<div class="phx-topic">Russian ocean carrier Fesco boosted deep-sea container traffic by 13 percent in the first nine months of the year to just short of 258,000 20-foot-equivalent units, reflecting the strong growth in the nation’s foreign trade.Domestic container volume was up 10 percent at 50,888 TEUs and intermodal and freight forwarding shipments grew 5 percent year-on-year to 151,193 TEUs.The group’s rail units increase rail container traffic by 8 percent to 198,973 TEUs, but non-container shipments were down 4 percent at 18.5 million tons.Container traffic rose at the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port, including the Vladivostok Container Terminal, by 8 percent to 338,769 TEUs, and general cargo throughput increased 12 percent to 2.5 million tons.</div>

Forwarding

International rail

Container lines

Russia’s Fesco Boosts Traffic 13 Percent

<div class="phx-topic">DHL has launched a new multimodal service between Japan and South Korea that employs ferries, railways and trucks.Using 12-foot containers suitable for all the modes of transport including Japan’s limited rail gauge, goods are picked up across South Korea and ferried across to Japan from the port of Busan to the port of Hakata. Cargo originating in Japan is transported by rail to Hakata by Japan Railways.The new multimodal link extends t<a href="http://www.joc.com/international-logistics/global-sourcing/dhl-launches-multi-modal-china-japan-service_20111202.html">he Japan-China service using ferries and railways launched almost a year ago</a> by the logistics giant.“In addition to a substantial cost reduction in freight cost and up to a 93% cut in CO2 emissions when compared to air freight, the new service also reduces the transit time by three days compared to solely using the ocean freight service,” DHL said in a statement.Mark Slade, president and representative director of DHL Global Forwarding Japan, said the new service was aimed at customers in the automobile, machinery, electric and electronic device, and optic and precision equipment industries.</div>

Trucking News

Logistics Technology News

DHL Launches Japan-South Korea Multimodal Service

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Indian Railways and RENFE-Operadora and ADIF, the Spanish railways infrastructure manager, agreed to promote technical cooperation and exchange information in the railways sector. </div>

Indian Railways and RENFE-Operadora and ADIF, the Spanish railways infrastructure manager, agreed to promote technical cooperation and exchange information in the railways sector.

<div class="phx-topic">Indian Railways and RENFE-Operadora and ADIF, the Spanish railways infrastructure manager, recently <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=88651">signed a memorandum of understanding</a> to promote technical cooperation and information exchange in the railways sector, according to the Indian Ministry of Railways.The agreement was signed in India by C.P. Joshi, India's minister of road transport and highways and minister of railways, and Ana Pastor Julian, Spain's minister of publis works and transport.The countries agreed to share knowledge about high-speed rail; passenger train speed; train operation safety; rolling stock modernization; and construction and maintenance technologies for fixed infrastructure, such as track, bridges, tunnels, power supply systems, signaling and telecommunications.</div>

India, Spain to Exchange Rail Technology Information

<div class="phx-topic">Marie-Christine Lombard, who quit suddenly as head of TNT Express in September, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of Geodis, the logistics and transport unit of SNCF, France’s state-owned railway.Lombard, 54, is replacing Jean-Louis Demeulenaere, who is leaving the company to pursue new projects. The appointment took effect on Oct. 24.Pierre Blayau, the company’s chairman and CEO since January 2001, has become chairman of the supervisory board.Blayau said the appointment of Lombard, a recognized sector professional, would give Geodis employees “a new sense of momentum in a difficult economic environment.”“The arrival of Marie-Christine Lombard ... will strengthen the teams and ready Geodis for a new phase of profitable growth,” said SNCF chairman Guillaume Pepy.Geodis booked a first half profit of 14.3 million euros [$18.6 million] on revenue of $4.6 billion.Lombard resigned from TNT Express as the Dutch express company was seeking European regulators approval for its agreed $6.8 billion acquisition by its larger U.S. rival United Parcel Service. She ran the express operations of the former TNT for seven years before becoming its CEO when it was spun off from the Dutch mail company in 2011. Contact Bruce Barnard at <a href="mailto:brucebarnard47@hotmail.com">brucebarnard47@hotmail.com</a>. </div>

Lombard Appointed CEO of French Logistics Group Geodis

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">North American railroad Canada National Railway reported its third quarter profit was C$664 million (about US$668.8 million)...</div>

North American railroad Canada National Railway reported its third quarter profit was C$664 million (about US$668.8 million)...

<div class="phx-topic">North American railroad Canadian National Railway <a href="http://www.cn.ca/en/media-news-q3-financials-20121022.htm">reported</a> its third quarter profit was C$664 million (about US$668.8 million), rising 0.8 percent from last year’s income of $663.8 million.Profit in the first nine months of 2012 was $2.1 billion, up 11.0 percent from $1.9 billion year-over-year.Revenue in the third quarter, ending Sept. 30, was $2.5 billion, an 8.2 percent increase from last year’s third quarter, mainly because of freight rate increases and higher freight volumes from growth in North American and Asian economies, the company said.Revenue from January to September was $7.4 billion, up 14.5 percent from $6.7 billion in the same period in 2011.</div>

North-American rail

CN Profit Relatively Stable in Third Quarter

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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>

Cranes arrival to TEC I.png

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">India and Switzerland officials met in India to discuss economic and commercial relations between the two nations.</div>

India and Switzerland officials met in India to discuss economic and commercial relations between the two nations.

