CEVA Logistics has officially opened a new multi-user facility in Penang, Malaysia. Situated within the Bayan Lepas Free Industrial Zone Phase IV, the 70,000 sq ft facility is only 10 minutes away from the Penang International Airport and 10 minutes from the Penang Bridge, connecting the island to mainland Malaysia.
This new multi-user warehouse delivers cost efficiency and flexibility through an optimized layout design and improved infrastructure to serve our customers. It includes a combination of temperature-controlled and ambient storage space, conducive and modern office space for in-plant customers, advanced materials handling equipment, advanced RF warehouse management system and Customs stationed on-site to facilitate on-time clearance. This is also an integrated hub that will house under one roof CEVA’s contract logistics and freight management teams for Malaysia as well as its global supply chain solutions control tower teams who support its 24×7 largest customers globally.
“CEVA continues to invest in its customer needs in Malaysia, this new facility which has doubled our footprint in Penang will continue to support our growth needs and positions us for future expansion in the market. With its strategic location in the northern part of Malaysia, coupled with the air cargo hub at Bayan Lepas airport, it aims to cater to a wide range of logistics and warehousing services and offer even greater value and benefits to our customers, ” says CEVA’s Elaine Low, Executive Vice President, South East Asia.
FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. recently announced ‘Purple Runway’ – A FedEx Pathways Program, an industry leading pilot development program designed to produce the pilots of tomorrow.
In an effort to recruit the best aviators in the industry over the coming years, FedEx Express created Purple Runway – A FedEx Pathways Program to address the need to support the airline and its feeder operators with a pipeline of highly trained and qualified aviators.
During a recent speech at the Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss., FedEx chairman and CEO Frederick W. Smith said Purple Runway – A FedEx Pathways Program will play an important role in the continuing growth and success of FedEx Express and its third-party feeder operators in the company’s feeder fleet.
“FedEx is initiating a new, industry-leading pilot development program to ensure a full pipeline of pilots for us and the industry at large,” Smith said. The program is designed “to assist two of our feeder operators with the recruitment and retention of pilots who wish to develop their skills and experiences to eventually qualify for pilot opportunities at FedEx.”
FedEx Express, along with its feeder operators at Mountain Air Cargo and Empire Airlines, will have a collaborative outreach and engagement program to promote student interest in aviation careers at selected colleges and universities beginning with Delta State University. As the program continues to roll out, FedEx and its feeder operators will work with many other leading universities and aviation colleges around the country to educate potential pilots and other students interested in an aviation career on the industry-leading aviation opportunities and development programs available to them at both the feeder operators and at FedEx Express.
“Empire Airlines is excited to be part of such a forward looking and innovative program,” said Tim Komberec, president and CEO of Empire Airlines. “We believe this program will strengthen our recruitment efforts and provide a pathway to one of the premier flight careers in the world, FedEx Express.”
“Mountain Air Cargo is thrilled to be part of this exciting opportunity,” said Craig Bently, president and CEO of Mountain Air Cargo. “This program will provide our airline with highly-skilled and qualified pilots as well as create a pathway for these aviators to follow their dreams and join FedEx Express.”
“These aircraft purchases are part of our long-term feeder fleet strategy,” said Greg Hall, executive vice president of Air Operations, FedEx Express. “That strategy will not only improve our fuel efficiency and fleet reliability, but thanks to a collaborative training program through Purple Runway – A FedEx Pathways Program, we will create a reliable pipeline of well-qualified pilot applicants for FedEx Express pilot jobs, leveraging the experience they will gain in our feeder system.”
The FedEx Express feeder network is a strategic component of the overall global linehaul network, serving markets too small for direct FedEx Express air linehaul service and markets where FedEx Express does not have operating rights. The feeder network is composed of more than 300 aircraft serving 45 countries. Most of these feeder aircraft are owned by FedEx and are leased and operated by different third-party air carriers under their own operating certificates. The FedEx feeder fleet is comprised of aircraft under 60,000 pounds maximum gross take-off weight, and allows the company to provide fast, economical service to small and medium-sized markets around the world.
