MarketWatch

— October 4, 2006

Penske, ABX Logistics Team Up to Manage Global Supply Chains for Multinational Customers
Penske Logistics and ABX Logistics have formed an alliance to provide global supply-chain services to multinational corporations. The deal combines Penske's experience in logistics execution with ABX's global presence and freight-forwarding capabilities. According to the partners, the alliance supports the logistics operations of companies looking to optimize their global supply chains, regardless of where they do business. Customers can receive support in their efforts to reduce overall shipments while achieving greater inventory control, productivity and supply-chain transparency. The arrangement offers seamless handling of shipments from initial consolidation at airports and ocean terminals to deconsolidation centers, then on to the customer's end destination. An integrated, proprietary I.T. system allows the customer to see where goods are in the supply chain in a virtually real-time environment, the companies said. Penske is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penske Trucking Leasing; ABX is one of the world's top air and sea freight forwarders.
http://www.gopenske.com/

APL Enhances Coverage of China-Australia Trade Lanes
APL, the global ocean-container carrier, is launching a new weekly service in partnership with Cosco and PIL. The China Australia Service (CAS) will offer competitive transit times and direct connections between major destinations in both countries, APL said. It will make direct calls at Qingdao in China's Bohai Bay area, as well as the Yangtze River Delta gateways of Ningbo and Shanghai. In Australia, the service will cover the east coast destinations of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. Due to begin operations on Oct. 2, the service is deploying five ships, each with a capacity of around 2,900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) on a weekly loop. The vessels will offer handling capabilities for refrigerated and climate-controlled cargo, to support the trade's growing demand for fresh produce. Transit times include 20 days from Sydney to Chiwan, and 15 days from Brisbane to Ningbo. In the other direction, transit time will be 17 days from Chiwan to Brisbane, and 12 days from Hong Kong to Melbourne.
http://www.apl.com/

4 Way Logistics Debuts Freight Portal for Comparing LTL Rates
4 Way Logistics has created a freight portal to help shippers compare rates, transit times and service-area options for less-than-truckload (LTL) transportation. The company's new Online LTL Marketplace lets clients find an appropriate LTL option in minutes, with just the click of a mouse, 4 Way said. The vendor is a non-asset-based provider of third-party logistics (3PL) services, including truckload, LTL, intermodal, air, ocean, and support for heavy-haul projects. The new online service allows customers to compare rates and transit times, get quotes simultaneously from various LTL carrier options, book shipments, maintain an online address book of shippers and consignees to streamline future orders, maintain control with the ability to add users, store freight quotes for future reference, and access the technology 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
http://www.ltlmarketplace.com/

Inttra Lets Shippers Hook Up With All Carriers for Free
Inttra, a provider of electronic commerce links for ocean carriers and their customers, has instituted a policy of universal carrier access. The action allows any shipper or forwarder registered with Inttra to transmit shipping instructions to any carrier or non-vessel operating common carrier in the world, at no charge to either party. The launch follows a six-month pilot program, involving more than 50 carriers and their customers. The goal is to deploy the Inttra platform to reach all carriers through a single, standard process, the company said. For example, shippers and forwarders can send a shipping instruction using Inttra's industry-standard PDF format. With 22 of the world's largest ocean carriers connected to its network, Inttra claims to represent more than 61 percent of global ocean-freight capacity. It initiates more than 125,000 container orders each week, and handles more than $10bn worth of freight each year.
http://www.inttra.com/

DHL Introduces Shipment-Monitoring System in Asia-Pacific
DHL has implemented a global shipment-management tool, known as the Quality Shipment Monitoring System (QSMS), in 10 countries within its Asia-Pacific service network. The QSMS underwent 12 months of testing to determine operational feasibility in the region, DHL said. It is now in place in Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore and Taiwan. Six more markets - Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand - are expected to launch the system by the end of this year. QSMS should be operational in all 41 countries and territories in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of 2007, according to DHL. The system can alert analysts at DHL's Quality Control Centers when operations are not proceeding within a fix range of time targets. For example, a flight's most recent status can be conveyed to the centers within five minutes of a delay, with the information immediately accessible to the network. Real-time freight monitoring lets DHL inform customers about the status of their shipments, and respond instantly to potential delays, the company said.
http://www.dhl.com

ALK Integrates Toll Guide With CSC's Freight-Link Software
In a new partnership between ALK Technologies, Inc. and Creative Systems Corp. (CSC), ALK is integrating its FleetSuite Tolls guide into the CSC Freight-Link transportation management system for truck fleets. ALK/FleetSuite Tools allows transportation and logistics companies to calculate tolls along truck routes. It incorporates data from nearly 1,000 toll plazas in some 32 states, 101 toll authorities and 232 toll roads, bridges and tunnels. It also supports numerous automated discount toll programs. CSC's Freight-Link provides operations and accounting functionality for multiple services, including truckload, less-than-truckload, intermodal and brokerage. It runs on Windows or Unix-based platforms under thin-client technology. Integration of FleetSuite Tolls with Freight-Link will provide CSC clients with easy access to accurate truck-toll costs for accounting and billing, ALK said. Tolls can be made part of critical decisions on bids and lane analysis. The toll database links up with ALK's PC-Miler software for truck routing, mileage calculation and mapping.
http://www.alk.com/

