The world of LTL is slow to embrace change. Business anachronisms permeate current supply chain processes. These vestiges of the way things used to work define the LTL freight transportation procurement process of many modern shippers.David Knuth, logistics specialist at IEWC, a global supplier of cable and wire based in Wisconsin, is happy to have modernized the RFP process, automating the entire LTL bidding procedure with Bid$ense, SMC³’s automated truckload and LTL freight transportation sourcing solution. But when prompted, he can still recall what once was.In his previous job, a large part of his duties were consumed by creating an intermodal bid package for carriers. In a spreadsheet, Knuth detailed the company’s volumes lane by lane, taking care to delete any errant keystrokes or misleading data. He would then email out the information to each carrier, taking time to respond to detailed technical questions about the spreadsheet data. Finally, he had to compile all the results, create an algorithm that would compare the carriers on each lane, and award the business.“It was a huge undertaking. It took about four months to do,” Knuth said of the old process. “It was almost a full-time job for that part of the year, every year.”In his new job at IEWC, he sat down with Bid$ense on day one and was amazed at the capabilities. Knuth had never before used a bid tool. SMC³’s latest versions of Bid$ense automate the process even further, taking truckload and LTL RFPs entirely online. The tool draws on RFP best-practices protocols to streamline the bidding communication process, enabling bidding carriers to respond accurately and promptly to shipper requests. The solution also does all the distribution work automatically, electronically submitting shipper bid data to carriers based on their actual service capabilities and performance records. Carriers are alerted with timely prompts for RFP deliverables, so shippers aren’t waiting by the phone for responses.Another benefit of automating the process is the data-cleansing assistance. When Knuth sent spreadsheets to carriers, data errors might cloud the bidding process; he might have to resend data or simply accept a price that did not truly reflect the costs of doing business. Data cleansing is incredibly beneficial, he said.The spreadsheet technique also made bidding analysis an onerous task. Since Bid$ense automates and streamlines the entire RFP process, intensive examination is now simple. SMC³ knows that each bid has more than one best outcome. With uniform responses from each carrier, shippers can quickly rank results and create an unlimited quantity of what-if scenarios to make the optimal procurement decision.Jesse Burnett of Central Garden &amp; Pet experiences many of the same benefits. Founded in 1980, Central Garden &amp; Pet has spent the last three decades growing from a small garden supply company to a provider of a range of products from dog chews and bird seed to soil supplements and natural insecticides. For much of its life, the company shipped these disparate goods via LTL and truckload carriers to retailers throughout the country, relying on each business unit to negotiate directly with their freight transportation providers. This arrangement worked fairly well for a small company, but as Central Garden &amp; Pet expanded, leadership decided to consolidate decision making.Burnett helped centralize the transportation decision making in 2015 with SMC³’s Bid$ense. Before Bid$ense, every business unit operated independently as far as negotiating with carriers.“There were a lot of different things just floating around,” he said. “We didn’t have master agreements in place; no national pricing at all. The pricing from carriers was just all over the place, depending on where you were.”The transformations he saw with Bid$ense were immediate. Burnett has been using the tool about every other year since its implementation at the company. Central Garden and Pet’s $19.6 million 2019 LTL bid saved the company just more than 9 percent when compared to its historical average. For Burnett, though, bid automation extends far beyond savings.“We knew that we weren’t getting the best pricing offer from our carriers just because nothing was centralized,” he continued. “We knew that if we combined everything from all these business units and paired it with one corporate offering, then it would drive some cost benefit with it.”When the company initially decided to centralize bid procurement, executives researched a number of different methodologies and technologies. In the end, though, Burnett found that Bid$ense was both widespread and well known, and that his carrier partners already knew how to use the application. Burnett also highlighted the data-cleansing process as a major benefit, saying the rigorous process ensures that carriers always return the best price.“It definitely has helped drive savings,” he said. “Any time you go out there and you drive that competitiveness with the carriers and they know they’re in a bid environment, it seems to sharpen their pencils.”Transportation procurement is an integral part of the modern supply chain. With Bid$ense, shippers can develop a strategic implementation plan that saves them time and money, but also helps them create strong relationships with their carrier partners. These carriers appreciate the solution’s data-cleansing process; when carriers receive a complete shipment history and future volume forecast, they don’t have to guess on pricing. Carriers that receive more data from shippers get a complete picture of that shipper’s freight, allowing them to accurately plan instead of simply preparing for the worst-case scenario. Clean data presented through an automated system can lead to both bigger shipment savings and a lasting partnership between carrier and customer.Whether customers are looking to streamline over-the-road transportation bidding by automating the RFP process or create an entirely new, centralized sourcing process, Bid$ense has the analytical horsepower to get the job done.SMC³ 2020 Customer Case Study

