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Category: Logistics

Retail News Asia is committed to providing both local and global retailers with the latest Logistics news throughout the Asian market. This on a daily base.

  • Cathay Cargo volume up 20 percent in December

    Cathay Cargo volume up 20 percent in December

    Cathay Pacific’s cargo business ended 2023 on a high note, finishing with around 1.4 million tonnes, compared with about 1.2 million tonnes in 2022, in what it described as ‘an encouraging result.’

    Cargo volume in December jumped 20.7 percent year on year, as the airline carried 128,546 tonnes with cargo revenue increasing 14.1 percent year on year for the month. The cargo load factor slid 6.5 percentage points to 60.8 percent, as capacity measured in available cargo tonne kilometres (AFTKs) increased by 26.3 percent year on year.

    In the full year of 2023, the tonnage increased by 19.6 percent against a 59.7 percent increase in AFTKs and a 40.3 percent increase in RFTKs, as compared with 2022, the airline noted.

    “Our cargo business performed well in December, and finished on a high, primarily driven by the strong year-end demand for e-commerce products. Additionally, there was increased demand for perishable goods for the holiday season. December also saw a pickup in our Live Animal solutions with significant numbers of racehorses being moved across our network in support of the Hong Kong international race events.

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  • JD.com partners with parcel company Evri in the UK

    JD.com partners with parcel company Evri in the UK

    JD.com is supporting the growth of British businesses in the Chinese market as it partnered with parcel delivery company Evri to combine their expertise and resources in e-commerce and logistics.

    The partnership will combine JD.com’s advanced e-commerce capabilities with Evri’s extensive delivery network across Europe. The services will include local pickup, warehousing, international transportation, access to Chinese bonded warehouses, customs clearance, and comprehensive delivery across China.

    The team-up will initially focus on the beauty and apparel sectors, where JD.com has substantial insights, including consumer behaviour, marketing and pricing strategies, product selection advice, and online operational strategies specific to the Chinese market.

    The collaboration will also enable JD Logistics to offer integrated warehousing and comprehensive delivery solutions to European clients by leveraging its self-operated overseas warehouses and Evri’s local distribution network.

    Qun Xue, Vice President of JD.com and Head of JD Logistics International said: “This partnership underscores our dedication to building a robust global logistics network and our commitment to the success of international brands.”

  • DHL Express adds more capacity on Singapore-US route

    DHL Express adds more capacity on Singapore-US route

    DHL Express and Singapore Airlines welcomed the final Boeing 777 freighter as part of a 5-aircraft deal signed in 2022 that will add further add capacity between Asia Pacific and the Americas via the DHL South Asia Hub in Singapore. 

    The aircraft, sporting a dual DHL-SIA livery, joins four other B777F, providing 1,224 tonnes of payload capacity to accomodate international express shipments on the US-Asia route.

    As early as December 2023, three of the five freighters were operated on the Singapore-Bangkok/Taipei-Incheon/Nagoya-Cincinnatti-Honolulu-Sydney-Singapore route seven times a week. The other two cover the Singapore-Nagoya-Los Angeles-Honolulu-Singapore route five times a week.

    DHL is capitalising on Singapore’s main hub status and location to cut the delivery times between Asia Pacific and the US West Coast to one day for time-sensitive shipments.

    In March 2022, DHL Express and SIA signed the crew and maintenance agreement, where the airline would operate and oversee the maintenance of the five Boeing 777 freighters deployed at the South Asia Hub. These five freighters are part of the express operators’ 28-unit order of the type since the first purchase was made in 2018. The first freighter as part of the deal saw its debut in August 2022.

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  • DHL Express makes management changes in Asia Pacific

    DHL Express makes management changes in Asia Pacific

    DHL Express has announced several retirements and strategic appointments for Asia Pacific, including Hong Kong and Macau, South Korea and Taiwan.

    Yung C. Ooi, most recently country manager for Taiwan, has been elected as Asia Pacific’s senior vice president for commercial. He will take over the responsibilities of Yasmin Khan, who retires after 23 years at the DHL Group. Appointed in Yung’s place is Chee Choong, who was managing director for  Hong Kong & Macau.

