The French maritime giant said the move underlines its connection to the U.S., where it serves 19 American ports with 34 services and 93 weekly port calls. In recognition of that bond, some of the masks will be donated specifically to workers of the Port of Los Angeles, supporting their dedication and efforts to keep the supply chains running during these difficult times.
The company says it has also helped in pandemic relief efforts by donating more than 1.2 million masks as well as several tons of medical and hygienic supplies, emergency food assistance, storage containers, and educational support. CMA CGM also has expedited the movement of medical production lines from Asia to North America, test-kit and ventilator air and ground transport throughout the U.S., and the delivery of 20 million masks and medical supplies to France in only 4 days.
“CMA CGM is playing a key role in keeping the supply chain running during this pandemic. We are very proud to have CMA CGM as a friend and partner, and look forward to many years of close collaboration on all levels for the benefit of trade and humanity,” Gene Seroka, Port of Los Angeles executive director and City of LA chief logistics officer, said in a release.
And in other examples of the logistics industry dedicating its assets to the coronavirus fight:
DB Schenker announced today it has contracted with The City of New York to transport and deliver much needed personal protective equipment for health care workers in local area hospitals and elderly nursing homes. The cargo, which consists of personal protective equipment such as medical goggles, gloves and gowns, is being picked up in several locations throughout China, transported to the U.S. on direct charter flights, and delivered to special Covid-19 distribution centers in the city. “We worked with New York City and their consultants to determine the most efficient, economical, and time-sensitive way to get much needed PPE from suppliers in China to New York City,” Benno Forster, senior vice president and head of Airfreight Operations and Procurement for DB Schenker Americas, said in a release. “Our discussions included guidance related to Chinese Customs export clearance and compliance, U.S. Customs import clearance regulations, warehousing and distribution, pricing, and even recommendations for the best-suited aircraft for transporting this precious cargo. We are very proud the City of New York chose to contract with us to transport these critical goods for the frontline healthcare workers throughout the city.”
Trailer leasing and rental company Premier Trailer Leasing will donate the use of 40 refrigerated trailers in a move to help combat hunger during the Covid-19 pandemic. Premier will provide free rental of up to 40 Thermo King refrigerated trailers to Feeding America. These 53-foot trailers have a 40,000-pound perishable food capacity, allowing this partnership to help secure, store and distribute more than 6 million meals this summer. Premier’s long-time supplier, Thermo King, is also contributing funds to Feeding America foodbanks through its We Move Food grant program. “We at Premier Trailer Leasing are so happy that we can use our resources to help communities around the U.S. and provide meals to those who need them most,” Jim Aubuchon, president and CEO of Premier Trailer Leasing, said in a release. “We’re incredibly proud to partner with Feeding America and show our appreciation for the important work they are doing to end hunger in our nation.”
Grocery supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. has pledged more than $300,000 in donations that will supply 100,000 KN95 masks to hospitals in hard-hit regions in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, and will offer financial support for food banks and other charitable organizations across the country. As part of its overall Covid-19 relief initiative, C&S has also established an employee giving campaign, whereby employees can make need-based donations to colleagues within the company who demonstrate a financial need due to the public health crisis. “C&S is a family and we are committed to taking care of each other. By combining the company's overall national relief initiative with an employee giving campaign, we can positively impact communities nationwide, as well as our valued employees and their families,” Miriam Ort, chief human resources officer for C&S Wholesale Grocers, said in a release.
Industrial wearable computer provider ProGlove has created a product upgrade that activates proximity sensing for frontline workers in manufacturing, distribution, and logistics during the Covid-19 crisis. The platform leverages the company’s family of wearable barcode scanners and its smartphone app to provide safety and efficiency as production lines begin to resume operations, ProGlove said. Using the system, workers who come within close proximity of each other are alerted by an array of options on the wearable scanner, including audio sound, optic LED light, and haptic vibration signals. "Our key customers are sharing with us the challenges they're facing as they rethink and retool to restart operations," Andreas Koenig, CEO of ProGlove, said in a release. "We faced similar challenges as we reviewed our own processes for safety and efficiency. It is our natural tendency, as humans, to want to go back to doing things the way we did them before, however, it's not possible. Proper social distancing is now key to a successful return to work.”
Material handling equipment provider Creform Corp. has developed a new, simple temperature-screening station to help companies combat the spread of Covid-19 and to safely perform ongoing checks on both visitors coming in to its facilities and on its own employees. The metal-framed, wheeled station acts as a checkpoint, featuring a clear panel to keep the screener and incoming individual separate while the temperature is taken through a hole in the center of the plexiglass shield. The unit also features a small table to hold the thermometer, cleaning supplies, and recording documents.
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.