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Synergy North America Teams Up with Supply Chain BEST to Enhance WMS Implementation Capabilities

synergy logistics,supply chain, warehouse management

Synergy North America Teams Up with Supply Chain BEST to Enhance WMS Implementation Capabilities

Synergy North America Inc. has forged a strategic partnership with Supply Chain BEST, a leading industry solutions adviser, aimed at bolstering their capabilities in WMS implementation.

In this collaboration as preferred channel partners, Synergy will tap into the extensive system implementation and project management expertise of Supply Chain BEST, based in Florida. This partnership marks the latest addition to Synergy’s rapidly growing network of partners, vendors, and integrations for SnapFulfil, further leveraging Supply Chain BEST’s resources across the US, Canada, UK, and Hong Kong.

Joe Huss, President of Supply Chain BEST, expressed his enthusiasm for the partnership, emphasizing their shared commitment to delivering top-notch customer supply chain solutions. He praised SnapFulfil for its advanced rules engine, flexibility, and configurability, highlighting its streamlined build process that minimizes additional development and coding for each deployment, thus reducing complexity and cost.

With over 40 companies in its partnership network spanning various integration categories, including ERP, iPaaS, Marketplace, Robotics, and Shipping, Synergy is poised to enhance its offerings significantly.

Brian Kirst, Chief Commercial Officer of Synergy Logistics, echoed the sentiment of mutual benefit, emphasizing Supply Chain BEST’s alignment with their domain expertise and approach to implementation. He emphasized the shared focus on rapid time-to-value and strong return on investment in integrated software solutions, paving the way for scalable growth opportunities and the development of mutually beneficial business ventures.

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Haelixa Strengthens Leadership Team to Drive Supply Chain Innovation and Growth

Haelixa, a leading provider of physical traceability solutions, is pleased to announce strategic appointments aimed at fueling innovation and accelerating growth in the supply chain industry. Patrick Strumpf has been appointed as the new CEO, while Stefan Karlen joins the Board of Directors, marking significant milestones in Haelixa’s journey towards advancing supply chain transparency solutions and fostering positive industry change.

Bringing over 20 years of experience in business building and scaling, Patrick Strumpf assumes the role of CEO with a strong entrepreneurial background across manufacturing, distribution, and retail sectors. His leadership prowess, commercial acumen, and customer-centric approach position Haelixa for continued success and innovation. Strumpf expresses enthusiasm for Haelixa’s traceability solution, emphasizing its potential to set high standards and deliver significant advantages to brands and manufacturers, particularly in compliance and credibility realms.

Joining Haelixa’s Board of Directors, Stefan Karlen contributes over 30 years of supply chain industry expertise, having served as the Group CEO of Panalpina, a global freight forwarding and logistics leader. With a deep understanding of global supply chains and a track record of driving innovation, Karlen’s insights will be invaluable in shaping Haelixa’s strategic direction. Passionate about environmental responsibility, Karlen aligns with Haelixa’s values and is eager to leverage his skills to support the company’s sustainability-focused mission.

Dr. Gediminas Mikutis, Haelixa’s co-founder and CTO, expresses excitement about the new appointments, highlighting their extensive knowledge as key assets that will propel Haelixa to new heights. With the addition of Karlen and Strumpf to the team, Haelixa aims to achieve its mission of providing transparent and sustainable solutions to address supply chain challenges.

The appointments of Stefan Karlen and Patrick Strumpf mark a significant milestone in Haelixa’s global pursuit of becoming a benchmark in physical traceability. Leveraging their expertise, Haelixa is poised to drive innovation and tackle supply chain transparency challenges to create a positive impact in the industry.

nexterus

Nexterus Marks 78 Years of Supply Chain Excellence with Four Generations of Innovation

Nexterus, a leading supply chain management and 3PL services provider, celebrates its 78th anniversary with four generations of the Polakoff family steering the company. Sam Polakoff, CEO and Chairman, acknowledges the company’s success, emphasizing the contributions of dedicated employees, clients, and partners. Nexterus has solidified its position as an industry leader, providing innovative freight management and supply chain services to small and mid-size companies, fostering efficiency, and driving profit growth.

