Transport communications

Portcare International is the press relations consultancy for the shipping and logistics industry. Formed by transport people for transport people. We can truly claim to understand our clients’ needs and ‘talk the same language’. Portcare provide effective, value for money PR to some of the industry’s best-known names.

Archives for April 2018

IIYAMA TRUSTS GEODIS TO HANDLE ITS EUROPEAN LOGISTICS

April, 30 2018

VENLO

iiyama is entering into a long-term strategic partnership with logistics service provider GEODIS. GEODIS provides the Japanese manufacturer of computer monitors and displays with a reliable and proven end-to-end solution. As such, GEODIS takes care of all customs handling, the transport of products from Rotterdam to Venlo (The Netherlands), storage & sales order processing at the GEODIS Campus in Venlo and daily outbound transport to final customers.

“We are growing very fast,” says Jeffry Pettinga, Sales Director Europe at iiyama. “In addition, we see a market need for larger desktop monitors and (interactive) signage displays, which means we are faced with even further complexity in logistics. With a view to the future, we were seeking to select a logistics partner that will support us in reaching our growth ambitions.” GEODIS was selected as the preferred service provider following a competitive market test, involving multiple parties. GEODIS’ knowledge and experience in the field of consumer electronics and high-tech, combined with warehousing flexibility in Venlo, were the key factors in the final stages of the selection process. Moreover, the integrated and control tower based outbound distribution service offering presents iiyama with a single point of contact for the entire scope of engagement.

The willingness of all parties involved to establish a mutually beneficial business agreement was incremental in successfully closing the final negotiations.

“We are delighted to welcome iiyama as a customer in our 135,0000 sq m and fully developed Campus in Venlo,” says Marc Walbaum, Deputy Director for Contract Logistics at GEODIS. “This new partnership is a clear recognition of our leading position as a supply chain operator by a key member of this demanding and dynamic high-tech industry vertical.”

ENDS

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, leading global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints, undisputed leader in France, ranking #4 in Europe and #7 worldwide. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s historical success has led to wide-spread recognition including being ranked as a “Leader” in Gartner’s “Magic Quadrant for 3PLs Worldwide”.

Currently GEODIS has over 40,500 employees, a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries. In 2017, GEODIS generated €8.1 billion in sales, and continues to position itself for global growth.

 

“K” Line Press Release : Announcement of Financial Highlights for FY2017

・Financial Highlights for FY2017

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/ir/ir8215338389570244720/main/0/link/20180427_E150-4.pdf

・Notice of Differences from Previously Announced Forecast of Financial Results

https://www.kline.co.jp/en/news/ir/auto_20180426420660/pdfFile.pdf

 

GEODIS strengthens its capacity in East Africa by opening a new office in Uganda

GEODIS has opened a new office in Kampala, Uganda early last month. This new office represents an expansion in the Group’s worldwide network and will initially concentrate on catering for the surge in industrial projects currently taking place in the East Africa region.

The Uganda-based office will extend GEODIS – Industrial Projects’ footprint in Africa for both current and new key global clients. The new presence also provides a mechanism through which to tender for parts of a large-scale oil & gas project in the Lake Albert area, as well as managing the transport of supplies for the associated infrastructure development.

“Aside from oil & gas, the region demonstrates potential across a variety of industrial sectors including, power, renewable energy and transport infrastructure,” says Philip Somers, Senior Vice President Industrial Projects for GEODIS. “We will expand as we grow our share of participation in the various projects in the region. This has been a proven model for us in other parts of Africa, where some of our offices have grown to over 300 people. As a growth partner for our clients, we are committed to supporting them in their development. We look forward to serving both existing and new clients in Uganda – as well as in Kenya and Tanzania – in the years to come.”

Demographically, Africa is one of the fastest growing areas in the world, with a population that is expected to rise from approximately 1.2 billion in 2010 to 2.5 billion by 2050[1]. Uganda’s GDP is projected to increase by almost 6% in 2018[2]. This expansion translates into much potential activity in the field of logistics. Both Kenya and Tanzania provide vital transit corridors to Lake Albert in landlocked Uganda and are also ripe for expansion as they plan extensive development projects for their own Infrastructure, power supply and renewable energy provision.