Armstrong Issues Latest Edition of Who's Who in Logistics
The 14th edition of Who's Who in Logistics, the guide to outsourcing and third-party logistics (3PL) providers, is now available from its compiler, Armstrong & Associates, Inc. The new edition, in two volumes and running more than 900 pages, has been expanded with in-depth profiles of 192 3PLs. The book profiles each company's financial information, key personnel, information-technology usage and service capabilities. It also offers editorial evaluations, case studies and related news events. Large companies covered include UPS Supply Chain Solutions, DHL, FedEx, Kuehne & Nagel and PWC. Mid-sized providers, such as BNSF Logistics, Genco, KWE and Ozburn-Hessey are also included. The latest edition contains, for the first time, information on total ocean containers and air-freight tons handled by the listed 3PLs. The book is also available as PDF files or through on-line subscription.
http://www.3plogistics.com/

SAS Cargo Enters the World of Booking Via the Internet
SAS Cargo has joined Cargo Portal Services, making it possible for freight forwarders to book and confirm shipments directly via the internet. Operated by Unisys, Cargo Portal Services (CPS) is an electronic booking and shipment management service for the air-cargo industry. SAS becomes the eighth carrier to join CPS, whose offering is accredited by the multi-carrier Cargo 2000 project. Access to CPS is free for forwarders, both through the public internet (www.CargoPortalServices.com) and through secure system-to-system connections. More than 5,500 branch offices of 2,500 forwarder companies in 95 countries are online with CPS. SAS Cargo, a wholly owned unit of SAS Group, expects to go live on the portal during the fall of 2006. Its decision to invest in internet-based technology began in 2004, with an investment in Unisys's LMS system, which is now the core I.T. system of SAS Cargo. Other carriers signed up with CPS include American Airlines, Air Canada, Austrian Airlines, KLM, Northwest Airlines and United Airlines.
http://www.sascargo.com/

Radiant Logistics Expands Operations in L.A. and Seattle
Radiant Logistics, Inc., a domestic and international logistics services provider, has expanded the operations of its Airgroup Corp. subsidiary in two locations in the western U.S. In Los Angeles, Airgroup-LAX will operate as a new exclusive agent location for Radiant, providing domestic and international freight forwarding and logistics services throughout Southern California. The L.A. office will be headed up by Thomas Bowling and Walter Benvenuto. In Seattle, Airgroup-SEA will perform a similar role for the provision of time-definite transportation services in the Pacific Northwest. It will utilize an existing company facility with 9,000 square feet of warehouse space, including seven loading docks and cross-docking capability. Debi Machel will lead the new Seattle office. Founded in 1987, Airgroup provides the platform for Radiant's freight forwarding and logistics operations, serving manufacturers, distributors and retailers through a network of exclusive agent offices across North America.
Airgroup-LAX: http://www.airgroup.com/
Airgroup-SEA: http://www.airgroup.com/

Retalix's Tool for Master Data Management Hits the Market
Retalix Ltd., a vendor of business software for food retailers and distributors, has made generally available its InSync Master Data Management (MDM) application. MDM is a central repository for all master data used in the planning and execution of business processes in the retail and distribution industries. It offers support for items, business units, trading partners, trading agreements, costs and taxes. Elements of MDM include data-synchronization, workflow-based data staging facilities, and a data import and export framework. Users can rely on a single data model to support existing and future applications. MDM can also support retail operations outside the grocery and food-service industries. Retalix InSync is built around a service-oriented architecture (SOA), with applications developed using Java (J2EE) technology. It runs on virtually any hardware and operating system that is compatible with Java technology, the vendor said. MDM is initially being deployed in five food retail and distribution operations.
http://www.retalix.com/

TNT Undertakes Express Road Link to Casablanca, Morocco
TNT Express has initiated an over-the-road linehaul connection to Casablanca, Morocco. It claims to be the first major express company to create an owned, time-definite road connection between Africa and Europe. The expansion complements TNT's efforts to strengthen service networks in emerging markets within and around Europe. So far, that program has focused largely on Eastern Europe. Morocco has traditionally maintained a strong trade relationship with the region, serving as a gateway between Europe and Africa. The new service allows TNT to connect its entire European road network to the African continent. Freight moving in and out of Casablanca connects to other markets through Madrid, Spain, with a sea connection between Tangier and Algeciras.
http://www.tnt.com

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