Throughout its history, Nexterus has seen transformative leadership:

1. Abraham Allan Polakoff (1946-1967)

Founded the company to address distribution needs, focusing on U.S motor and rail transportation. The company, initially known as Transportation Bureau of Baltimore (TBB), aimed to support small to mid-sized companies.

2. Jay Polakoff (1967-2000)

Moved the company to northern Baltimore County, introduced a subscriber service, developed an early Transportation Management System (TMS), and specialized in LTL as a niche. TBB became a major 3PL customer for U.S LTL carriers.

3. Sam Polakoff (1999-Present)

Spearheaded exponential growth, rebranded to TBB Global Logistics, expanded services, acquired customs brokerage/international freight forwarding firms, and relocated to South Central Pennsylvania. In 2016, led the rebranding to Nexterus and founded BrillDog in 2022 for supply chain management system development.

4. Ryan Polakoff (2022-Present)

Ascended to leadership after years in sales and operations, collaborated on Nexterus’ rebranding, and expanded services to include supply chain design, contract network warehousing, and parcel contract engineering.

Nexterus, remaining industry agnostic, serves diverse verticals and received accolades in 2023, including Top Software & Tech Award, Great Partner Award, Top 100 Logistics IT Provider, Top 3PL & Cold Storage Providers Award, Top Supply Chain Projects Award, and Women in Supply Chain Award for Lisa Flohr, Director of Operations.

ISO

AIT Worldwide Logistics Europe Facilities Achieve Environmental, Quality Management ISO Certifications

AIT Worldwide Logistics, a prominent global logistics and freight forwarding services provider, has achieved ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 9001:2015 certifications for over a dozen of its locations across eight European countries. These certifications, internationally recognized, underscore AIT’s dedication to maintaining the highest standards in environmental management (ISO 14001) and quality management (ISO 9001).

The successful certification process, which involved rigorous system audits and process optimizations, reflects AIT’s unwavering commitment to industry-leading quality and sustainable practices. Mario Cavallucci, AIT’s Vice President for Europe, emphasized the significance of these certifications, noting their affirmation of AIT’s commitment to service excellence and continuous improvement.

Cavallucci highlighted that the ISO 14001 certification’s emphasis on environmental management not only supports waste reduction but also contributes to lowering network costs. Meanwhile, the ISO 9001 requirements promote increased efficiency and enhanced customer satisfaction, aligning with AIT’s dedication to operational excellence.

These certifications are valid until November 22, 2026, and AIT plans to apply for re-certification at that time. The certified AIT offices in Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy (Milan, Turin only), the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom (Exeter, London, Manchester only) demonstrate the company’s commitment to meeting these high-quality and environmental management standards.

AIT-Asia offices are slated to obtain ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certification by the end of 2024, while the remaining locations across AIT’s global network are expected to achieve these certifications in 2025. The certifications underscore AIT’s proactive approach to optimizing operational efficiency, reducing environmental impact, and delivering top-notch service quality to its customers.

workforce shortages global trade trax softeon operations

Trax Technologies Secures Recognition as a Leading Software and Tech Provider in Supply Chain Visibility

Trax Technologies, a global leader in Transportation Spend Management (TSM) solutions, has been honored with the Top Software & Tech Award for 2023 in the Supply Chain Visibility category. Presented by Supply & Demand Chain Executive and Food Logistics, this accolade highlights Trax’s innovative contribution to the supply chain space with its Transportation Spend Management platform.

Steve Beda, Executive Vice President of Customer Success at Trax, emphasized how the company’s cloud-based technology is revolutionizing transportation management and sustainability. Trax’s Freight Audit and Payment (FAP) solution uniquely positions it to offer data-driven tools and expert advice on supply chain sustainability.

