Logistics News and Services - 3PLwire http://www.3plwire.com Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:50:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Who is Unyson Logistics? http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/18/who-is-unyson-logistics/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/18/who-is-unyson-logistics/#comments Tue, 19 Aug 2008 03:34:34 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1170
According to Logistics Management’s 2008 “Quest for Quality” awards, they are the highest scoring third party logistics provider based on LM’s ranking of five different competencies. For those unfamiliar with LM’s annual Quest for Quality awards, winners are determined from the results of an annual survey conducted by Logistics Management magazine, where over 2,000 shippers are asked to rank their transportation service providers on a variety of performance criteria.

The ranking criteria for the 3PL category is based on a number of factors including the following:

1. Carrier Selection/Negotiation
2. Order Fulfillment
3. Transportation Distribution
4. Inventory Management
5. Logistics Information Systems

Each company receives a ranking in each of the above areas and then an overall weighted average is given. This year in the 3PL category, Unyson Logistics took the top spot with a weighted average of 38.31, just edging out Expeditors score of 38.14. I guess the most surprising item about this year’s results was that Unyson Logistics didn’t even make the list in 2007.

I still have no idea who they are, but according to this report, I probably should.

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Who is Unyson Logistics?

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/18/who-is-unyson-logistics/feed/ LA and Long Beach Container Volumes Down http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/15/la-and-long-beach-container-volumes-down/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/15/la-and-long-beach-container-volumes-down/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 21:56:26 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1168
July numbers show a decline in container volume for the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. From what I have read there are a variety of potential causes for the downturn including, weakening imports, falling U.S. dollar, container ships bypassing the ports, increase in all-water service to the East Coast, and utilization of alternative West Coast ports.

Via Traffic World:

Total box volume in July fell 2.54 percent at the LA port to 698,159 TEUs - a standardized measure for variable-sized containers as twenty-foot-equivalent units.

Outbound loads of U.S. exports jumped 34 percent to 173,650 TEUs, but the number of empty boxes - which even a year ago outpaced export loads — plunged 23 percent to 157,012. The dominant category of loaded import containers shrank nearly 4 percent to 367,496.

Long Beach docks handled 563,703 TEUs last month, down 12.9 percent from July 2007,
as the volume of loaded inbound boxes dropped by 18 percent to 272,350 TEUs.

Like at neighboring Los Angeles, outbound loads now top the number of empties moving through Long Beach. Exports rose 13.5 percent to 153,364 TEUs and empties dropped 23 percent to 137,989.

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LA and Long Beach Container Volumes Down

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/15/la-and-long-beach-container-volumes-down/feed/ Intra-Asian container trade booming http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/14/intra-asian-container-trade-booming/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/14/intra-asian-container-trade-booming/#comments Fri, 15 Aug 2008 03:28:17 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1166
According to a report from Drewry Shipping Consultants, intra-Asian container trade is booming. Drewy estimates that 28.6 million TEUS moved in that region during 2007 or approximately one fifth of all global trade. The volume is forecasted to nearly double that amount by 2013 to 50.7 million TEUS.

Via Drewy:

This excludes any business moving within its confines on a feeder basis which are bound for markets such as Europe, the US and South America. With China acting as a regional resource centre and with new free-trade deals emerging, there seems little doubt that the intra-Asian trades will continue to grow at a robust pace in the short to mid-term.

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Intra-Asian container trade booming

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/14/intra-asian-container-trade-booming/feed/ Top 25 Supply Chains http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/top-25-supply-chains/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/top-25-supply-chains/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 03:25:24 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1164 AMR Research recently released the 2008 version of the world’s top 25 supply chains. The intent of the research report is to identify demand-driven leaders. AMR research defines those leaders as those companies that come closest to the Demand-Driven Supply Network (DDSN) Level 4 (Orchestrator) description.

