The Belgium-to-UK lane gains a new dedicated short-sea service with Samskip‘s latest offering. The service connecting Antwerp and Hull is operated by a 508-TEU capacity vessel, sailing from Associated Terminal Operators’ multimodal terminal in Antwerp on Tuesday and Saturday and ABP Port of Hull on Thursday and Monday.
Airfreight shippers can take advantage of a new Shenzhen-to-Zurich flight, the first of its kind linking China and Switzerland, scheduled to fly twice weekly using Hainan Airlines’ belly capacity. Globe Air Cargo Switzerland markets this cargo route, which focuses on instruments, pharmaceuticals, and industrial components.
To bolster services to ocean shippers in the U.S. Gulf market, shipping line OOCL introduced its new China—U.S. Gulf route. It calls on strategic ports in Houston and Mobile, and stops at Shanghai, Ningbo, Xiamen, and Yantian.
MSC and ZIM have teamed up to offer shippers a faster connection between the India sub-continent and the Mediterranean. The ZII—ZIM India Israel Service calls on Nhava Sheva, Mundra, and Haifa while the ZIE-ZIM India East Med Express covers Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Colombo, Port Said West, Mersin, Piraeus, Istanbul, Mersin, and Iskenderun.
Ocean shippers can expect improved and consolidated service on the Mediterranean-to-U.S. East Coast lane now that Hapag-Lloyd, Ocean Network Express, and Yang Ming are joining CMA CGM, COSCO, and OOCL to enhance their Mediterranean-U.S. East Coast service. The carriers are consolidating two services into one larger loop, and deploying six 8,000-TEU vessels.
3PL SPARX Logistics launched a weekly LCL service linking France to Canada. The new service, which departs from Le Havre and Montreal, includes multiple consolidated containers per week and is accessible from all parts of France to all parts of Canada.
Technology
Letting warehouse workers receive instructions and capture data hands-free and eyes-free, Honeywell’s integrated voice-directed productivity solution for SAP Business One users is designed to enhance picking in small- and mid-sized DCs. Honeywell’s Guided Work Solutions is a software application that runs on the Android operating system, supporting warehousing tasks such as picking, receiving, put-away, packing, and shipping inventory.
Small to mid-sized fleets can stay connected with a new industrial truck telematics platform that uses Bluetooth. I.D. Systems, a provider of enterprise asset management technology, launched PowerFleet Essence, which consists of the OC53 operator console mounted on the industrial truck and the PowerFleet Control Center app.
Shippers operating private fleets or utilizing dedicated contract carriers can now market their available or anticipated capacity to other shippers using Backhaul Assist, a new capability from collaborative transportation network Lanehub. With Backhaul Assist, shippers with empty mileage in their private or dedicated fleets can find matches with other shippers’ consistent lanes.
Raw materials buyers and sellers can streamline the way they acquire and manage bulk transportation services such as barge, truck, and rail with Conduit, a quoting and operations engine from software solutions provider Basin Commerce. Conduit acts as a shipper’s privately branded quoting and management workflow platform for its transportation partners network.
Steel King’s SK2000 Closed-Tube Roll Form Rack Systems feature a fully welded tubular upright, giving the racks higher impact resistance than open-back style uprights. Suited for multi-level pick module/distribution centers, they support a range of warehouse applications and markets including food and beverage, retail, agriculture, and automotive.
Automotive suppliers and other shippers can save storage and transport costs with the collapsible CabCube 2.0 large load carrier from plastic load carrier maker Cabka-IPS. Thanks to its collapsible rings, users can easily and quickly fold up and stack the carrier, including the underside and lid, reducing volumes by up to 80 percent.
Global supply chain players of all sizes can now get information about upstream supply and downstream demand in real time. Eximchain, a platform focused on blockchain for global supply chains, launched its mainnet, which lets supply chain stakeholders verify their credibility, obtain financing and new contracts help, manage applications, and take part in governance of their own data.
Retailers can now streamline last-mile delivery of large or bulk merchandise via white-glove, curbside, or in-home delivery through CommerceHub’s Active Delivery Management. This new solution lets retailers leverage a network of carriers, centralize delivery tracking, provide visibility to customers, and take control of end-to-end fulfillment.
