade face three major supply chain hurdles as they head into 2025: the disruptions caused by Chinese New Year (CNY), the looming threat of potential tariffs on foreign-made products that could be imposed by the incoming Trump Administration, and the unresolved contract negotiations between the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) and the U.S. Maritime Alliance (USMX), according to an analysis from trucking and logistics provider Averitt.

Each of those factors could lead to significant shipping delays, production slowdowns, and increased costs, Averitt said.

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FTR: Trucking sector outlook is bright for a two-year horizon

The trucking freight market is still on course to rebound from a two-year recession despite stumbling in September, according to the latest assessment by transportation industry analysis group FTR.

Bloomington, Indiana-based FTR said its Trucking Conditions Index declined in September to -2.47 from -1.39 in August as weakness in the principal freight dynamics – freight rates, utilization, and volume – offset lower fuel costs and slightly less unfavorable financing costs.

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Global robot density in factories has doubled in 7 years

Global robot density in factories has doubled in seven years, according to the “World Robotics 2024 report,” presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Specifically, the new global average robot density has reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, which is more than double the mark of 74 units measured seven years ago.

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