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DACHSER’s New LCL Service Offers Expanded Connections for Shippers

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

DACHSER’s New LCL Service Offers Expanded Connections for Shippers

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Shippers seeking a consolidated access option along the route from Europe to Chile are now offered DACHSER’s latest weekly schedule of LCL services. This added service streamlines the process by collecting container shipments followed by consolidation at its Hamburg warehouse. Once consolidated, the items are shipped directly to San Antonio, Chile without interruption.

“Referring to ‘less than container load,’ our new LCL service is designed to meet the specific needs of our customers with smaller merchandise quantities. The service not only optimizes efficiencies and reduces costs, but the fixed weekly schedule improves the planning process,” said Guido Gries, Managing Director, DACHSER Americas.

“An effective LCL service comes down to timing—from the coordination of the grouping of goods and to the fixed container trips between ports. Our management of this timing allows our customers the benefit of improved planning and transit times as well as transparency of their shipments,” said Mr. Gries.

Markets including Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Czech Republic, Poland, and Slovakia are directly connected to the Chilean region thanks to this added service. DACHSER continues to showcase its dedication to expanding network capabilities while supporting the needs of its customers, particularly in a trying time for the supply chain and global logistics players.

“The service offers customers streamlined container coordination and management of all sea freight imports deployed on first-class carriers to Chile,” added Mr. Gries. “Thanks to our extensive European logistics network we can offer seamless visibility from the door of the supplier in Europe to the final destination.”

Additional service offerings include interlocked logistics solutions aimed to support road, air, and sea logistics through transportation and warehousing services as well as pre-carriage handling and transparent supplier tracking.

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3pls, Archives, Global Trade Daily

TRANSPLACE GETS BOOSTS FROM TYSON FOODS, DANA INTERNATIONAL

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Springdale, Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, which is one of the world’s largest food companies, bestowed its 2019 Premier Carrier Award to Transplace, the logistics/transportation/technology company headquartered in Frisco, Texas, and operating offices all over the United States and overseas.

“Transplace has been a partner for more than 35 years with a superior track record of on time and on budget delivery across our entire North American network,” said Chris Kozak, Tyson’s associate director of Contract Carriers. “Over the years as we’ve expanded and developed new consumer-appealing food products, Transplace has adapted its transportation management technologies to support us in staying at the forefront of our industry. Transplace consistently rises to our toughest logistics challenges and remains flexible to the day-to-day changes in our dynamic schedules.”

“In the more than three decades that I’ve been leading our 3PL strategies for Tyson Foods, it truly has been a collaborative relationship,” says Jay Moss, president of Transplace Specialized Services. “We are grateful for the award and honored to work with an organization that’s continuously evolving to meet consumer demands. Our access to data from North America’s largest transportation management system allows us to offer cost management insights and unprecedented efficiencies of scale. The Tyson Foods teams are open to our recommendations and together we’ve overcome countless supply chain challenges over the years.”

In other news, Maumee, Ohio-based Dana International, which engineers solutions for passenger-vehicle, commercial-truck, off-highway and industrial-machinery clients, recently selected Transplace to manage its North American transportation network.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

Latest and Greatest Global Traders on the Move

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Per our usual update, below is a list of the latest global trade movers and shakers impacting operations and creating higher standards in leadership. This is a comprehensive list for now, but we will continue to track ongoing recognitions for the next “Global Traders” spotlight. For now, let’s dive into major players across multiple sectors…

James I. Newsome III, the president and CEO of South Carolina Ports Authority, is among five global shipping leaders to be inducted into the 2020 International Maritime Hall of Fame, the Maritime Association of the Port of New York and New Jersey announced.

Joining Newsome in being honored May 13 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City are: Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, president and CEO, Celebrity Cruises Inc., Miami, Florida; James R. Mara, president emeritus, Metropolitan Marine Maintenance Contractors’ Association, Rutherford, New Jersey; Dr. Nikolas P. Tsakos, president and CEO, Tsakos Energy Navigation Corp., Athens, Greece; and Lois K. Zabrocky, president and CEO, International Seaways Inc., New York.

