Purchasing articles from November 2004

Purchasing archives from November 2004

Purchasingdata.com's forward demand index 90-day.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Purchasing's growth has plateaued. Rising oil prices have dampened U.S. economic performance. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [down arrow] 1.0 Midwest, South lack hustle and bustle Up Down ...

Department of Homeland Security should redefine minimum mandatory security requirements for importers.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Department of Homeland Security should redefine minimum mandatory security requirements for importers, says Nohan Tohamy of Forrester Research, who predicts that the next terrorist attack is likely to occur through the supply chain. The market...

Motorola continues to change its corporate face--downsizing its commercial, government and industrial solutions.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Motorola continues to change its corporate face--downsizing its commercial, government and industrial solutions, electronic systems and broadband communications units--as it prepares to spin off its computer-chip business. The world's...

Chief purchasing officers and other supply chain execs say truck transportation service levels have decreased while prices have increased.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Chief purchasing officers and other supply chain execs say truck transportation service levels have decreased while prices have increased. More than 500 managers polled by Cap Gemini U.S. say the biggest problems are billing error rates,...

The rail system's weaknesses have been exposed this year as the U.S. experiences all-time record freight volumes.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The rail system's weaknesses have been exposed this year as the U.S. experiences all-time record freight volumes. "We're seeing 21st century freight flows trying to fit into a 19th century rail network," says Roger Nober, chairman of rail...

The once-hot software niche of supply chain management is cooling, according to AMR Research.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The once-hot software niche of supply chain management is cooling, according to AMR Research. Software sales will grow only 2.5% growth next year compared to rate of 36% in 2000. But that doesn't mean that software houses will stop pushing...

Purchasingdata.com's energy costs price expectations. (Prices: factors affecting product cost).(Illustration)
November 4, 2004... ENERGY COSTS PRICE EXPECTATIONS (Diffusions index, less than 50 = falling, more than 50 = rising) Buyers see prices rising higher; a reflection of $50+/barrel crude. [GRAPHIC OMITTED] [up arrow] 11.8 Price expectations,...

There is plenty of fuel oil in storage for heating due to full-throttle refinery output, but buyers can expect energy bills to be sharply higher this winter.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... There is plenty of fuel oil in storage for heating due to full-throttle refinery output, but buyers can expect energy bills to be sharply higher this winter. "We don't expect a supply crunch," says Guy Caruso, head of the U.S. Energy...

Declining U.S. natural gas production and concerns about output cuts in the Gulf of Mexico after this year's hurricanes.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(United States)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Declining U.S. natural gas production and concerns about output cuts in the Gulf of Mexico after this year's hurricanes should keep prices near record highs in early winter. While inventories will probably start the peak-demand winter heating...

Engine maker Cummins expects higher prices of commodity raw materials, particularly steel, to continue.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Engine maker Cummins expects higher prices of commodity raw materials, particularly steel, to continue. The elevated prices, along with operating inefficiencies caused by a sharp ramp up in demand, are raising costs and lowering potential...

Bayer has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $33 million fine to settle criminal price-fixing charges.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Bayer has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $33 million fine to settle criminal price-fixing charges. The Justice Department says Bayer conspired from 1998 to 2002 with others in the chemicals industry to suppress and eliminate competition in...

South African ferrochrome producers are rolling over prices for fourth quarter deliveries after resistance from stainless steel producers.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(ferrochrome)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... South African ferrochrome producers are rolling over prices for fourth quarter deliveries after resistance from stainless steel producers. Ferrochrome is used to make stainless steel to prevent corrosion. Prices have risen nearly 50% this year...

Recent 11% to 21% dumping duties imposed on imports of Russian magnesium and magnesium alloy shouldn't prevent entry of that metal into the U.S., traders say.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Recent 11% to 21% dumping duties imposed on imports of Russian magnesium and magnesium alloy shouldn't prevent entry of that metal into the U.S., traders say. However, the merchants reckon the hefty 178% margins assessed on Chinese magnesium...

