Retail News CRM

Tag: Logistics

  • DHL Supply Chain brings IoT to logistics

    DHL Supply Chain brings IoT to logistics

    DHL Supply Chain, the contract logistics specialist within the Deutsche Post DHL Group, forges ahead on its path of digitalization by implementing Internet of Things technology into warehousing to optimize operational efficiency and lay the foundations for safer work practices. Together with Cisco and start-up Conduce, DHL is testing the technology at three pilot sites in Germany, the Netherlands and Poland.

    The solution enables DHL to monitor operational activities in real-time through a responsive graphical visualization of operational data aggregated from sensors on scanners and material handling equipment, and DHL’s warehouse management system. Visualizing operational data with heat maps has changed the way data is analyzed and used at the pilot sites, and is expected to contribute to operational efficiencies and improve employee safety.

  • Rhenus expands global services in its sea and air freight business

    Rhenus expands global services in its sea and air freight business

    The process of internationalisation in the Rhenus Group’s sea and air freight business is continuing to gather pace. The company will increase the number of its business sites in the Asia-Pacific region by more than ten percent during 2017. Alongside Asia, Europe and South America are primary target markets this year. Rhenus is also aiming to improve the connections between air and sea freight and overland traffic networks by providing two new gateways.

    Six new offices, including two in the Philippines (Subic and Clark) and one branch each in South Korea (Busan), Indonesia (Semarang), Thailand (Rayong) and Singapore, have already been opened since the beginning of the year. Other business sites in China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines are due to follow. “We’re involved in a long-term growth course. We’re now continuing this process with our new business sites,” said Tobias Bartz at the “transport logistic” trade fair in Munich.

    Rhenus is planning to consolidate its network both in air and sea freight and overland services this year and offer new routes. Cross-border trucking, which Rhenus provides in Asia, is becoming increasingly important. However, Asia is not the only area of focus of the Freight Logistics business area.

    “Germany, France, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and South and Central America are also interesting markets for us,” said Tobias Bartz. Rhenus Air has been offering joint customer solutions involving different modes of transport in conjunction with Rhenus Intermodal Systems since April.

    Another goal involves connecting the air and sea freight sites more closely with the Rhenus overland traffic network. Rhenus is opening a sea freight gateway in Germany at Hilden near Düsseldorf this summer, where consignments from all over Europe will be consolidated and shipped via the ports in the west and south of the continent in future. During the course of the year, another consolidation point for air freight consignments is due to open at Frankfurt Airport.

  • SF Express opens branches in Vietnam and Thailand

    SF Express opens branches in Vietnam and Thailand

    SF Express, a subsidiary of SF Holdings, a Shenzhen, China-based express delivery firm, recently announced that its service centers in Vietnam and Thailand have formally opened for business, providing export and import express delivery services to local companies and individuals.

    The opening of the two offices are further evidence of the company’s continued efforts to invest in and expand its network in the ASEAN region, on the heels of the opening of service centers in Singapore and Malaysia.

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  • Anchanto raises funds to expand its Southeast Asia e-commerce network

    Anchanto raises funds to expand its Southeast Asia e-commerce network

    Anchanto, a Singapore-based e-commerce logistics and selling platform, announced that Luxasia Group (Luxasia), Asia’s leading omnichannel retailer, and transcosmos inc. Japan (TCI), a TSE-listed global end-to-end e-commerce enabler, have made investments to be part of Anchanto’s growth story and offer overall partner services across its network.

    This partner round exemplifies the confidence that two of the largest players in the Asian e-commerce domain have in Anchanto’s current and future business plans.

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  • DHL Parcel offers Alexa interaction

    DHL Parcel offers Alexa interaction

    DHL Parcel’s customers can now use Amazon’s digital smart speaker “Alexa” for updates on their parcels’ delivery status and location.

    “We want to continually expand and improve service levels for our customers, so of course we’re going to take a close look at any new and innovative technologies available. As an innovation leader in the industry, this is the standard we set for ourselves,” said Michaela Lukas, who heads DHL Parcel’s customer service for private customers. “Voice enabled technologies, including hands-free interaction with online apps, will become more and more prevalent in the future.”

    Depending on user feedback, DHL plans to extend the new voice-controlled service later this year to include information on outlet locations, opening hours, products and prices.

    A number of other delivery companies- including DPD – have also been rolling out applications for Alexa on the Amazon Echo and Amazon Dot platforms.