    30-year veteran Andy Chiang, former head of global strategic finance for DHL Express, has moved to a new position as managing director for Hong Kong & Macau.

    In North Asia, Ji Hun (Michael) Han will be the new managing director for DHL Express Korea, succeeding Byung Koo Han, who has retired after 16 years at DHL Group.

    DHL Express is present in more than 40 countries and territories in Asia Pacific with a market share of 57 percent in time-definite international (TDI) revenue. In December 2023, the express operator signed a long-term contract with Japan Airlines to utilize the latter’s first freighter, a Boeing 767-300, to add more connectivity to and from Japan.

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  • JD Logistics launches express service to North America, Europe

    JD Logistics launches express service to North America, Europe

    JD Logistics has launched an international express delivery service on 15 December for one-way deliveries from China bound for North America and Europe.

    The new service will initially cover 23 countries across North America and Europe and will be available in Shenzhen and Guangzhou with plans to expand its availability throughout China.

    Leveraging the company’s robust express delivery network, customers in China can book doorstep pick-ups through the JD Express mini program on WeChat and expect one-hour pickup by in-house couriers, complete with real-rime parcel tracking.

    The new service marks a significant milestone for JD Logistics, representing both an expansion of its renowned logistics services to the global stage and a key phase in the company’s broader international market expansion.

    The company’s overseas warehousing operations already offer same-day fulfillment services in key European markets, including Germany, The Netherlands, France, the UK, Spain, and Poland, with two- to three-day delivery services across 90 percent of the regions in the United States.

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  • Singapore Airlines’ cargo volume up 7 percent in October

    Singapore Airlines’ cargo volume up 7 percent in October

    Singapore Airlines saw cargo loads jump 7 percent year on year in October, on the back of e-commerce flows and freighter charters, according to the company’s latest operating results.

    The carrier’s cargo operations posted a load factor of 56.1 percent, or 3.5 percentage points higher year-on-year, with load factors on routes to The Americas (12.5 percentage points), South West Pacific (9.5 percentage points) and West Asia and Africa (7.8 percentage points), seeing notable gains. Meanwhile, cargo load factors on East Asia routes fell-10.1 percentage points.

    Capacity for the month expanded 23 percent YoY, which was outpaced by 23.5 percent passenger traffic growth, with SIA and Scoot registering 3.1 million passengers in total, up 36.1 percent from the same month a year before.

    As of end-October, the group’s cargo network comprised 121 destinations in 37 countries and territories.

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  • Wexco to represent DHL Aviation in Oceania

    Wexco to represent DHL Aviation in Oceania

    DHL Aviation has tapped ECS Group subsidiaries Wexco Group and Wexco NZ to provide GSSA services in Australia and New Zealand starting 1 December 2023.

    The four-year contracts were finalised in end-September, which will see Wexco sell the capacity on board 45 weekly flights, with 550 tonnes of capacity to be filled each week. DHL operates 26 flights from Australia and 19 flights from New Zealand transporting perishable commodities alongside regular horse shipments.

    “The wide variety of perishable commodities alongside regular horse shipments, make DHL Aviation an exciting airline partner and we are therefore all the more delighted to enter into this partnership,” stated Wexco general manager, Richard Valenzuela.

    DHL Aviation connects to many international destinations out of Australia and New Zealand, including Singapore, Seoul, Hong Kong, Bahrain, US, and various European locations. Its Australian flight schedule offers a Melbourne (MEL) to SIN connection, 5 times per week; Sydney (SYD) to SIN operations, 7 times per week; MEL to Auckland (AKL) to Christchurch (CHC), 5 times per week; and SYD–AKL–CHC, 6 times per week. Weekly uplift consists of meat, chilled salmon and other perishable produce to Asia, whilst exports to New Zealand include general cargo, e-commerce, regular horse movements, and perishables, which are predominantly stone fruits.

    Out of New Zealand, DHL flies from CHC via AKL to SYD, 6 times per week, and CHC–AKL–MEL, 5 times per week, connecting with intra-Australian road feeder services where necessary. Main commodities include fish, dairy, general cargo and horses to Australia, and meat, fruit, and seafood to destinations in Asia.

