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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.

  • Relaunch of Freightbook with new online ratings feature

    Relaunch of Freightbook with new online ratings feature

    Based in the UK, Freightbook Ltd was formed by Rachel Humphrey who has been actively involved with global freight networks since the mid-90s.

    Rachel Humphrey launched Freightbook www.freightbook.net in July 2009 as a new concept of linking forwarders together at a low-cost and as an alternative to a traditional freight network.

    Since then 1500+ companies in 140+ countries have registered and are promoting their services on a global scale whilst at the same time driving traffic to their own websites.

    Today, Freightbook is enjoying an exciting relaunch with a fabulous new feature inspired by the fact that ratings are now an essential element to any online directory.

    “Personally, I always refer to customer ratings before purchasing products online. This applies to service providers too. A recent survey showed that 91% of businesses are influenced by recommendations when making a decision to use a company so we’ve made it super quick and easy to share feedback on our advertisers,” said Rachel Humphrey, Founder.

    She also recently launched v3.0 of their Smartphone Service at m.freightbook.net where forwarders and suppliers to the freight industry can be found quickly on mobile devices

    The online directory costs £50 for 2 years registration and boasts additional benefits including contact details listed in the monthly FB Index, dedicated online news/PR service, direct quote request leads (approved by in-house staff to avoid spam), automatic amendments to profile pages and the ability to post ratings and reviews for fellow advertisers.

    “Freightbook is an online business directory dedicated to the transportation industry. There are no rules, registered users are not governed and Freightbook offers no financial protection or arbitration. There are many freight networks already established but some forwarders dislike the ties that are enforced by membership. Freightbook provides an alternative solution for forwarders to find overseas agents … and to be found,” said Humphrey.

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  • Indonesia Port Net to be Launched by Year-End

    Indonesia Port Net to be Launched by Year-End

    President Director of state-owned seaport operator PT Pelindo II Elvyn G. Masassya said the implementation of a single Internet-based electronic service or the Indonesia Port Net (Inaportnet) in Pelindo I to Pelindo IV has entered the finalization stage.

    Inaportnet is expected to improve connectivity of the four enterprises.

    Masasya added the Inaportnet application throughout all seaports managed by PT. Pelindo would be gradually done.

    “Our plan is that the Inaportnet in all the seaports managed by PT. Pelindon will be integrated at the end of 2016,” she said in Jakarta on Saturday.

    The Inaportnet will integrate the information system of ports throughout Indonesia and one of the benefits is to monitor domestic commodity and anticipation of complaints about waiting times for vessels.

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  • Yusen Logistics Indonesia acquires highest standard of quality certification

    Yusen Logistics Indonesia acquires highest standard of quality certification

    PT Yusen Logistics Indonesia has become the first logistics business in Indonesia to acquire GDP certification, the industry standard of quality for the storage and transport of medical and pharmaceutical products.

    PT Yusen Logistics Indonesia has been handling pharmaceutical and medical devices more than 10 years, transferring high value, temperature sensitive products all over the world through Yusen Logistics’ European Pharma Network. With demand for advanced quality rising, the Company has invested in acquiring GDP(*) certification to verify the quality of its services to customers.

    Yusen Indonesia can now assure customers that transportation quality and shipment safety is being met through strict compliance with GDP guidelines; insured by regular inspections and systematic staff training.

    The Company’s Pharma shipping service employs company-owned vehicles with temperature control capability and real-time GPS tracking. Delivery routes are finalized after assessment of transportation risks, with implemented temperature mapping and monitoring. For air shipments, through using systematic cargo management techniques, Yusen Indonesia’s Customs clearance services are faster and more efficient; achieving greater service accuracy.

    As part of Yusen Logistics’ medium term business plan, “GO FORWARD, Yusen Logistics – Next Challenges”, the Company has taken measures to expand its healthcare logistics services across Europe, most recently opening a new GDP warehouse in Amsterdam(**) and expanding its global shipping network. Now that Yusen Logistics Indonesia has acquired GDP certification, the expertise Yusen Logistics has cultivated in Europe will be applied to Asia – providing safe, reliable and speedy services to its customers.

    (*)GDP: Good Distribution Practice
    (**)September 2015

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  • Thailand Post plans B500m upgrade

    Thailand Post plans B500m upgrade

    A Thailand Post staff member shows an Automated Postal Machine — one of several new products and services the agency is offering to enhance e-commerce and to pamper new generation users.