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  • DHL opens China Rail Competence Center

    DHL opens China Rail Competence Center

    HL Global Forwarding has opened a central China Rail Competence Center in Stuttgart to help with the coordination of freight transported between Germany and Asia by rail.

    “Rail freight volumes between Germany and Asia have increased 10-fold in just one year. In order to meet ever-increasing demand, the onus is on us to grow, optimize processes and create synergies. It is for this very reason that we decided to establish a central China Rail Competence Center,” said Volker Oesau, CEO DHL Global Forwarding Germany and Central Europe.

    In a statement issued today (8 May), DHL said that staff at the Stuttgart Rail Competence Center will develop “appropriate multi-modal transport solutions and coordinating end-to-end transport processes, from collection, export and transit formalities, and the Euro-Asian rail service, right through to customs clearance in the land of arrival and delivery by truck or combined rail transport”.

    DHL Global Forwarding current offers 15 rail connections between Germany and the Far East. The trains follow the course of the trans-Kazakh western corridor and the trans-Siberian northern corridor with a network of rail hubs in the major economic centres of China, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea.

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  • Efacec Handling Solutions is now Consoveyo

    Efacec Handling Solutions is now Consoveyo

    Consoveyo, a global expert for automated material handling and storage systems, officially announces its name change. Formerly known as Efacec Handling Solutions S.A. (EHS), Consoveyo previously belonged to the Efacec Group, the largest Portuguese corporation in the field of electromechanics and electronics, with a strong presence across various international markets.

    Acquired by the international technology group, Körber AG, Consoveyo has been part of the Group’s Business Area Logistics Systems since September 2015. All subsidiaries under the company in Europe and Asia will now bear its new name. In Southeast Asia, Consoveyo Singapore Pte. Ltd. will continue to provide automated systems support to its customers in the region.

    Alluding to the Portuguese words, ‘aconselhar’ (for consulting), ‘consenso’ (for consent), and ‘consolidar’ (for strengthening and reinforcing), Consoveyo pays homage to the company’s origins in Porto, Portugal, and underlines the company’s competencies and engineering expertise. Consoveyo is also associated to the word ‘convey’ in English, which describes the act of transporting products, communicating, and advising. The new name aims to bind Consoveyo together with the other brand names within the Business Area Logistics Systems, to achieve better synergy within the Körber Group.

    With more than 30 years of experience, Consoveyo is a global leader for automated material handling and storage systems. The company will continue to supply its customers in Europe and Asia with automated systems for intralogistics.

    “The name change symbolizes an important milestone of our integration into the Business Area Logistics Systems and the Körber Group,” Jorge Couto, Chief Sales Officer at Consoveyo, explained. “Being part of this economically strong and successful Group provides Consoveyo with sustainable and comprehensive future growth prospects – both as a business and as an employer. Our staff are excited about the prospects of this new chapter, where we can leverage on the Group’s international customer network, technologies, and the know-how of our sister companies within the Körber Logistics Systems, all while giving back by supporting them with Consoveyo’s solutions and business relations.”

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  • IoT fleet management market worth US$8.28bn by 2021

    IoT fleet management market worth US$8.28bn by 2021

    The global IoT fleet management market is estimated to grow from US$3.16 billion in 2016 to US$8.28 billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 21.26% during the forecast period. According to a report published by MarkesandMarkets, the key factors driving the growth of the market are increased demand for optimised business operations, real-time fleet monitoring, and growing number of government mandates for fleet safety.

    Routing management
    Routing management accounted for the largest share of the IoT fleet management market, by solutions. The growth of this segment can be attributed to rising global road freight traffic and constant R&D activities to develop innovative products.

    According to the Road Freight Transport Statistics of European Commission (EC), the road freight transport of European countries increased by 2.2% in 2015, as compared to 2014, and was the highest in the last five years. Also, the continuous R&D activities by fleet solution providers to develop advanced products help the fleet companies to provide the shortest and less crowded route to fleet vehicles to avoid unnecessary overtime cost.

    Managed services
    The managed services segment is expected to dominate the IoT fleet management market, by services, from 2016 to 2021. Managed services not only offer flexibility but also allow multiple function handling efficiently and, hence, reduce the overall operational cost. These also help to provide the desired operation as per the client’s specific needs, resulting in enhanced customer satisfaction. Further, these services allow work allocation as per the expertise and centralisation of various applications with the data center. The increasing role of IoT in fleet management along with the integration of IoT is resulting in the increased usage of these services. The difficulty for companies to focus on other support functions other than their core business processes has also increased the significance of managed services.

