SAP America Readies Webcast on IT Maturity for LSPs
SAP America will host a webcast panel discussion on June 14 on the topic of managing information-technology maturity for transportation and logistics service providers (LSPs). The event will examine how LSPs can achieve business-wide visibility, cost control and technology integration through IT. Panel members include Adrian Gonzalez, director of the Logistics Executive Council of ARC Advisory Group; Rodney Strata, industry principal, logistics and transportation industries, SAP America; and J.P. Wiggins, director for industry solutions marketing, travel and transportation, SAP Labs. The moderator will be Jean Murphy, editorial director of Global Logistics &Supply Chain Strategies magazine. http://supplychainbrain.com
New Allegro Suite From Sockeye Supply Chain Tackles Inventory, Demand and Supply-Chain Event Management
Sockeye Supply Chain has developed a new software suite for supply-chain management, dubbed the Allegro Suite. The product includes modules for managing inbound and outbound flows, inventory and demand. It works in businesses with multiple tiers, information systems and languages, the vendor said. The inbound planning module provides visibility and decision support to manage the replenishment of parts inventories from suppliers to manufacturers. On the outbound side, the tool allows for the creation of constraint-based production and shipment plans, to synchronize supply and demand. The inventory-management module lets users generate inventory targets for any location in the supply chain. Demand management helps to generate forecasts for finished goods; the forecasts are then used for operational planning of the outbound supply chain. The function also supports consensus forecasting to promote alignment between sales and operations. The supply chain event management module addresses various synchronization problems using real-time supply-chain events, alert notification and problem ticketing. http://www.sockeyesupplychain.com
Schenker, BAX Units of DB Logistics Link Dubai, Hahn, Toledo
Two operating units of DB Logistics have joined in launching an air-freight service that links Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Toledo, OH and Germany's Frankfurt/Hahn airport. DB Logistics is the transportation and logistics division of Deutsche Bahn AG. DB subsidiary Schenker is offering the service, which is aimed at customers in the electronics, automotive, mechanical engineering and garment industries. It will utilize Boeing 747-400F aircraft from Emirates SkyCargo, departing Dubai International Airport every Saturday at 11:30 p.m., bound for Germany with 110 metric tons of cargo capacity. The plane will arrive at Frankfurt/Hahn for unloading of European-bound cargo six hours later, then land at Toledo eight hours after that. On the return flight, the aircraft will arrive at Hahn in the early morning and Dubai in the afternoon. The SCHENKERskybridge program will provide rates for ocean freight from Asia via Dubai, cutting transit time by up to 50 percent over ocean, at a cost that is 50-percent less than air freight alone, the company said. Also supporting the service will be BAX Global Inc., another DB Logistics unit, a multimodal logistics services provider specializing in the movement of heavyweight packages and other types of cargo. http://www.schenker.com
IFS Marks North American Launch of Business Analytics Tool
IFS, a vendor of global business applications, has initiated the North American launch of its Business Analytics product, software that makes IFS Applications enterprise resource planning (ERP) software accessible to users of the 2007 Microsoft Office system. Business Analytics is the first offering to come out of the IFS Intelligent Desktop initiative, which is intended to integrate IFS software with Office 2007. It will provide secure and traceable integration between Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and IFS Applications, the vendor said. IFS's goal is to extend its ERP, enterprise asset management, supply-chain management and other tools throughout customers' organizations as Office Business Applications (OBAs). Key industries served by IFS include aerospace and defense, automotive, high-tech, industrial manufacturing, process industries, construction, utilities and telecommunications. Other IFS applications address maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), product lifecycle management (PLM), customer relationship management (CRM) and corporate performance management (CPM), among other processes. http://www.ifsworld.com
APL Unveils New Services in East Africa, Delhi-Mumbai Route
APL, the provider of ocean-container services, has launched an East Africa Express (EAX) service. The weekly offering will connect the Indian subcontinent and Arabian Gulf to East Africa. Cargo from the Far East and bound for East Africa will depart from Colombo, Sri Lanka and Nhava Sheva in India. The port of Nhava Sheva will also handle cargoes originating from the Indian subcontinent and Arabian Gulf, alongside ports in Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates. APL noted that gross domestic product growth in Africa has been running at about 5 percent for each of the past six years, and is projected to accelerate in East Africa to around 6 percent in 2007 and 2008. In another company development, Neptune Orient Lines, the parent of APL, has inaugurated a container rail freight service linking India's commercial centers of New Delhi and Mumbai. Operating as APL IndiaLinx, the service will provide rail connections with ships, shortening inland transit times. It will also offer first-and last-mile connections via trucking services to and from inland container depots. Although the initial focus will be on the New Dehli-Mumbai corridor, a Category 1 license will enable the service to run trains without limitations throughout India, the company said.