Purchasingdata.com's leadtime index, all commodities.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Monthly, weighted, 1992 = 100 0.0 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] For the 12 months ending Octtember 2004, PURCHASING'S Leadtime Index (1992=100) averaged 22.2% higher than than the corresponding 12-month period a year earlier. Tracking...

The soaring costs of steel and oil, a common theme in the latest batch of corporate earnings reports.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The soaring costs of steel and oil, a common theme in the latest batch of corporate earnings reports, are throwing a wet blanket on manufacturers' third-quarter results. The baleful moan from the nation's factories has been telegraphed to Wall...

After falling throughout the summer, business confidence stabilized in September but slipped a bit further in mid-October.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... After falling throughout the summer, business confidence stabilized in September but slipped a bit further in mid-October. The renewed softening in sentiment is broad-based across the globe and most industries, according to Economy.com, which...

Lehman Brothers analysts insist the aviation sector is about to improve, just as soon as demand for jetliners perks up.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Lehman Brothers analysts insist the aviation sector is about to improve, just as soon as demand for jetliners perks up. "High fuel is a real problem for all the world's airlines, but it won't stop world traffic from continuing to grow," the...

The outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas is proceeding at an accelerating pace, especially to India and China.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... The outsourcing of U.S. jobs overseas is proceeding at an accelerating pace, especially to India and China, according to a new study by Cornell University and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. The report says unionized workplaces are...

Higher costs for imported crude oil already have had negative consequences on the nation's economy.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Higher costs for imported crude oil already have had negative consequences on the nation's economy, Federal Reserve Board chief Alan Greenspan concedes. So far this year, "the rise in the value of imported crude oil-essentially a de facto tax...

Purchasingdata.com's 30-day steel products buying plans.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
November 4, 2004... 30-DAY STEEL PRODUCTS BUYING PLANS (Diffusion index, less than 50 = falling, more than 50 = rising) Final quarter buying are sliding; demand is off, inventories are up. [down arrow] 0.1 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Forward demand,...

General Electric now has a new and formidable competitor.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... General Electric now has a new and formidable competitor in the wind-power equipment market. GE is the world's largest turbine maker, followed by Siemens. Now, the German archrival is making its first move into wind power by buying Denmark's...

High steel and wood prices have cost office furniture firms millions of dollars in potential profits this year.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... High steel and wood prices have cost office furniture firms millions of dollars in potential profits this year. Still, analysts remain upbeat about the office-furniture industry. The Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers...

Copper demand is booming worldwide. But, by how much?(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Copper demand is booming worldwide. But, by how much? According to Art Miele, senior vice president of marketing for Phelps Dodge, U.S. consumption growth is 7.5% while Chinese growth is 12% and European growth is 2.5% to 3%. Copper use in...

Global demand for industrial gases is exiting its recent funk.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Global demand for industrial gases is exiting its recent funk and will grow from $42 billion this year to $52 billion by decade's end. That's the forecast from Consulting Resources, which believes that overall gases growth will be paced by...

Nisshin Steel of Tokyo plans to produce 2,000 to 3,000 tons monthly of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel sheet in the U.S.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Nisshin Steel of Tokyo plans to produce 2,000 to 3,000 tons monthly of corrosion-resistant galvanized steel sheet in the U.S. The product, sold under the name of ZAM, is coated with zinc, aluminum and magnesium. Nisshin Steel will transfer...

Agricultural equipment makers are using soy-based polyester resin on large structural parts.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Agricultural equipment makers are using soy-based polyester resin on large structural parts and are looking into the possibility of a soy-based polyurethane foam for seat padding. Soy and other bio-based resins have been on the fringes for...

Purchasing's value--it's everywhere you look.(inside purchasing)(Column)
November 4, 2004... On a picture-perfect Sunday in New England last month, my wife and I found ourselves standing on a bridge in northwest Maine, admiring the glistening beauty of Pennacock Falls in its autumn splendor, thankful for the opportunity to see such a...

