With the launch of automated mail management system, Qatar Airways Cargo has been recognized as the first in the industry to introduce this major enhancement to its business. Introducing at more than 50 stations across its global network, the carrier has also signed an agreement with leading logistics solutions-provider Descartes, and integrated its Descartes vMail™ solution with its in-house cargo management information system, cargo reservations, operations, accounting and management information systems (CROAMIS) for electronic data interchange messaging.
Guillaume Halleux, chief officer cargo, Qatar Airways said, “The roll out of the automated mail management system across several destinations in our network will immensely benefit our customers and the flourishing e-commerce business. Our dedicated teams have been working hard for months to ensure the seamless integration and interface between the two data-heavy systems, Descartes vMail™ and our in-house CROAMIS system. This is certainly a game-changer in the industry as we move forward with our automation and digitalization initiatives that not only enhance the customer experience, but also demonstrate our contribution to the environment by implementing 100 percent paperless operations.”
The Descartes vMail™ team provides support to each of the cargo carrier’s stations on demand 24 hours a day. This seamless integration enables the complete automation of the airmail logistics chain from origin, through to the hub and onto the final destination, making manual entries a thing of the past. With more than 100 tonnes of international airmail transiting daily through the carrier’s dedicated Airmail Unit at Hamad International Airport in Doha, this major enhancement to its QR Mail product has greatly increased efficiency and provides unrivalled quality, end-to-end transparency, accuracy and accelerates the physical flow of airmail, while keeping the entire process paperless. Other benefits include easy billing, robust revenue accounting and real-time track and trace of mail consignments. In the coming months, the airline will be rolling out the automated mail management system to more stations in its global network.
Vice President of Network Integration Strategy at Descartes Jos Nuijten stated, “We are excited that Descartes vMail™ is helping Qatar Airways Cargo to fully automate mail management. As international e-commerce growth continues to increase demand for air mail transportation, our technology improves operational productivity and provides greater visibility essential to transforming the customer experience.”
Business Innovation Department in Dubai Customs organized a workshop for the employees on the blockchain technology in customs field. Renowned American blockchain expert Chris Benet, an influencer in blockchain and founder of Aenea Company, the leading company in empowering growth with blockchain, took part in the 4-day workshop, which saw the participation of 68 male and female employees from different departments in Dubai Customs.
The workshop is part of Dubai Customs efforts to capitalize on the blockchain technology and support the Dubai Blockchain Strategy which will help Dubai achieve the vision of H.H. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai by making Dubai the first city fully powered by Blockchain by 2020 and making Dubai the happiest city on earth.
Hussam Mohammed, Director of Business Innovation Department inaugurated the workshop. Chris Benet introduced the main applications and functions of blockchain technology and best means to invest this technology in customs and supply chain work. Benet enriched his lecture with examples of real scenarios and case studies.
A number of work teams were formed in the workshop, and each team worked together to develop a blockchain scenario in customs field.
Hussam Mohammed said:” Dubai has positioned itself as a global city, attracting foreign trade and tourism and earning its place as an international business center. Dubai government’s blockchain strategy calls for the shift of all applicable transactions to blockchain by 2020”.
He added, “Blockchain is like a new operating system for trust. It creates a single, shared version of the truth that no single entity owns or controls. This leads to increased trust and integrity in the flow of information among participants”.
Sir Richard Branson has resigned as chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, the company has confirmed in a statement.
The statement said Branson was stepping down due to the increased commitment of time the position now requires.
“For the first time in more than 20 years, I took on a Chairman’s role last year to help Virgin Hyperloop One through a transitional period,” Branson said in a statement. “We have since secured key agreements in India, Spain and are working with a number of US States to further develop this exciting technology.”
“At this stage in the company’s evolution, I feel it needs a more hands-on Chair, who can focus on the business and these opportunities,” he added. “It will be difficult for me to fulfill that commitment as I already devote significant time to my philanthropic ventures and the many business within the Virgin Group.”