Trax’s Carbon Emissions Manager, an add-on solution within the platform, provides industry leaders with crucial data related to emissions factors, travel distances, and insights into CO2 and other greenhouse gases. This platform empowers transportation leaders to calculate and address scope 3 emissions, meeting global standards like EN 16258 in Europe. The Carbon Emissions Manager also facilitates compliance with upcoming SEC climate reporting requirements in the United States, starting in 2025.

Beda expressed pride in Trax’s role as a SaaS plus service-based technology company, enabling customers to focus on key priorities, including climate considerations. The recognition as a Top Software & Tech Provider underscores Trax’s commitment to delivering comprehensive solutions that drive end-to-end visibility, efficiency, cost savings, and environmental responsibility in the transportation spend management realm.

The Top Software and Tech Provider award features distinct categories for Small Business (<$50 million) and Enterprise (>$49 million), with sub-categories including Procurement/ERP Software, WMS/TMS Software, Warehouse Automation, Robotics, and Supply Chain Visibility Solutions. Trax’s acknowledgment in the Supply Chain Visibility category reflects its impactful contributions to enhancing transparency and efficiency in the global supply chain.

south carolina

South Carolina Ports Accelerates Rail Expansion for Seamless Supply Chain Connectivity

South Carolina Ports is making strategic investments in its rail capabilities to foster growth in the Southeast, with construction underway at the Navy Base Intermodal Facility. Scheduled to open in July 2025, this near-dock, rail-served cargo yard aims to expedite goods to market, bolster port capacity, and elevate overall service quality.

The intermodal yard will be served by both Norfolk Southern and CSX, establishing a direct link between SC Ports’ Charleston port terminals and rail-connected inland ports in Greer and Dillon. This connectivity extends to markets in the Southeast and Midwest, enhancing the fluidity and reliability of the supply chain.

Key features of the facility include 78,000 linear feet of railroad track, six rail-mounted gantry cranes facilitating container movements between CSX and Norfolk Southern trains, and a one-mile dedicated drayage road for efficient cargo transport to and from Leatherman Terminal. Additionally, a future barge will facilitate container transportation between the Leatherman and Wando Welch terminals.

Supported by $550 million in state funding, these critical infrastructure projects aim to accommodate a 1 million lift capacity and handle trains exceeding 14,000 feet. The rail-served cargo yard is poised to play a pivotal role in streamlining the movement of goods along the U.S. East Coast.

SC Ports President and CEO Barbara Melvin expressed gratitude for the state’s support, emphasizing that these investments will empower port-dependent businesses, create jobs across the state, and enhance the overall success of the supply chain.

In addition to the Navy Base Intermodal Facility, SC Ports is extending its commitment to rail expansion by investing in the expansion of Inland Port Greer. This expansion will enable the inland port to handle longer trains and accommodate a 50% increase in cargo capacity. Inland Ports Greer and Dillon demonstrated robust performance, handling a combined 19,232 containers in November, reflecting a significant 48% year-over-year increase.

While container volumes experienced a slight decline in November, SC Ports demonstrated strength in the vehicle sector, with 21,821 vehicles crossing its docks. Vehicles are up 16% fiscal-year-to-date, showcasing the port’s agility and flexibility in serving the Southeast market.

As South Carolina Ports continues to fortify its rail infrastructure, these initiatives are set to significantly enhance supply chain efficiency and reliability across the U.S. East Coast.

port congestion import

Navigating the Waves: Examining the Looming Threat of Port Congestion

By Bryn Heimbeck, President and Co-Founder of Trade Tech, an industry-leading global logistics platform. He asks the question: Is it time to worry about port congestion again?

The following outlines Mr. Heimbeck’s position on why shippers and stakeholders throughout the supply chain should be looking for solutions to address the challenge of entering what he calls the “congestion zone” again.