The rankings for the top 25 are based on three main components:

There are three components that make up the composite score for the company and determine its ranking. The first component of the ranking is publicly available financial data, which is weighted at 60% of the total score. The second component of the ranking is an AMR Research Opinion, which is weighted at 20% of the total score. The AMR Research voting panel consists of both industry and functional analysts. The third component is a Peer Opinion Panel, which is weighted at 20% of the total score and comprises supply chain professionals across manufacturing and retail businesses.

In reviewing the rankings for 2008, the largest item that stuck out to me was the resurgence of Dell as a major supply chain player. The reason for the surprise was because Dell was conspicuously absent from the 2007 top 25 list. Apple took over the top spot from Nokia which fell to number two. The only company to fall out of the top 10 was Cisco, which dropped to number 11.

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Top 25 Supply Chains

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/top-25-supply-chains/feed/ Fuel Surcharge - On the decline? http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/fuel-surcharge-on-the-decline/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/fuel-surcharge-on-the-decline/#comments Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:47:11 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1162
Believe it or not, today I received word from a global freight forwarding company that the fuel surcharge for international air shipments will actually DECREASE from $1.30 per kilo to $1.25 per kilo over the next couple of weeks. With the price of crude oil continuing to fall, let’s hope that this is a trend that continues.

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Fuel Surcharge - On the decline?

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/11/fuel-surcharge-on-the-decline/feed/ Cochin port truckers on strike http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/cochin-port-truckers-on-strike/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/cochin-port-truckers-on-strike/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:20:44 +0000 SwizStick http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1159 I heard about this from one of my contacts, but they were short on details. Supposedly hundreds of containers are stuck at the port and the movement of containers in and out of the port has been halted. Via newKerala.com:

The lorry drivers had gone on a lightning strike on Tuesday night, complaining about the delay in entry into the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal at Cochin Port.

The drivers said they had to wait for more than three hours to get into the terminal as the India Gateway Terminals Pvt. Ltd. (IGTPL), which operates the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal, had imposed restrictions on entry to avoid congestion at the port during peak hours.

With the talks between the CPT, IGTPL officials and the drivers failing to make any headway yesterday, the port has decided not to go in for any further talks till the strike is withdrawn, the port spokesman said.

”There was absolutely no reason to go on a lightning strike. Not only will this affect the exporters, who will not be able to meet their deadlines, this reflects badly on the port also, especially at a time when we are going all out to get business from other states also,” he added.

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Cochin port truckers on strike

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/cochin-port-truckers-on-strike/feed/ World Trade Magazine: Top U.S. Trading Partners http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/world-trade-magazine-top-us-trading-partners/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/world-trade-magazine-top-us-trading-partners/#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 01:07:43 +0000 SwizStick http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1158 No surprise, really: Canada, China, Mexico, Japan, Germany, UK, South Korea, France, Taiwan, Netherlands. It will be interesting to see what happens to China in the rankings next year as weakened U.S. demand along with rising costs make Chinese imports less attractive while exports to China are on the rise. The article has a brief rundown of each country highlighting 2007 and what to look for in the immediate future. Here’s an excerpt on South Korea:

The economy grew at a still respectable 4.8 percent rate in 2007, driven by goods exports and household consumption, itself spurred by an increase in disposable income and a wealth effect caused by rising property and stock market prices. Buoyant foreign demand benefited electronics, the automotive industry and shipbuilding in 2007. The country should prove relatively insensitive to the slowdown in 2008 in the United States, which represents only 15 percent of South Korean exports. In these conditions, the Coface payment experience has generally been good. Large innovative companies continue to post high profits albeit eroded by the won appreciation. Small companies focusing on the domestic market have been weaker.

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World Trade Magazine: Top U.S. Trading Partners

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/world-trade-magazine-top-us-trading-partners/feed/ Boeing predicts air cargo will triple in next 20 years http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/boeing-predicts-air-cargo-will-triple-in-next-20-years/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/boeing-predicts-air-cargo-will-triple-in-next-20-years/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 10:31:54 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1157 Although cargo traffic was anemic during the month of June according to a report by IATA, Boeing remains bullish on the future of global cargo. In Boeing’s recent “2008 Current Market Outlook Report”, Boeing anticipates that cargo will triple over the next 20 years. A 5.8 percent annual cargo growth rate is predicted globally for the next 20 years.