DP World, the largest investor in the Virgin Hyperloop One concept, with plans to operate the CargoSpeed freight arm of the venture, said in its own statement that it would remain a key stakeholder.
“We aim to add value to nations for the long term, delivering innovative and sustainable solutions for the benefit of all,” said Sultan Ahmed Bin Sualyem, group chairman and CEO of DP World.
“DP World is the largest shareholder in Virgin Hyperloop One because we see the need for a hyperloop-enabled cargo network under the CargoSpeed brand, launched earlier this year, to support rapid, on-demand deliveries globally,” added Bin Sualyem, who is also a board member of Virgin Hyperloop One.
“This technology serves our vision to enable smarter trade globally,” he said.
CEVA Logistics has appointed Guillaume Sauzedde as Managing Director of its Central & Eastern Europe cluster. He will be based in Warsaw, Poland and takes up his position on 5 November 2018, reporting directly to CEO, Xavier Urbain.
Sauzedde brings more than 20 years’ experience across the logistics industry to his new role – fifteen of which have been spent in Eastern Europe. Prior to joining CEVA Logistics, he was Managing Director for Kuehne & Nagel in Poland where he had full responsibility across all business lines including Air Freight, Ocean Freight, Ground and Contract Logistics.
He succeeds Piotr Zborowski who is leaving CEVA to pursue other career opportunities.
Speaking about Sauzedde’s arrival, Xavier Urbain says, “Guillaume brings a full range of logistics skills to his new role and his strong knowledge of Eastern European markets will be a key driver for the future development of this cluster. We warmly welcome him to our team. At the same time I would like to thank Piotr for his work during his time at CEVA Logistics. He hands over a solid organization ready for future growth and we wish him well in his future endeavours”.
Suzy Wardle has been appointed Head of Digital and Distribution at Virgin Atlantic Cargo.
In this new role, Suzy will be responsible for delivering the airline’s far-reaching digitisation program, which will allow customers to interact in new and innovative ways, enable greater partnership integration and drive simplification throughout the business. Suzy joined the team on 24 September and is based at Virgin Atlantic’s VHQ near London Gatwick Airport.
Suzy has held a number of digital roles at Virgin Atlantic over the last 5 years, most recently as Chief Product Owner across all passenger-facing digital channels. This included responsibility for revenue, customer satisfaction, continuous improvement and largescale digital transformation projects, including the integration of a new passenger service system. With over 15 years of experience in marketing and e-commerce, she previously held senior roles with companies in the travel and luxury hotel marketing sectors.
Dominic Kennedy, Managing Director of Virgin Atlantic Cargo, said, “Suzy is joining us at a very exciting time for our growing cargo business. As we continue to give our customers more choice than ever before, our priorities are focused on being easier to do business with, embracing digitization using new technologies, and leveraging our partnerships to drive benefits for our customers.
“As we modernize, there is a clear linkage between simplicity and digitization and our goal of enabling customers to interact with us in a different way, such as through the development of a self-service platform. Ultimately, we want our customers to have the option of being able to do everything they do today through telephone and email via a digital platform, so we are delighted to welcome Suzy to our cargo team to lead us into this exciting new era.”
Leading capacity solutions provider Dupré Logistics announced the appointment of Amy Armstrong as Director of Business Development in the company’s Dedicated business group sales team. As part of the company’s five-year accelerated business growth and expansion plan, Armstrong will work out of the Greater Houston area.
“Amy is a thought leader in the industry. Her experience developing customer-driven solutions will provide strategic benefits to our customers,” said Mike Matte, Dupré Logistics Senior Director of Business Development, Sales and Marketing.
Armstrong has more than 14 years of professional experience in developing customer solutions at companies that include Trimac Transportation, Total Petrochemicals and Chevron Phillips.