ENDS

GEODIS – www.geodis.com 

GEODIS is a top-rated, global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s truly global reach thanks to a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries, translates in top business rankings, #1 in France, #4 in Europe and #7 worldwide.

In 2017, GEODIS accounted for over 40,500 employees globally and generated €8.1 billion in sales

[1] Source: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2017).

[2] Source: African Development Bank Group: African Economic Outlook 2018

 

Train to Hire : GEODIS invests in basic training for its “Hazardous Materials” Drivers

At both its Lillebonne and Villers-Saint-Paul sites in France, all of which are dedicated to the chemical sector, GEODIS is offering integrated training to180419 Âbrunoclergue_BC09972 22 job seekers. The training is offered in partnership with Pôle Emploi [the French national employment agency], the training organization AFTRAL, and the French Driving School (ECF). As part of the bargain, trainees will receive “hazardous materials” driver positions on permanent contract.

Since last February, GEODIS’ Lillebonne site has been supporting ten job seekers through a customized career development course, in preparation for their recruitment in May as “chemical-gas” drivers on permanent work contracts.

Meanwhile, each will have benefited from an integrated training given by the ECF, which will include: the heavy vehicle license CE (authorizing, in France, the driving of vehicles whose materials or merchandise exceed 7.5 tons); FIMO (Obligatory minimum basic training) skills training; and ADR (European Agreement concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road) authorization. The skill development of future drivers will be provided by GEODIS, which will get its new hires the “super heavy” CE license and train them for several weeks, in teams of two, on the specific processes of its clients.

“As the transport sector in France faces serious challenges in recruitment and driver retention, employee skills and the stability of our teams are more than ever the key elements of our quality of service,” explains Olivier Royer, GEODIS’ Executive Vice President Road Transport. “This is especially true in the areas of chemical and gas, which demand a high level of technical sophistication and unfailing safety.”

A similar project is underway at the Villers-Saint-Paul site, which also specializes in the transport of chemical and gas products. It involves twelve job seekers, holding only a C license at the start, who will undergo 280 hours of training (FIMO, ADR, CE license) conducted by AFTRAL, in order to be hired on permanent contract.

With these measures, GEODIS, as a leading employer in France, reinforces its commitment to training and development. Following Lillebonne and Villers-Saint-Paul, similar train-to-hire campaigns are already being planned for other GEODIS chemical sites.

This project is co-financed by GEODIS and OPCA Transports, an agency that finances professional training in the transport sector. It benefited from the support of Pôle Emploi in the preselection of candidates and the payment of compensation during their training.

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s historical success has led to wide-spread recognition including being ranked #7 worldwide and #4 in Europe.

Currently GEODIS has over 40,500 employees, a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries. GEODIS’ parent company, SNCF Logistics, is a division of the SNCF group (the French National Railway Corporation).  In 2017, GEODIS reached €8.1 billion in sales and continues to position itself for global growth.

 

Dachser’s growth gets a tail wind

For the first time, the logistics provider achieves revenue of over EUR 6 billion with growth driven by strong export business in Europe and invigorated global trade

 Kempten, Munich. April 17, 2018. In the 2017 financial year, Dachser for the first time achieved revenue of over EUR 6 billion. The global logistics provider increased its consolidated gross revenue by 7.2 percent to EUR 6.12 billion. Dachser also set other company records by handling a total of 81.7 million shipments (+2.1 percent) weighing 39.8 million metric tons (+4.3 percent). On a global level, Dachser created 1,648 new jobs in 2017.

“We systematically pursued our successful export strategy for European overland transport and gained an additional tail wind from invigorated global trade,” says Bernhard Simon, CEO Dachser SE. “Rising rates for air and sea freight in particular helped us achieve a significant increase in revenue.”

Business development in detail

In 2017, Dachser’s Road Logistics business field—which comprises the transport and storage of industrial goods (European Logistics) and food (Food Logistics)—achieved gross revenue of EUR 4.44 billion (+3.1 percent). Shipments and tonnage increased by 2.1 and 3.6 percent respectively. In the European Logistics (EL) business line, a constant focus on European export business within the EL network once again provided for robust growth. In particular this applies to the EL North Central Europe business unit, which reported growth of an impressive 7.4 percent, but also to EL France & Maghreb and EL Iberia and the dynamic growth of their contract logistics business. “Germany remains the backbone of our operation, but France is well on its way to becoming a second pace setter for cross-border overland transport business. We’ve been systematically setting up this strategic logistics axis over the past few years,” Simon explains.

