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WWEX Group: A Game-Changer in the Logistics Industry Unveils a Unified Identity

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WWEX Group: A Game-Changer in the Logistics Industry Unveils a Unified Identity

In a groundbreaking move, three prominent third-party logistics (3PL) providers, Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, and Unishippers, have come together to reveal their new corporate identity: WWEX Group. This unveiling marks the culmination of a multi-year acquisition and integration strategy that has propelled WWEX Group into the ranks of the second-largest privately held logistics company in the United States, boasting an impressive systemwide revenue of nearly $5 billion.

Before the acquisitions in 2017 (Unishippers) and 2021 (GlobalTranz), these individual companies operated as distinct entities, each specializing in unique customer segments and product offerings. This symbolic unification ushers in a new era for WWEX Group, characterized by a singular corporate culture and a shared vision for the future.

Tom Madine, the CEO of WWEX Group, proudly states, “Through our family of brands, WWEX Group offers the most extensive distribution model, a top-notch talent pool, industry-leading carrier relationships, proprietary technology, and the most comprehensive suite of shipping solutions in the industry. We possess the scale and expertise needed to allocate additional resources and craft superior offerings for every customer segment and shipping requirement, all while enhancing our collaboration with carrier partners.”

WWEX Group operates through three go-to-market brands, enabling its vast customer base of over 121,000 clients to access cutting-edge solutions, state-of-the-art technology, competitive pricing, and trusted partnerships. With a robust network of carrier collaborators, which includes a strategic alliance with UPS®, WWEX Group’s member companies extend a wide array of shipping solutions to small and medium-sized businesses, mid-market enterprises, and large corporations. These offerings encompass parcel services, less than truckload (LTL) shipping, full truckload (FTL) transportation, managed logistics solutions, and expedited services.

Notably, Worldwide Express, GlobalTranz, and Unishippers will continue to operate as distinct go-to-market brands for WWEX Group, all connected through a consolidated infrastructure that features the group’s proprietary SpeedShip technology platform.

Tom Madine emphasizes, “We are well-positioned to redouble our focus on small businesses and mid-market customers. The mid-market segment, traditionally underserved and overlooked, demands tailor-made strategies, top-tier service, and managed solutions to meet their unique requirements – and WWEX Group is the ideal partner to fulfill precisely that.”

WWEX Group boasts a workforce of over 2,800 employees, 200 franchises, and 500 agents spread across offices and markets nationwide, even extending to Monterrey, Mexico. The corporate headquarters will remain in Dallas at The Stack Deep Ellum, where the group recently inaugurated a newly redesigned office space in the spring of 2023.

Madine emphasizes, “Our people are the core of our business, and under the WWEX Group umbrella, they will have unprecedented opportunities to build enduring careers in the logistics industry – whether as direct employees or by embarking on the entrepreneurial path through franchise ownership or agency affiliations.”

In the previous year, WWEX Group’s extensive network of carrier partners, which includes over 75 leading regional and national LTL carriers, 85,000 FTL carriers, and managed transportation solutions, collectively facilitated 36 million shipments for their 121,000 customers. Additionally, WWEX Group proudly stands as the largest non-retail UPS® Authorized Reseller in the United States and serves as the Official Logistics Partner of NASCAR, showcasing its logistical and shipping expertise in the thrilling world of racing.

With its bold step towards unity, WWEX Group has undoubtedly set a new standard in the logistics industry, promising even greater value and innovation for its diverse customer base and strengthening its position as a formidable force in the market.

Propane

Breakthrough Propane Direct Injection Technology Provides Fleet Owners with Low-Emission, High-Efficiency Option

Through a joint partnership between Stanadyne, Katech, and the Propane Education & Research Council, this new technology will drive the transportation industry further down the path to zero.

Fleet owners looking for a low emission, high efficiency, and affordable engine solution will soon have new technology to turn to thanks to a partnership between StanadyneKatech, and the Propane Education & Research Council. The innovation combines Stanadyne’s direct injection fuel pump and injector system with Katech’s vapor lock technology to create the industry’s first medium-duty engine system that can deliver propane autogas at a constant 350-bar pressure directly into the engine. It’s all part of the three company’s combined decarbonization mission.

