Logistics Management (Highlands Ranch, CO) articles from February 2003

Logistics Management (Highlands Ranch, CO) archives from February 2003

No matter the shape of the economy, truck rates will rise this year. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... No matter the shape of the economy, truck rates will rise this year, says a well-known stock analyst. According to Greg Burns of JP Morgan, major shippers were able to hold the line on trucking rates in 2002 , but a steady rise in shipment...

The West Coast port dispute is finally over, now that the union rank and file have accepted the proposed contract. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... The West Coast port dispute is finally over, now that the union rank and file have accepted the proposed contract. The Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) last month inked a new six-year contract with the International Longshore and Warehouse...

The Mexican truck saga has taken yet another unexpected turn. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... The Mexican truck saga has taken yet another unexpected turn. Late last year, the White House cleared the way for Mexican carriers to operate in the United States under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But last month a...

U.S. Customs will begin checking up on the security programs of C-TPAT members. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... U.S. Customs will begin checking up on the security programs of C-TPAT members. C-TPAT--the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism--requires participating companies to meet certain standards for supply chain security. The agency recently...

Need a few facts about rail shipments in 2001? (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... Need a few facts about rail shipments in 2001? Then pick up a copy of the 2002 edition of Railroad Facts, published by the American Association of Railroads' Policy and Economics Department. The book offers 80 pages of facts and statistics on...

He's got the whole company in his hands. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... He's got the whole company in his hands... Richard G. Phillips, chairman, president and CEO of Pilot Air Freight, the Lima, Pa.-based airfreight forwarder, has acquired all of the company's outstanding stock. Phillips says the ownership...

Distribution centers are more prone to theft than other types of businesses. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... Distribution centers are more prone to theft than other types of businesses. So says logistics security specialist Barry Brandman, author of the Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) publication, Security Best Practices: Protecting...

Soon you'll be able to train your fleet employees online. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... Soon you'll be able to train your fleet employees online. The Transportation Management Training Series (TMTS) offered by efleetmgmt, Inc. is a Web-based educational program covering truck-fleet equipment, maintenance, financial management,...

The National Private Truck Council has upgraded its Web site. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... The National Private Truck Council has upgraded its Web site. The redesigned site--www.nptc.org--features many enhancements, including a more user-friendly environment and expanded content. There's more information about NPTC's educational...

FedEx Custom Critical is renaming its CharterAir division to better reflect the range of services it provides. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... FedEx Custom Critical is renaming its CharterAir division to better reflect the range of services it provides. The air charter service of the time-definite, critical shipment carrier will now be called Air Expedite. The name change is intended...

U.S. Customs will issue "do not load" messages for ocean containers that fail to meet its 24-hour advance manifest regulation. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... U.S. Customs will issue "do not load" messages for ocean containers that fail to meet its 24-hour advance manifest regulation. On Feb. 2, Customs be an enforcing that rule, which requires carriers and consolidators to provide shipment details...

A new satellite monitoring system issues red flags when shipments go awry. (Management Update).
February 1, 2003... A new satellite monitoring system issues red flags when shipments go awry. Wireless provider Aether Systems Inc. h as teamed up with TransCommunications and Mobilacomm Eagle to launch a satellite monitoring system called Geologic. The...

Be the master of technology. (Viewpoint).
February 1, 2003... Technology can be your salvation or your downfall--it all depends. If you let technology be your master, you're headed for trouble. You often see this scenario playing out with companies that run out and buy packaged software applications for a...

Trucking. (Price Trends).
February 1, 2003... In December 2002, less-than-truckload (LTL) carriers reported a 1.6% drop in prices compared to the previous month's numbers, Truckload (TL) carriers, meanwhile, said their average prices fell 0.2% from November's levels. Motor carriers may...

Rail. (Price Trends).
February 1, 2003... Railroads held the line on pricing between November and December. One exception: chemical transportation, where the average price in December increased 6% over prices for the same period last year. The only other product group to see such a...

