Yusen Logistics’ Russian division has opened a branch in the Russian port city of Nakhodka in response to “the growing demand for logistics services in the Far East”. Situated on the Trudny Peninsula, 85km east of Vladivostok, and near the Vostochny intermodal container terminal, which lies at the end of the Trans-Siberian Railway, the area is an important link between Eurasia and the Asia Pacific region.
According to Yusen, the Far East Branch will provide a a wide variety of logistics services, including ocean freight forwarding of automotive parts and consumer goods, distribution to Russian inland areas and Commonwealth Independent States using the Trans-Siberian Railway, as well as providing import and export customs clearance. The Far East Branch will also aim to build a range of transport services.
Back in 2009 Russian vehicle logistics provider Rolf SCS established an automotive facility at Vostochny to speed the delivery of vehicles from Japan to the eastern regions of Russia (read more here).
Yusen’s parent company NYK has recently bought a controlling stake in Rolf SCS and the announcement of the new branch in Nakhodka could indicate a further development involving NYK’s ocean forwarding strength and its ground transport services under the Yusen division with Rolf’s established finished vehicles services in Russia.
EC to work with IMO on greenhouse emissions for shipping in 2013
The European Commission has announced it will be working with the International Maritime Organisation on a monitoring, reporting and verification system designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from shipping from early 2013.
"Shipping is a global industry and needs global solutions to address its environmental footprint. As a result, we are all working towards an internationally agreed global solution to decrease greenhouse gas emissions from ships,” said the EU’s vice president Siim Kallas and EU commissioner for Climate Action, Connie Hedegaard, in a joint statement. “The International Maritime Organisation made a significant and highly welcome step forward in July 2011 with the Energy Efficiency Design Index. But this measure alone – which is applied only to new ships from 2015 – will not be enough to ensure shipping emissions are reduced fast enough. Discussions about further global measures are on-going at IMO level, but we need intermediary steps to quickly deliver emissions reductions, such as energy efficiency measures also for existing ships.”
Until those measures are made clear it is too early to gauge the impact on short-sea forwarders operating in Europe. However, a reliable source at a European shipping company said that, while they were not against the measures, which could prove how good the sector was in terms of pollution per ton transported, there were concerns about the targets that the EC and IMO will want to achieve and what this will mean in terms of additional taxes.
As has been widely reported, European short sea operators are already facing difficulties because of EC sulphur content regulations that will restrict the maximum limit in bunker fuels to 0.1% in emission control areas (ECAs) around the Baltic and North seas, and the English Channel from 2015. The subsequent rise in bunker costs could result in a premium of between $350-$400 on top of near-historic highs of around $700.
Mahindra scores hat trick in supply chain awards
Indian vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra has been awarded its third consecutive Automotive Supply Chain Excellence Award during the 6th Logistics and Supply Chain Conclave held in Mumbai. The company was joint winner this year with Hero Moto Corporation.
The companies, which competed with contenders including Tata Motors, GM, Maruti Suzuki India and Ford amongst others, secured the award for excellence in areas including enhancing bottom line results, maximizing customer satisfaction and successful collaboration strategies between suppliers and partners.
The award criteria, which were independently assessed, also included management leadership in driving supply chain excellence throughout the organisation. Mahindra’s vice president of Demand Chain Management in the Automotive Division, SK Krishnan, was recognised with a special separate award as Supply Chain Visionary of the Year in the Manufacturing Industry Segment, which included automotive and non-automotive sectors.
Krishnan won the award for his successful implementation of key strategic supply chain management initiatives within the organisation and his long-standing contribution in the field of supply chain and logistics.
“We in Mahindra & Mahindra’s Supply Chain and Logistics team were delighted and humbled to receive these awards,” Krishnan told Automotive Logistics News. “It is a testimony to some of the great initiatives our team have been able to execute in complex, multi-plant and multi-product operations like ours.
“We have consistently supported our sales to achieve year-on-year growth of over 27% in the last three years, without losing focus on key SCM deliverables,” he added.
OBS Logistics supplies ePod system to EuLoS.eu
Logistics provider EuLoS.eu is investing in an electronic proof of delivery system from OBS Logistics designed to automate its current paper-based, manual pre- and post-delivery inspection recording and provide real-time traceability.
Called Calidus ePOD, the system will provide a fully computerised auditing for each vehicle from point of collection to final delivery with the customer.
“I’ve been in the automotive logistics business for more than 20 years and have seen other companies adopt various systems. I now believe it is the right time for EuLoS.eu to invest in this technology too as it will help us become more efficient for our clients and it will assist business expansion,” said Chris Martins, EuLoS.eu managing director. “I was aware of the capabilities of other PDA-based systems, but OBS Logistics showed great interest in what we do and was very enthusiastic in helping to develop Calidus ePOD meet our needs. It is a very robust system and the company provides very good support,”
According to the company, vehicle defects will be photographed and shortages noted using the PDA and stored with the electronic inspection and delivery forms by the system. All paperwork that the customer requires is also tagged and traceable against the electronic records. The system will provide a robust, comprehensive and auditable file for each car making it easier to contest insurance claims for vehicle defects.
