First, the firm launched a campaign to address food shortages faced by community food banks and pantries during the coronavirus emergency. The company’s "Purpose Unites” program allows employees to automatically deduct part of their paychecks to support local food banks. Along with donations from the company's His First Foundation charitable program, the effort raised nearly $187,000 across 33 office locations in just four days.
Second, the company’s charity arm paid many of MH Equipment's own employees to perform volunteer community service, using spare time they experienced due to a drop in demand during the recession. MH Equipment compensated them for more than 4,000 hours of paid, volunteer community service time across several Midwest states throughout the month of April. Those tasks included: helping food banks with loading/unloading trucks, meal delivery, and packaging; making masks; mowing yards for the elderly and non-profit organizations; and using their technical skills to assist with light mechanical work on fire engines at volunteer fire departments.
"One of the pillars of MH Equipment is 'People Matter’," company CEO John Wieland said in a release. "Our employees have worked hard over the years to build a successful company, and it is only natural for the company to stand by our employees during this unique economy and not lay off any employee due to Covid-19."
And in other examples of the logistics industry dedicating its assets to the coronavirus fight:
Truck drivers moving in and out of hot zones to perform essential work are receiving personal protective equipment (PPE) thanks to a collaboration between DDC FPO, a back office partner for the transportation industry, and Truckers Emergency Assistance Responders (TEAR), a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded with the mission to help truck drivers in distress. TEAR has built and deployed a network of corporate sponsors and volunteers to source, assemble, and distribute PPE kits to truck drivers on the front lines. Delivered at truck stops and rest areas, each PPE kit includes masks, hand sanitizer, gloves, antiseptic wipes, and snacks. "The drivers are so appreciative," TEAR leader Desiree Wood said. "They spend all day by themselves, and aren't used to receiving anything for free, let alone being recognized. They are thrilled to receive the kits."
Chocolate retailer The Hershey Co. has committed $1 million to acquire, install, and staff a new manufacturing line dedicated to the production of facemasks during the Covid-19 emergency. Leveraging its internal engineering capabilities, and its relationships with equipment manufacturer JR Automation and General Motors, who is making similar masks, the company is moving quickly to address the nationwide shortage of protective equipment. When it becomes operational near the end of May, the Hershey, Pennsylvania-based line will be capable of producing up to 45,000 masks per day. “Disposable masks will be an integral piece of protecting the health and safety of our employees, their families and our community as we move forward over the weeks and months ahead,” Hershey’s chief supply chain officer, Jason Reiman, said in a release. “Changing how we work, and adding this capability is a testament to the adaptability of our team, and our desire to make a difference.”
Industrial equipment and technology provider Honeywell International Inc. has developed a temperature monitoring solution that conducts non-invasive, preliminary screening of people entering a facility, to protect employees and enable a restart of businesses following the Covid-19 emergency. The ThermoRebellion system uses infrared imaging technology and artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms to detect elevated body temperature and validate if an individual is wearing proper PPE. The system can be rapidly deployed at the entryway of a factory, airport, distribution center, stadium, or other commercial building to quickly identify whether personnel exhibit an elevated facial temperature as they pass in front of a high-resolution, thermal imaging camera. Honeywell is piloting the platform at two of its own U.S. production facilities, including the company's new N95 face mask manufacturing center in Phoenix, Arizona. "Protecting worker safety is the top priority for any building operator and today, more than ever, managers are looking for innovative solutions to enhance their health screening processes," Renaud Mazarguil, president of Honeywell's Gas Analysis and Safety business, said in a release. "We've developed this breakthrough technology to automate and streamline the monitoring of an individual's temperature and reduce the need for invasive monitoring.”