Logistics solutions for the pharma and healthcare industry are among the most important growth drivers for Kuehne + Nagel’s European overland business. With the extension of the European overland cross dock platform in Contern and the integration of telematics data of key providers Kuehne + Nagel strengthens its position in the European market for pharma solutions.
Uwe Hött, Senior Vice President Overland Europe at Kuehne + Nagel, said, “Industry specific services for customers from the pharma & healthcare industry mark a key factor of Kuehne + Nagel’s success story in overland business. The investment into our Luxembourg pharma platform and the integration of telematics data of qualified key transport partners contribute significantly towards our overall strategy for the pharma industry with a special focus on temperature controlled transportation for both FTL and LTL. The extension of the Contern facility will enhance providing industry leading services with increased capacity for our customers.“
The platform in Contern is part of Kuehne + Nagel’s KN PharmaChain. KN PharmaChain is a multi-modal logistics solution for temperature-controlled door-to-door transportation, which allows accurate traceability of the deliveries, and intensive, proactive risk management.
The facility offers a complete coverage to all European destinations with competitive lead times and an industry leading GDP certified infrastructure. The new platform increases the capacity for loading and unloading pharmaceutical products under temperature controlled warehousing conditions and in a completely closed environment. The GDP certified cross-dock is divided into a zone of 2°-8°C and one of 15-25°C with 4.000 square metres dedicated for the pharma sector.
Furthermore the platform has several features that guarantee the best environment for the handling of pharmaceutical products.
Ryder System Inc. jumped into the fast-growing market for last mile deliveries of heavy goods by acquiring The MXD Group Inc., an omnichannel fulfillment provider with a strong last-mile delivery presence, for $120 million.
New Albany, Ohio-based MXD, which is a non-asset-based provider and relies on a network of contractors to provide delivery services, will be absorbed into Miami-based Ryder’s operations. MXD has 109 e-commerce fulfillment facilities across the U.S. and Canada, including 21 company-operated cross dock hubs, 16 dedicated operations, and 72 third-party agent facilities. Ryder, which had only 12 fulfillment facilities in the U.S. and Canada, will now cover 95 percent of the two countries’ geographies within two days, it said.
The MXD acquisition makes Ryder the second-largest provider of last-mile deliveries of heavy goods behind Greenwich, Conn.-based XPO Logistics Inc. The market hit $8.1 billion in 2017, a 9.6 percent increase over 2016, according to SJ Consulting, a consulting firm. Demand is expected to steadily increase as more retailers throw open their entire inventories to online ordering and customers feel more comfortable ordering big, bulky items via the Internet.
Most last-mile deliveries are generated by online orders and are composed of small parcels. By contrast, the heavy goods segment often requires more than one delivery person, entry inside the home, office or business, and installation of the product.
Kuehne + Nagel strengthens its position in the European market for pharma solutions
Logistics solutions for the pharma and healthcare industry are among the most important growth drivers for Kuehne + Nagel’s European overland business. With the extension of the European overland cross dock platform in Contern and the integration of telematics data of key providers Kuehne + Nagel strengthens its position in the European market for pharma solutions.
Uwe Hött, Senior Vice President Overland Europe at Kuehne + Nagel, said, “Industry specific services for customers from the pharma & healthcare industry mark a key factor of Kuehne + Nagel’s success story in overland business. The investment into our Luxembourg pharma platform and the integration of telematics data of qualified key transport partners contribute significantly towards our overall strategy for the pharma industry with a special focus on temperature controlled transportation for both FTL and LTL. The extension of the Contern facility will enhance providing industry leading services with increased capacity for our customers.“
The platform in Contern is part of Kuehne + Nagel’s KN PharmaChain. KN PharmaChain is a multi-modal logistics solution for temperature-controlled door-to-door transportation, which allows accurate traceability of the deliveries, and intensive, proactive risk management.
