New World Alliance to Launch Service Linking East Coast With S.E. Asia, Indian Subcontinent Via Suez
The New World Alliance, a space-sharing agreement among APL, Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd. and Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd., is readying a new container service between the U.S. East Coast and Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent via the Suez Canal. The service will be the first of its kind, the partners claimed. Beginning in July, the Suez Express (SZX) will operate eight vessels of between 4,000 and 4,500 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). Five of the ships will be contributed by APL; Hyundai and Mitsui OSK will supply the other three vessels. APL chief executive officer Ron Widdows said the service will offer an alternative to port and rail congestion in North America, complementing the carriers' other Suez and trans-Pacific routes. SZX will target customers in a range of industries, including fashion apparel and perishables. Transit times include 21 days from Singapore to New York, 24 days to Charleston, S.C., and 25 days to Savannah, Ga. The port rotation will be Singapore, Colombo, New York, Charleston, Savannah, Norfolk, Jebel Ali, Port Kelang and Singapore. The SZX will also attract cargo via feeder services from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. In a related development, the New World Alliance is cooperating with CMA CGM on a new all-water service from major Chinese export hubs to key destinations on the U.S. East Coast, via the Panama Canal. The service has been named ESX by the New World Alliance and SAX by CMA CGM. It will allow the liners to offer comprehensive port coverage and competitive transit times from Central and South China to Savannah, Ga. and New York. The service is scheduled to begin on June 4, deploying eight vessels operating on a 56-day rotation.
SE Asia-East Coast Service: http://www.apl.com
China-East Coast Service: http://www.apl.com
Motorola Joins With Avery Dennison in RFID Marketing Deal
Motorola, Inc. and Avery Dennison have forged a new marketing agreement for radio frequency identification (RFID) technology. The deal calls for Avery Dennison to supply EPCglobal Gen 2 RFID tags to Motorola, which will offer them to the marketplace as part of its portfolio of custom tags. Motorola's products include an airline baggage tag and durable tags for asset tracking. It sells EPC-compliant RFID handheld readers, fixed RFID readers and packaged RFID reader systems. Avery Dennison produces high-volume RFID inlays, as well as pressure-sensitive labeling materials, office products and retail tag, ticketing and branding systems. Together the companies will be able to optimize RFID systems for "real-world" deployments, they said. Motorola plans to start shipping Avery Dennison-supplied Gen 2 tags in the second half of 2007. http://www.motorola.com
DHL Wraps Up Sort Automation in Allentown; Expands in SLC
DHL has completed the sort automation of its ground hub in Allentown, Pa. The company has installed shoe-sort and tilt-tray systems, loaders, unloaders, singulators, dimensional and image scanners, scan tunnels and video coding. The result, said the company, will be greater speed and visibility of letters and packages, utilizing the auto-sort system's new track-and-trace features. Letter-handling capabilities will improve by 67 percent and package throughput by 85 percent, DHL predicted. The Allentown hub covers 290,000 square feet of ground space, with an additional 200,000 square feet of mezzanine area and 12,000 square feet of office space. DHL has spent a total of $160m on automation and network integration at its air and ground hubs in Allentown, Wilmington, OH and Riverside, Calif. In a related development, DHL Global Forwarding, part of DHL's logistics division, has moved to larger facilities in Salt Lake City, UT. The new 45,000-square-foot facility offers 35,000 square feet of warehousing and 10,000 square feet of office space. It is located 1.5 miles from Salt Lake City International Airport. In addition to warehousing and distribution services, the facility houses DHL's air freight, ocean freight and customs brokerage operations.