In the Food Logistics business line, growth was once again above average. This was thanks primarily to the German business, with a contribution from several new customers acquired for cross-border transports. “Five years on from the birth of the European Food Network, we can now take stock: the decision to establish a strong partner network under our system leadership was the right one,” says Simon.

In the Air & Sea Logistics (ASL) business field, greatly invigorated business combined with a rise in freight rates—especially in air freight—to push gross revenue up by 15.7 percent to EUR 1.79 billion. All three regional ASL business units saw double-digit percentage increases in revenue, with the Asia business achieving the largest revenue growth, of over 20 percent. The number of shipments the business field handled overall went up 6.7 percent, while TEUs and tonnage increased by 8.5 and 23.3 percent respectively.

“Air and sea freight is a volatile business with revenue as ever swinging between extremes,” says Simon. “We are, however, focused on ensuring sustainably profitable growth. So we are increasingly dovetailing our two business fields and are pushing forward with system integration.”

 

Forward-looking investment in network and personnel

Despite the favorable tail wind, which continued through Q1 2018, Simon recognizes capacity bottlenecks and the growing shortage of drivers as the major factors that could potentially limit future growth. “For this reason, our commitment to training has top priority.” In 2017, the first 22 professional truck drivers completed their training through Dachser Service und Ausbildungs GmbH in Germany. In the same year, 106 drivers started their training at 35 German locations. “We want to increase the number of trainee drivers every year and establish our quality concept also in other European countries,” Simon announces.

Dachser’s investment in network locations, fleets, technology, and IT systems increased by 5 percent to EUR 136 million in 2017. “Last year we vastly expanded our capacity in Germany, especially in the food business,” says Simon. Dachser has announced that it has earmarked a further EUR 188 million for investment in 2018, this time focusing on industrial goods.

 

Overview of gross revenue:

Revenue in

EUR (million)

2017

Gross incl. duties and import tax

2016

Gross incl. duties and import tax

Change

 

Road Logistics 4,441 4,307 + 3.1 %
European Logistics 3,570 3,495 + 2.1 %
Food Logistics 871 812 + 7.3 %
Air & Sea Logistics 1,785 1,542 + 15.7 %
Consolidation (deducting revenue from company interests of 50% and lower) – 108 – 143  
Group 6,118 5,706 + 7.2 %

 

Overview of net revenue:

Revenue in

EUR (million)

2017

Net excl. duties and import tax

2016

Net excl. duties and import tax

Change

 

Road Logistics 4,187 3,898 + 7.4 %
European Logistics 3,316 3,086 + 7.5 %
Food Logistics 871 812 + 7.3 %
Air & Sea Logistics 1,190 1,013 + 17.5 %
Consolidation (deducting revenue from company interests of 50% and lower) – 98 – 105  
Group 5,280 4,806 + 9.9 %

 

About Dachser:

Thanks to some 29,100 employees at 396 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated revenue of 6.12 billion euros in 2017. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 81.7 million shipments weighing 39.8 million metric tons. Country organizations represent Dachser in 44 countries. For more information about Dachser, please visit www.dachser.com

Raziel Baker is new Vice President, US Sales for GEODIS’ Freight Forwarding activities in the US

Raziel Baker, VP, US Sales

GEODIS is pleased to announce the appointment of Raziel Baker as the new Vice President, US Sales for the Freight Forwarding Line of Business of GEODIS in US. Based in Los Angeles, California, she will lead the business development for both new and existing clients.

Raziel has more than 20 years of commercial and operational management experience in the logistics industry, most recently as Vice President, Business Support and Solutions, Americas, for GEODIS. She joined GEODIS in 2016 in connection with the acquisition of former OHL, where she had served as vice president in various functions for six years. As Vice President Business Support and Solutions, Americas, she helped manage the integration and merger process for GEODIS. Prior to OHL, she held various management and executive positions at leading transport and logistics companies.

Patrick Moebel, regional Vice President for GEODIS Americas, said: “Raziel’s wealth of experience in the logistics market is an important asset for us as we continue to expand the scope and reach of our service offering to US customers. Her operational expertise and ability to lead diverse teams positions her well to execute our growth strategy.”

