Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

newsworthy

alliances: who's sealed a deal

  • Size does matter. Deutsche Post World Net, the parent company of DHL, has entered into an agree ment with Mettler Toledo to supply its facilities with weighing and dimensioning systems. The 10-year arrangement will allow Deutsche Post to standardize equipment within its operations hubs.
  • Rock, paper, scissors. Rock-Tenn Co., a manufacturer of packaging products, merchandising displays, and paperboard, has selected Transplace to provide it with a complete transportation management system. Transplace will help Rock-Tenn improve its transportation planning, administration, execution, and management for rail, truckload, less-than-truckload, and import/export transit.
  • On track, mate. The Australian military has sent its first trackable RFID-tagged shipment to the Middle East. Savi Technology supplied the tracking system, which consists of active RFID-tagged pallets and containers as well as wireless networks that allow the tags to be tracked by coalition forces from the United States, the United Kingdom, and other nations.
  • Mooo. Westfalia Technologies has completed upgrades at United Dairy Farmers' warehouse in Erlanger, Ky. The upgrades include the installation of the Savanna.NET Warehouse Management System and a retrofit of a Woodson storage system. Future plans call for the addition of a full order pick module.
  • Listen up. RedPrairie has integrated Voxware's voice solution into its warehouse management system. Under the deal, RedPrairie will resell Voxware's open voice software product for the supply chain, which RedPrairie says will allow its customers to deploy voice on a wide range of hardware devices.
  • Well outfitted. Three Vargo companies have completed work on a new distribution facility for American Eagle Outfitters in Kansas. Vargo Integrated Systems designed, implemented, and installed components for high-speed sortation and picking optimization. Vargo Adaptive Software provided warehouse control software to manage and control systems and balance labor. Vargo Material Handling designed and installed pick modules, selective storage systems, and other equipment.
  • China road. The Royal China and Porcelain Companies has chosen DHL as its primary U.S. transportation service provider. Royal China is the exclusive distributor of the Spode, Royal Worcester, and Vista Alegre brands of fine china and giftware. Royal China will use DHL for delivery to retailers and consumers in the United States as well as for international express services.
  • A jump ahead. Walker and Associates, a distributor of telecommunications products, has chosen the HighJump Data Collection Advantage solution to manage inventory in its Winston-Salem, N.C., distribution center. The software will integrate with Walker's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and will help the distribution operation speed up fulfillment by capturing a range of transactions, including purchase order receipts and picking confirmations.
  • Getting real. A number of new clients have signed up with Real Time Freight Services, a transportation services network that allows shippers to quickly connect to their carriers and brokers. Many of the new clients are from the produce, dairy, meat, food-service, lumber, and trucking industries. They include Del Monte Fresh Produce, Potandon Produce (Green Giant), Hillandale Farms, Tri- State Forest Products, Farm Fresh Direct, and Schneider National.
  • Dutch treat. Witron has been awarded a contract to provide comprehensive logistics technology for a distribution center operated by HEMA, B.V., the Netherlands' leading department store chain. The facility, which is located in Utrecht, will be equipped with Witron's Dynamic Picking System to push seasonal and promotional items to nearly 340 HEMA stores in Benelux and Germany.
  • But can they eliminate the seeds? The National Watermelon Association (NWA), an organization of watermelon growers, is partnering with CHEP to find pallet pooling solutions for transporting watermelons from the growers to retailers. With CHEP's assistance, NWA will fund research, lobbying, and consumer promotional activities. In turn, CHEP will provide pallet pooling with a durable shipping platform that improves productivity and reduces product damage.
  • Anchors aweigh. Hanjin Shipping, headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, is the latest carrier to join the INTTRA carrier network, an e-commerce platform for the ocean industry. Currently, INTTRA has 24 carrier members that initiate over $12 billion worth of ocean freight through the system.

The Latest

More Stories

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.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screen display of GPS fleet tracking

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
forklifts working in a warehouse

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of trucking conditions

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.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of robot use in factories by country

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.

Keep ReadingShow less