Supply chain

Kintetsu World Express’s $1.2 billion acquisition of APL Logistics was finalized on Friday, May 29, after the deal secured all the required legal, regulatory and shareholder approvals.

Toll Group began operating under the Japan Post flag today as president and CEO Toru Takahashi announced the new board that will provide governance to the Melbourne-based logistics company.

Japan’s Hitachi Transport System’s aggressive acquisitions in the United States and elsewhere have put it on track to almost achieve its medium-term global expansion plan, with overseas sales and profit escalating.

U.S. shippers’ expectations for freight growth has dropped to its lowest levels in nearly five years, according to a recent survey.

Dachser, the German logistics provider, is poised to expand its relatively small share of the U.S. air and ocean freight business.

Shreyas Shipping and Logistics swung to a net profit of Rs. 61.75 crore (about $9.6 million) in the fiscal year ended March 31, a big turnaround from its loss of Rs. 4.32 crore ($675,000) in the previous year.

It is unlikely to be casual Friday on May 28 as the new Japan Post-owned Toll Group marks its first official business day.

It has become increasingly unlikely that the Export-Import Bank, the official export credit agency in the United States, will survive the 114th U.S. Congress.

After a double-digit gain in refrigerated container volume in the first quarter, the Port of Philadelphia is set to gain even more reefer traffic as a result of two new services to Latin America and possibly grab more U.S. East Coast market share.

Trucking and logistics giant Transport Corporation of India said across-the-board gains in freight volumes helped drive consolidated net income up 13.6 percent year-over-year in fiscal year 2014-15, which ended March 31.

China's largest fresh produce e-tailer, FruitDay, signed off on a $70 million tie-up with direct online sales giant JD.com in the single biggest e-commerce fresh produce deal made in the country so far.

Merchandise trade between Japan and the United States is expanding at a breakneck pace, as Japan’s exports and imports both charged ahead by more than 20 percent for the second straight month in April on a year-over-year basis.

The two-month extension of legislation authorizing the Highway Trust Fund to continue supporting infrastructure projects across the country is a patch, not a fix, to much-needed highway and transit development, according to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

A long-awaited Pacific trade deal between the U.S. and other Pacific Ring nations cleared another hurdle Friday evening. In a 61-38 vote, the U.S. Senate passed legislation to renew trade promotion authority for the country’s president.

High-tech companies around the world expect exports to grow over the next two years, but air cargo freight and passenger jets are set to gain not container lines.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate would set national standards for shippers and third parties contracting or hiring trucking companies, complementing legislation in the House. Shippers and brokers want clarity, especially in courtrooms where they face negligent hiring claims.

Strong gains across multiple segments, especially international cargo activity, helped India’s Allcargo Logistics deliver impressive earnings results in the fiscal year ended March 31.

It’s no secret that specialized carriers are losing refrigerated cargo market share to containerized carriers, but details about why it’s happening, how much cargo is really shifting and who ultimately will control which pieces of the market are less apparent.

The U.S. Congress moved closer to hitting port funding goals set last year after a Senate committee this week passed a bill that would send $1.25 billion to ports in fiscal 2016.

The U.S. Senate now has just more than a day to extend funding for the Highway Trust Fund before the money that maintains America’s roads, bridges and other infrastructure runs out.

Logistics Plus, a global provider of transportation, logistics and supply chain solutions, has opened offices in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt, and formed a Logistics Plus Eqypt operation that includes a warehouse in Badr City just outside of Cairo.

In a deal expected to close on Aug. 1, Scarbrough International, a Kansas City-based logistics and customs brokerage firm, will expand its operations south and into Mexico.

The Port of Savannah is ramping up its refrigerated cargo capacity after substantial year-over-year growth in reefer cargo at the Georgia port.

Royal Mail, the U.K. postal group, boosted full-year operating profit by 6 percent as cost cuts offset sluggish revenues in an increasingly competitive parcels market.

More high-tech companies across the globe are moving their operations back to, or near, the location of demand for their products, building more flexibility into their supply chains, according to a new study published by UPS.

Online retails sales in the U.S. marked another record-breaking quarter in the first three months of 2015 after an especially harsh winter kept many consumers inside, shopping from the warmth of their own homes.

C.H. Robinson Worldwide is priming its $330 million Global Forwarding division for faster growth in 2015, naming Mike Short president and opening new offices in Asia and Europe.

Union workers at Germany's postal and logistics giant Deutsche Post have launched a new round of strike action, continuing this year's wave of industrial action.

Agility Logistics’ net profit for the first quarter of 2015 rose 5 percent year-over-year, at $39.3 million, the company said Friday.

After a false start earlier the week, the U.S. Senate Thursday voted to open the debate on legislation to renew expired trade promotion authority.

German freight forwarder Thermotraffic is expanding its network of temperature-controlled branches throughout Europe, with the latest addition at Frankfurt Airport’s Perishable Center Frankfurt.

An expansion project at the U.K.’s Port of Tilbury will add significant cold storage capacity when completed this year and rank as one of the largest reefer facilities in Europe.

Blue Dart Express, India’s leading air express and logistics services provider, reported its net earnings in fiscal year 2014-15, which ended March 31, remained relatively flat compared to the profit in the previous year, despite significant revenue growth.

A study commissioned by the British Frozen Food Federation suggests frozen foods can help reduce waste and even greenhouse gas emissions.

India produces about 30 percent of the world’s bananas, but poor post-harvest facilities and cold chain infrastructure means less than 1 percent make it to foreign markets. However, one fresh produce company, Pick N Serve Foods, is finding huge potential in exports, particularly to markets in Oman, Dubai, Qatar and Kuwait.

Despite accelerating China business, Global Logistics Properties (GLP) reported a 29 percent fall in net profit for the year ending March 31, mostly due to profit sharing with the consortium of investors that own a 33.8 percent stake in GLP China.

Legislation pushed by the third-ranking Senate Republican aims to keep Congress more in the loop on port congestion flare-ups and gauge how labor negotiations impact port performance.

Shippers and logistics providers need more advanced transportation management systems to meet a host of logistics challenges that didn't exist in 2000, 3GTMS CEO Mitch Weseley told the ALK Transportation Technology Summit.

India's federal government awarded 10 new public-private partnership port development contracts in fiscal year 2014-15, which ended in March.

U.S. ports on the lower Mississippi River cannot yet accommodate Capesize vessels, but the Obama administration is taking steps to see that they can.