The breakthrough engine technology overcomes vapor lock, a common technical issue when liquified gases vaporize, which can interrupt fuel pump operation. By finding a solution, the new technology improves engine performance and efficiency. The combined system fueled a standard 6.6L GDI engine during a 250-hour performance and durability test. The tests successfully demonstrated that the technology works with existing engines and that propane autogas can be a low-carbon, high-performance replacement for gasoline and diesel engines.

The new technology will help fleet owners exceed the ultra-low emissions mandates going into place in 2027. Compared to diesel, propane autogas reduces harmful nitrogen oxide emissions by 96 percent and provides a five to 10 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. The engine technology can also utilize renewable propane, which has a carbon intensity four times lower than conventional diesel.

 

warehouse

Efficient Warehouses Fit Sustainable Operations

Sustainability has become an important issue for warehouse management in the US. Reducing the environmental impact of operations is a big challenge that can be overcome by improving process efficiency. In many cases, this is achieved by implementing warehouse automation. Efficient, automated processes need less energy, emit fewer greenhouse gases, and can do more within compact facilities. However, by choosing an automation partner that also champions sustainability, warehouse operators can truly maximize these benefits.

Hans Jongebloed, Senior Postal and Parcel Expert at Prime Vision, a global leader in computer vision integration and robotics for logistics and e-commerce, looks at sustainability challenges facing US warehouses and how the company reduces environmental impact.

Sustainability considerations for warehouses

A good place to start the journey to a sustainable warehouse is the facility itself. Solar panels, modern insulation, and a renewable energy supplier can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of operations. Placement is another factor to consider. A giant warehouse in an area of great natural value is undesirable aesthetically and ecologically, but logistics also play a part. Locating a compact warehouse in an optimal area for local deliveries, with good road connections, away from nature hotspots, minimizes environmental damage and traffic pollution.

Sustainability also applies to people. Thankfully, the days of warehouse workers walking miles carrying heavy loads week after week are almost behind us. With robots and other material handling solutions, personnel are no longer subjected to this level of manual labor, ensuring a happier, healthier workforce that is more willing to stay on.

While these sustainability goals can be reached, a particular industry challenge illustrates how warehouses can further improve the efficiency of operational processes and reduce environmental impact.

The point of no return

We’ve all indulged in clothes shopping at some point, and many of us choose to do it online. However, while an outfit can be easily tried on at the store, e-commerce customers do that at home, presenting warehouses with a big sustainability problem: returns. Millions of them.

One US logistics company stated that the CO2 cost of returning e-commerce purchases was similar to the output of 3 million cars.[1] While e-commerce returns have dropped slightly compared to 2020 and 2021, they still amounted to $ 203.22 billion in 2022 (18% of total online purchases). The decline is expected to continue, hitting 14.7% in 2026.[2] Despite this trend, returns will continue to be a challenge for e-commerce businesses in the US.

Returns are a big sustainability issue for e-commerce, as they constitute a high volume of products swimming against the stream of the normal shipping process. First, the item needs to travel back to a distribution center (often different from where it came from), generating transport emissions. Then, it is a long, cumbersome manual procedure to identify the product, check its condition, and sort it properly. This often requires large numbers of personnel, generating extra CO2 from commuting. If an item can’t be recycled or resold, it ends up as landfill, producing unnecessary waste. Needless to say that in the era of unlimited free returns, all these processes can also create extra costs for sellers.

This is clearly an area for improvement. However, enhancing the efficiency of the process flow offers a solution not just for returns, but any warehouse operation.

Automation equals efficiency

Naturally, automation is one of the main answers to this efficiency challenge, and thankfully, increasing efficiency always has a positive impact on sustainability.