The facility offers a complete coverage to all European destinations with competitive lead times and an industry leading GDP certified infrastructure. The new platform increases the capacity for loading and unloading pharmaceutical products under temperature controlled warehousing conditions and in a completely closed environment. The GDP certified cross-dock is divided into a zone of 2°-8°C and one of 15-25°C with 4.000 square metres dedicated for the pharma sector.
Furthermore the platform has several features that guarantee the best environment for the handling of pharmaceutical products.
DHL has announced that it is running a pilot using its ‘cubicycle’ cargo bike to make inner city deliveries in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The cubicycle is a customized four-wheel bike that can carry containers with a load of 125 kilograms.
Geoff Walsh, Country Manager, DHL in the UAE, said, “DHL Express has already replaced up to 60% of inner-city vehicles with cubicycles in some European countries and we are proud to launch and carry forward the same initiative and program in the UAE.
“We are confident that this new and advanced method of delivery will not only help reduce emissions and improve carbon efficiency, but also increase productivity and efficiency as cubicycles provide a faster way of delivery, especially within the more congested inner roads in the city.”
Air Arabia said its shareholders have approved the distribution of 10 percent cash dividend for the financial year ending December 2017 at the company’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Sharjah.
The dividend, which is equivalent to ten fils per share, mirrors another year of sound financial performance for the award-winning low-cost carrier, the airliner said in a statement.
The firm recorded a 30 percent increase in net profit in 2017 to Dh662 million.
Air Arabia added 21 new routes to its global network in 2017 from its five operating hubs in the UAE, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan. The carrier took delivery of four new aircraft and ended the year with a fleet of 50 Airbus A320 aircraft operating to 145 routes across the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe.
Airspace capacity at Dubai International Airport has increased by 25 percent and doubled at Al Maktoum International Airport following a restructuring project.
Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Dubai Air Navigation Services, said that 2017 has been an ‘exceptional and ground breaking year’.
He highlighted that the establishment of the Contingency Approach Control Room (CACR), which oversees and ensures the seamless continuity of air traffic flow during emergencies, as well the launch of the Dubai Academy for Air Traffic Management and the airspace restructuring project, with investment totaling Dh60 million.
As well as expanding capacity, Sheikh Ahmed said the airspace-restructuring project would terminate previous delays caused by airlines having to wait for air traffic control clearance before landing due to congested skies in the past.
Figures showed that in 2015 airline delays caused losses of Dh9 billion at airports in the Middle East.
Sheikh Ahmed added that in addition to the operational benefits it has yielded, its implementation has also enabled carriers flying from Dubai International Airport to save a total of Dh53 million from their annual budgets.
He indicated in a statement that the successful implementation of these projects are only initial steps that lead to the launch of a series of ‘larger than life’ projects in the near future to transform Dubai into a top global airport hub.
The statement added that air traffic controllers at Dubai Air Navigation Services have managed more than 500,000 air traffic movements in Dubai’s airspace throughout 2017, which included both civilian and military aircrafts.
This is forecast to rise to over 600,000 air traffic movements in Dubai’s airspace by 2020.
International passenger figures at Dubai International Airport and Al Maktoum International airport are set to increase to 124 million passengers by 2023.
Qatar Airways Cargo and Kuehne + Nagel both received their continuing certification at the World Cargo Symposium recently in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Cargo iQ, whose Member Audit and Certification Scheme is administered by independent auditors SGS, has also announced Menzies as its newest member.
“The response of our members and the industry to our new external audit has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Ariaen Zimmerman, Executive Director, Cargo iQ.
“In an industry which can fall into a cycle of being inward-facing, the value of external validation on our processes and procedures is clear.
“Each and every one of our members has the opportunity to improve their operations through this.”
Cargo iQ members undertake a two-day on-site visit during which they are audited to demonstrate, through certification, that their processes and services are compliant with quality standards for the worldwide air cargo industry, as created and implemented by the Cargo iQ membership.
“Continuous process optimization is a crucial part of our air freight business strategy,” said Max Sauberschwarz, Global Head Carrier and Gateway Air Logistics, Kuehne + Nagel.