    Thailand Post is spending 500 million baht on upgrading its core information technology (IT) automation systems and distribution centres to boost service innovation for the next-generation of online merchants and digital lifestyle consumers.

    The move is intended to fight back against the influx of no-frills messenger service apps like Lalamove, a Hong Kong-based delivery-matching mobile application, and parcel delivery service providers looking to capitalise on Thailand’s burgeoning e-commerce market.

    Of the total 500 million baht in spending, 300 million will go towards upgrading IT automation systems. The remaining 200 million baht will go to improving flexibility within and across its distribution centres.

    “We’re also in the process of transforming ourselves to become more digital in a drive to improve services and maintain our leadership in the home delivery service market,” said Samorn Terdthampiboon, president of Thailand Post.

    Thailand Post plans to roll out a slew of innovative services over the next seven months.

    For instance, she said PromptPost, a pre-registration mobile app service for high volume parcel delivery, will allow users to reduce the parcel processing time from eight seconds when they employ the service at a post office to two seconds when using Thailand Post’s semi-automated processing counters.

    Mrs Samorn said Thailand Post will soon provide an e-money service called THP Card, which allows people to use a card to pay for all Thailand Post services at its post offices across the country.

    Customers can also top up their cards at Thailand Post locations nationwide.

    She added Thailand Post plans to apply for an operating licence with the Bank of Thailand to provide an e-wallet service in the near future.

    Thailand Post has expanded its cross-border trading and e-commerce services to Indochina, crossing the Cambodian, Laotian and Myanmar borders to reach Chinese consumers.

    Mrs Samorn said Thailand Post is ready to enter Asean Economic Community (AEC) markets following a comprehensive organisational restructuring and the implementation of its enhancement schemes.

    Cross border revenue represented 14% of Thailand Post’s total, boasting bright prospects for revenue growth thanks to the booming business-to-business e-commerce market.

    Up to 37% of cross border revenue comes from its mail delivery service, and 6% from its mail system used to send financial statements and business letters to the retail and financial sectors.

    Mrs Samorn said Thailand Post expects its revenue to grow by 22% to 24.3 billion baht this year. Net profit is expected to reach 3 billion baht this year.

     

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  • Nippon Express, Alibaba to team up in China-bound shipping

    Nippon Express, Alibaba to team up in China-bound shipping

    Nippon Express will work with e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding to ship Japanese goods to China for around 30% less than current prevailing rates.

    The Japanese shipper will transport goods from companies doing business on Alibaba’s TMall.com platform to China, while an Alibaba affiliate will handle home delivery. Goods can either be flown across the sea when ordered or shipped by surface in advance and stored in warehouses.

    Nippon Express is Japan’s largest business-to-business and international shipper, enabling it to hold down costs by purchasing space on ships and aircraft in bulk. In teaming up with TMall, which controls 60% of China’s online retail market, the shipper aims to handle half of all online purchases headed there from Japan.

    Currently, Japan Post ships 90% of online purchases traveling to China via airmail with its express-mail service. But a fee hike of around 30% in June to 1,400 yen ($13.68) for packages up to 500 grams has raised headwinds to the service’s use. Nippon Express will keep fees for similar items around 1,000 yen, aiming to pick up customers put off by the increase. Both services take four to six days for delivery in China.

    Nippon Express and Alibaba will also take on the complex business of dealing with customs for companies on TMall. China updated rules on cross-border e-commerce in April and now requires such information as what is being shipped, prices and logistics to be submitted electronically. Nippon Express will be the first Japanese logistics company to create a digital link with Alibaba allowing this data to be combined and submitted in one neat package.

    China’s cross-border e-commerce retail market is expected to grow roughly twelvefold from 2014 levels to $245 billion in 2020, according to U.S. professional services company Accenture.

    A number of Japanese companies are competing to offer better and cheaper shipping options to China, creating new chances for even smaller businesses here to access that enormous market. Yamato Holdings inked a partnership in April with companies including JD.com, TMall’s smaller rival, to offer international shipping and home delivery. ANA Holdings plans to offer a service handling everything from customs procedures to delivery starting in September.

    Such Japanese products as cosmetics and household goods have gained a sterling reputation for safety and quality in China. Consumers there are on track to buy 2.33 trillion yen ($22.8 billion) in goods from Japan online in 2019, according to the Japanese trade ministry. This is roughly triple the 2015 level.