Trucker Tools introduced upgrades to its Smart Capacity carrier relationship and capacity management platform. The enhancements include digital assist online price negotiation tools that streamline the price bid and counter offer process, and advanced lane search tools that enable carriers to search by preferred lanes and rank lane-specific loads.
Products
To protect cargo tanks that carry chemicals and other cargo types that can damage tank surfaces, coating maker Jotun developed the new Tankguard Flexline cargo tank coating. The product is designed to support greater cargo flexibility, long-term performance, and vessel utilization.
Mezzanine Safeti-Gates unveiled dock safety gate models that provide fall protection for loading dock employees. When the trailer is in place for material to be loaded and unloaded to the facility, the safety gate is open and the elevated dock area remains safe.
The new LiteSpeed Washdown High Performance Door by materials-handling systems manufacturer Rite-Hite makes it easier for food operations facilities to keep high-speed doors clean. The door meets FDA and U.S. Department of Agriculture clean Good Manufacturing Practices and guidelines. Its PVC vinyl curtain operates on a stainless-steel frame designed without a header or motor shrouds, two areas that harbor bacteria.
Shippers can protect high-value goods with GO Real-Time Secure Tracker from technology and engineering company Emerson. The solution combines GPS tracking technology with a C-TPAT-compliant steel locking bolt that provides added security against theft of high-value cargo transported over the road or via ocean. Attached to a container’s locking mechanism, GO Real-Time Secure signals if container doors have been compromised.
Services
Dayton Freight Lines, a provider of LTL transportation services, opened a service center in Knoxville, Tennessee. The new facility is the company’s fourth service center in Tennessee, allowing it to provide shippers with statewide coverage and flexible LTL service.
Rakuten Super Logistics (RSL) opened two e-commerce fulfillment centers to expand its operations into the New Jersey and Chicago area markets. RSL will also expand the use of robotics in all of its 11 locations in 2019, and let e-tailers offer one-day delivery to consumers.
Port of Virginia’s Norfolk International Terminals (NIT) marked a milestone in its expansion project, as its first new semi-automated container stacks started processing container transactions for over-the-road trucks in October 2018. By the end of 2018, NIT plans to commission nine new rail-mounted gantry (RMG) stacks. By 2020, NIT will offer service via 30 RMG stacks.
United Cargo expanded the options it offers pharmaceuticals and other life science product shippers by approving the new CSafe RAP active container for in-flight use. With an extended battery run time of more than 120 hours, the CSafe RAP maintains temperature integrity and accommodates up to four standard U.S. pallets or five standard Euro pallets.
Supply chain solutions provider Seldat opened two warehouses in Canada, within the greater area of Toronto, Ontario and Vancouver, British Columbia. With these additional distribution centers, Seldat provides non-Canadian companies a master distribution agreement that cuts costs because import duties are calculated on the FOB price from the factory, rather than the selling price.
Kerry Logistics Network Limited formed a new subsidiary in Pakistan to tap into the increasing trade in South Asia and new business opportunities along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The subsidiary provides air and ocean freight, cross-border road freight to Afghanistan and China, project logistics, and inland trucking services through offices in Karachi and Lahore.
Ryder System, a provider of commercial fleet management, dedicated transportation, and supply chain solutions, expanded Ryder Last Mile—a home delivery and white-glove installation solution for bulky goods—in 11 North American markets. The expansion strengthens Ryder’s e-commerce fulfillment capabilities, reduces delivery times, and brings appliance delivery and installation to new markets.
In time for the holidays, online retailers can get help processing e-commerce returns with Full Stack Returns from Happy Returns. Full Stack Returns captures all returns—whether by mail, in stores, or through the company’s Return Bars. Dashboard reporting offers retailers a comprehensive view of returns through all channels and provides channel-specific insights.
Penske Truck Leasing opened a facility in Tallahassee, Florida, to offer shippers full-service truck leasing, consumer and commercial truck rental, contract truck fleet maintenance, and connected fleet solutions, to address issues and options related to onboard technology systems (ELDs, telematics, onboard cameras, etc.). The 14,400-square-foot location is housed on 4.3 acres with four truck bays and a wash bay.
To help West Coast shippers meet the needs of consumers more quickly and flexibly, Pilot Freight Services opened a 44,000-square-foot multi-client warehouse in Salt Lake City, Utah. The warehouse supports two-day deliveries to most of the Western United States, without taking on the tax and financial implications of distributing e-commerce products out of California.