The finer points of creating, managing service contracts.(Sprint Corp.)
November 4, 2004... Managing contracts for services is often more complicated than managing materials contracts, according to Jim Haining, group manager of strategic sourcing for Sprint in Overland Park, Kan. "Service contracting is different from contracting for...

Group purchasing helps leverage decentralized spend.(Parker Hannifin)
November 4, 2004... With 93 divisions and offices in the U.S. alone, the decentralized structure of Parker Hannifin's operations make a coordinated purchasing strategy challenging, to say the least. The $6 billion Cleveland-based maker of motion and control...

Integrating procurement in acquisitions and mergers.(Comcast Cable)
November 4, 2004... Managing a procurement department on a day-to-day basis is challenging enough. But when your company becomes involved in a merger or acquisition with another company, the challenges can multiply exponentially. In addition to the basics of...

Hill of beans, part I: high vanilla prices spur substitutes.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... In the wake of a dramatic rise and subsequent fall for vanilla bean prices in the past year, many top food producers have moved to artificial flavors--possibly permanently. In a recent news report, Bernd Ebert, procurement director of the...

Hill of beans, part II: coffee prices continue on the rise.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Arabica coffee futures listed on the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) are up about 26% since the middle of August when prices were at their lowest levels since late 2003. Arabica coffee futures settled at 86 cents/lb.in late September, the...

Correction.(Correction Notice)
November 4, 2004... Keith Drewett's name was misspelled in the Pumping up Plant Profitability story in the Oct. 7 issue. He is the president and chief operating officer of Barnes Distribution, Cleveland. Ohio.

Determine Software has released its Enterprise Edition, an installed version of its contract management solution.(Version *.*: latest sourcing software releases)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Determine Software has released its Enterprise Edition, an installed version of its contract management solution. This new offering complements Determine's existing OnDemand Edition, a network-based hosted solution, giving companies the...

Datastream Systems released the newest version of its Datastream 7i Asset Performance Management solution.(Version *.*: latest sourcing software releases)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Datastream Systems released the newest version of its Datastream 7i Asset Performance Management solution. New purchasing and materials management features include: support for blanket purchase orders including monetary and status change...

Contract management solutions provider diCarta released its Contracts Version 6, which provides companies with Universal Contract Management, encompassing all contracts.(Version *.*: latest sourcing software releases)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Contract management solutions provider diCarta released its Contracts Version 6, which provides companies with Universal Contract Management, encompassing all contracts, whether created internally or externally, all contract presentation and...

MfgQuote recently launched Version 5 of its online marketplace that connects buyers, procurement professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors with qualified suppliers of custom manufacturing services.(Version *.*: latest sourcing software releases)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... MfgQuote recently launched Version 5 of its online marketplace that connects buyers, procurement professionals, engineers, entrepreneurs, and inventors with qualified suppliers of custom manufacturing services. The latest release includes more...

How UCC amendments will impact the sale of goods.(Murray's law)(Uniform Commercial Code)
November 4, 2004... The Uniform Commercial Code has governed commercial transactions throughout the United States for decades. The Code deals with a wide range of commercial transactions including commercial paper such as checks, notes and other instruments, bank...

Fuji Hunt Photographic Chemicals.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Fuji Hunt Photographic Chemicals has been named Gold Level Supplier of the Year and winner of the Gold Award in the Consumables Category by printing industry giant Quad/Graphics. According to Arthur Noe, Quad/Graphics' director of corporate...

The National Minority Supplier Development Council.(Kudos)
November 4, 2004... The National Minority Supplier Development Council recently named its regional suppliers of the year. Awards were given in three categories based on annual revenues. In Class III (sales greater than $10 million) winners were: General...

TNT Logistics North America.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... TNT Logistics North America has won the Auburn Hills Gold Award from DaimlerChrysler for the third consecutive year. The coveted Gold Award is presented to manufacturing facilities and service suppliers in recognition of outstanding...

