Ceva takes 100% of China domestic service
Ceva Logistics has bought the remaining 30% share in Ceva Ground China from its partner Shanghai JY Group, making the former joint venture company a wholly-owned subsidiary. Ceva Ground China was established in 2009 as a rebranded version of its time-definite domestic road transport service in the country. The service unites multiple domestic services including those for line haul, pick up and delivery, and cross border movements.
The move follows a recent survey jointly commissioned by Ceva and the Global Supply Chain Council (GSCC). Called the State of Logistics China Survey 2012, it found that during the next one to two years, 64% of respondents believe that domestic transport is the main service in need of improvement. The most common services outsourced to 3PLs in China were direct transport services (77%) according to the survey and 49% of respondents reported their largest intra-China logistical problems were related to cost and reliability of local providers.
The survey also found that the biggest challenge to multinational companies operating in China was domestic transport.
"The rising number of foreign companies entering the China market, the increasing number resellers and customers, and the growing importance of the China market indicate that domestic transportation challenges will only continue to increase," said the company.
Hellmann makes it a first at Hambantota
Following the news last month that the Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has rerouted all car carriers through Hambantota port because of long berth delays at Colombo (read more here), Hellmann Automotive Logistics has announced its first delivery of vehicles to the port in partnership with Sri Lankan transport provider, Edirisinghe Transport Services.
A trial shipment of Daihatsu vehicles were transported from Kobe, Japan aboard K-Line's vessel Frisia.
The Hellmann-Erdirisinghe joint venture managed the delivery on behalf of Hellmann's customer Uni Walkers -Automobile Division, the sole distributor of Daihatsu vehicles in Sri Lanka and a subsidiary of Softlogic Holdings.
Hellmann said the operation out of Hambantota port went smoothly and the company was able to provide same-day delivery of the vehicles. While it was unable to comment on any future trade, the company said it will continue to facilitate services for automotive customers in Sri Lanka whilst pledging continuous support to the Sri Lanka Ports Authority in its future plans.
SupplyOn expands in Asia
SupplyOn, the online business platform provider, is expanding its activities in Asia following a 40% rise in the number of companies in the region using the service to handle purchase, logistics and quality management processes with their business partners.
There are now around 1,200 companies using SupplyOn according to the provider and in March it made its WebEDI application for handling logistics and financial processes with suppliers available in Japanese and Korean. By the end of the year, SupplyOn said it would offer the entire portfolio and customer support in these two languages. All of SupplyOn's services are also available in German, English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Chinese (Mandarin).
SupplyOn has also teamed up with a local partner to implement a content delivery network with locally distributed servers. As a result the company said that user access times have been slashed and so customer satisfaction has been boosted.
Surgere opens HQ and plans Detroit opening
US-based packaging supply chain provider, Surgere, has moved into new headquarters in Green, Ohio, driven by a growth in its business, with a new Detroit office planned to open in September serving as an operating base for the company's engineering and operations departments.
"The growth we've been going through in just the past nine months has made the expansion of our physical infrastructure a necessity," said company president and CEO William Wappler. "While so much of the work we do in the field, at client sites, this new expansion will enable us to be better equipped to handle back office and many of our client services functions."
The Surgere headquarters will initially house the Information Technologies, Finance, Client Services and Sales departments, as well as the executive offices.
Meanwhile, the operating office in Detroit, will house nearly thirty analysts, engineers and implementation specialists in client locations currently dispersed across five states. Employees will still spend the majority of their time in the field said Wappler, but said that the two offices would provide new, additional layers of support for them and the needs of Surgere's clients.
Schenker secures Lufthansa Cargo award
Lufthansa Cargo has awarded its "Planet Award of Excellence" to global partner DB Schenker.
Presenting the award at this year's Global Partner Council in Ålesund, Norway, the German cargo airline paid tribute to DB Schenker's outstanding contribution in 2011 as a global partner, which was most evident in the constantly high volume of freight business between the two companies.
"Cooperation between DB Schenker and Lufthansa Cargo in 2011 was based on an outstanding partnership. We are proud that a large part of DB Schenker's airfreight was flown by Lufthansa Cargo last year," said Dr Andreas Otto, Lufthansa Cargo executive board member responsible for Product and Sales. "It is exceptionally gratifying that Lufthansa Cargo, along with its strong partners in the Global Partnership Programme, was able to substantiate the success of recent years and also continue on its growth path in 2011."
Dr Otto presented the award to Dr Thomas Lieb, chairman of the Management Board of Schenker and also underlined the special ties between the two companies. "It is not merely the growth in business generated by Lufthansa Cargo and DB Schenker that is gratifying. It is also the fact that in 2011 both companies together succeeded in boosting the use of innovative booking channels and in driving e-freight forward."