APL East Africa Service: http://www.apl.com
APL IndiaLinx: http://www.apl.com
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Seeburger Releases File Transfer Protocol Adapter for EDI
Seeburger Inc. has released a Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) adapter for its suite of electronic data interchange (EDI) products. The action relates to the standalone Seeburger Business Integration Server as well as the Seeburger EDI add-on for use with the SAP NetWeaver Exchange Infrastructure (SAP NetWeaver XI). The new adapter is designed for companies that prefer the security of the SFTP communications protocol, the vendor said. It also complies with the FIPS 140-2 standard to enable use by the U.S. Department of Defense, other federal agencies and their contractors. Seeburger said the addition to its adapter library reflects the rising use of SFTP as a more secure alternative to FTP, which includes no encryption capabilities, or FTP/s, which encrypts the control session but does not always encrypt the data session. SFTP, by contrast, encrypts the entire session, including username, password and data files, using the Secure Shell Protocol (SSH). http://www.seeburger.com
SAP Opens Co-Innovation Lab in Palo Alto for Work on SOA
SAP AG has opened the SAP Co-Innovation Lab at SAP Labs in Palo Alto, Calif. The venture will offer a hands-on environment for SAP, independent software vendors, system integrators and technology partners to work with customers on matters related to service-oriented architecture (SOA). In addition to serving as a site for joint projects, the lab will feature a data center incorporating hardware and infrastructure software from participating vendors. It will re-create "real-world" performance and security required for Web-enabled and internet/intranet-accessible business applications. Participants will join in projects to help customers create data-center environments that are optimized to support SOA on a business-wide scale. Founding sponsors of the SAP Co-Innovation Lab include Cisco, HP, Intel and NetApp. http://www.sap.com
New Tier Nth Service From NLM Manages Ground Expedite Moves
National Logistics Management has developed the Tier Nth service, a Web-based, on-demand offering for managing time-critical ground expedite shipments. Customers can use the service to access NLM's network of nearly 200 contracted ground carriers on a pay-as-you-go basis. Tier Nth is an answer to industry calls for demand-driven logistics management, according to NLM president Greg Humes. It incorporates NLM's visibility technology, supplying customers with intelligence on a shipment's progress at each stage in the supply chain. Through Tier Nth, users have access to NLM's logistics specialists stationed in the AllWays On Command center 24 hours a day, seven days a week. NLM manages all software upgrades for Tier Nth. Additional benefits, according to the vendor, include automated shipment awards based on custom criteria, proactive shipment monitoring, online bill of lading and proof of delivery retrieval, and online freight payment. http://www.nlmi.com
DHL Expands Presence in Japan With Facility at Kansai Int'l
DHL has cut the ribbon on its expanded facility at the Kansai International Airport in Japan. Representing an investment of $41m, the 10,100-square-meter DHL Kansai International Airport Gateway is the largest facility operated by an international express company at the airport, DHL claimed. DHL's initial operations at the International Cargo Area of Kansai International began in July of 2003. The company's presence there is critical to serving DHL customers throughout the Kansai region of West Japan. Expansion of the gateway allows DHL to support strong business growth in Japan, especially in Kansai, which is a major import center for exports from China. Five times larger than its predecessor, the new facility includes capability for customs clearance and bonded warehousing. Air Hong Kong, DHL's joint venture with Cathay Pacific, currently operates a ten-times-weekly dedicated service at the Kansai International Airport, to and from DHL's Central Asia Hub in Hong Kong. http://www.dhl.com
Pronexus Updates Its Interactive Voice Response Tool Kit
Pronexus Inc., a vendor of technology for voice-enabled business processes, has released VBVoice 5.5, the latest version of its rapid application development tool for telephony and speech systems. New features enhance the user-friendliness of the product, Pronexus said. A new WorkerThread Control feature simplifies the integration of custom code in the interactive voice response (IVR) application, by enabling the execution of selected lengthy code in a separate thread, avoiding the primary thread to be blocked, and preventing possible delays. In addition, the vendor has introduced an optional runtime management device, allowing users to move licenses without any outside involvement. The hardware key can be of particular value in the event of emergencies that require the moving of licenses outside of the vendor's regular support hours. For VBVoice 5.5, Pronexus has extended support for Dialogic's HMP 3.0 software, allowing applications to scale to higher densities. http://www.pronexus.com
WhereNet Issues Active RFID Tag for Real-Time Locating
WhereNet Corp. has made generally available its new active radio frequency identification (RFID) asset tag, known as WhereTag IV. The device supports both ISO 24730 and IEEE 802.11-based real-time locating system applications. It works with WhereNet's integrated wireless architecture for real-time location, messaging, telemetry and workforce communication applications. Users get constant asset visibility, with the degree of location accuracy matched to their specific business requirements. When used in multimode, WhereTag IV allows assets to roam through multiple location technologies, the vendor said. Customers can use the tag in ISO 24730 mode for high-precision applications in indoor or outdoor environments, and in the IEEE 802.11 mode for applications requiring lower precision in more stable, radio-frequency-friendly environments, WhereNet said. http://www.wherenet.com