Supply chain technology provider Trimble Inc. has launched a free web app that displays truck stop status and amenity information, allowing truck drivers to find essential break locations, showers, and restaurants. The information comes as many break locations have closed completely or have shuttered certain amenities during the coronavirus crisis. Currently available on desktop or mobile devices in North America only, the “Covid-19 Safe Haven Web App” is intended to help the transportation community understand which locations are closed and which conveniences are open. Drivers can also use the platform to: find Walmart locations with overnight parking, view live traffic and weather, or help their peers by reporting location closings.
Kentucky material handling equipment vendor Lauyans and Co. Inc. says its Chainveyor overhead conveyor system is being used in the fight against the Covid-19 virus. In an application beyond its typical use in manufacturing and paint systems, the platform is part of an application that sterilizes medical fabric such as gowns, masks, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) as it travels by overhead conveyor between a series of ultraviolet (UV) decontamination lamps, the company said.
Nearly one-third of American consumers have increased their secondhand purchases in the past year, revealing a jump in “recommerce” according to a buyer survey from ShipStation, a provider of web-based shipping and order fulfillment solutions.
The number comes from a survey of 500 U.S. consumers showing that nearly one in four (23%) Americans lack confidence in making purchases over $200 in the next six months. Due to economic uncertainty, savvy shoppers are looking for ways to save money without sacrificing quality or style, the research found.
Younger shoppers are leading the charge in that trend, with 59% of Gen Z and 48% of Millennials buying pre-owned items weekly or monthly. That rate makes Gen Z nearly twice as likely to buy second hand compared to older generations.
The primary reason that shoppers say they have increased their recommerce habits is lower prices (74%), followed by the thrill of finding unique or rare items (38%) and getting higher quality for a lower price (28%). Only 14% of Americans cite environmental concerns as a primary reason they shop second-hand.
Despite the challenge of adjusting to the new pattern, recommerce represents a strategic opportunity for businesses to capture today’s budget-minded shoppers and foster long-term loyalty, Austin, Texas-based ShipStation said.
For example, retailers don’t have to sell used goods to capitalize on the secondhand boom. Instead, they can offer trade-in programs swapping discounts or store credit for shoppers’ old items. And they can improve product discoverability to help customers—particularly older generations—find what they’re looking for.
Other ways for retailers to connect with recommerce shoppers are to improve shipping practices. According to ShipStation:
70% of shoppers won’t return to a brand if shipping is too expensive.
51% of consumers are turned off by late deliveries
40% of shoppers won’t return to a retailer again if the packaging is bad.
The “CMA CGM Startup Awards”—created in collaboration with BFM Business and La Tribune—will identify the best innovations to accelerate its transformation, the French company said.
Specifically, the company will select the best startup among the applicants, with clear industry transformation objectives focused on environmental performance, competitiveness, and quality of life at work in each of the three areas:
Shipping: Enabling safer, more efficient, and sustainable navigation through innovative technological solutions.
Logistics: Reinventing the global supply chain with smart and sustainable logistics solutions.
Media: Transform content creation, and customer engagement with innovative media technologies and strategies.
Three winners will be selected during a final event organized on November 15 at the Orange Vélodrome Stadium in Marseille, during the 2nd Artificial Intelligence Marseille (AIM) forum organized by La Tribune and BFM Business. The selection will be made by a jury chaired by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the Group, and including members of the executive committee representing the various sectors of CMA CGM.
The global air cargo market’s hot summer of double-digit demand growth continued in August with average spot rates showing their largest year-on-year jump with a 24% increase, according to the latest weekly analysis by Xeneta.
Xeneta cited two reasons to explain the increase. First, Global average air cargo spot rates reached $2.68 per kg in August due to continuing supply and demand imbalance. That came as August's global cargo supply grew at its slowest ratio in 2024 to-date at 2% year-on-year, while global cargo demand continued its double-digit growth, rising +11%.
The second reason for higher rates was an ocean-to-air shift in freight volumes due to Red Sea disruptions and e-commerce demand.