    The Americas region is expected to hold the largest share in the IoT fleet management market. The growth of the market in this region can be attributed to increasing sales of fleet vehicles, high adoption rate of advanced technological products, and regulatory developments by the government. For instance, according to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of fleet vehicles includes vans, SUVs, and trucks had increased from 11,550 thousand units in 2010 to 12,276 thousand units in 2015. The increasing number of fleet vehicles propels the demand for IoT fleet management solutions. Also, some of the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) in this region such as Volvo Trucks and Daimler Trucks North America, LLC started offering telematics solutions either independently or in partnership with fleet solution providers. Further, in 2015, Daimler Trucks had successfully completed the testing of truck platooning concept. Also, the U.S. government regulations of Electronic Logging Devices (ELD) mandate makes fleet management solutions a necessary tool for commercial trucks.

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  • ALC and NFF agree key freight strategy priorities

    ALC and NFF agree key freight strategy priorities

    With less than a fortnight until the Federal Budget is handed down, it was an opportune moment for the peak bodies representing the nation’s freight logistics and farming sectors to underscore their common interests and agree priority areas for action.

    “This meeting allowed ALC and the NFF to explore the key infrastructure issues involved in getting produce from the farm into our cities and ports,” ALC Managing Director Michael Kilgariff said.

    “We know Australian households want to purchase the freshest possible produce when they do their shopping. We also know that Australia’s high-quality agricultural produce represents an enormous export opportunity. However, industry can only meet the expectations of domestic and international consumers if we have a safe and efficient supply chain.”

    “This requires governments to make the necessary regulatory improvements and infrastructure investments, including constructing major projects such as the Inland Rail linking the ports of Melbourne and Brisbane, with efficient linkages to the ports of Newcastle, Botany and Kembla.

    NFF Chief Executive Officer Tony Mahar said the meeting was a good chance for NFF members to provide their perspective on the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy.

    “Agriculture is an industry that competes on the global stage. In order to maintain and build our international competitiveness, strategic infrastructure investment is vital.”

    “Farmers are some of the best innovators in growing our produce, but only so much can be done on farm. Once our products leave the farm gate we are heavily reliant on our transport and infrastructure networks to reach consumers. Getting this right is fundamental, which is why we have had these discussions with ALC to identify where key productivity gains can be made.”

    “ALC and NFF will use the outcomes from this meeting to shape our respective contributions to the ongoing development of the National Freight and Supply Chain Strategy. This will help ensure the Strategy is relevant to the needs of the freight and logistics industry, farmers and consumers,” Mr Kilgariff and Mr Mahar concluded.

  • Logistics startup CarPal raises additional funding

    Logistics startup CarPal raises additional funding

    CarPal has raised an additional S$3.83 million (US$2.7 million) to further develop the SaaS solution CarPal Fleet and help businesses build and control their own fleet of drivers. The round is led by new private equity participants, and the existing investor, RB Investments, has re-invested as well. This round follows the pre-series A of SG$1 million raised back in January 2016.

    Launched in July 2014, CarPal is one of the pioneering on-demand logistics service based on sharing economy, headquartered in Singapore. Over the past 2.5 years, it has steadily grown into a popular and reliable last-mile delivery service for consumers and businesses alike, delivering anything from fresh food, flowers, clothing, household appliances to furniture items.

    The company has recently announced the official launch of its new SaaS delivery management solution: CarPal Fleet.

    “Over the past few years, we learned that many of our customers wish to build their own fleet of drivers. This is mainly due to specific requirements or SOP. Hence launching a product to give customers full control over the delivery operations made a lot of sense,” says Maarten Hemmes, founder and CEO of CarPal.

    By allowing businesses to optimise the routing of delivery orders and match the best available driver, CarPal Fleet can bring delivery costs down and help businesses to compete with industry giants such as Amazon, Lazada and Zalora. The logistics startup wants to give businesses more control over their delivery fleet and help them find a healthy mix between in-house and third-party drivers, without actually having to purchase any vehicles or hire additional staff.