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Shippers save money, time with automated transportation bidding tools

SSA Marine Mexico has made significant strides in modernizing its infrastructure at the Port of Manzanillo, investing $15 million to enhance operational efficiency and sustainability at its facilities. This move is part of the company's broader strategy to remain at the forefront of the shipping and logistics industry. •	Strengthening Sustainability with Advanced Technology <figure class="joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left"><img src="/content-assets/1730488295264_Cranes%20arrival%20to%20TEC%20I.png" alt="Cranes arrival to TEC I" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"></figure> In July, SSA Marine Mexico added seven state-of-the-art E-RTG (Electric Rubber-Tired Gantry) cranes to its fleet, valued at $14 million. These advanced cranes were distributed across its two terminals: four cranes were assigned to the Multipurpose Terminal, and three to the Specialized Container Terminal I. What sets these cranes apart is their dual-operation capability, allowing them to function either on electric power or diesel fuel. This innovation plays a critical role in reducing the environmental impact of operations, contributing to a 7% increase in energy efficiency. This efficiency improvement is equivalent to eliminating nearly 4,000 tons of CO2 emissions annually, underscoring SSA Marine Mexico's commitment to sustainability. Through this acquisition, SSA Marine Mexico not only enhances its cargo-handling capabilities but also reinforces its leadership in integrating cutting-edge, eco-friendly technology in the maritime industry. The company continues to push the boundaries of efficiency and sustainability, ensuring long-term value for both its customers and the environment. •	Upgraded Facilities to Meet Growing Demand <figure class="joc_admin__inline-image-position-left joc_admin__inline-image-size-medium" data-figure-size="medium" data-figure-position="left"><img src="/content-assets/1730488350634_Multipurpose%20terminal.png" alt="Multipurpose Terminal" class="joc_admin__inline-image-inherit"></figure> In addition to the new cranes, SSA Marine Mexico has completed crucial modernization and repair work across its Multipurpose Terminal and Specialized Facility at the Port of Manzanillo. This $1 million investment targeted critical infrastructure enhancements, focusing on both structural integrity and operational functionality. Key improvements included leveling approximately 12,000 square meters in the dock area, along with the removal of outdated concrete curbs and asphalt layers. The upgraded space now features high-resistance pavers designed to optimize water drainage and prevent pooling, ensuring safer and more efficient operations. Moreover, the Specialized Facility saw significant upgrades, including the leveling of key warehouse areas to facilitate smoother cargo handling processes. These infrastructure improvements directly enhance the handling of TEUS (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit containers), further demonstrating SSA Marine Mexico's unwavering commitment to continuous modernization, operational safety, and efficiency. With these initiatives, SSA Marine Mexico is well-positioned to meet the growing demands of the global shipping industry while setting new standards in sustainable port operations. LINK:<a href="https://www.ssamarine.mx/ssa-ing/index" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link"> https://www.ssamarine.mx/ssa-ing/index</a>