Sun Microsystems.(Kudos)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Sun Microsystems announced the winners of its 14th annual Supplier Awards Program, led by its top Supplier of the Year, Benchmark Electronics, of Houston, which regained an honor it first achieved from Sun in 2002. The 2004 Best-in-Class award...

Forget about a silver bullet.(Purchasing Bookstore)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Get back to basics. That's the message delivered by Ron Nussle and Jim Morgan in a just released book entitled, "Integrated Cost Reduction." Nussle, a supply chain veteran and managing director of global materials for Lam Research Corp. and...

Empower purchasing to leverage opportunities.(Supply Strategy)
November 4, 2004... Packaging giant Greif of Delaware, Ohio is transforming its supply chain operations to focus on reducing costs, streamlining purchasing activities and integrating supply chain operations more closely with other workstreams in the company. ...

Buyers says manufacturing economy's growth has slowed.(Grassroots Report)
November 4, 2004... Based on commentary from the nation's buyers in early October, which mirrors reports from previous months, it's a good bet that economic growth will not snap back anytime soon to the pace seen early in the year. "The first three quarters...

Buyers says numerous commodities are inflating.(Prices)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A majority (69%) of the buyers surveyed in October experienced notable price increases of some kind. Energy costs appear to have risen across all buying groups. Also rising in price again in October were scrap steel and such steel mill products...

Who's got strategic sourcing on the brain?(buylines)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Drug wholesaler Cardinal Health plans to save $125 million by the end of its fiscal year in June 2005 through a strategic sourcing initiative. Cardinal spokesman Jim Mazzola declined to provide any more information on the cost-savings measures...

Going global made easier with outsourcing.(Cloudveil)
November 4, 2004... As companies move manufacturing overseas in increasing percentages, optimizing logistics and getting goods into overseas plants and out to global markets in a timely manner has become a top priority for companies like outdoor apparel designer...

Commerce One considering filing Chapter 11.(Software News)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Supplier relationship management technology provider Commerce One is considering "significant reduction or discontinuation of our operations, other expense reductions, and/or a sale of all or a portion of our assets." In a recent SEC filing,...

Supply chain software firm Logility recently acquired the privately held Demand Management, a St. Louis-based provider of supply chain planning systems marketed under the Demand Solutions brand, for $9.5 million cash.(Software News)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Supply chain software firm Logility recently acquired the privately held Demand Management, a St. Louis-based provider of supply chain planning systems marketed under the Demand Solutions brand, for $9.5 million in cash. Under the terms of the...

Manugistics.(Software News)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Supply chain software firm Manugistics recently denied rumors of a takeover despite four years of losses and declining revenues. In a story in the Business Gazette of Maryland, new CEO Joseph L. Cowan said Manugistics will reduce its workforce...

Aberdeen Group.(Software News)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... A recent study from Aberdeen Group found the typical e-sourcing user strategically sources only half of addressable spending and is unable to implement 20% to 25% of the savings negotiated online. However, those companies sourcing more than 80%...

What's hot.(metals)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... World consumption of finished steel products in 2005 could be a record 993 million metric tons, up from 950 million metric tons this year. That's the forecast the International Iron and Steel Institute economists announced at the institute's...

Weight-conscious automakers rely on aluminum, magnesium.(Lightweight Metals)
November 4, 2004... General Motors has developed a new aluminum forming process for parts attached to the 2004-model Chevy Malibu Maxx. The proprietary GM forming system is expected to provide improved styling flexibility, simplify assembly, boost quality and...

Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp., Wheeling, W.Va., said its new ladle-metallurgy furnace at the company's Mingo Junction, Ohio, plant began processing test heats early in October. The furnace is using molten steel from the company's basic oxygen...

Titanium Industries.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Titanium Industries, the Parsippany, N.J.-based titanium distribution chain, has opened a new service center in Birmingham, England, and two new U.S. sales offices in Tolland, Conn., managed by Mary Moynihan-Downes, and in Hillsboro, Texas,...

