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Issue 3 2019 - FBJNA


consumption related to the port -s ect o r


increased by more than a quarter from $1.1 trillion to $1.4 trillion, and; * The average annual salary


of those directly employed by port-related businesses rose from $53,723 to $62,800, a 17% increase. “The growth in jobs and


economic value of America’s ports reflects their handling an additional 165 million tons of international cargo since 2014,” said Dr. John Martin, Martin Associates’ president and founder. “It also underscores the importance of both the public and private sectors continuing to invest in port and intermodal infrastructure to support and foster good jobs, national security, inter¬national trade and the United States’ unparalleled


standard of living.” AAPA President and


CEO Kurt Nagle noted that, particularly with the economic contributions of America’s seaports growing rapidly, there’s a significant and urgent need for more federal investment in enhancing the connections with those ports. “On


both the land-side


and water-side, AAPA’s US member ports have identified a combined $66 billion in needed investments over the next decade,” he said. “These necessary federal channel, terminal,


road, rail, bridge


and tunnel improvements are crucial to enable our seaports to efficiently handle their expected cargo volumes, continue providing dramatic economic and jobs impacts, and enhance America’s international competitiveness.”


SEKO Logistics’ new service improves cost, visibility for etailers, retailers


Returns are a huge issue and profit center for retailers. For that reason, SEKO Omni-Channel Logistics is reinventing and simplifying the product returns process for retailers, etailers and consumers globally by combining best-in-class logistics and carrier processes with inhouse technology designed to reduce costs, provide end-to-end shipment visibility, and the best possible customer experience. Showpo has worked with SEKO an


to create industry-leading


returns solution for its customers. “Customers from all over the


world can return parcels with ease, and with full visibility through our returns portal, which works hand-in-hand with SEKO Omni-Channel Logistics’ RPS technology,” said Paul Waddy, Head of Operations at Showpo, one of the launch customers for SEKO’s new OmniReturns service. “Our four global returns hubs are now synced with our Sydney warehouse and OmniRPS gives us a complete picture of returns, globally and domestically. This makes it a seamless, integrated returns experience anywhere in the world for Showpo customers.” Currently, at least 30% of all


products ordered online are returned, compared to just 8.9% of goods bought in bricks and mortar stores. Such is the influence of the returns process in consumers’ buying decisions, 67% of shoppers say they check the returns page before completing their purchase, and 92% of customers will buy something again if returns are quick and easy, and preferably offer free shipping. Benefits of OmniReturns is:


visibility from label creation to stock re-entering at the etailer/ retailer warehouse; in-country returns carriers and processing hubs in major eCommerce hubs around the world to get sellers closer to customers at lower cost; complete global customs compliance and repatriation services; multiple consumer engagement methods from portal access to API (Application Programming Interface) access to carrier labels, enabling sellers to control the returns journey in line with their supply chain strategy; and the ability to automate customer refunds or store credits at the key milestones of 1st carrier scan anywhere in the world, processed within the SEKO hub, or on the management dashboard


SEKO’s global returns operating


platform – OmniRPS - delivers complete transparency of all returns across every aspect of the supply chain as well as the ability to operate in etailer/retailer, 3PL warehouses or in SEKO hubs around the world to process returns, plus integration for data and automated refunding via a native Shopify or Magento API. Retailers are now using OmniRPS within


their own operations


so that it becomes their ‘one version of the truth’ for all return’s functions. With the new ‘one scan’ returns


processing function within OmniRPS, retailer warehouse teams can simply scan a carrier consignment note and verify all returns with a one touch confirmation that automates both store credit/refund, and which sends stock ASN to their WMS for fast put away. OmniReturns’ customer-


facing, multi-language portal offers a choice of carriers, free or paid returns options, pre-printed labels on dispatch, or API access to labels if the seller has its own returns portal. The portal offers two options: to push data on outbound deliveries via FTP or


News Roundup


The CMA CGM Group is reinforcing its Europe / Indian Ocean & Australia offering by upgrading its NEMO service, which liaises North Europe and the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean Islands and Australia on the southbound leg and Australia to southeast Asia and Europe on the northbound leg. This upgraded service will be effective in September 2019 and operated in partnership with MSC. This new offer will feature an upgraded fleet and provide expanded port coverage through a better utilization of hubs offering dedicated feeder services. The CMA CGM Group will thereby offer a premium, direct service between Europe and Australia as well as faster transit- time from Australia, southeast Asia and southeast India to Europe.