Sergio Sabatini was recently named president and Gord Anutooshkin was promoted to chief operating officer (COO) at Denver, Colorado-based OmniTRAX,  the fastest-growing railroad in North America. Sabatini reports to OmniTRAX CEO Kevin Shuba. Anutooshkin, who had been senior vice president of Operations, reports to Sabatini, who had been COO.

Rob Russell, previously of Progressive Rail and Union Pacific Railroad, recently joined OmniTRAX as SVP of Marketing and Commercial Strategy.

Atlanta, Georgia-based Nolan Transportation Group, one of the largest and fastest-growing non-asset truckload freight brokerages and 3PLs in North America, recently named Geoff Kelley as its president. Kelley had most recently served as chief operating officer at Coyote Logistics, a subsidiary of UPS.

Consolidated Chassis Management (CCM) promoted Michael Mitchell to senior vice president and chief operating officer. Mitchell, who has been with CCM since its 2005 launch, had been serving as interim COO. Speaking of CCM, a leading cooperative chassis pool manager in intermodal freight transport, its CEO Michael Wilson was recently elected to a three-year term on the Containerization & Intermodal Institute’s Board of Directors. So have Dr. Noel Hacegaba, deputy executive director of Administration and Operations at the Port of Long Beach, and Gregory Tuthill, chief commercial officer at SeaCube Container Leasing.

Katherine Harper has been named chief financial officer (CFO) at BDP International. Harper comes to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania-based global logistics and transportation solutions company from AgroFresh, a produce freshness solutions company.

Jeffrey M. Barlow was appointed CFO at Paxxal Inc., shipping platforms provider based in Noblesville, Indiana.

Rich Kurtz is the new director of National Accounts for BOLT Systems. He comes to the Nashville, Tennessee-based fleet management and freight tracking software company from Trimble Transportation.

The Oxnard Harbor District Board of Commissioners, which oversees California’s Port of Hueneme, recently voted unanimously for Jess Ramirez to serve as its president. First elected to the board in 1992, Ramirez has served as president five times before, and he worked as a longshoreman at the port for 51 years, prior to retiring last year.

Meanwhile, Celina Zacarias has been appointed to the commission. The senior director of Community and Government Relations for the California State University, Channel Islands and chairwoman of the Oxnard Chamber of Commerce was appointed to fill the vacancy that came with Oxnard Harbor District Commissioner Dr. Manuel Lopez’s passing.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, Top Ports

GEORGIA PORTS AUTHORITY GETS EVEN BIGGER SHIP READY

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The completion of Garden City Terminal dock construction allows the Port of Savannah to serve three 14,000-TEU vessels as well as up to eight vessels simultaneously. But now the Georgia Ports Authority has announced the acquisition of 145 contiguous acres to the port that will allow for more than 1 million twenty-foot equivalent container units in annual capacity.

“As the Georgia Ports Authority enters its 75th year, we are proud to follow in the tradition of those who came before us, making exciting advances in capacity and technology to ensure our terminals remain at the forefront of global commerce,” said GPA Executive Director Griff Lynch at the Georgia Foreign Trade Conference on Feb. 4. “This is the largest addition of container terminal space in Savannah in more than 20 years, and represents a powerful opportunity for Georgia to take on new trade.”

Construction currently underway at the Ocean Terminal container yard is expected to be completed by the end of this year. An additional berth to be finished by 2023 will mean Garden City Terminal will have four big ship slots. A new Savannah Container Terminal on Hutchinson Island is projected to come online in 2025. The GPA’s goal is to increase its capacity to more than 9 million TEUs by 2030.

Georgia’s deepwater ports and inland barge terminals support more than 439,000 jobs throughout the state annually and contribute $25 billion in income, $106 billion in revenue and $2.9 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy, according to the GPA.