Water. (Price Trends).
February 1, 2003... Prices for shipping by water rose 9.7% between December 2001 and December 2002. That was the largest year-over-year price hike since the spring of 2000. The damage was done by inbound deep-sea ocean liners, which hiked prices at a monthly rate...

Air. (Price Trends).
February 1, 2003... U.S. airlines are suffering from high costs and low passenger volumes, so it's no wonder air cargo prices are feeling the heat. In December 2002, prices for scheduled air cargo transportation rose 0.2% over the previous month's figures and...

Carrier costs and demands affecting transportation service prices. (Price Trends).
February 1, 2003... FUEL Crude oil prices exceeded $34 a barrel in late January. The prospect of war with Iraq and the prolonged strike in Venezuela means U.S. petroleum prices will continue upward through the first half of 2003, 8y summer, prices will reach...

Shippers, carriers rap Customs on advance notice mandates: industry worries that new regulations will create chaos at the borders and harm the economy. (News & Analysis).
February 1, 2003... Shippers and carriers are raising red flags now that the U.S. Customs Service has unveiled details of its proposed rules for advance filing of shipment data. Last month, with the implementation of the 24-hour advance manifest rule looming over...

Why shippers in China shy away from 3PLs. (News Capsule).
February 1, 2003... When shippers in China were surveyed by Mercer Management Consulting about their reasons for not outsourcing more to third-party logistics service providers (3PLs), one-third said it was because they already had the necessary capabilities...

European Commission reviews stand against CSI. (Customs).
February 1, 2003... In a reversal of its initial stance regarding the U.S. Customs Service's Container Security Initiative (CSI), the European Commission (EC) announced its intention to negotiate a mutually acceptable arrangement for port security with the United...

Trucking industry leery of lock plan. (Motor Carriers).
February 1, 2003... Motor carriers have mixed views of a plan floated by federal security regulators last month that would mandate locks on all trucks and trailers. While supporting the need for improved security, they are concerned about the proposal's cost and...

Study proposes tax hike to remedy congested roads. (Highways).
February 1, 2003... A new study by a national transportation research group recommends raising fuel taxes to generate revenue to fix the nation s overcrowded highways. An increase in the current federal highway tax of 18.4 cents per gallon was one of the...

Industry leaders to move on. (Washington).
February 1, 2003... The nation's capital will soon witness the departure of two well-known industry association leaders. Edward M. Emmett announced last month that he will leave his post as president of the National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) in...

New industry groups focus on regulatory compliance. (Associations).
February 1, 2003... As the number of laws and regulations affecting transportation security have increased, shippers and service providers are finding that their information needs are changing. Now, two new industry organizations have formed to help companies...

DHL Worldwide Express. (Logistics Briefing: Services).
February 1, 2003... DHL Worldwide Express is now decking out its newest Boeing 757SF aircraft in a red-and-yellow livery scheme noting the company's integration with Danzas and Deutsche Post Euro Express. The company has invested 1 billion euros in its new fleet...

Lynden Air Freight. (Logistics Briefing: Services).
February 1, 2003... Lynden Air Freight is partnering with Continental Cargo, a division of Continental Airlines. Through the alliance, Lynden receives protected space allocations, favored pricing and priority boarding of shipments. Lynden will provide Continental...

Airborne Express. (Logistics Briefing: Services).
February 1, 2003... Airborne Express has outfitted 10,000 of its pickup and delivery drivers with MobileDispatch, a two-way wireless messaging system from Dynamic Mobile Data. This allows real-time monitoring of packages, including the ability to view signature...

CargoSmart Limited. (Logistics Briefing: Services).
February 1, 2003... CargoSmart Limited has added shipping instructions to its online documentation services to help customers comply with U.S. Customs' 24-hour advance manifest regulation. The shipping instructions function helps users streamline their...

Datebook.
February 1, 2003... March 3-5. The Work Truck Show. Atlanta. National Truck Equipment Association. www.ntea.com or (800) 441-6832. March 5-7. "Selecting and Working With a Third-Party Logistics Provider" seminar. Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. The Ohio State...