In her new role, Raziel will assume responsibility for business development, pricing and solutions, sales support, and US performance management and reporting. In addition, she will be in charge of the total US business development budget, including key account management, CSA [Customer Service Account] and strategic sales reporting to other sales leaders in the US organization. Based out of Los Angeles, CA, Raziel reports to the US Headquarters and competency center in Philadelphia, PA.

Raziel holds a double major undergraduate Bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management and Hospitality Management and completed a Master in Business Administration with a focus on International Logistics and Marketing. She also has a Global Logistics Specialist Professional Certification.

ENDS

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, leading global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints, undisputed leader in France, ranking #4 in Europe and #7 worldwide. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s historical success has led to wide-spread recognition including being ranked as a “Leader” in Gartner’s “Magic Quadrant for 3PLs Worldwide”. Currently GEODIS has over 40,500 employees, a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries. In 2017, GEODIS generated €8.1 billion in sales, and continues to position itself for global growth.

WAREHOUSE INVENTORY USING DRONES: GEODIS and DELTA DRONE have entered the industrialization production phase of their completely automated solution

After almost two years of development, the completely automatic warehouse inventory solution using drones, perfected by GEODIS and DELTA DRONE, will be Drone d'inventaire - GEODIS DELTADRONE @HerveBoutet (8)operational at the end of 2018.

More than 1,000 flight hours in prototype mode across three pilot warehouses were required to arrive at this unique solution, which allows companies to perform completely automatic warehouse inventories without interrupting their usual operations or requiring any human intervention. The main advantages of this solution are the productivity gains generated by performing the inventories outside warehouse operating hours, greater safety at work for the site’s employees, who no longer have to carry out this tedious and sometimes risky task and a greater reliability of the inventory.

In the prototyping phase, multiple tests were carried out in real operating conditions in order to meet the specific constraints of warehouses, such as low light or the impact that the plastic film covering pallets has on image capturing, which required special adaptations to the cameras embedded in the drones.

This phase ended in 2017 with the development of a complete “plug and play” solution that can be easily moved from one warehouse to another without requiring that any prior changes be made to the warehouse. This solution also adapts to all types of Warehouse Management Systems (WMS).

Based on these extremely positive results, GEODIS and DELTA DRONE are now working on producing a system that can be manufactured, focusing their attention on the solution’s design and the final choice of the best components. The aim is to move to the industrial production stage at the end of the year. Initially, GEODIS will be the exclusive user of this solution in its own warehouses.

The solution designed by the GEODIS and DELTA DRONE engineering teams is unique. It combines a ground-based robot equipped with a battery that provides the energy needed to navigate a warehouse and allows freedom from autonomy constraints, and a quadcopter drone equipped with four high-definition cameras. This set, equipped with indoor geolocation technology, operates autonomously during the hours the site is closed. From an IT point of view, the solution enables the counting and reporting of data in real time, the processing of data, and its restitution in the warehouse’s information system. The tests conducted during this initial development phase show that the solution enables inventory to be managed reliably with rates close to 100%.

About Delta Drone:

The Delta Drone Group is a renowned international player in the area of civilian drones for professional use. It offers a complete range of services, from data acquisition to data processing through a specifically developed information system, including a supply of professional pilots.

Delta Drone is listed on Euronext Growth Paris – ISIN code: FR0011522168

4 166 666 BSA are also listed on Euronext Growth Paris – ISIN code: FR001329977

www.deltadrone.com

GEODIS – www.geodis.com

GEODIS is a top-rated, leading global supply chain operator recognized for its passion and commitment to helping clients overcome their logistical constraints, undisputed leader in France, ranking #4 in Europe and #7 worldwide. GEODIS’ growth-focused offerings (Supply Chain Optimization, Freight Forwarding, Contract Logistics, Distribution & Express, and Road Transport) coupled with the company’s historical success has led to wide-spread recognition including being ranked as a “Leader” in Gartner’s “Magic Quadrant for 3PLs Worldwide”.

Currently GEODIS has over 40,500 employees, a direct presence in 67 countries, and a global network spanning 120 countries. In 2017, GEODIS generated €8.1 billion in sales, and continues to position itself for global growth.