Sort Automation Project: http://www.dhl-usa.com
Salt Lake City Expansion: http://www.dhl-usa.com
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Activant Unveils Watchdog, Protection Against Internet Threats
Activant Solutions Inc. has developed Activant Watchdog, a new software tool to protect against internet threats and ensure network security. Watchdog comes equipped with an anti-virus suite which updates definitions automatically. All of a distributor's networked computers share the same protection and access to new versions of the software. Watchdog also provides a full line of anti-intrusion services, including spyware protection and a continuously monitored and updated firewall. The tool includes website content filtering, attachment scans, encrypted virtual private network (VPN) connections between branch locations, and internet history reporting. Activant serves small and medium-sized retail and wholesale distribution businesses in the vertical markets of hardlines and lumber, wholesale distribution and the automotive parts aftermarket. http://www.activant.com
Cognex Offers Upgraded Machine Vision Inspection Sensors
Cognex Corp. has developed a new generation of its Checker machine vision inspection sensors. The Checker 200 series models offer built-in lighting, variable working distance, and high-speed inspection capability at rates faster than 6,000 parts per minute, the vendor said. Checker detects parts by finding an actual feature, such as a product graphic. It checks features that other sensors cannot, such as a code printed on a label, while inspecting multiple parts features simultaneously. In addition, Cognex said, the devices can overcome varying part positions on the line without requiring precise part handling. All Checker 200 series inspection sensors have a rugged IP67 housing and quick disconnect cables, as well as encoder-based part tracking, I/O and high-speed USB connectivity. The technology is well-suited for food, beverage, consumer product packages, and automotive and electronic parts inspection, the company said. http://www.cognex.com
MCA's Service Inventory Tool Wins Endorsement From SAP
The Service Inventory Optimization (SIO) application of MCA Solutions has become an SAP-endorsed business solution, the vendor announced. SIO complements and extends the functionality of SAP's Service Parts Planning Packages for complex capital equipment manufacturers in asset-intensive industries, including aerospace and defense, industrial equipment and high-tech. SIO won the SAP seal of approval following an extensive evaluation of multiple software packages for service parts planning. The review included discussions with customers and analysts, along with scrutiny of the product's functionality and technical features. SAP-endorsed business solutions are developed in accordance with the company's development guidelines, providing additional options for businesses running SAP software. They are based on the SAP NetWeaver platform and are offered by SAP partners, one of which is MCA Solutions. The vendor is also a member of SAP's industry value networks for high-tech and aerospace and defense. Version 6.0 of MCA's SIO achieved "SAP xApps Certified--Powered by SAP NetWeaver" status. http://www.mcasolutions.com
SAP Collaborates; Issues NetWeaver Composition Environment
SAP AG is collaborating with SunGard, a vendor of software for financial services, higher education and the public sector, to address the regulatory compliance needs of banks. The two companies are joining to deploy service-oriented architecture (SOA) in order to reduce complexity, lower costs and derive benefits from operating on an integrated platform. Their first offering will be a joint asset liability management product. SunGard's BancWare application allows for asset and liability management, budgeting and planning, and various other processes related to compliance. SAP also announced that it is working with Microsoft to accelerate customer adoption of the latter's SQL Server 2005, and optimize the application for the SAP Business Suite. The arrangement will ease the transition by customers to SQL Server 2005, while capitalizing on the benefits of SOA. SAP and Microsoft have further agreed to set up a joint lab in Walldorf, Germany to optimize the SAP Business Suite on the SQL Server 2005. In yet another SAP development, the company has released the SAP NetWeaver Composition Environment, based on Java EE 5, a new set of standards-based and integration composition tools. NetWeaver CE, which is also used for the development and deployment of composite applications, will be available for a 30-day free trial download on SAP Developer Network (sdn.sap.com) starting in May.
SAP and SunGard: http://www.sap.com
SAP and Microsoft: http://www.sap.com
NetWeaver CE: http://www.sap.com
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New Generation Computing Creates Dashboard for Apparel ERP
New Generation Computing (NGC) has developed a new executive dashboard module for its RedHorse enterprise resource planning (S+ERP) software. RedHorse is designed especially for the apparel and sewn products industries. It is part of NGC's SQL Series of applications, which include e-SPS software for global sourcing and visibility, and e-PLM for product lifecycle management. Built on the Microsoft .NET framework, the new dashboard provides a visual window into critical business data contained in RedHorse. Executives can view at a glance real-time data and track key performance indicators in sales, profits, inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other areas. They can use the system-supplied metrics or create metrics of their own. http://www.ngcsoftware.com
Cleo Issues New Version of VersaLex, With Updated VLProxy
Cleo Communications has released VersaLex version 3.4, the underlying technology for the vendor's VersaLex Suite, incorporating LexiCom, VersaLex Trader and VersaLex Proxy products. The release includes the new version 2.0 of VersaLex Proxy as well. New features built into version 3.4 of VersaLex include a full-feature SSH FTP server for VLTrader; a "receive box" option which can be used to copy incoming files to saved locations, allowing for configuration of a system-wide receive box or host-specific receive boxes; and support for Microsoft Vista and HP-UX Itanium platforms. VersaLex is an internet communications technology which runs on standard PCs and servers, and supports a wide variety of operating-system configurations. http://www.cleo.com
Tyco Teams Up With KeyTone to Meet DOD Mandates for RFID
Tyco Electronics has partnered with KeyTone Technologies to provide systems to companies fulfilling the U.S. Department of Defense's mandate on the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) for electronic product codes on all products. The deal combines Tyco's expertise in RFID labels, high-memory tags, readers and antennas with KeyTone's RFID software. It allows companies to eliminate expensive integration efforts that arise from working with multiple suppliers, according to Tyco. Tyco Electronics is a business segment of Tyco International, Inc., a global provider of engineered electronic components, network support and wireless systems. Customers include users in the automotive, appliances, aerospace, telecommunications and electronics industries. KeyTone develops RFID-enabled applications and tools for integrating the technology with business systems. http://www.tycoelectronics.com