Bohman on pricing: late payment of UPS invoices could cost shippers extra.
February 1, 2003... As a holder of one or more personal credit cards, you're probably aware that over the past two or three years, most credit card companies have not only shortened the period within which you must pay your monthly bill--to just 25 days in many...

How war with Iraq will hit the home front: throw conventional wisdom aside. The likely impact of a war with Iraq may not be what shippers expect.
February 1, 2003... When the U.S. military fires its first shot in the Iraqi desert, the reverberations will be felt back home on a number of fronts. One area that's sure to be shaken by military action will be the U.S. transportation industry. Conventional...

Regional LTLs stake out new turf: expanded territories, new services and tailored pricing are all part of the new value propositions regional LTL carriers are offering shippers these days.
February 1, 2003... Regional motor carriers are striving for that winning edge. Although national LTL carriers such as Yellow Transportation, Roadway Express and ABF Freight System continue to dominate the less-than-truckload (LTL) field, their regional...

The who, what and where of reverse logistics.
February 1, 2003... Is it better to handle reverse logistics in your forward distribution center or in a separate facility? The answer depends on who you are, what you're handling, and where your returns will end up. There's one thing you can say for certain...

China: reforms may take awhile: China pledged to the WTO that it would loosen restrictions on foreign companies doing business there. But change is coming slowly to transportation and distribution services.
February 1, 2003... When China was accepted as a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 2001, hope ran high that the market for transportation and logistics services would soon be liberalized. Foreign-owned service providers--and their shipper...

Affordable WMS now within reach: today's WMS vendors are producing systems costing less than $100K that do the trick for most small to mid-sized warehouses.
February 1, 2003... Looking for a low-cost Warehouse Management System (WMS)? You're in luck--logistics managers at small and medium-sized companies today finally have a choice of affordable packages to fit modest budgets. The reason: WMS vendors have begun to...

Outsourcing: A global success story; new software, internet access, help German 3PL deliver top-flight distribution services around the world. (European Logistics: Case Study).
February 1, 2003... Timely delivery of spare parts around the world can be a daunting task, given the number of countries involved and the diversity of language. But for Fiege ecm, a third-party logistics provider based in Greven, Germany, that task is make easier...

3PL providers work to close the gap. (European Logistics: Updates).
February 1, 2003... Shippers hoped that the combined European market would result in streamlined, integrated 3PL services That hasn't quite happened yet, but the service providers are working hard to make the promise a reality. A recent study by Cap Gemini...

2003 Buyers Guide Addendum: Please add the following information to your copy of Logistics Management's 2003 Buyers Guide.
February 1, 2003... AIRFREIGHT FORWARDERS EGL Global Logistics 15350 Vickery Drive Houston, TX 77032 (281) 618-3100 (800) 355-0350 Fax:(281) 618-3223 Web: www.eaglegl.com E-mail: marketing@eaglegl.com Services: Aircraft...

Case palletizer offers flexible layouts. (New Products & Services).
February 1, 2003... The 780 series case pallerizer from Alvey Systems, an FKI Logistex company, features a right-angle pattern formation that allows it to achieve almost any case layout. The unit's small footprint makes it suitable for facilities where space is at...

Quiet conveyor for any-sized package. (New Products & Services).
February 1, 2003... The NBA-23 belt-driven live roller conveyor electronically senses products weighing from 1 ounce to 75 pounds per foot. Its narrow, high-strength belt allows conveyor lengths of up to 300 feet, with a spring-loaded take-up for optimum belt...

Voice technology for picking software. (New Products & Services).
February 1, 2003... Dispatcher-WMS warehouse management software from LIS can now be upgraded to interface with Vocollect Talkman communication hardware, eliminating the need for handheld radio frequency units. The headset relays real-time information to...

New priorities for supply chain managers. (Copacino on Strategy).
February 1, 2003... During the early and mid-1990s, most industries operated in a demand-surplus environment. That is, demand was growing at a consistent and often rapid rate. The challenge for management at that time was not necessarily to minimize costs or...