Copper and zinc producer Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is being sold to Ontzinc Corp. of Toronto for $250 million in cash.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Copper and zinc producer Hudson Bay Mining & Smelting of Winnipeg, Manitoba, is being sold to Ontzinc Corp. of Toronto for $250 million in cash. After the sale by Anglo American of London is completed, the enlarged Ontzinc will change its name...

Lone Star Steel of Dallas has agreed to sell small-diameter carbon steel tubing into the oil, energy and gas markets made by Grupo Brastubo, a Brazilian manufacturer.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Lone Star Steel of Dallas has agreed to sell small-diameter carbon steel tubing into the oil, energy and gas markets made by Grupo Brastubo, a Brazilian manufacturer. Lone Star also has agreed to sell seamless oil country tubular goods made by...

Structural Steel of Carolina.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Structural Steel of Carolina, a new company formed by Jim Brewer, the president, and three other former Carolina Steel managers, have bought structural beam steelmaking plants in Winston-Salem and Hickory. Carolina Steel's Lynchburg plant is...

Earle M. Jorgensen Co. (EMJ).(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Metals distributor Earle M. Jorgensen Co. (EMJ), Lynwood, Calif., has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for an initial public offering of stock. An IPO would bring public ownership to the...

Century Aluminum and Noranda Aluminum have acquired Kaiser Aluminum's alumina plant in Gramercy, La., and related bauxite assets in Jamaica.(Metals Chips)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Century Aluminum and Noranda Aluminum have acquired Kaiser Aluminum's alumina plant in Gramercy, La., and related bauxite assets in Jamaica. Each buyer paid half of the $23 million purchase price. The Gramercy refinery has the capacity to...

Fill 'er up! Aluminum eyes inroads from beer bottles.(New Products)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Not all the new aluminum products are automotive. The companies that introduced the pull-top aluminum can more than four decades ago have partnered on a new innovation, the aluminum beer bottle. Alcoa and Pittsburgh Brewing, maker of Iron City...

Mills' dilemma: buyers are sourcing more than in recent memory, yet producers are being challenged by a mixed economic environment, materials' cost pressures and turbulent energy prices.(aluminum market report)
November 4, 2004... Aluminum demand grew briskly in the first half of 2004, tightening supply for primary aluminum, lengthening lead-times for mill products and boosting spot prices above earlier forecasts. In fact, shipments of aluminum mill product to domestic...

Metals indices slip backwards.(metals)
November 4, 2004... Metalworking activity, which improved slightly in September, failed to grab any traction and slipped in October back near the cyclical lows recorded in July and August. Not only did Purchasingdata.com's metals-using business activity index...

Exostar.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Aerospace and defense industry marketplace Exostar recently appointed Judy Northup to its board of directors. Northup is vice president and chief administrative officer for Vought Aircraft Industries where she heads the materials, human...

Gibraltar.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Building products maker Gibraltar recently named John Wagner as its new vice president of supply chain management, in his new role, Wagner will coordinate all of Gibraltar's corporate purchasing and transportation activities, with the goals of...

Textron.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Textron announced that Peter Riley has been promoted to senior vice president of Six Sigma, integrated supply chain and transportation. He will continue to serve as a member of the company's transformation leadership team, which is comprised of...

Lowe.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Lowe's has promoted Mike Mabry to executive vice president of logistics and distribution. In the new role, Mabry will oversee Lowe's distribution network and logistics operations. Mabry joined Lowe's as senior vice president of distribution in...

VeriFone.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Kevin Barry has been appointed to vice president of global supply chain management at VeriFone, the provider of electronic payment solutions. He will be responsible for demand planning, supply base management, contract manufacturing,...

Ford Motor.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Ford Motor's Tony Brown has been bumped up a level to senior vice president, global purchasing from his prior post as vice president of purchasing. Ford says the promotion reflects the scope and complexity of the functions Brown leads.

