Two proxies for the transportation industry, UPS Inc. and Old Dominion Freight Line Inc., posted second-quarter results today that, for now, confirm their continued leadership status.
Atlanta-based UPS posted a 7.7-percent year-over-year gain in the quarter, finishing with a top line of $15.75 billion. Operating profit rose 8.7 percent in the quarter, to $2.2 billion, driven by strong gains in the U.S. domestic package business—a segment where solid profits have been tough to come by—as well as its supply chain and freight operations, which include less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier UPS Freight, freight broker Coyote Logistics, and UPS' third-party logistics (3PL) business.
Domestic revenue rose about 8 percent, to $9.7 billion, while domestic profits climbed more than 13 percent, to $1.39 billion. E-commerce growth drove demand for UPS ground parcel and air delivery products, with next-day and second-day air shipments rising 6.4 and 11 percent, respectively. Per-piece revenue climbed 3 percent due to higher rates and a bump from increased fuel-surcharge revenue.
International revenue rose 2.8 percent, and increased 8 percent after adjusting for currency fluctuations—in particular the U.S. dollar's strength in the quarter. Export volumes rose 12 percent, led by gains in Europe and Asia, UPS said. Adjusting for currency changes, operating profit rose $84 million, to $697 million. Supply chain and freight revenue rose 12 percent, while operating profit climbed 24 percent year over year. The profit figures included an undefined one-time benefit.
UPS executives told analysts today that they expect similar results for the balance of the year, which includes the all-important peak holiday season. In the analyst call, company executives did not discuss the company's strategy to handle the upcoming peak surge other than to address its already-announced plans to levy its first-ever surcharge on holiday deliveries.
Meanwhile, Thomasville, N.C.-based Old Dominion, viewed by many as the most well-managed less-than-truckload (LTL) carrier in the country, reported an 11.2-percent increase in second-quarter revenue compared to the year-earlier period, and a 20-percent rise in quarterly operating income. Revenue and earnings-per-share results were Old Dominion's best in more than two years, the company said.
The carrier's operating ratio—the ratio of revenues over expenses, a key metric of operating efficiency—hit 80.9 percent, a company record and a level rarely seen in trucking. The company said it posted solid gains in freight density and yield, leverage that enabled its operating costs, as a percentage of revenue, to decline on a year-over-year basis.
The second-quarter gains were driven by a 6.1-percent increase in daily tonnage. Revenue for every hundred pounds moved, an important measure of profitable tonnage, rose 5.1 percent, excluding the impact of higher fuel surcharges.
David S. Congdon, Old Dominion's vice chairman and CEO, attributed the strong results in part to an improving U.S. economy and partly to the company's execution. For example, the company posted a 99-percent on-time delivery rate and a record-low 0.2-percent cargo claims ratio, it said.
Despite the strong results, equity values in both companies dropped sharply in today's trading. UPS' stock price fell $4.50 a share, to $107.79, while Old Dominion's stock dropped $4 a share, to $96.40. Elevated equity valuations may have had a role in today's decline, as traders may have followed the old Wall Street adage of "selling on the news."
In particular, the price of Old Dominion's equity has been on a tear during the last 12 months, up more than 38 percent.
Supply chain planning (SCP) leaders working on transformation efforts are focused on two major high-impact technology trends, including composite AI and supply chain data governance, according to a study from Gartner, Inc.
"SCP leaders are in the process of developing transformation roadmaps that will prioritize delivering on advanced decision intelligence and automated decision making," Eva Dawkins, Director Analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice, said in a release. "Composite AI, which is the combined application of different AI techniques to improve learning efficiency, will drive the optimization and automation of many planning activities at scale, while supply chain data governance is the foundational key for digital transformation.”
Their pursuit of those roadmaps is often complicated by frequent disruptions and the rapid pace of technological innovation. But Gartner says those leaders can accelerate the realized value of technology investments by facilitating a shift from IT-led to business-led digital leadership, with SCP leaders taking ownership of multidisciplinary teams to advance business operations, channels and products.
“A sound data governance strategy supports advanced technologies, such as composite AI, while also facilitating collaboration throughout the supply chain technology ecosystem,” said Dawkins. “Without attention to data governance, SCP leaders will likely struggle to achieve their expected ROI on key technology investments.”
The U.S. manufacturing sector has become an engine of new job creation over the past four years, thanks to a combination of federal incentives and mega-trends like nearshoring and the clean energy boom, according to the industrial real estate firm Savills.
While those manufacturing announcements have softened slightly from their 2022 high point, they remain historically elevated. And the sector’s growth outlook remains strong, regardless of the results of the November U.S. presidential election, the company said in its September “Savills Manufacturing Report.”
From 2021 to 2024, over 995,000 new U.S. manufacturing jobs were announced, with two thirds in advanced sectors like electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries, semiconductors, clean energy, and biomanufacturing. After peaking at 350,000 news jobs in 2022, the growth pace has slowed, with 2024 expected to see just over half that number.
But the ingredients are in place to sustain the hot temperature of American manufacturing expansion in 2025 and beyond, the company said. According to Savills, that’s because the U.S. manufacturing revival is fueled by $910 billion in federal incentives—including the Inflation Reduction Act, CHIPS and Science Act, and Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act—much of which has not yet been spent. Domestic production is also expected to be boosted by new tariffs, including a planned rise in semiconductor tariffs to 50% in 2025 and an increase in tariffs on Chinese EVs from 25% to 100%.
Certain geographical regions will see greater manufacturing growth than others, since just eight states account for 47% of new manufacturing jobs and over 6.3 billion square feet of industrial space, with 197 million more square feet under development. They are: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Tennessee.
Across the border, Mexico’s manufacturing sector has also seen “revolutionary” growth driven by nearshoring strategies targeting U.S. markets and offering lower-cost labor, with a workforce that is now even cheaper than in China. Over the past four years, that country has launched 27 new plants, each creating over 500 jobs. Unlike the U.S. focus on tech manufacturing, Mexico focuses on traditional sectors such as automative parts, appliances, and consumer goods.
Looking at the future, the U.S. manufacturing sector’s growth outlook remains strong, regardless of the results of November’s presidential election, Savills said. That’s because both candidates favor protectionist trade policies, and since significant change to federal incentives would require a single party to control both the legislative and executive branches. Rather than relying on changes in political leadership, future growth of U.S. manufacturing now hinges on finding affordable, reliable power amid increasing competition between manufacturing sites and data centers, Savills 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.