    “DHL operates a fleet of more than 20 Asia Pacific dedicated aircrafts and is committed to ensuring reliable and efficient service performance, in particular when it comes to supporting trans-Tasman trade. We have invested heavily in Oceania over the past five years and partnering with equally driven partners is essential to the success of our challenging growth strategy,” says Nathan Vellasamy, Vice President at DHL Aviation, Air Capacity Sales, Asia Pacific.

    Parent GSSA company ECS Group now represents DHL in more than 20 countries across the globe.

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  • DHL Express unveils newly expanded hub in Hong Kong

    DHL Express unveils newly expanded hub in Hong Kong

    DHL Express has completed the expansion of its Central Asia Hub or CAH in Hong Kong, which can now handle six times more shipment volume than when it was first established in 2004.

    The leading express operator has spent 562 million euros on the Hong Kong hub over the last 19 years with two phased developments in both 2008 and 2017. Given its location in Hong Kong, the hub is important gateway to Asia and the rest of the world and today it handles close to 20 percent of the company’s global shipment volume.

    DHL Express said it initiated the final expansion of the facility to complement the launch of Hong Kong International Airport’s three-runway system, which is set to be completed by 2024.

    With direct access to airside and landside, the newly expanded state-of-the-art facility, with double the total warehouse space at 49,500 square metres, is currently the only dedicated and purpose-built air express cargo facility at Hong Kong International Airport with an automated material handling system and peak handling capacity of 125,000 shipments per hour. It currently handles over 200 dedicated flights per week.

    DHL Express said that it expects to handle plus 50 percent of the current volume or up to 1.06 million tonnes per annum when operating at full capacity, six times the shipment volume of when the hub was first established in 2004.

    The company’s Asia Pacific air network operates with four hubs, one in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok, linking to 900 express facilities in the region. The newly expanded hub in Hong Kong is expected to help strengthen the world city’s role as a trans-shipment hub for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, as well as support Hong Kong airport’s long-term goal to become the ‘e-commerce fulfillment centre of Asia’.

    To address the issue of sustainability, DHL has installed solar panels on the hub’s roof and deployed a battery storage system that can store excess solar power and release it as needed,saving 125,000 kWh of electricity annually and reducing 49 tonnes of carbon emissions. Other environmentally friendly features include electric forklifts, LED lights and highly efficient air-cooled chillers.

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  • Etihad Cargo launches ‘instant offer rate’ solution

    Etihad Cargo launches ‘instant offer rate’ solution

    Imagine getting competitive air freight rates for your requirements and completing transactions faster. This is exactly what Etihad Cargo’s instant offer rate solution aims to do.

    The solution, developed with IBS Software, reduces the processing time and can generate prices in seconds based on five key details for bookings and flights across the carrier’s network, including density, departure day, direct or indirect flights, flight demand and requested service.

    The new system cuts the transaction time by up to 70 percent. It uses the required flight/booking data and can provide the best available price seamlessly within a few seconds via Etihad Cargo’s online portal.

    The Abu Dhabi-based carrier has been adding features to its revamped booking portal, ‘making it easier and more intuitive for partners and customers to make bookings,” said Leonard Rodrigues, head of revenue management and network planning at Etihad Cargo.

    The launch of the new solution follows the recent addition of features enabling the booking of cats, dogs, and dangerous goods on Etihad’s air cargo booking portal as part of its ongoing digitalization strategy.

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  • SingPost’s Australian unit eyes purchase of Border Express

    SingPost’s Australian unit eyes purchase of Border Express

    Freight Management Holdings or FMH, a subsidiary of Singapore Post, has entered into a conditional sale and purchase agreement with the shareholders of Border Express, for a maximum purchase consideration of A$210 million, or approximately S$183 million.

    Border Express is considered the 6th largest national transport and distribution services company in Australia with comprehensive freight connectivity, warehouses and regional centres.

    It provides end-to-end interstate logistics services with a network of 16 facilities, a fleet of over 700 vehicles, a team of 1,300 employees, and over 3,000 clients across industries, including large retail and consumer brands.

    Upon completion, Border Express will join the transportation companies held under the FMH Group umbrella, which include GKR Transport, Niche Logistics, BagTrans, Formby Logistics and Spectrum Transport.