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Archives, Executive Education, Global Trade Daily

MODEX Day Three: Robotics & Automation Continue Maturing

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In typical Modex fashion, robotics and automation were among the hot topics discussed by keynote speakers, exhibitors, and attendees. A vast array of capabilities, sizes, and industry-specific robotics could be found throughout the show floor, each showing off a new capability. It’s clear that robotics continue to evolve and show no signs of slowing down progress in meeting demand within warehouses and distribution centers.

Mike Futch, President of Tompkins Robotics made this point very clear during his session on Wednesday afternoon titled, “The Lights Out DC/FC: How Close Can We Get?”

Futch addressed the use of various technologies to address workforce constraints while improving the effectiveness and performance of the supply chain.  He identified what advancements will assist in solving bottlenecks such as facility constraints, space issues, and the current situation in unemployment. As these challenges persist, robotics continues to mature.

“There’s a limited workforce, a limited number of people that can drive the distance to enter the immediate geographic region, and these larger buildings are competing for that workforce that’s already at a low unemployment rate along with offering increased wages and siphoning workers off of others. This is a real challenge for some markets.”

“Labor is scarce and we have record-low unemployment, typically to expand capacity from a volume perspective and companies are turning to more shifts. If you already have a tight labor market and you’re adding shifts, where are the workers coming from? And this creates a bigger problem.”

The workforce is a key constraint and while workforce rates are lower than others in some places, Futch states that companies are competing to stay ahead of demand through increased wages while solving the best approach to a limited workforce.

Machines continue to do the same things a human can do but without interruptions with repetitive, difficult, or taxing work that inevitably fatigues the human body. That being said, the industry still requires a skilled workforce and robotics should not be purchased for their appeal. It’s becoming clear that a blend of workers and robotics is a more common theme for integrating such advancements over the idea that robotics will “overtake” worker’s jobs. In fact, robotics is providing a way to re-establish worker tasks rather than eliminating the worker.

“Robotics has matured tremendously from where they were a few years ago. About 5-10 years ago, the pick-and-place robots at the show could not do the things they are capable of doing now. Two years from now, they’ll have the capability to do twice as much as now. Robotics is maturing and meeting the three R’s: improve rate, improve reliability, and improve the range of products and items,” he explained. ”

In terms of a fully automated DC, Futch added that about 60-85 percent of manual tasks can be automated realistically rather than a “lights out” center.

“Beyond the pick-and-place robots, other robots are doing the same thing: creating a blur of separation between what a human can do and what a machine can do.”

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, In The News

MODEX Day Two: Coronavirus Impacting More than Just Trade Operations

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Day two for MODEX 2020 concluded with industry players addressing the now-notorious coronavirus and what this means for both domestic and international markets fortunate enough to continue operations without disruption. From what we learned during the session, “Coronavirus and Global Supply Chains” the wave currently felt in China, Italy, and beyond, will eventually make its way to the U.S. and companies have no reason not to be prepared.

Researcher Philip J. Palin, John Paxton with MHI, and David Shillingford with Resilience360 took the unsettling topic head-on and addressed concerns without hesitation. Traders be aware: for domestic and untouched international markets, the worst isn’t over. The coronavirus creates more than just health concerns. It impacts trade operations, legal concerns, and causes financial turmoil as we’ve already started to see.

“The virus is the primary cause of the supply chain impact but the secondary causes coming from the virus include financial, regulatory, compliance, and legal,” explained Shillingford. “Another risk to think about is workforce risk. How many of the workers that left for Chinese New Year have been able to come back, and for those that have returned, are they able to work with open factories or are they still under quarantine?”

“The good news is, the extraordinary supply and demand disruption we’re discussing in terms of China is being released. It’s slow but it’s happening and it’s giving us a benchmark of for how long domestic disruption will be,” Palin stated after announcing the first containership from China arrived at the Port of Los Angeles in almost 10 days on Monday.

