GT Nexus Incorporates Trade and Financial Services Into Its Global Trade and Logistics Portal
GT Nexus has fashioned a new software package that brings financial supply-chain services into the vendor's existing portal for managing global trade and logistics. GT Nexus Trade delivers related services in an "on-demand" fashion, giving users a single, industry-neutral platform for automation of the global procure-to-pay process. The portal now allows for the management of multiple supply-chain finance programs. A pre-shipment financing feature provides data on vendor performance, along with real-time visibility to purchase orders. Inventory financing offers better visibility to in-transit inventory. Post-shipment financing factors in early-payment discount programs, improving vendors' cash flow while permitting in-exchange discounts or extended terms for buyers. GT Nexus's global trade and logistics portal includes more than 40,000 registered users from more than 15,000 organizations. Buyers, sellers, banks and logistics providers can operate via a common platform with a core set of information that supports multiple trade and logistics functions. http://www.gtnexus.com
Coupa Debuts Freely Downloadable Software for e-Procurement
Coupa Software has made available what it says is the industry's first and only freely downloadable software for electronic procurement. Designed expressly for mid-sized businesses, Coupa eProcurement Express is intended to simplify the management of departmental and employee purchasing. In the process, it targets employee non-compliance with procurement rules. The tool covers the entire e-procurement lifecycle, from employee requisitioning to all goods or services, with approval workflow, catalog and contract pricing, purchase-order automation, receipt and delivery. The interface replicates a "consumer-like" buying experience, the vendor said. Purchasing and financial teams can write and publish buying policies to the appropriate employee shops. Coupa eProcurement Express offers a community environment in which employees can rate products, vendors and the applicability of products for a specific need. They can also add classification tags based on how real users search for products, so that like-minded employees can share lists and find products faster. Development teams can easily customize the open-source software, while sharing product extensions with the Coupa developer community. http://www.coupa.com
Network Courier, Commodity Logistics Merge to Form New Unit
Network Courier and Commodity Logistics Inc. have joined to form Network Global Logistics (NGL), a Los Angeles, Calif.-based provider of supply-chain services from the shipment of raw materials to electronic-commerce fulfillment. Network Courier was a specialist in same-day shipping throughout the U.S., with headquarters in Lockbourne, OH. Commodity Logistics was a national supply-chain and warehousing service provider. According to the partners, the merger will significantly enhance the combined entity's ability to provide financial, technical, network and collaborative resources to customers. Management consists of executives from both organizations, with Raymond Garcia serving as chief executive officer of NGL; Raymond Pickering as president of NGL Supply Chain Services, and Scott Teter as president of NGL Express Services. The new company is based in Los Angeles. http://www.netcour.com
Manhattan, IBM Forge Global Partnership for Joint Sales
Manhattan Associates, Inc. has entered into a new joint sales partnership with IBM. Manhattan will sell and implement its supply-chain software built on IBM's open technologies for customers in the retail, consumer goods, manufacturing and transportation industries on a global scale. The companies said they would ramp up joint sales efforts across Asia-Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East, while continuing their efforts in North America. The goal, they said, is to give customers a global view of their supply chains, while improving both planning and execution strategies. Under the agreement, Manhattan will develop its global supply-chain products on IBM hardware, software and services. It will also deliver applications on IBM's WebSphere and Information Management technologies, including WebSphere Application Server, Message Broker and Transformation Extender. The offerings are part of a preferred reference architecture for Manhattan's Integrated Planning Solutions and Integrated Logistics Solutions. The two companies claim to share nearly 1,000 customers around the world. http://www.manh.com
New Dynamic Replenishment Tool Introduced by Sockeye SockeyeSupply Chain, formerly Sockeye Solutions, has created a new application for inbound supply-chain management and dynamic replenishment. The tool was developed through work done by Sockeye for Hewlett-Packard. Users can quickly propagate demand changes throughout their networks, while identifying critical supply-chain issues before they have a negative impact on finished-goods marketing commitments. The tool allows for the co-management of inventory levels by suppliers and manufacturers, who can dynamically address inventory discrepancies in real time. Sockeye works in multiple tiers, systems, companies and languages. Inbound-collaboration features provide visibility and decision-support to manage the replenishment of parts inventories from suppliers to manufacturers, with multiple methods based on a given supplier and buyer relationship. Modules include inventory visibility and monitoring, purchase-order negotiation, forecast commit process, supplier-managed replenishment, dynamic replenishment, tracking of advance ship notices and goods receipt notices, and returns management. Sockeye's applications are built and deployed on the Collaborative Application Framework platform. http://www.sockeyesupplychain.com
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DHL Unveils New Gateways in Southern California and Mexico
DHL has opened its new international gateway in Southern California. Located in Riverside, the expanded facility represents an additional investment of nearly $3m. It adds on-site offices for customs processing and clearance functions related to the arrival of DHL international shipments. Ground and air-hub personnel will process letters and packages as they are offloaded from Asia-Pacific flights and channeled directly into DHL's West Coast distribution network. DHL began operations at its West Coast Distribution Facility in 2005, following a $70m investment in the leasing and development of a site at the former March Air Reserve Base. The Asia-Pacific flight marks the first international flight for DHL's West Coast Distribution Facility. DHL also announced the opening of a new international gateway in Merida, Mexico, to meet the needs of customers shipping across the U.S.-Mexico border. The operation is expected to boost DHL's handling capacity by more than 87 percent in the region, enabling the movement of more than 38,000 additional shipments per year. The investment is part of a strategic development plan by DHL for Mexico's southeastern region.