    E-commerce is growing more important to Japanese companies as a source of continuous demand from China. This stands in contrast to consumption by Chinese tourists in Japan, who have been spending less per capita of late.

     

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  • Damco expands Hub-In-Transit in Malaysia

    Damco expands Hub-In-Transit in Malaysia

    Damco, the global third party logistics provider, has expanded its Hub-in-Transit programme by establishing new hubs in Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Morocco.

    Damco’s Hub-in-Transit programme allows companies to postpone their decisions on the final delivery date and final destination, by using container trans-shipment hubs as decoupling points in the supply chain.

    Anthony Elwine, Damco’s Global Head of Chemical & Industrial, explains: “Damco customers have used our Hub-in-Transit solution successfully to improve service to their customers while decreasing costs. We have now developed three additional hub locations to help them serve even more markets, and reap similar benefits.

    “Chemical sector clients have been early users of the programme, but the service is also suitable for other products, such as steels and textiles, or FMCG/CPG.”

    The service is especially of interest to companies with limited on-site storage capacity where production operations are large-scale, continuous processes. Those companies may be forced to ship their products based on assumptions about the best place and time of delivery.

    Hub-in-Transit enables the companies to make full use of carrier free-time by using strategically located trans-shipment hubs as virtual warehouses for goods.

    By doing so, the companies will be able to lower their costs-to-serve whilst increasing logistics flexibility towards their end-customers.

    Damco’s Hub-In-Transit programme:  The benefits

    • Use carrier free-time at strategically located trans-shipment hubs as a virtual warehouse for your goods
    • Increase flexibility to respond to changing customer demand by postponing your decisions on the final destination and delivery date of shipments
    • De-consolidate shipments if needed
    • Respond faster to your customers and increase your speed-to-market
    • Increase service levels as a result of more reliable point-of-destination deliveries
    • Reduce costs by eliminating the need for storage at origin or destination
    • Keep full end-to-end visibility and control of your cargo from the place of manufacturing to your end customer
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  • DHL collaborates with Electrolux on LCL ocean freight shipments

    DHL collaborates with Electrolux on LCL ocean freight shipments

    Electrolux and DHL collaborates. As of now, DHL Global Forwarding, the air and ocean freight specialist of Deutsche Post DHL Group, is responsible for the majority of Electrolux’ global ocean freight Less-Than-Container-Load (LCL) shipments.

    The appointment by the Swedish home appliance manufacturer comprises an annual estimated cargo volume of more than 20,000 cubic meters, approximately 70 percent of their global volume, and includes shipments from all regions including Asia, Oceania, North America, Europe and Latin America.

    “LCL shipments are important to Electrolux, particularly for project shipments, small urgent consignments and spare parts distribution, and are an integral part of our global supply chain. We have chosen DHL Global Forwarding for this task due to the unparalleled global network coverage and the high reliability which DHL Ocean Connect LCL has been providing for many years now,” said Bjorn Vang Jensen, Vice President, Global Logistics at Electrolux.

    DHL’s ocean freight network for LCL shipments includes more than 45,000 Container Freight Station point pairs which connect the globe. The company’s “Shipped as Booked” policy guarantees that goods are scheduled for a specific vessel and will ship on that vessel whether the container is full or not.

    This has been a major criterion for Electrolux in the selection process, since special project or spare part shipments need to be shipped in various, fluctuating quantities and for which demand is unpredictable.

    Moreover, these volumes are not necessarily sufficient for a full container box all the time.

    “We are extremely delighted to continue our long-lasting relationship with Electrolux. This new nomination is a fantastic acknowledgement of our DHL Ocean Connect LCL offering and the services provided in other areas in recent years,” says Michael Young, Executive Vice President, Global Head Marketing & Sales, DHL Global Forwarding.

    Electrolux has been a DHL customer for more than 10 years. The other services that DHL provides for the company are global airfreight, international supply chain services, customs brokerage and multimodal solutions including rail and trucking.

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  • China Post, Lazada Ink Strategic Agreement to Enhance Cross-border Logistics Solutions

    China Post, Lazada Ink Strategic Agreement to Enhance Cross-border Logistics Solutions

    China Post Group, China’s state-owned postal service provider, and Lazada Group, the leading online shopping and selling destination in Southeast Asia , have signed a strategic agreement to enhance cross-border logistics solutions for Chinese sellers on the Lazada platform.