Using the returns example, being able to quickly check products with computer vision systems, transport goods to appropriate areas for resale or recycling with robots, plus spot trends and areas where processes can be improved with analytics software can greatly expedite operations. Furthermore, it requires fewer personnel to function. By harnessing renewable energy to power automated equipment, warehouse operators can also mitigate the impact of the electricity demand, delivering these efficiency benefits sustainably.

Automating warehouse processes in this manner allows fulfillment and returns to be conducted on a reduced timeframe, within a more compact site, all while minimizing emissions, energy consumption and, effectively, lowering the operating costs. This means that sustainability goals can be met at every level of operations. However, choosing the right solutions can also bring additional benefits.

Sustainable approach to automation

At its facility in Richmond, Virginia, Prime Vision is working not just to provide products that enable the efficient, sustainable running of warehouse operations but is also reducing the carbon cost of the solutions themselves.

Robots are a critical component of a modern automated warehouse but are complex pieces of equipment that are intensive to produce. Consequently, Prime Vision focuses on reducing the impact of maintaining robots. A repair-rather-than-replace approach helps improve sustainability, but when a robot is beyond repair, Prime Vision rescues as many parts as possible to be used as spare components. Good-quality parts are fitted to other robots or used for in-house research – effectively recycling the components. Inspections identify and separate sub-par components, so there is no risk of fitting the robots with inferior parts. Localized repair facilities further ensure that spares and maintenance personnel can reach customers without generating the excessive carbon emissions associated with long-distance travel.

Software is another area of focus. Maintenance can be carried out remotely, so nobody needs to drive to site to carry out updates. Prime Vision also continually optimizes its software to run more efficiently, which reduces the number of servers required. Expanding on hardware and helping customers to collate facility computing power in an optimal, well-monitored space can save additional energy during installation and operation. Prime Vision applies new IT developments too, like hyper-converged infrastructure. Such cloud-style solutions with high scalability

and efficiency can eliminate the need for large quantities of servers on-site, allowing customers to downsize infrastructure while adding the required flexibility.

Choosing the right partner

Ultimately, to save the planet, the whole supply chain must work together to achieve the most sustainable logistics operations. This includes cooperation between warehouses and the companies that supply automation solutions to them. While the increased process efficiency enabled by robots, computer vision, and analytics software can greatly reduce the carbon footprint of warehouse operations – there is the provider to consider too.

Prime Vision is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of its products and operations. A dedicated sustainability team continually assesses carbon footprint, identifying focus areas and actively lowering the company’s emissions. Along with its solutions and local presence, this ensures that while Prime Vision contributes to improving the sustainability of US warehouse operations, like its customers, it is also working on reducing the impact of the overall supply chain.

bluebox

Real-Time Tracking: New Customers for BlueBox Systems’ Air Freight Tracking API

Prompt and seamless exchange of accurate information is essential for a robust logistics network. With ThinkPrime and Delpa Group, BlueBox Systems, a leading developer of intelligent air freight tracking solutions, welcomes two new customers for its state-of-the-art air freight tracking programming interface. With this, BlueBox Systems enables companies to quickly and easily access high-quality air freight data, resulting in streamlined operations.

Using BlueBox Systems’ air freight tracking programming interface, ThinkPrime and Delpa Group each get the ability to integrate BlueBox Systems’ tracking data into their own platform, allowing the independent applications to communicate with each other and share data in real time. This gives all parties along the supply chain access to the most up-to-date and accurate information. For example, carriers gain access to real-time shipment data to optimize routes and allocate resources efficiently. Similarly, manufacturers can get up-to-date shipment tracking information so they can plan production and proactively manage inventory. At the same time, the API solution enhances security by providing controlled data access that ensures only authorized parties can access and use shared information. Finally, the API streamlines processes by fostering automation and seamless system interactions, reducing manual intervention and improving overall operational efficiency.

In addition to the API solution, BlueBox Systems also offers BlueBox Air, a web-based air freight tracking platform with a fast and intuitive user interface. BlueBox Air enables companies to efficiently manage their air cargo operations, reduce errors and improve overall productivity. BlueBox Systems also offers a white-label solution for companies that want to use its technology to offer their own air cargo management system to their customers.