Those factors could soon be amplified as e-commerce shows continued strong growth approaching the hotly anticipated winter peak season. E-commerce and low-value goods exports from China in the first seven months of 2024 increased 30% year-on-year, including shipments to Europe and the US rising 38% and 30% growth respectively, Xeneta said.
“Typically, air cargo market performance in August tends to follow the July trend. But another month of double-digit demand growth and the strongest rate growths of the year means there was definitely no summer slack season in 2024,” Niall van de Wouw, Xeneta’s chief airfreight officer, said in a release.
“Rates we saw bottoming out in late July started picking up again in mid-August. This is too short a period to call a season. This has been a busy summer, and now we’re at the threshold of Q4, it will be interesting to see what will happen and if all the anticipation of a red-hot peak season materializes,” van de Wouw said.
The report cites data showing that there are approximately 1.7 million workers missing from the post-pandemic workforce and that 38% of small firms are unable to fill open positions. At the same time, the “skills gap” in the workforce is accelerating as automation and AI create significant shifts in how work is performed.
That information comes from the “2024 Labor Day Report” released by Littler’s Workplace Policy Institute (WPI), the firm’s government relations and public policy arm.
“We continue to see a labor shortage and an urgent need to upskill the current workforce to adapt to the new world of work,” said Michael Lotito, Littler shareholder and co-chair of WPI. “As corporate executives and business leaders look to the future, they are focused on realizing the many benefits of AI to streamline operations and guide strategic decision-making, while cultivating a talent pipeline that can support this growth.”
But while the need is clear, solutions may be complicated by public policy changes such as the upcoming U.S. general election and the proliferation of employment-related legislation at the state and local levels amid Congressional gridlock.
“We are heading into a contentious election that has already proven to be unpredictable and is poised to create even more uncertainty for employers, no matter the outcome,” Shannon Meade, WPI’s executive director, said in a release. “At the same time, the growing patchwork of state and local requirements across the U.S. is exacerbating compliance challenges for companies. That, coupled with looming changes following several Supreme Court decisions that have the potential to upend rulemaking, gives C-suite executives much to contend with in planning their workforce-related strategies.”
Stax Engineering, the venture-backed startup that provides smokestack emissions reduction services for maritime ships, will service all vessels from Toyota Motor North America Inc. visiting the Toyota Berth at the Port of Long Beach, according to a new five-year deal announced today.
Beginning in 2025 to coincide with new California Air Resources Board (CARB) standards, STAX will become the first and only emissions control provider to service roll-on/roll-off (ro-ros) vessels in the state of California, the company said.
Stax has rapidly grown since its launch in the first quarter of this year, supported in part by a $40 million funding round from investors, announced in July. It now holds exclusive service agreements at California ports including Los Angeles, Long Beach, Hueneme, Benicia, Richmond, and Oakland. The firm has also partnered with individual companies like NYK Line, Hyundai GLOVIS, Equilon Enterprises LLC d/b/a Shell Oil Products US (Shell), and now Toyota.
Stax says it offers an alternative to shore power with land- and barge-based, mobile emissions capture and control technology for shipping terminal and fleet operators without the need for retrofits.
In the case of this latest deal, the Toyota Long Beach Vehicle Distribution Center imports about 200,000 vehicles each year on ro-ro vessels. Stax will keep those ships green with its flexible exhaust capture system, which attaches to all vessel classes without modification to remove 99% of emitted particulate matter (PM) and 95% of emitted oxides of nitrogen (NOx). Over the lifetime of this new agreement with Toyota, Stax estimated the service will account for approximately 3,700 hours and more than 47 tons of emissions controlled.
“We set out to provide an emissions capture and control solution that was reliable, easily accessible, and cost-effective. As we begin to service Toyota, we’re confident that we can meet the needs of the full breadth of the maritime industry, furthering our impact on the local air quality, public health, and environment,” Mike Walker, CEO of Stax, said in a release. “Continuing to establish strong partnerships will help build momentum for and trust in our technology as we expand beyond the state of California.”