    The areas of collaboration include enhancing current delivery options for merchants selling small and light items, and developing financial solutions such as micro-credit loans and online payment options for logistics fees. Both organizations have also expressed interest to collaborate with cross-border warehousing solutions, logistics-related education and training, and seller on-boarding in the longer term.

  • Honeywell Launches Slimmest Scan Engine and Ultra Compact Decoding Board

    Honeywell Launches Slimmest Scan Engine and Ultra Compact Decoding Board

    Honeywell has released the N6600 Series Ultra-Slim Area-Imaging Engine and its miniature decoding board Mini DB, which together enable small mobile devices to quickly and accurately capture data from barcodes using small mobile devices.

    Measuring just 6.8 millimeters in height, the N6600 series is one of the slimmest and most compact engines of its kind currently on the market. It can be embedded in mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablet sleds or wearable scanning solutions used in retail, distribution center, logistics and parcel delivery environments.

  • Citilink to Open New Hong Kong-Manado Route

    Citilink to Open New Hong Kong-Manado Route

    Citilink, the low-cost arm of national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia, is set to open a new route from Hong Kong to Manado in North Sulawesi in a bid to lure Chinese tourists to the archipelago.

    Citilink Indonesia commercial president director Hans Nugroho said Manado was one of Indonesia’s most popular destinations among Chinese tourists besides Bali and Raja Ampat in West Papua.

    “Manado has become famous as a diving destination. Hopefully the new route will afford foreign tourists easier access to Indonesia,” said Hans.

    Using an Airbus A320 for its maiden flight on the new route, Citilink is slated to carry 180 tourists from Hong Kong to Manado on Tuesday. Hans estimated that the carrier would be able to accommodate up to 3,000 passengers until the end of August.

    According to Tourism Ministry data, the number of foreign visitors to Indonesia reached 915,200 in May, 12.6 percent of whom came from China.

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  • Sriwijaya Air to open Manado-China flight route

    Sriwijaya Air to open Manado-China flight route

    Sriwijaya Air is planning to open the Manado-China direct flight route at the end of this year to cater to the increasing number of Chinese tourists traveling to North Sulawesi.

    Sriwijaya Air’s move is aimed at benefiting from the opportunity as it will have a positive impact on the regional economy, its district manager for Manado, Achmad Trenggono, said here on Friday.

    The plan to open more flight routes from and to the North Sulawesi provincial capital of Manado will have a multiplier effect, he added.

    “We are ready to support the North Sulawesi provincial governments efforts by encouraging the tourism sector,” he stressed.

    He believed that if the tourism sector is developed properly, it will have a massive impact on other sectors in the province.

    The general manager of the state airport operator of Sam Ratulangi (Samrat) international airport, Halendra Waworuntu, pointed out that his side is prepared to help the airline company open new flight routes from Manado to destinations across the world.

    “Only chartered planes have served international flights from Manado so far,” he informed.

    He underlined that the plan to open the Manado-China flight route will have a bright prospect because the province has a large potential to develop its economy.

  • Embassy promotes trade expo Indonesia in Senegal

    Embassy promotes trade expo Indonesia in Senegal

    The Indonesian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, has held a business meeting with Senegalese businessmen to promote various mainstay products and the 31st Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) to be held in Jakarta on October 12-16, 2016.

    The business meeting was attended by Senegalese businesspersons who have been doing business with their Indonesian counterparts.

    Secretary general of the Senegalese national chamber of commerce and industry Ndeye Seye, Dakar chamber of commerce and industry secretary general Aly Mboub, Poultrade CEO Washimp Obalah and Libellule CEO Gaelle Rispal attended the meeting.

    It was also attended by Senegalese businessmen in Thies who have visited the TEI organized in previous years.

    Indonesian Ambassador to Senegal Mansyur Pangeran said here on Sunday that the relations between Indonesia and Senegal, particularly in the business field, have been running well since long ago.

    However, their bilateral trade was still low, recorded at US$89.37 million only in 2015.

    The Indonesian embassy promoted various mainstay products during the meeting such as oil palm, cocoa, rubber, cinnamon and textile.

    During the meeting, Senegalese businessmen asked information regarding the types of products, prices, container transportation services, payment mechanism and sharia banks in Indonesia.

    Poultrade is interested in developing business with Indonesia for soap noodles. It is planning toimport 300-500 tons of the product from Indonesia per month.

    The ambassador said Indonesias free-visa policy was also hailed by Senegalese businesses and it is likely that more Senegalese businesses will take part in the 31st TEI.