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Maritime

SSA Marine Mexico Modernizes Facilities with $15 Million Investment 

If there’s one immutable truth in the world of logistics, it’s this: LTL is an inherently complex form of transportation. Tariffs, rates, DIM weights, transit times — it’s enough to confuse even seasoned logistics professionals. The solution to this knowledge gap has historically been on-the-job training or university supply chain education, but for a variety of reasons there is now a pressing need for third-party, remote LTL training that prepares logistics workers for transportation success. Global Scope Can Overlook Local Intricacies In the past, professionals looking to move into a supply chain career learned about the basics of supply chain from universities. However, many of these college supply chain programs are now global in scope, focusing on worldwide supply chain management instead of the intricacies of specialized domestic transportation. And even these programs, which used to be widespread, are becoming less common. LTL is not an industry of broad-brush strokes; supply chain professionals really need a pointillistic understanding of the logistics of LTL in order to excel in the industry. Accelerating Need for Dedicated LTL Education This lack of specified training put the onus on employers to prepare new hires with the LTL knowledge needed to do their jobs. Dedicated LTL study is a necessity, not a luxury. At the same time, changes in LTL and the broader supply chain world are accelerating. The reliance on e-commerce has ballooned since the start of the pandemic, and last-mile LTL shipments and related e-commerce strains on the supply chain won’t diminish once social distancing abates. That genie isn’t going back into the bottle. So supply chain employers need logistics workers that are fully versed in all aspects of the industry, ready to solve unique shipping and delivery problems based on their extensive supply chain knowledge But why care about LTL? It’s been reported that some shippers in today’s world are no longer concerned with what mode is used to ship their goods. A Multimodal Approach Ensures On-Time Delivery This mode agnosticism means supply chain stakeholders have to be well versed in all modes of transportation. As unforeseen weather events and other disruptions, such as protests, become more common, savvy logistics employees will need to be armed with familiarity of all modes, not just the most popular, to ensure that freight is delivered on time, without damage, and in the most financially expedient way possible. Offerings like SMC³’s LTL online education courses cover a wide range of topics from LTL basics and operations to more advanced concepts like pricing analytics and transportation law. The company also has plans to continually refresh content, adding new expert presenters and taking the feedback of students to make the courses even better as time goes on. Learn more about&nbsp;<a href="https://logisticstrainingcenter.com/smc3-courses/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">SMC³’s LTL Online Education program</a>&nbsp;and view the 2021 hybrid schedule, featuring live industry experts,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.smc3.com/onlinelearning2021/" rel="noreferrer" class="joc_admin__link">here.</a>

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Filling the Supply Chain Education Gap with LTL Education Courses

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<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Houston, Texas, 26 October 2010 &amp;ndash; History was made recently when the dry bulk carrier, Fortune Plum, was the 1,000,000th vessel to transit through the Panama Canal since it open</div>

Houston, Texas, 26 October 2010 &ndash; History was made recently when the dry bulk carrier, Fortune Plum, was the 1,000,000th vessel to transit through the Panama Canal since it open