Shillingford goes on to explain the shifting patterns in consumer behavior as well, noting that due to worldwide panic, demand is shifting and challenging the logistics sector. Buying habits have undoubtedly changed in recent weeks along with mindsets. Interactions are now limited to a fist-bump or elbow touch rather than a handshake and the numbers of public events cancelled are going up.

“Other things we are seeing involve personnel movement. It’s not just transportation impacted,” Shillingford added.

On the legal side of the crisis, Chinese suppliers are having an issue with certificates and contractual obligations. Shillingford urges industry players to understand the importance of knowing if suppliers have been issued force majeure slips.

“One thing supply chains hate is variance, and there’s going to be a lot of variance and volatility on the demand side,” he concluded.

What does all this mean for the U.S.? At the end of the day, it’s a matter of preparation and strategizing for the more fortunate markets without the disruption of a complete shut-down.

“There was a hidden, horrible problem in the Hubei province that required a draconian measure to prevent transmission of the virus. We should be ahead of that curve as well as the rest of the world, even with this very contagious virus,” explained Palin. “And even if we are behind that curve, we don’t have 300 million workers separated from their place of work.”

Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

MODEX 2020 Day One: Millennials and Their Impact on Distribution

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Day one of this year’s MODEX event kicked-off with its anticipated array of technology solutions in action and hundreds of global companies sharing the latest and greatest impacting the supply chain. From warehousing and robotics to transportation and packaging, just about every moving part of the supply chain represented a part of the show.

Keynote speakers such as Michael Roe, Senior Account Executive at DMW&H, took on challenges specific to the distribution and ecommerce sector: millennials.

The generational differences brought to the ecommerce market have shaken the way distributors approach customer adaptation. Furthermore, distributors are now challenged to balance multiple consumer demands while remaining relevant. Roe explains:

“Millennials changed retail because of the way they shop. Millennials value culture, experience, and they value the value of the experience. Although it may seem new, it may not be so new.”

“Distribution practices have changed because we have to adapt to the customer base. If you understand what your customer wants, you have to change your distribution and understand how it’s going to work.”

He goes onto explain that during the early days of ecommerce, companies like Amazon (known to-date as the fastest company to reach $100 billion in sales) changed that model and took the stores out of the equation. This effort was a strategy used by ecommerce companies to reinvent the consumer’s shopping and comparison experience by adding ease and convenience. Amazon created a presence everywhere through its distribution centers – they were simply found everywhere. To this day, Amazon continues to expand its footprint with the help of automation.

For the modern consumer, the days of mall visits are a thing of the past for some, while for others in the same consumer pool prefer the option of both ecommerce and the traditional store model. Baby boomers typically still prefer the in-store experience with 84 percent confirming this preference. They want their product when they leave and aren’t keen on the idea of waiting for something already paid for.

Meanwhile, Gen X prefers the option of comparison-shopping while reaping the benefits of maximized value. Millennials demand a hybrid model offering a complex blend of what Boomers and Gen X’ers seek. And they want it for a competitive price. Navigating this shift has left some scratching their head as they identify the most adaptable approach.

At the end of the day, it boils down to understanding the customer and identifying the best approach to navigating the balance of consumer demands. The millenials concept isn’t all that new at all. in fact, generational changes have always been present, it’s all a matter of anticipating these changes and preparing the solution accordingly. Roe concluded that “Every generation has changed their shopping preferences. With each generation comes faster response times to customer preferences.”

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, In The News

Transportation & Warehousing Workforce Deemed Volatile

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The transportation/warehousing industry is No. 6 for workforce volatility in the U.S., with the sector logging the second-highest average Talent Retention Risk Score (53.3), which is 3 percent higher than the national average.

This means transportation/warehouse workers are more likely to explore new roles or engage with recruiters than those in other sectors.

The preceding little blast of sunshine comes from Workforce Logiq, an Orlando, Florida-headquartered global provider of AI-powered workforce intelligence, technology and services to large corporations. The company recently released its first ever Workforce Management Benchmark Report, which examines and predicts talent volatility across major industries, job functions, metropolitan statistical areas and states.