According to Mr. Heimbeck, the White House’s announcement of the formation of the Council for Supply Chain Resilience is coming none too soon. There are a set of key facts facing the US Supply Chain Market today:

  • Carriers have an enormous number of new vessels on order and coming on line now.
  • New tonnage is driving freight rates down, although they seemed to plateau over the summer Peak Season.
  • The US Economy grew at an amazing 5.2% in the 3rd quarter according to Reuters and indications are for continued strong growth.
  • The low water issues in the Panama Canal has significantly reduced the number of vessels that can transit the canal and avoid the US West Coast ports.

“The pivotal point here is the level of container throughput in the ports. This was the bottleneck in 2020 – 2022 and will be the bottleneck again until capacity at the ports is enlarged either through capital development or process changes yielding greater efficiency.

The concern should be that October container volumes reached the same level where port congestion started in 2020. It is probably safe to project that November through February will have lower seasonal volumes but if March and beyond is normal and the economy continues to grow and carriers reroute vessels away from the Panama Canal, then we should anticipate port congestion is exactly the way we project traffic during rush hour in any large city. Congestion is just what happens when traffic volumes exceed a known point.

CALL TO ACTION

It’s time for the industry and the government to move forward quickly in discussing alternative ideas and concepts for process changes in cargo management. Focusing on these process changes stands a better chance of mitigating port congestion rather than waiting for several years to see capital projects implemented.

It’s time to look seriously at leveraging the data flowing to US Customs from the ocean carriers and NVOCCs as part of the 24 Hour Rule. This data includes all legal shipments, is standardized to meet US CBP’s requirements, is complete or otherwise rejected, and yields full accessible visibility that so many in the market have called for.

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November Sees 9% Drop in US Container Imports; Panama Drought Affects East and Gulf Coast Ports

Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq: DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, released its December Global Shipping Report for logistics and supply chain professionals. In November 2023, U.S. container import volume decreased 9% from October 2023, with East and Gulf Coast ports experiencing the greatest declines. While the decrease is large, it’s consistent with monthly reductions at the end of prior years. Imports from China also continued to decline, but at a slightly faster pace than the overall numbers. The Panama drought finally appears to be negatively impacting U.S. container import volume at East and Gulf Coast ports, which could worsen with the Panama Canal Authority’s plans to further reduce the number of daily transit slots in coming months. The December update of the logistics metrics Descartes is tracking shows a decline consistent with seasonal import patterns and signs that global supply chain performance improvements have stalled.

November 2023 U.S. container import volumes decreased 9.0% from October 2023 to 2,099,408 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) (see Figure 1). Versus November 2022, TEU volume was higher by 7.4%, and up 10.4% from pre-pandemic November 2019. The growth in import volume over the first eleven months of 2023 is within 4.0% of the same period in 2019.

Figure 1. U.S. Container Import Volume Year-over-Year Comparison

Source: Descartes Datamyne™

“November has traditionally been a weaker month than October and while the decline is steep, it is consistent with other years’ performance,” said Chris Jones, EVP Industry at Descartes. “The impact of the drought in Panama is finally hitting as volumes at the Gulf Coast ports (see Figure 2) and, in particular, the port of Houston(-26.7%) are considerably lower than the overall decline. East Coast ports experienced a significant decrease as well.”

Figure 2: U.S. Gulf Coast Container Imports for 2023

Source: Descartes Datamyne™

The November report is Descartes’ twenty-eighth installment since beginning its analysis in August 2021. To read past reports, learn more about the key economic and logistics factors driving the global shipping crisis, and review strategies to help address it in the near-, short- and long-term, visit Descartes’ Global Shipping Resource Center.

Trucking Industry solvento

Solvento Secures $53.5M Funding for AI-Powered Trucking Solutions and Financial Inclusion

Solvento, a Latin American fintech company revolutionizing payment and credit infrastructure for the trucking sector, has successfully closed a $50M debt facility from Lendable and raised an oversubscribed $3.5M seed extension led by Quona Capital. This news coincides with the launch of Solvento Audita, an innovative AI-powered software streamlining the accounts payable process for the on-the-road freight industry.