<div class="phx-topic">Houston, Texas, 26 October 2010 &amp;ndash; History was made recently when the dry bulk carrier, Fortune Plum, was the 1,000,000th vessel to transit through the Panama Canal since it opened in 1914. Long time customer, STX Pan Ocean appointed GAC-Wilford &amp; McKay to handle her passage through the waterway. The Fortune Plum left China in August carrying approximately 40,000 tons of steel products, heading for the Panamanian port of Cristobal to help meet the local construction industry&amp;rsquo;s demand for building materials. To reach the port she had to carefully move through the Panama Canal, which enables shipping to move between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans without making the long and sometimes perilous trip around the southern tip of South America. At 57,000 MT, 2.30 metres beam and 189.99 metres in length, the Fortune Plum is one of the largest vessels that can pass through the waterway. She started her transit from the Pacific Terminal, and completed it 14.7 hours later when she arrived at Miraflores Locks on the Atlantic side. She is due to arrive back to the port, in early November. H.S. Chang, STX Pan Ocean (America&amp;rsquo;s) Inc., President and CEO, says: &amp;ldquo;As a long time customer of GAC-Wilford &amp; McKay, the smooth transit through the Canal confirms their superb tradition of providing quality service and performance.&amp;rdquo;Right place, right timeSTX Pan Ocean is no stranger to the Panama Canal. Its vessels make approximately 200 transits through the waterway every year. On the day the Fortune Plum made her historic passage, she was one of a total of 31 vessels that transited. Vessel number 999,999 entered the Gatun locks in the opposite direction, seven minutes earlier than the Fortune Plum entered from the Pacific side.Five per cent of the world&amp;rsquo;s sea-borne trade passes through the 80 kilometer (50-mile) canal every year. The Fortune Plum has now entered the history books as the millionth transit; the first slot was taken 96 years ago by the SS Ancon.&amp;ldquo;It is such an honour for us, both to be one of the oldest ship agents operating at the Canal and to play a part of this milestone transit for one of our best customers,&amp;rdquo; says John Bamber, GAC-Wilford &amp; McKay&amp;rsquo;s President and General Manager.About GAC GroupGAC is a global provider of shipping, logistics and marine services. These services are constantly being refined and integrated to serve our customers&amp;rsquo; increasing need for competitive solutions. Emphasizing trust, reliability and a strong human touch, GAC has been building its reputation in its chosen markets since 1956.Headquartered in Dubai, GAC employs over 9,000 people in more than 300 offices worldwide.More info at <a href="http://www.gac.com/usa">www.gac.com/usa</a></div>

Houston, Texas, 26 October 2010 &ndash; History was made recently when the dry bulk carrier, Fortune Plum, was the 1,000,000th vessel to transit through the Panama Canal since it opened in 1914. Long time customer, STX Pan Ocean appointed GAC-Wilford & McKay to handle her passage through the waterway. The Fortune Plum left China in August carrying approximately 40,000 tons of steel products, heading for the Panamanian port of Cristobal to help meet the local construction industry&rsquo;s demand for building materials. To reach the port she had to carefully move through the Panama Canal, which enables shipping to move between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans without making the long and sometimes perilous trip around the southern tip of South America. At 57,000 MT, 2.30 metres beam and 189.99 metres in length, the Fortune Plum is one of the largest vessels that can pass through the waterway. She started her transit from the Pacific Terminal, and completed it 14.7 hours later when she arrived at Miraflores Locks on the Atlantic side. She is due to arrive back to the port, in early November. H.S. Chang, STX Pan Ocean (America&rsquo;s) Inc., President and CEO, says: &ldquo;As a long time customer of GAC-Wilford & McKay, the smooth transit through the Canal confirms their superb tradition of providing quality service and performance.&rdquo; Right place, right time STX Pan Ocean is no stranger to the Panama Canal. Its vessels make approximately 200 transits through the waterway every year. On the day the Fortune Plum made her historic passage, she was one of a total of 31 vessels that transited. Vessel number 999,999 entered the Gatun locks in the opposite direction, seven minutes earlier than the Fortune Plum entered from the Pacific side. Five per cent of the world&rsquo;s sea-borne trade passes through the 80 kilometer (50-mile) canal every year. The Fortune Plum has now entered the history books as the millionth transit; the first slot was taken 96 years ago by the SS Ancon. &ldquo;It is such an honour for us, both to be one of the oldest ship agents operating at the Canal and to play a part of this milestone transit for one of our best customers,&rdquo; says John Bamber, GAC-Wilford & McKay&rsquo;s President and General Manager. About GAC Group GAC is a global provider of shipping, logistics and marine services. These services are constantly being refined and integrated to serve our customers&rsquo; increasing need for competitive solutions. Emphasizing trust, reliability and a strong human touch, GAC has been building its reputation in its chosen markets since 1956. Headquartered in Dubai, GAC employs over 9,000 people in more than 300 offices worldwide. More info at www.gac.com/usa

Fortune Plum makes Panama Canal history

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