///NEWS Sea


Ports in Latvia and Hamburg Metropolitan Region plan to boost cooperation. A delegation of leading transport and logistics companies in Latvia recently visited the ports of Hamburg and Lübeck. The program included a meeting at Hamburg City Hall. During the meeting, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed, aiming to strengthen and expand cooperation between the Latvian ports of Riga, Ventspils and Liepāja and those in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Kalmar, part of Cargotec, is to supply DP World with a total of 63 Kalmar Hybrid Straddle Carriers for use at four of its European container terminals: 12 units will be delivered to GMP in Le Havre, France; 20 units to Eurofos in Marseille, France; 19 units to Antwerp Gateway in Belgium; and 12 units to DP World Southampton in the UK. The order was booked in Cargotec’s 2019 Q1 order intake, and the majority of the machines is expected to be delivered by the end of 2019.


API so consumers can select the items they’re returning, giving etailers/retailers faster insight and analytics of what’s happening globally with their returns; an easy ‘plug and play’ solution where the customer creates a generic return, requiring no integration at all. Consumers using the service go


onto the specific etailer/retailers’ returns page to confirm the goods they’re sending back, and to generate a returns label via email. They then drop-off the parcel as per the instructions to their local postal provider and can track the entire return process domestically and


internationally back to


the seller, ensuring refunds are processed quickly.


Moody’s Investors Service upgraded the 20-year $450 million Senior Unsecured Bonds issued by the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to A1 from A2, with a stable outlook, based on the waterway’s strong performance since the expansion’s inauguration. Moody’s noted that the Expanded Canal has increased overall tonnage and attracted new market segments, contributing to the waterway’s strong performance. According to Moody’s, “stronger cash flow generation coupled with a relatively low leverage has resulted in very solid financial metrics.”


Quala, North America’s leader in industrial container cleaning, announced its acquisition of Container Experts. In 2018, the company cleaned more than 600,000 bulk containers nationwide. This latest acquisition adds three state-of-the-art facilities to the company’s North American network, bringing the total number of IBC cleaning and maintenance service locations to 73. The new facilities are in Houston (TX), Lafayette (LA), and Niles (OH).


Motor carriers using The Port of Virginia’s® Truck Reservation System (TRS) are seeing an ongoing reduction in their turn times, evidence the technology is helping to drive the efficient movement of cargo at the port’s two main container terminals, says the port’s chief executive.


APL launches EXX RailFlash


APL has launched Eagle Express X RailFlash, a new service providing express rail transfer for shipments arriving from China at the Port of Los Angeles to Chicago, Memphis, Dallas and Kansas City. APL’s EXX RailFlash is intended to dramatically shave days off shipment’s transit into these four US inland destinations. Upon vessel arrival in Los


Angeles, EXX cargo receives priority discharge and drayage


on chassis to a rail ramp, and daily express rail departures to Chicago, Memphis, Dallas and Kansas City. The service is billed as


providing 99% discharge from vessel within 12 hours from berth; daily rail departures from Los Angeles; and that at least 4 days will be saved from total transit from China to US inland. The service assures space and equipment at Asia loading ports– no rolls. And at the Port of


Los Angeles it promises to use new and guaranteed chassis from APL, a dedicated pool for priority drayage synchronized to rail departures. It says this is a white glove


service experience from booking all the way to pick-up at the inland rail ramp with a dedicated APL team managing your EXX shipment. Offered are proactive monitoring and notification of shipment status throughout the journey.


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