    Over the past three years, SingPost has expanded its operations in Australia with the FMH Group and CouriersPlease, and more recently, it reached agreement with the remaining minority shareholders of FMH to take its ownership to 100 percent.

    The Australian integrated logistics market is estimated at over A$120 billion. With the acquisition of Border Express, revenues of the wider FMH Group are expected to exceed S$1 billion.

    “Upon completion, the acquisition will support FMH Group to realise the vision of a new logistics ecosystem where people and physical assets are connected through a ubiquitous technology platform, enabling true supply chain efficiency,” said Simon Slagter, Group Chief Executive Officer at FMH Group,

    The transaction is subject to relevant statutory approvals and other closing conditions.

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  • FedEx speeds up Vietnam-Singapore service with B767F

    FedEx speeds up Vietnam-Singapore service with B767F

    FedEx Express is further enhancing its services between Vietnam and Singapore as well as the wider Asia, Middle East, Africa (AMEA) and Europe market, with the introduction of a new flight offering expedited delivery times.

    The new service will use a dedicated B767 freighter starting October 31 to fly four times a week in the evenings from Ho Chi Minh City to Asia and Europe through the FedEx hub in Guangzhou, China.

    Exporters shipping from Southern Vietnam will benefit from faster transit times for shipments to Singapore and major Asian markets in just one business day, and two business days to Europe.

    These new flights offer additional capacity on top of the current five flights to Asia, Europe, and the US. These include four daily morning services through the FedEx hub in Singapore and the existing evening flight through the Guangzhou hub.

    FedEx has been supporting cross-border trade to and from Vietnam since it established operations in the country in 1994.

  • Hong Kong’s One Record trial shows flexibility for sea-air cargo

    Hong Kong’s One Record trial shows flexibility for sea-air cargo

    The adoption of proposed industry data exchange standard One Record has been gathering pace, and recently operators in Hong Kong marked a major milestone with the first shipment transported by sea-air from the Greater Bay Area via Dongguan.

    The milestone is part of a joint pilot scheme between Cathay Cargo and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK) to trial a sea-air multimodal solution to transport cargo from Dongguan for export to other countries via Hong Kong.

    IATA’s ONE Record initiative enables end-to-end transparency for consignments, logging progress as they pass through multiple links in the chain from shipper to agent, airline, warehouse and statutory authorities such as customs, following IATA’s protocols for APIs – the interface that enables users to connect to the system, and share data in a secure way.

    Cathay said this marked the first time that IATA’s One Record was made available for sea-air, which saw air cargo bound for Bangkok, Manila and Tokyo from forwarder Yusen Logistics.

    The cargo was accepted at the Cathay Cargo Terminal in Dongguan and passed through AAHK security there, with cargo acceptance logged outside the origin airport’s cargo terminal. That acceptance was registered as an acceptance milestone on ONE Record. The system then generated data notices when the bonded shipments were unloaded for export at Hong Kong Airport. From there, the shipments triggered the normal ONE Record shipment milestones as they completed the journey until the collection by the eventual consignees.

    One Record is scheduled to be implemented in 2026, according to IATA, and the airline said the pilot showed its value in enabling premium services like Ultra Track and other use cases.

    “This pilot also showed ONE Record’s flexibility, and being able to accept cargo from an upstream cargo terminal and then log its transit by boat was a world first,” said Cathay Director Cargo Tom Owen.

    Yusen was able to follow progress by logging into their account in the one-stop digital cargo-management system, EzyCargo™, using an interface designed by Global Logistics System (GLS), one of the pioneers in developing IATA ONE Record technologies who led the technical and system readiness work for the pilot.

    “ONE Record will really help enhance the collaboration among supply chain stakeholders, especially for shipments from the GBA, and it will improve visibility for our customers,” noted Cyrus Chan, Manager Air Freight Forwarding Division at Yusen.

    “ONE Record is gaining traction and will become the global standard, and we are keen to be an early adopter to align with industry best practice and future developments in air-cargo operations.”

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  • JD Logistics rolls out express parcel service in Hong Kong, Macau

    JD Logistics rolls out express parcel service in Hong Kong, Macau

    JD Logistics is strengthening its presence and operations in the Greater Bay Area by expanding its self-operated express delivery business in Hong Kong and Macau via JD Express.