The Asia-Pacific region is forecasted to have the highest percentage of growth as well as the highest number of aircraft deliveries. North America and Europe were predicted to be second and third respectively.

Via Boeing.com:

Asia is now expected to need the most new airplanes as well as representing the largest market by value of deliveries. For first time, the value of the European airplane market will be equivalent to that in North America. As the airplane market expands, welcome competition is anticipated from manufacturers in Asia and CIS.

New trade routes and global sourcing will stimulate air cargo markets, for example, with strong growth in Southwest Asia. One-stop-to-anywhere airlines in the Middle East have a highly expansive vision. Investment in infrastructure and airplanes is on a scale to match.

Read the complete Current Market Outlook Report for further details.

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Boeing predicts air cargo will triple in next 20 years

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/07/boeing-predicts-air-cargo-will-triple-in-next-20-years/feed/ IATA paints gloomy picture for air cargo http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/06/iata-paints-gloomy-picture-for-air-cargo/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/06/iata-paints-gloomy-picture-for-air-cargo/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 05:16:05 +0000 Splatty http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1153 IATA’s recent report on international traffic data for June paints a fairly ominous picture of the state of the air cargo market. According to the report, air cargo declined 0.8 percent during the month of June, which marked the first decline in air cargo since May of 2005. Asia Pacific airlines took the biggest hit posting a decline of 4.8 percent. IATA attributes the main reasons for the decline to falling consumer and business confidence, and sky high oil prices.

Via IATA.org:

“The airline sector is in trouble. Losses this year could reach US$6.1 billion, more than wiping out the US$5.6 billion that airlines made in 2007. Falling demand and rising costs are re-shaping the industry,” said Bisignani. “To survive the crisis, urgent action is needed. Airports and air navigation service providers must come to the table with efficiencies that deliver cost savings. Labour must understand that efficiency is the only path to job security. And governments must stop crazy taxation and give airlines the freedom to merge and consolidate where it makes business sense.”

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IATA paints gloomy picture for air cargo

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]]> http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/06/iata-paints-gloomy-picture-for-air-cargo/feed/ Port of Oakland’s own clean-truck program continuing to develop http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/06/port-of-oaklands-own-clean-truck-program-continuing-to-develop/ http://www.3plwire.com/2008/08/06/port-of-oaklands-own-clean-truck-program-continuing-to-develop/#comments Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:17:17 +0000 SwizStick http://www.3plwire.com/?p=1156 We mentioned back in March that the Port of Oakland was considering their own clean-air/clean-truck program that had local port customers nervous. Why? Because of the potential to follow in the footsteps of LA/Long Beach in introducing container fees (i.e. container taxes) and pushing drivers into the hands of The Teamsters union by forcing them to be employees instead of owner-operators.

The first shoe dropped in June when we announced that the Port of Oakland was going to introduce a container fee (container tax) of $12.50/TEU, but not to exceed $25 per container. Much lower than LA/Long Beach, but a fee is a fee.

As for a trucking concession program banning owner operators, that hasn’t happened yet, but this article from etrucker is not encouraging. The key part that made me nervous:

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and environmental and labor advocates were among 3,000 people who turned out at a July 22 rally to support the program.

LA Mayor Villaraigosa is a staunch supporter and defender of the controversial program in his own port to ban owner operators, which is one of the points being challenged in the ATA’s lawsuit against the Southern California Ports clean-truck programs. I think the fact that Oakland Mayor Ron Dellum’s marched along with him suggests that he agrees with the same sentiments as Mayor Villaraigosa. And let’s not forget that The Teamsters were part of this march on the Port of Oakland as well. This doesn’t bode well for the future of Oakland’s clean-truck program.

Hat tip to World Trade Magazine.

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Port of Oakland’s own clean-truck program continuing to develop

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