    Today, the company has hundreds of customers all over South East Asia. including (full-service) logistics providers, parcel delivery services, food delivery services and others. Businesses use and pay for CarPal Fleet via volume-based pricing.

    The company is competing with others in the space like Bringg and Onfleet. The main aspect that sets CarPal apart from the others is the fact that the business actually recruits drivers in every market for customers to add to their fleet, taking away the initial recruitment efforts.

    The company now consists 15 people and is headquartered in Singapore. It plans to expand into new markets and new segments with this round of additional funding, which includes growing its R&D and sales team.

    To date, CarPal has raised S$4.83 million.

  • Sadleirs Global Logistics accredited as an ‘Australian Trusted Trader’

    Sadleirs Global Logistics accredited as an ‘Australian Trusted Trader’

    Sadleirs Global Logistics has announced that it is the ‘first’ national customs brokerage and international freight forwarder to be fully accredited as an ‘Australian Trusted Trader’ by the Australian Border Force.

    As one of Australia’s oldest family businesses (Sadleirs was founded in 1895), the certification is another pioneering milestone for the company. Sadleirs was selected due to its strong security practices and very long history of compliant behaviour.

    The ‘Australian Trusted Trader’ is a trade facilitation initiative and Authorised Operator (AEO) programme that recognises businesses with a secure supply chain and compliant trade practices. It also provides accredited businesses with a range of trade facilitation benefits. Through this recognition, Sadleirs will now have a dedicated contact within the Australian Border Force, receive a priority service and prioritised examination clearance.

  • DHL to Invest $268 Million in India as National Tax Spurs Demand

    DHL to Invest $268 Million in India as National Tax Spurs Demand

    Deutsche Post DHL Group will invest 250 million euros ($268 million) in India by 2020 to expand its logistics business and tap demand as the South Asian nation introduces a national sales tax that is set to boost movement of freight.

    The goods and services tax will help create bigger distribution centers, Deutsche Post AG Chief Executive Officer Frank Appel said in an interview in Mumbai on Friday. Until now, Indian companies were setting up warehouses in all states to avoid tax burden while the new tax reform may realign the needs of local companies toward larger and fewer mother warehouses, he said.

    The goods and services tax will replace an archaic web of levies and improve ease of doing business in a country with more than 1 billion consumers. Proposed over a decade ago and then refined several times to win bipartisan support under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the tax is scheduled to be rolled out on July 1.

    “We want to consolidate our distribution centers,” Appel said. “We follow our customers. We adapt to their needs.”

    The 250 million euros will be in addition to the 70 million euros invested in India in the last 18 months, he said. The investment would include all units of DHL Group in India and would cover airport cargo facilities in Mumbai and Delhi of unit Blue Dart Express Ltd.

    The new tax will create an opportunity to optimize the logistics network based on cost and service quality instead of arbitrage tax systems, Appel said. More manufacturers will emerge in India as they don’t have to worry about tax provisions.

    “Goods and Services Tax is a very robust step in realizing ‘Make In India,’” Appel said, citing Prime Minister Modi’s flagship program designed to lure investment in the nation’s manufacturing sector.

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  • SATS unveils a brand new US$21mn eCommerce AirHub

    SATS unveils a brand new US$21mn eCommerce AirHub

    SATS, a provider of Gateway Services and Food Solutions, unveiled its new eCommerce AirHub, at a ceremony officiated by S Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry).

    The $21 million facility, co-funded by the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS), enhances Changi’s eCommerce mail sorting capability to support the growing eCommerce market. This new 6,000 sqm facility also features new innovations that will improve productivity and enable airport workers to acquire new skills.

    By deploying state-of-the-art technology, SATS has multiplied mailbag processing capacity by more than three times and streamlined the mail sortation process to deliver quicker turnaround for international eCommerce mail. Processing time is now reduced by 50 per cent. At the same time, automation has provided opportunity for employee upskilling. SATS is currently the only ground handler in the region to operate such an automated airside facility.

    Alex Hungate, president and CEO of SATS said, “eCommerce is expected to continue on its growth trajectory in the region and beyond with continued strong consumer demand. The SATS eCommerce AirHub enhances the competitiveness of the whole airfreight industry in Singapore by offering greater speed and transparency, as well as higher capacity to handle future growth.”