    The enhanced delivery network will comprise several operations centres and offer intra-city and cross-border express delivery between Hong Kong, Macau, and China.

    In Hong Kong, the company promises expedited intra-city deliveries as fast as 4 hours and nighttime extended delivery hours until 10:00 PM. In Macau, intra-city packages can arrive as soon as the following day.

    JD Logistics has provided B2B and B2C warehousing and distribution logistics solutions across Hong Kong and Macau for over five years, and the company’s newly launched self-operated express delivery services will enable online shoppers in Hong Kong and Macau to enjoy the same convenience found in the mainland.

    “With our recent expansion of delivery services into Hong Kong and Macau, we are proud to bring JD Express’ quality service, honed over a decade, to these regions for the very first time,” said Wei Ma, General Manager of JD Logistics Express Business Hong Kong.

    “With a humble and practical approach, we are committed to providing our customers in both cities with a reassuring and worry-free express delivery experience.”

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  • DHL Supply Chain earmarks €350m for Southeast Asia network

    DHL Supply Chain earmarks €350m for Southeast Asia network

    DHL Supply Chain plans to invest EUR350 million in Southeast Asia over the next five years to expand its warehousing capacity, workforce and sustainability initiatives.

    With this investment, DHL Supply Chain will increase its current 1.6 million square meters of warehouse space in Southeast Asia by 25 percent, or 400,000 square meters. This is part of a series of strategic investments by DHL Supply Chain over the past year, which have already added up to EUR1.35 billion globally. These included investments in infrastructure, hiring and development, as well as automation, digitalization and sustainability in India, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

    “Companies are looking at diversifying their supply chains. Southeast Asia, with its efficient work environment and effective trade agreements such as the China-ASEAN FTA, stands to benefit the most.

    “These are strategic investments we take – despite the generally softer market environment – because we invest in the future growth of our business and strongly believe in the strategic expansion and diversification of our regional businesses,” said Oscar de Bok, CEO, DHL Supply Chain.

    The company added that it will continue to develop its warehouse management systems (WMS) and introduce technology in selected markets, such as auto-stores, automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) for pallets and large goods, and automated guided vehicles (AGVs).

    “We are not just increasing our capacity, but we are building logistics centers that can cater to future demand for our customers through robotics and sustainability initiatives,” noted Javier Bilbao, CEO, DHL Supply Chain Asia Pacific.

    For example, he highlighted the upcoming fifth facility in Penang – PLH5, which will feature state-of-the-art automated pallet storage and retrieval system and goods-to-person robotics technology to handle small parts picking.

    Looking ahead, the contract logistics unit shared a broader strategy to nurture talent and meet evolving customer demands in automation, digital analytics, electric vehicle (EV) handling, reverse logistics, and solution design. It also plans to double its EV fleet in Southeast Asia over the next five years.

    DHL Supply Chain is also championing sustainability in the sector as it committed to having carbon-neutral facilities for all new buildings, like what it has done in its facilities in Singapore and Malaysia.

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  • JD Logistics rolls out express parcel service in Hong Kong, Macau

    JD Logistics rolls out express parcel service in Hong Kong, Macau

    JD Logistics is strengthening its presence and operations in the Greater Bay Area with the expansion of its self-operated express delivery business in Hong Kong and Macau via JD Express.

    The enhanced delivery network will comprise several operations centres and offer intra-city and cross-border express delivery between Hong Kong, Macau, and China.

    In Hong Kong, the company promises expedited intra-city deliveries as fast as 4 hours and nighttime extended delivery hours until 10:00 PM. In Macau, intra-city packages can arrive as soon as the next morning.

    JD Logistics has provided B2B and B2C warehousing and distribution logistics solutions across Hong Kong and Macau for over five years, and the company’s newly launched self-operated express delivery services will enable online shoppers in Hong Kong and Macau to enjoy the same convenience found in the mainland.

    “With our recent expansion of delivery services into Hong Kong and Macau, we are proud to bring JD Express’ quality service, honed over a decade, to these regions for the very first time,” said Wei Ma, General Manager of JD Logistics Express Business Hong Kong.

    “With a humble and practical approach, we are committed to providing our customers in both cities with a reassuring and worry-free express delivery experience.”

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