<div class="phx-topic">Federal Councillor of Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications Doris Leuthard of Switzerland and Minister for Road Transport &amp; Highways and Railways C.P. Joshi of India, along with their respective delegations, <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=88541">met in India</a> Oct. 19 to discuss economic and commercial relations between the two nations, according to the Indian Ministry of Road Transport &amp; Highways.India is seeking collaboration with Swiss contractors and investors to modernize its infrastructure, specifically highways and expressways, including technology upgrades like electronic toll collection and improvements in road safety, Joshi said.Leuthard responded that Switzerland is willing to continue cooperation with India on transportation issues.</div>

India, Switzerland Discuss Economic Cooperation

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Barcelona Europe South Terminal, a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings Group, yesterday launched a rail service, BEST-Pamplona Express...</div>

Barcelona Europe South Terminal, a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings Group, yesterday launched a rail service, BEST-Pamplona Express...

<div class="phx-topic">Barcelona Europe South Terminal, a member of the Hutchison Port Holdings Group, has launched a rail service, BEST-Pamplona Express, connecting the Spanish cities of Barcelona and Pamplona, which are about 298 miles apart, the terminal said in a <a href="http://www.portdebarcelona.cat/cntmng/d/d/workspace/SpacesStore/249840ea-8c42-452f-a72c-6d633223b52d/121016_NOTATren_Barcelona-Pamplona.pdf">Spanish-language announcement</a>.The service runs three weekly connections in each direction between BEST and the Pamplona rail terminal. The trains have a capacity of 62 20-foot-equivalent units with a transit time of 20 hours.The Pamplona terminal handles cargo from the surrounding region, including the Iberian Peninsula. It also has connections to shipments from and destined for Navarra, Basque, La Rioja and southwestern France.</div>

New Rail Connection Launched in Spain

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Indian Railways’ revenue-earning freight traffic increased 4.84 percent year-over-year from April through September,</div>

Indian Railways’ revenue-earning freight traffic increased 4.84 percent year-over-year from April through September,

<div class="phx-topic">Indian Railways’ revenue-earning freight traffic increased 4.84 percent year-over-year from April through September, the first six months of fiscal 2012-13, the Railway Ministry said.Total freight volume was estimated at 481.5 million tons, compared with 459.24 million tons for the same period last year.Freight traffic in September fell 8.21 percent year-over-year to 70.17 million tons.Total income for the six-month period surged 19.8 percent from a year earlier to $1.1 billion.</div>

Traffic Up 4.84 Percent at Indian Railways

<div class="phx-topic">Metrans, an intermodal services subsidiary of Germany’s HHLA, <a href="http://hhla.de/en/home/overview/2012/10/metrans-takes-over-container-terminal-in-krems.html">has acquired the company that operates a container terminal in the Austrian port of Krems</a> on the Danube River.The terminal, with an area of 30,000 square meters (98,425 square feet) and four 680-meter-long (2,231-foot-long) sidings, is served via trains, roads and inland waterways. It provides “excellent conditions for extending Austrian traffic to and from the European seaports” that Metrans serves, according to Jiri Samek, the company’s managing director.Initial plans call for three pairs of trains per week linking Krems with Hamburg and Bremerhaven in Germany, increasing to five pairs of trains later.HHLA recently <a href="http://www.joc.com/rail-intermodal/hhla-takes-full-stake-polzug_20121008.html">acquired complete control of Polish intermodal operator Polzug</a>.</div>

HHLA Subsidiary Acquires Austrian Container Terminal

<div class="phx-topic abstract-wrapper">Total revenue of Indian Railways, operated by the Indian government’s Ministry of Railways, reached Rs. 58649.8 crore (approximately US$1.1 billion) in the period from April 1 to Sept. 30.</div>

Total revenue of Indian Railways, operated by the Indian government’s Ministry of Railways, reached Rs. 58649.8 crore (approximately US$1.1 billion) in the period from April 1 to Sept. 30.

<div class="phx-topic">Total revenue of Indian Railways, operated by the Indian government’s Ministry of Railways, reached Rs. 58649.8 crore (approximately US$1.1 billion) in the period from April 1 to Sept. 30 (the first six months of fiscal year 2012/2013), <a href="http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=88274">up 19.8 percent</a> compared with the same period last year.Freight earnings specifically increased 24.3 percent in those six months, from $615.1 million last year to $764.3 million this year.Passenger revenue and other earnings also contributed to the jump in overall revenue.</div>

Indian Railways’ Revenue Jumps Nearly 20 Percent

The Journal of Commerce’s analysis and coverage of North American and global rail news encompasses Class I railroad, intermodal marketing providers, and supporting drayage and truckload services. Reporting on freight railroad news today, journalists track volume, intermodal freight rates, service levels, precision schedule railroading, transloading, regulation, union labor and network investment at domestic and international intermodal terminals.

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The Journal of Commerce’s surface transport news and analysis focuses on landside transport movement — from railroad news to trucking news — including full load trucking, less-than-truckload (LTL), refrigerated (or reefer) trucking, flatbed and domestic and international intermodal rail, and how it connects with seaports, inland rail hubs, distribution centers and transloading operations. Reporting on the surface transport sector covers the movement of domestic shipments within the United States and international cargoes transported via domestic equipment including trailers and 53-foot containers.

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