The report finds mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction has the most volatile workforce out of all major industries, followed by the finance and insurance industry. Skilled trade is the most stable job function. Washington, D.C., New York and Massachusetts have the most volatile workforces in the nation, while Mississippi, New Mexico and Wyoming have the least.

Download the 2020 Workforce Management Benchmark Report at: https://www.workforcelogiq.com/white-papers/workforce-management-annual-benchmark-report/.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, News

U.S. Lifts Sanctions on Cosco Vessel that Moved Iranian Oil

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The U.S. Treasury Department and Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of removed sanctions on shipping tanker COSCO Dalian on Jan. 31.

On Sept. 25, 2019, OFAC designated COSCO Dalian and a second vessel from China’s largest shipping company on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List for transporting Iranian crude oil to China.

That had an enormous and immediate impact on the oil and shipping industries since a handful of COSCO subsidiaries and dozens of vessels were also considered sanctioned by OFAC and effectively removed from the petroleum shipping market.

“OFAC hasn’t announced the policy rationale yet, but [it] likely resulted from receiving credible assurances that the Chinese company would no longer ship Iranian oil,” observes Beau Barnes, an attorney at the global firm Kobre & Kim. “The speed of the removal is lightning fast by OFAC’s standards, and likely stems from the company’s critical role in the global supply chain.”

Some have opined that ongoing U.S.-China trade talks played a role in the OFAC delisting.

“COSCO’s original designation had caused increased global tanker freight rates to increase, leading OFAC to issue two waivers to temporarily allow transactions with the company,” notes Barnes, who represents clients in white-collar criminal defense matters, investigations, regulatory actions and commercial litigation, with a particular focuses on matters related to national security, economic sanctions, export controls, economic espionage and cybersecurity.

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Archives, Global Trade Daily, In The News

Coronavirus Disrupts Maritime Industry, Supply Chains

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With reports that the U.S. military is preparing for a global coronavirus pandemic, companies dependent on China-based production are highly vulnerable to the adverse impacts on the modes of the supply chain, namely in commercial aviation, maritime shipping and overland transport, according to an industry analysis.

“The outbreak has already disrupted some commercial maritime operations and is set to have a much greater impact as international concerns over the virus intensifies,” states Hong Kong-based A2 Global Risk, which supplies its client businesses with a complete picture of global politics, security and trade.

“As large sections of China’s economy grinds to a halt and regional supply-chain mobility becomes tightly restricted, the macro-economic outlook becomes increasingly dire,” A2 Global Risk adds. “More factory closures are a near certainty as the Chinese government tries to control the spread of the disease. Foreign companies heavily reliant on China’s manufacturing sector will be forced to either weather the storm or shift their supply chains to less risky markets.”

TT Club, a UK-based insurance provider, is warning freight forwarders, logistics service providers and other intermediaries of potential unforeseen exposures that may also accrue. “Restrictions due to labor shortages at ports and cancellations of inland transport links within China, constraints in the supply of goods due to factory closures and reduced schedules of air, ocean and rail carriers may expose forwarders to claims arising from delivery delays and cargo deterioration,” states a TT Club briefing that was compiled with the assistance of specialist international lawyers.

“Up-to-date status reports on their cargo’s progress, or lack of it, are vital to shippers,” emphasizes TT Club’s Risk Management Director Peregrine Storrs-Fox. “Forwarders and logistics operators will certainly prove their mettle if they can consistently make customers aware of the ongoing attempts to problem-solve. Careful recording of communication trails detailing such actions will also help in any disputes in the future.”

Global e-retailer Alibaba Group has responded to the coronavirus threat by continuously sending medical supplies, including masks and protective suits, to medical personnel in Wuhan, Wenzhou and Hangzhou, which are at the center of the outbreak and in the most need.

“We are grateful. And we need more help,” states Alibaba, which launched a global sourcing platform for suppliers and distributors of medical goods across the world to join in the campaign.