    Kevin Shum, director-general of CAAS, said, “CAAS is pleased to support the establishment of the eCommerce AirHub under the Aviation Development Fund. We are delighted that this initiative has enabled SATS staff to benefit from an enlarged job scope, higher pay, and a more comfortable and conducive workplace. Such collaborations are part of our efforts to transform Singapore Aviation, make the  2 sector more efficient and competitive, create better jobs and improve productivity using technology.”

    Tapping on technology for greater efficiency
    At the official opening of the SATS eCommerce AirHub this afternoon, the company unveiled several new innovations. These include a fully automated mail sortation system that increases the mailbag processing capacity of SATS to more than 1,800 an hour – up from 500 previously.

    Additionally, due to interface integration with SingPost’s airmail consignment operations and the facility’s locality within the free trade zone on the airside, mail sortation operation is streamlined to eliminate the need for mailbags to be transported to and from the hub.

    The combination of these factors has enabled faster mailbag processing that reduces turnaround time by 50 percent – from six hours to three – thus allowing international eCommerce mail to connect to an earlier flight for faster delivery.

    Traceability is also improved at the SATS eCommerce AirHub, as customers, such as SingPost, can now better track and trace their mail via the data interface, for example checking connection status by confirming arrival and departure times.

    Woo Keng Leong, chief executive officer, Postal Services, SingPost, said: “The improved efficiency and tracking from our collaboration with SATS will enhance SingPost’s international mail operations amid Singapore’s growing importance as an eCommerce logistics hub.”

    As well as improving service, SATS eCommerce AirHub will also be more productive: airmail consignment operations are targeted to be at least 30 per cent more efficient with full automation.

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  • P&G to invest US$100mn in a new Singapore E-center

    P&G to invest US$100mn in a new Singapore E-center

    Procter & Gamble, in partnership with the Singapore Economic Development Board, established its first digital innovation center in Singapore alongside guest-of-honor, S Iswaran, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), announcing an investment of over US$100 million over the next five years to support this E-Center. The launch reaffirmed P&G’s commitment to Singapore and aim to strengthen Singapore’s standing as a leading digital and e-Commerce hub in the world.

    The E-Center – P&G’s first outside the United States of America – will be pivotal to its undertaking of end-to-end digital innovation across three core areas: Supply Chain Management, e-Analytics and e-Business. In the area of Supply Chain Management, termed “i-Supply”, the E-Center will focus on transforming P&G’s supply chain end-to-end, enabling greater accuracy, visibility and more efficient processes.

    The e-Business unit aims to translate digital strategies into scalable plans for the region, and to leverage new digital channels to innovate and improve business models. Through its focus on e-Analytics, the E-Center will also leverage predictive analytics and big data to optimize product distribution and marketing strategy.

    With the launch, P&G will be training 40 employees in the first year to take on digital-related roles in these three capability areas. Through the E-Center, P&G will also expand its partnerships with local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and start-ups to strengthen digital capabilities and co-develop new digital solutions. To bolster the inauguration of the E-Center, P&G also hosted the second edition of its leadership development program – P&G Leadership College – for SMEs in collaboration with SPRING Singapore.

  • DHL to provide in-plant logistics for Jaguar Land Rover’s new factory

    DHL to provide in-plant logistics for Jaguar Land Rover’s new factory

    DHL has been appointed to manage in-plant logistics for Jaguar Land Rover’s new manufacturing plant in Itatiaia, Brazil. Under the new contract DHL Supply Chain will oversee all aspects of the supply chain, from warehousing through to sequenced track-side delivery. The scope of work also includes the delivery of sub-assembled kits to the production line, streamlining the manufacturing process.

    “We’re delighted to have secured this new contract with Jaguar Land Rover which builds on our long-standing relationship,” said DHL Supply Chain’s Director of Business Development for Brazil, Miquele Lioi. “Our proposal was built on three key pillars: unrivalled sector expertise, derived from managing more than 250 automotive logistics operations worldwide; our strong presence in the Itatiaia region and a clear focus on delivering efficiency and control.”

    Goods arriving at the warehouse will be stored in 8,500 pallet locations where DHL will sort, move and sequence parts, as well as sub-assemble kits of up to 25 components, before shipping in sequence to the assembly line.

    “In these challenging times, the automotive industry has proved that it can reinvent itself by identifying new market approaches, such as Jaguar Land Rover’s new plant in Brazil. In this case, sound logistics planning and a safe and efficient execution are critical to achieving business success,” added Lioi.

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