Penske Logistics and partner ABX Logistics say their new alliance offers customers strength in logistics execution and technology and in freight forwarding. Vince Hartnett, Penske Logistics president, notes that customers continue to expand globally to get closer to emerging markets and reduce operating costs. But that expansion, he says, "increases the complexity of their supply chains, and the range of supply chain management sophistication varies country to country, creating quality issues and inefficiencies. The Penske-ABX Logistics alliance is focused on providing solutions to solve these issues for customers on a global basis. We are very pleased to be working with the ABX Logistics team." As described by the partners, the alliance has developed a proprietary solution that assists international shippers in gaining efficiency and savings through fewer shipments, greater inventory control, improved productivity, Six Sigma-driven processes, and increased supply chain transparency. "Today, customers require strategic solutions for managing increasingly complex supply chain operations, but few logistics service providers truly have the global reach to meet those needs," says Hans-Jürgen Schlausch, managing director, Air & Sea Worldwide, ABX Logistics. "Through this innovative alliance with Penske Logistics, we are among the few companies with the capability to deliver such a deep breadth of services and value to our customers." The two say they will provide seamless handling of customer shipments from initial consolidation at air/ocean ports to deconsolidation centers, and ultimately to the customer's desired end destination. An integrated IT system enables "virtually real-time" transparency of goods in the supply chain, ranging from when a shipment arrived at or left a specific distribution center or port to when the shipment clears customs in a specific country. The partners initially are focusing on existing customers, but plans to seek strategic opportunities with multinational corporations worldwide. Visit www.penskelogistics.com and www.abxlogistics.com.