Southern California Gateway: http://www.dhl-usa.com Mexico Gateway: http://www.dhl-usa.com
IAS, Trinium Partner to Develop Container-Industry Services
International Asset Systems (IAS) has joined with Trinium Technologies to collaborate on new applications for the trucking and ocean-carrier industries. IAS is a provider of information products and services for ocean carriers, while Trinium serves the intermodal trucking industry. The arrangement will include joint pilot programs already underway, with development teams working together to create tools that will automate the phone-and fax-dominated world of trucking work orders and dispatch. IAS processes more than 50,000 intermodal container transactions a day through its IAS Hub, serving 18 of the top 20 ocean carriers. Trinium's customer base of 1,100 users manages dispatch activities for more than 6,000 truck drivers daily. Together the companies want to create a new platform that can link the two sectors with seamless, end-to-end transactions, while automating previously manual processes. Products and services developed under the new partnership could be released as early as the second half of 2007, the companies said. http://www.interasset.com
Intermec Delivers New Mobile Computer, Vehicle-Mount Reader
Intermec has released its CN3 mobile computer, a rugged handheld computer that operates with Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) wireless broadband data transmission capabilities. The unit will operate on release version 0 of the EV-DO specification for CDMA WWAN cellular networks. The CN3 has been certified for voice and data transmission on the Sprint Mobile Broadband Network, which reaches more than 209 million people nationwide. The mobile computer can be used to make voice calls, send data and manage documents. In a related development, Intermec has introduced the latest version of its vehicle-mount radio frequency identification (RFID) reader. The IV7C is a rugged device designed to read RFID tags anywhere within reach of a forklift. It joins an integrated family of newly released Intermec products for forklifts, including the CV30 vehicle mount computer, the Adaptable Load Backrest and Antenna Cells. The CV30 computer and IV7C reader automatically update warehouse management systems with product location status as the forklift moves through tag-equipped zones, as well as shelf location data when pallets are dropped off or retrieved.
EV-DO Mobile Computer: http://www.intermec.com IV7C RFID Reader: http://www.intermec.com
Grand Alliance Members to Launch Asia-Black Sea Service
Four members of the Grand Alliance space-sharing consortium are launching a new weekly container service covering the Asia-Black Sea market. Participants include Hapag Lloyd, MISC Berhad, Nippon Yusen Kaisha and Orient Overseas Container Line. Together they will deploy seven vessels, each with a capacity of 3,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), in a rotation to include Shanghai, Ningbo, Shekou, Singapore, Damietta, Istanbul, Constanza, Odessa, Izmir, Damietta, Singapore and back to Shanghai. The service is scheduled to commence out of Shanghai in late June. Formed in 1988, the Grand Alliance offers a total of 19 service loops in the major East-West lanes, including two pendulum loops plus three services on slot exchange with the New World Alliance. http://www.nykline.co.jp
John S. Connor Names Partner in LCL Service From Shanghai
John S. Connor, Inc., a logistics service provider based in Glen Burnie, Md., has formed a strategic alliance with China's Orient Star Group. Together the companies will offer less-than-containerload (LCL) inbound service from Shanghai direct to the Port of Baltimore on a weekly frequency. The arrangement represents the first time that such a service has been available to Baltimore, the companies said. Orient Star Group is a logistics provider and licensed non-vessel operating common carrier with 18 offices throughout Asia. Connor and Orient Star have been cooperating on various logistics ventures for mutual customers over the past 15 years, the partners said. In June of last year, Connor opened an office in Shanghai to boost trade links between China and the U.S. East Coast. http://www.jsconnor.com
Fluensee Debuts RFID Starter Kit to Automate Tracking
Fluensee, Inc. has introduced AssetTrack Express, a new "starter kit" for automated asset tracking using radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The product can be installed and operating within a day, the vendor said. It includes everything necessary for companies to deploy RFID technology to automatically track most types of assets. Companies can use it to deploy RFID for the monitoring, planning and tracking of asset movements, as well as generating analytical reports to improve asset utilization. The standard AssetTrack Express kit is composed of Fluensee's asset-tracking software, a rugged handheld RFID reader, up to 250 assorted passive RFID tags, a quick setup guide, and support services. Kit contents can be modified, at no additional cost, to include stationary readers or alternative tag technologies based on the user's specific needs. http://www.fluensee.com