The funding, backed by investors such as Dynamo Ventures, Ironspring Ventures, Proeza Ventures, and Zenda VC, aims to propel Solvento’s mission of creating a comprehensive payment and credit infrastructure for the Latin American trucking sector. Solvento’s focus is on automating payments, financing invoices, and addressing liquidity needs for carriers, ultimately enhancing operational efficiency and supporting growth.

Solvento Audita, the newly launched software, utilizes AI to automate end-to-end accounts payable processes, offering a transformative solution for the trucking industry’s supply chain and freight dynamics. The platform enables quick pay options for shippers and brokers, injecting working capital into the supply chain to benefit carriers and truckers. This not only facilitates faster payments to drivers but also addresses the ongoing driver capacity deficit in the industry.

Iñaki Garcia, Head of LatAm Investments at Lendable, expressed confidence in Solvento’s transformative approach, stating, “Solvento’s take on the transportation industry is creating a line of capital and credit infrastructure that the region doesn’t see often. We’re proud to help facilitate this move into a more inclusive and diverse financial state.”

Rafa de la Guia, Partner at Quona Capital, highlighted the underserved nature of the trucking industry in Mexico and Latin America, emphasizing the opportunities for specialized companies like Solvento. The funding provides Solvento with the resources to execute ambitious growth plans and further contribute to financial inclusion in the region.

Jaime Tabachnik, Co-Founder & CEO of Solvento, emphasized the transformative impact of their technology on the trucking industry, contributing to higher levels of financial inclusion and efficiency. Solvento Audita’s use of APIs and AI enables seamless integration into existing software, offering a groundbreaking solution for digitizing and validating complex freight documentation.

The new funding will fuel the continued development of Solvento’s products, with a focus on expanding commercial efforts to meet the growing demands of the $200 billion Latin American trucking market. Solvento’s vision extends to becoming the de facto payment platform for truckers in Mexico and cross-border trucking, contributing to the evolution of the region’s logistics industry.

armada

Armada Supply Chain Solutions Unveils State-of-the-Art Logistics Hub in Dallas to Propel Industry Growth

Armada Supply Chain Solutions Expands Reach with Inauguration of Dallas Logistics Hub

Armada, a prominent provider of logistics solutions catering to the food industry, is thrilled to announce the official opening of its latest warehouse facility situated at 101 Enterprise Drive in Flower Mound, Texas. This cutting-edge Hub signifies a strategic move for Armada, enhancing its capacity, efficiency, and overall service to clients and the market. Spanning an impressive 465,000 square feet, the facility boasts three distinct temperature zones, making it an ideal space to support Armada’s flourishing business.

John Burke, the CEO of Armada, expresses his enthusiasm, stating, “The unveiling of our new Dallas Hub Center is the culmination of years of meticulous planning and hard work. As we consistently invest in infrastructure, the Dallas Hub stands not only as a physical space but also as a symbol of our unwavering commitment to innovation and industry growth. Armada’s resilience and our dedicated team will furnish both existing and future clients with the essential framework for success.”

The facility includes 357,069 square feet of ambient space, equipped with 72 dock doors to facilitate seamless operations. The temperature-controlled section comprises 33,678 square feet of refrigerated space and a 54,630 square foot freezer, complemented by a 16,723 square foot cool dock and 16 dock doors. Maintaining food-grade standards and Merieux NutriSciences approval, the facility employs Kargo optical reader verification for shipping and receiving, coupled with a narrow-aisle layout to optimize operational efficiencies.

The Dallas Hub aligns seamlessly with Armada’s existing facilities in Greencastle, PA, Romeoville, IL, and East Point, GA, all of similar size. Representing a significant milestone for Armada, the new hub is poised to offer enhanced flexibility and reliability to clients. Moreover, the operational expansion brings about the creation of 70 new jobs in the region.