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  • Bolloré Logistics Sponsors Honey Factory for Urban Beekeeping in Seoul

    Bolloré Logistics Sponsors Honey Factory for Urban Beekeeping in Seoul

    In an effort to promote the idea of urban beekeeping and to provide information about its environmental benefits, Bolloré Logistics Korea recently sponsored a beehive structure called Honey Factory, in Seoul, South Korea.

    Currently installed in Seoul Children’s Grand Park, it was first introduced in Asia at the 2016 International Conference on Urban Agriculture during The 5th Seoul Urban Agriculture Expo that took place last May 19-22.

    Designed by Italian industrial designer Francesco Faccin, this wooden beehive has a 4.5-meter chimney that keeps curious children safe from the bees. It also protects the bees from harm due to bad weather and helps keeping it at constant temperature with optimal ventilation. Honey Factory is an ideal beehive for city parks as a standard hive can cover a radius of three kilometers.

    The first Honey Factory has also been operating since 2015 installed in the garden of the Triennale Design Museum in Milan, Italy, and carries out educational activities as well as producing great urban honey.

    This action is fully in line with the biodiversity action plan put into effect within the Bolloré Logistics Business Unit. Bolloré Logistics’ biodiversity strategy has three fundamental pillars based on the ARC concept (Avoid / Reduce / Compensate):

    (1) Embracing biodiversity as one of the company’s environmental concerns;

    (2) Working with customers and suppliers on biodiversity issues and the impact of our activities;

    (3) Make our sites models for biodiversity, all over the world.

    By sponsoring the first Honey Factory in Asia, Bolloré Logistics hopes to increase efforts to protect bees, as they play a vital role in maintaining biodiversity.

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  • Direct flight links MSAR to Manado, Indonesia

    Direct flight links MSAR to Manado, Indonesia

    Some 205 Chinese travellers took off from Macau International Airport and arrived in Ratulangi International Airport, North Sulawesi, Indonesia by Lion Air’s Boeing 373 on Monday, reported Chinese News Agency. This represents the opening of the direct link between the SAR and Manado, a city on an Indonesian island.

    North Sulawesi Governor Olly Dondokambey expects that direct visits from a number of cities in China can be done regularly so that the Indonesian government’s target to increase tourist arrivals can be achieved.

    Lion Air is seeking to attract 30,000 Chinese tourists to Manado by year-end. “From now, we will have daily flights from six Chinese cities to Manado,” said Rusdi Kirana, Lion Group boss, and a member of the Presidential Advisory Board.
    The six cities are Macau, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Wuhan, Shanghai and Changsha. Rusdi said the six cities have huge market potential, large populations and high purchasing power.

    The Indonesian Government has expressed its target of attracting 1.2 million Chinese tourists to the country and North Sulawesi can be one of the main attractions, says its governor. “We believe North Sulawesi is a proper travel destination [for tourists] from Asia Pacific, particularly China with its huge market,” said the governor.

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  • Bolloré Logistics Expands its Logistics Operations in Myanmar

    Bolloré Logistics Expands its Logistics Operations in Myanmar

    Bolloré Logistics Myanmar recently announced the start of operations for its new logistics center strategically located in the Mingaladon area, 8km from airport, 25km to main sea port terminals and with quick access to the Asian Highway network.

    Through a wide range of services and best practices process, this facility will provide our customers with operational, commercial, and cost flexibility and efficiency.

    “This is a worthy investment in view to reinforce our presence in Myanmar, and it will enable us to offer more value-added services to our customers such as kitting, packing, labeling, price tagging, and delivery nationwide”, highlights Elizabeth Shwe, Director at Bolloré Logistics Myanmar.

    This new state-of-the-art multi-user warehouse benefits from a surface of 6,000 sqm and is equipped with 24/7 security guards. CCTV, fire protection, seven loading bays, forklifts, all are in use to reinforce clients’ satisfaction. This new warehouse is specialized for industries such as Garment, Telecom, and medical equipment.

    “Following our successes and developments in Telecom and medical equipment, it was much needed to continue investing in order to cope with the continuous increase of garment needs,” mentions Julien Loiret, General Manager at Bolloré Logistics Myanmar.

    Beside our regular services, the Myanmar branch office has been developing tailor-made solutions for textile customers such as buyer consolidation, multimodal delivery from Myanmar to overseas (sea/air, crossborder).

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