UPS Builds Logistics hub at Calgary

The new distribution centre for UPS was built at Calgary Airport and is part of the YYC Logistics Park infrastructure just recently announced. The official opening was on Feb 22, 2010 and the 150,000-square-foot distribution facility will house 157 trucks for ground transportation as well as serve as a staging ground for aircraft. Read more.....

UPS prepares for the London 2012 Olympic Games

Excerpt from the UPS website on their preparations for London 2012.

"Tonight, the world celebrates the start of the Vancouver Olympic Games. For the UPS team assisting with the London Olympics, it is a milestone on the journey to the 2012 Summer Games. Organizing an Olympic Games is the single biggest peacetime logistical event in the world, followed just two weeks later by the second biggest – the Paralympic Games." Read more......

Fedex Trade Networks expands Forwarding Services in UK, Europe and India

It appears that Fedex Trade networks is gearing up to participate in the European and UK Freight forwarding industry. Although part of the Fedex Group, this division is not at all involved in the express side and handles traditional consultative freight forwarding for air, sea and road shipments requiring customized logistics solutions.
Read more.....

DHL Deutsche Post at the forefront of Green Policy

DHL won the German Sustainability Award in November 2009 in recognition of the company's Go Green policy assuming economic, ecologic and social responsibility. The focus is to improve the companies CO₂ efficiency by 30 percent by 2020, reducing the CO₂ emissions for every letter and parcel sent, every tonne of cargo transported, and for every square meter of warehouse space used.

In addition, their contribution on disaster relief logistics was acknowledged. In light of the Haiti earthquake, DHL's disaster program gave them an additional boost as a leading logistics provider in tune with the times.

The GoGreen website is useful and it contains some tools to measure carbon footprint, air versus ocean from /to selected places, however this seems to be more for display than an online tools for companies.

UPS may layoff 300 pilots worldwide

Despite a fourth-quarter net income of $757 million reported last week, UPS is still considering furloughing 300 pilots in May. They are still however negotiating with the Independent Pilot Association on ways to avoid this, such as early retirement, and leaves of absence yet this has been in the works for the past year. For UPS to come out in the free press and make this statement even, it seems as if the decision has already been made.

The company, one of the world's largest delivery integrators has been on a belt -tightenirg program for the past two years. With 1800 jobs already cut, salary freezes, and removing the match on 401K plans, UPS aims to go as lean as possible as the economic recovery wavers through 2010.

Read more at the WSJ

Fedex launches Direct Distribution

Fedex has launched a new service called International Direct distribution, which aims to provide shippers with an all in one service of consolidation of their multi destination packages at origin into one shipment. This saves costs for several reasons. There is only one customs clearance at destination and there is only one shipment, therefore eliminating multiple minimum charges for each consignee.

Shippers do not have to maintain a distribution centre offshore nor deal with several agents or parties that they often have no control over. Fedex aims to provide the distribution at destination throughout their own carrier system. This really is one stop shopping.

Traditional freight forwarders have been providing this for many years now. Dependant on the coverage and internal infrastructure of that logistics provider, sometimes they make it work and sometimes unfortunately they do not. What Fedex has over these companies is a faster transit time and reasonably efficient tracking capabilities. Learn more.....