Supply chain

Menlo Logistics will open a new logistics center in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, early next year, as growing e-commerce sales, both domestic and cross-border, are forcing changes in European supply chains and logistics networks.

Transplace has appointed Brian Kenney, a long-time logistics industry executive, as senior vice president of Transplace Capacity Services.

SEKO Logistics has appointed Rick Lee, an industry veteran who most recently led global logistics at a technology company, as chief operating officer.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said Monday that it’s extending its November deadline for the ACE "single window" program until February, after a rash of complaints and concerns from brokers, shippers and others aren’t ready for the new system.

China’s devaluation of the yuan may not kick off a currency war around the world, but it’s already triggered similar moves in Asia, and that’s potentially great news for U.S. retailers, the dominant importers of U.S. containerized products such as apparel, footwear and furniture.

When China devalued its currency in mid-August after a 10-year run-up against the dollar, the People’s Bank of China described the move as a natural step toward the creation of a market dominated Chinese exchange rate. No one in the market — not importers, exporters, manufacturers, investors or analysts — bought the message. Global stocks and commodity markets sold off at an astonishing rate, triggered by fears that China could launch a prolonged currency war that would boost its own exports at the expense of those it buys from, including the U.S.

DHL Express will invest $20 million in sub-Saharan Africa this year to increase its footprint, taking the German logistics giant’s total investment in the continent to more than $50 million in the last year.

CEVA Logistics is developing its global consolidation operations and less-than-container-load services, and has announced the launching of a weekly LCL offering from Singapore to New York.

The American Trucking Associations wants Congress to allow carriers to use hair-follicle testing as an alternative to urinalysis, but labor group oppose the change.

Kerry Logistics grew its net profit by 11 percent in the first half to $69 million, driven by strong growth in its core integrated logistics and freight forwarding segments, but raised concerns over weak economic conditions that are affecting the cargo handling business.

Supply chain management company CEVA has named Arjan Kaaks, who has extensive executive experience at major retailers, including Unilever, as chief financial officer.

U.S. retailers and manufacturers are slicing into inventories they built up during the West Coast port labor dispute, contributing to what's reported to be a softer third-quarter freight market. Stronger consumer spending may help shippers balance inventories as peak season demand picks up.

U.S. West Coast congestion roiled retailer rollouts of spring product lines even after employers and longshoremen ended their showdown in late February, executives told investors during recent second-quarter earnings calls.

Mayor Ras Baraka of Newark, New Jersey, says his financially strapped city wants more money and jobs from the East Coast’s largest port.

An empty shelf in a big box store may be a retail logistics manager’s worst nightmare, but it’s not the only one. Retailers are rethinking inventory management and often carrying more inventory as they expand online sales and develop new delivery strategies.

Greece has set deadlines for the privatization of its two major ports, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, after waffling on the issue in the first half of year and putting the country’s privatization efforts in doubt.

Two new products from INTTRA, the e-commerce cargo-booking portal, show how the logistics industry is diving into so-called “big data” and working to transform raw information into supply chain intelligence.

Trucking executives generally back a federal governmental push to reduce emissions from heavy-duty trucks, but California regulators want even stricter rules to reduce health risks and global warming from truck pollution.

The same logistics strategy that propelled U.S. online retailer Zulily to greatness has led to its defeat, according to industry analysts, culminating this week in the company’s sale to a retail giant with a markedly different idea of how supply chains are run.

Logistics provider Janel Corporation this week announced it will be acquiring Rhode Island-based logistics provider Liberty International, the latest in a flurry acquisitions that have swept through the industry this year.

At first glance, Coyote, a brash, innovative fast-growing company not yet in its teens, and 108-year-old UPS, known for a more straight-laced corporate culture, may not seem a match made on e-Harmony. However, the combination highlights underlying and growing shipper demand not just for broader global service portfolios, but deeper, richer levels of service.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its November deadline for the ACE "single window" program stands, even though smaller federal agencies have already said they won’t be ready in time and larger ones are lagging behind.

Whether released on Sept. 30 or later, the electronic logbook regulation, along with a related rule penalizing carriers, shippers and third-parties for coercing drivers to violate federal truck safety laws, has the potential to reshape the trucking and shipping business in a big way.

Geodis, France’s largest transport and logistics company, today announced the acquisition of Tennessee-based Ozburn-Hessey Logistics in a major expansion of its presence in the U.S market.

India’s merchandise exports slumped for the eighth month in a row in July, but at a slower rate of decline despite well-publicized troubles at the country's largest container facility, according to new provisional trade figures released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

A political battle is brewing in Brazil as stakeholders spar over the future of the country’s Special Ports Ministry, or SEP, in a contest that may determine how future of container trade development.

Geodis, France’s largest transport and logistics operator, is said to be on the verge of clinching an $800 million acquisition of U.S.-based Ozburn-Hessey Logistics in the latest cross-border consolidation of the global logistics industry.

No decision on a block exemption for Hong Kong’s container shipping industry will be made before the new competition law comes into effect on December 14, leaving the container shipping industry in the bizarre position where its activity will be illegal from that date.

A review of federal safety data show the number of citations roadside inspectors handed to truckers for violating hours-of-service rules declined significantly from 2011 through 2014, especially for driving beyond the daily 11-hour limit. However, there was an uptick in some logbook violations, including falsified logs, in fiscal 2014.

Damco posted a rare profit in the second quarter as Maersk’s troubled freight forwarding and logistics arm reaped the benefits of a radical restructuring program.

Macy’s is expanding same-day delivery options into more markets, upping the ante in its high-stakes poker game with e-commerce giant Amazon.

The Italian government plans to sell up to 40 percent of the state-owned postal company Poste Italiane in an initial public offering in October.

Infor’s announcement that it would acquire GT Nexus for $675 million is the latest sign of how consolidation in the logistics cloud-based software industry is paralleling similar activity in the global third-party logistics market.

Allcargo Logistics Ltd., India’s leading international freight forwarder and logistics provider, posted a big jump in net earnings driven by strong gains across multiple segments, especially cargo consolidation, in the first fiscal quarter.

UPS plans to build a parcel distribution center adjoining London Gateway in a major boost to the container port’s bid to become one of Europe’s biggest logistics hubs.

E-commerce is creating demand for small distribution centers that can provide last-mile retail delivery more nimbly than the big regional DCs that currently dominate industry investment.

Perishables and pharmaceuticals — among the most lucrative segments of the air cargo because of the time-sensitive nature of their delivery — are at the forefront of air carrier plans to bolster revenue.

United Arab Shipping Co. has ordered another 3,500 reefer containers, after ordering 2,000 units from Japan’s Daikin Industries in January.