Kuehne + Nagel received two certifications, one for its forwarding services, and for its internal IT system platform for Cargo iQ, the Cargo iQ Data Management Platform (CDMP).
Guillaume Halleux, Qatar Airways’ Acting Chief Officer Cargo, said, “Air cargo is such an interconnected industry that no success is possible without a consistent and coherent collaboration by all parties in the logistics chain”.
“We have recently launched our new cargo strategy across our network and joining Cargo iQ is an integral part of our drive for excellence and a standardized approach to our customers’ expectations.” said Robert Fordree, Vice President – Cargo Development, Menzies Aviation Plc.
The group has also launched an Air Cargo Intelligence Hub that gives members real-time access to their performance data, enabling them to develop new products and improve processes.
Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, was presented with its Cargo iQ certification today at the World Cargo Symposium in Dallas, Texas, USA.
SGS, Cargo iQ’s nominated external audit company, audited Emirates SkyCargo’s internal processes including the measures taken by the carrier to minimize or eliminate shipment errors and provide customers with more visibility on the status of their shipments.
Emirates SkyCargo became a member of Cargo iQ in 2016 to further reinforce its service standards including its ‘Delivered as Promised’ commitment. In less than two years, Emirates SkyCargo has integrated Cargo iQ shipment cycle management standards as the basis for its live shipment planning and tracking of cargo.
“With every Cargo iQ member that becomes accredited, we are another step towards a supply chain that is transparent and in control of its shipments,” said Ariaen Zimmerman, Executive Director, Cargo iQ.
“The way Emirates SkyCargo has integrated the Cargo iQ Master Operating Plan with their internal procedures is a clear example of how implementing our standards offers so much more than a mere monthly report, and can actually lead to better process and shipment control.”
Emirates SkyCargo has invested in setting up and operating a dedicated Cargo Operations Control Centre (COCC), which monitors the status of shipments in real time.
The COCC uses live shipment data and Cargo iQ metrics to track the progress of the shipment’s journey against its routemap and the delivery commitment created at the time of booking.
Alerts are automatically generated when there is a deviation in milestones along the routemap, allowing the COCC to intervene proactively and in real time, and take corrective measures at any point from origin to destination.
The COCC is operational 24/7, continuously monitoring shipments across Emirates SkyCargo’s global network of over 155 destinations.
Etihad Aviation Group has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation focusing on enhancing community and humanitarian cooperation between the two entities, promoting charity efforts and knowledge sharing.
The MoU was signed at Etihad Aviation Group’s Innovation Center by Khaled Al Mehairbi, Senior Vice President Abu Dhabi Airport, and General Manager of Etihad Airport Ground Services, and Chairman of Etihad Airways’ Sports and Social Committee and CSR strategy. Dr. Mahmoud Taleb Al Ali, Executive Manager, signed on behalf of the the H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation.
Under the MoU, Etihad Aviation Group will provide logistics and transportation support to the foundation as it carries out its humanitarian projects across the globe.
The H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation will support Etihad Aviation Group’s CSR projects locally and internationally, working with the airline to identify and deliver aid to critical areas in need of humanitarian support.
Al Mehairbi said, “We take great pride in partnering with the H.H. Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian and Scientific Foundation. Etihad Aviation Group is actively involved in a number of charitable and humanitarian initiatives around the world, and this partnership will provide us with an opportunity to extend our global reach and deliver aid to a greater number of individuals around the world.
“The United Arab Emirates is long recognized for its charitable activities. Inspired by the wisdom and guidance of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the United Arab Emirates, we actively support vulnerable communities across the world and seek to alleviate their difficult circumstances.”
Dr. Mahmoud Talib Al Ali, Executive Director of H.H Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Al Nahyan Humanitarian & Scientific Foundation, hailed Etihad Airways’ for playing a vital role in supporting communities around the world. He also expressed his pleasure to foster their cooperation with Etihad Aviation Group, a key UAE player in promoting communities for better life.
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