 

 

New location for Dachser in Freiburg

 

180404 DACHSER-European-Logistics-IIFreiburg/Kempten, April 4, 2018. Dachser has acquired some 65,000 m2 of real estate in the Breisgau industrial park in Eschbach, a town near Freiburg, Germany. In August 2018, the logistics provider will start construction on a new logistics center, which will include a transit terminal with a total area of 6,117 m2 and 82 docking bays, plus a two-story office building. Completion of construction and the subsequent move are planned for mid-2019. 

The new logistics center will replace the current branch in Freiburg-Hochdorf, which has served as the Dachser groupage hub for southwest Germany and Alsace, France since 1989. “As a logistics partner, we have grown with the local economy year by year, and now we have to add more capacity in anticipation of future growth,” explains Michael Gaudlitz, General Manager of Dachser’s Freiburg branch.

Currently, the 150 employees at the Freiburg branch move 225,000 metric tons of goods each year. The new location southwest of Freiburg is situated directly on the A5 highway, with excellent connections to three countries: Germany, France, and Switzerland. This new facility will create ideal operating conditions and also offers opportunities for expansion in the future. Dachser is investing a total of about EUR 22 million in the construction project, and expects to create 30 new jobs.

“Germany’s economy is going full steam ahead, and we see that reflected in the capacity utilization of our network,” says Alexander Tonn, Managing Director, European Logistics Germany at Dachser. “Now we have to take action with an eye to the future, and—as we did in Freiburg—invest in new capacity before the need becomes acute. This is the only way we can continue to offer our customers the high standard of quality they expect from Dachser as their logistics partner.”

 

About Dachser:

A family-owned company headquartered in Kempten, Germany, Dachser is a leading supplier of logistics services worldwide.

Dachser offers comprehensive transport logistics, warehousing, and customer-specific services in two business fields: Dachser Air & Sea Logistics and Dachser Road Logistics. The latter consists of two business lines: Dachser European Logistics and Dachser Food Logistics. Comprehensive contract-logistics services and industry-specific solutions round out the company’s offerings. A seamless shipping network—both in Europe and overseas—and fully integrated IT systems ensure intelligent logistics solutions worldwide.

Thanks to some 27,450 employees at 409 locations all over the globe, Dachser generated revenue of 5.71 billion euros in 2016. That same year, the logistics provider handled a total of 80 million shipments weighing 38.2 million metric tons. Country organizations represent Dachser in 43 countries.

“K” Line Website Redesigned

Kawasaki Kisen Kaisha, Ltd. (“K” Line) launches redesigned website April 2, 2018.

“K” Line has reviewed and revised overall contents of its website by this renewal. In particular, the investors pages were enriched and new image banners introduced in order to help viewers more easily understand the “K” Line organization.

We view our “K” Line website as a crucial communication tool and remain committed to enhancing its content and continuously improving its ease of use. We thank you for your support and look forward to your continued use of our “K” Line website.

https://www.kline.co.jp/en

Evergreen Opens New office in Cambodia

April 03, 2018 – Evergreen Shipping Services (Cambodia) Company Limited was established this month in response to both customer demand for increased service in the country and the potential for trade growth boosted by an average rise in GDP of 7% during the past several years.

The opening of this office will continue the line’s cultivation of the shipping market in Cambodia, matching transportation demands with convenient shipping services, assisting cargo owners to seize business opportunities and enhance their market competitiveness.

After joining the economic confederation of states in Southeast Asia (ASEAN) in 1999, Cambodia’s open economy policy have attracted foreign investment, and has enabled the successful development of its manufacturing industry. This has resulted in significant growth in both import and export volumes.

Evergreen currently delivers cargoes to/from Cambodia by common feeder, via trans-shipment over the Vietnamese port of Cai Mep and Singapore, where long haul vessels connect into Evergreen’s global network across 115 countries.

To further strengthen the development of local business, Evergreen will utilize two containerships of 1,618 teu to launch a new weekly China-Vietnam-Thailand (CVT) service. The first sailing of the service will be from Shekou on April 25 and call at Hong Kong, Ho Chi Minh, Sihanoukville, Laem Chabang, Haiphong and back to Shekou.  Evergreen looks forward to providing more efficient and reliable transportation service for the future development of the Cambodian economy.