Stainless Sales.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Jayne Shaults has been promoted to purchasing manager of Stainless Sales, a metal service center in Chicago. In her new position, she is responsible for purchasing the stainless steel and other metals inventoried by the firm, and will supervise...

AK Steel.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... AK Steel has named Anthony Perry to the new post of director of purchasing. Perry joined the Middletown, Ohio, firm in June as manager of cokemaking for the main steel works following 34 years of service with U.S. Steel In his new post, Perry...

Universal Automotive Industries.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Universal Automotive Industries has appointed Lisa Kusluski to the newly created position of director of supply chain. Kusluski will oversee the company's purchasing department, among other responsibilities and will report directly to Phil...

Louisiana-Pacific.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Building products maker Louisiana-Pacific has named Brian Luoma as its vice president of procurement, logistics and supply management. Luoma replaces Jeffrey Wagner, who was recently promoted to vice president of Louisiana-Pacific's oriented...

InFocus.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Digital projector company InFocus has hired former Apple Computer executive Joe O'Sullivan as its vice president of global supply chain management. O'Sullivan will run the company's global supply chain initiative. O'Sullivan joined Apple in...

IDEX.(Purchasing pros on the move)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Fluid handling technology firm IDEX has named Thomas Giordano to the newly created position of vice president of supply chain and logistics for the corporation. Giordano brings to IDEX more than 25 years of experience, most recently as...

American Express charges ahead: a fresh look by Rion Needs has cut $588 million from purchasing costs in three years.(managing the services buy)
November 4, 2004... American Express knows the value of purchasing. Kenneth K. Chenault, chairman and CEO, Caw L. Crittenden, executive vice president and CFO, and the rest of the global leadership team understand that they can build a purchasing operation that's...

P&G boosts leverage: the consumer products giant is making impressive gains in specifications management and technology innovations while building greater spend pool collaboration across the enterprise.(strategic sourcing)
November 4, 2004... Whenever buyers at Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble reduce annual costs by 5%, corporate profits jump more than 20%. And net earnings at the consumer product giant jumped 25% in the last fiscal year despite intense pressure on pricing of...

What's hot.(logistics)(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Capacity was the hot issue at the Council of Logistics Management meeting in Philadelphia recently. The overall message: shippers need capacity and carriers are working to provide it, particularly internationally (read: China, where by some...

Rising fuel rates trigger more intermodal shipments.(Strategic Shift)
November 4, 2004... Ball Corp. ships a lot of air. As a $4.9 billion supplier of containers for the food and beverage industry, Broomfield, Colo.-based Ball sends out about 500,000 full containers of, well, containers each year from its 34 manufacturing facilities...

While it may not be a tremendous surprise to some shippers, a recent report from Morgan Stanley found that volumes at California ports have more than doubled and congestion is higher than expected.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... While it may not be a tremendous surprise to some shippers, a recent report from Morgan Stanley found that volumes at California ports have more than doubled and congestion is higher than expected. Morgan Stanley analyst James Valentine said...

UPS has entered into a deal to buy the Menlo Worldwide Forwarding business from CNF for $150 million in cash.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... UPS has entered into a deal to buy the Menlo Worldwide Forwarding business from CNF for $150 million in cash, plus the assumption of approximately $110 million of debt. Menlo Worldwide Forwarding (formerly Emery Worldwide) has been part of the...

Deutsche Post World Net has repackaged its recent acquisitions--SmartMail Services and QuikPak--under the name DHL Smart & Global Mail.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Deutsche Post World Net has repackaged its recent acquisitions--SmartMail Services and QuikPak--under the name DHL Smart & Global Mail. The new brand includes the services of its former Deutsche Post Global Mail. DHL Smart & Global Mail and DHL...

Logistics service provider Universal Express has completed the acquisition of air cargo provider Alpine Air.(Brief Article)
November 4, 2004... Logistics service provider Universal Express has completed the acquisition of air cargo provider Alpine Air. Richard Altomare, chairman and CEO of Universal Express, said the deal will allow his company to utilize the management team of Alpine...