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“The collaborative culture at Dupré attracted me to the company. I’m excited to be joining a family-owned industry leader at the forefront of leading the industry in safety and technology,” said Armstrong. “I thrive on change and finding solutions for customers. I look forward to being a part of Dupré’s growth and serving customers in the Dedicated space.”
British all-cargo airline, CargoLogicAir (CLA), has confirmed new appointments to its executive and management teams to supports its growth strategy, as it prepares to take delivery of its next Boeing 747 freighter.
Frank De Jong joins CargoLogicAir as Chief Operations Officer. With a background as part of the Air France/KLM Cargo platform, Frank previously held a number of executive roles with Martinair. Prior to taking up this new post, he was Director Product Development at CargoLogicManagement, a British management consulting company serving the international cargo airlines of Volga-Dnepr Group and its strategic partners. At CLA, Frank assumes responsibility for Flight, Ground and Technical operations, reporting to David Kerr, Chief Executive Officer, with a mandate to take the airline’s operational and service delivery performance to the next level. Frank succeeds Sten Rossby, who takes up another executive role in the industry.
David Kerr has also confirmed three other senior appointments to the CLA team:
The appointments come as CLA prepares for the next stage of its fleet expansion. Subject to regulatory approvals, CargoLogicAir will take delivery of its fourth Boeing 747-400ERF production freighter in October 2018.
David Kerr commented, “These key appointments and our next aircraft delivery will keep us on track with our five- year plan and allow us to expand our capabilities in support of the UK’s key exporting and importing industries. They will also enhance our ability to play a lead role alongside our network of international cargo airline partners in serving the requirements of key global customers and strategic industry partners.”
Kuehne + Nagel recently announced a multi-year contract extension with Terex Corporation, one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of lifting and material processing equipment. The relationship between Kuehne + Nagel and Terex started in 2013 and allows Terex to improve transport management control and visibility by leveraging the KN ControlTower capabilities.
The new agreement enlarges this relationship by including all Terex Corporation Business segments, expanding geographical scope to Europe and Asia and embedding the complete supply chain from raw material to end customers. Kuehne + Nagel serves as a single point of contact for Terex.
“This relationship emphasizes the pivotal role our end-to-end logistics solution has in supporting the needs of Terex Corporation’s global business and their customers. Additional digital solutions will allow Terex to include predictive analytics and digital supply chain modeling to create a faster and more predictable supply chain”, said Gianfranco Sgro, member of the Managing Board of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, responsible for Contract Logistics.
KN ControlTower is a Kuehne + Nagel Integrated Logistics product that provides managed services tailored to meet customer needs, simplifying supply chain complexity through integrated end-to-end solutions. It combines the company’s industry expertise, logistics resources and innovative technology to provide essential network coordination that delivers enhanced visibility of the flow of goods, data and payments. This enables customers to optimise logistics operating costs, lead times and inventory levels.
FedEx has announced its general rate increases for 2019, bumping up its ground, express and home delivery services by an average of 4.9% as of Jan. 7, while also adding some holiday season surcharges and increasing others next year. Rival UPS has yet to announce its 2019 rates.
Between Nov. 19 and Dec. 24, FedEx is adding a $3.20 additional handling surcharge on U.S. express and ground services and international ground services. It is also adding a $150 unauthorized package charge during the same period for US and international ground, and a $27.50 oversized charge on US and international ground and US express services.
FedEx Freight, the company’s less-than-truckload (LTL) division, is increasing its rates an average of 5.9% as of Jan. 7. UPS has advised customers to make other plans for LTL shipments as of last week in the event of a potential Teamsters strike.
The company said FedEx SmartPost, its last-mile service handled by the US Postal Service, will be increasing in 2019 as well, although a figure was not given.
These increases are in addition to an increase in FedEx’s additional handling surcharge on packages weighing more than 70 lbs. from $12 to $20 as of Sept. 3, for US and international ground and express services, and increases in its fuel surcharges as of Sept. 10. More FedEx surcharge increases as of Jan. 7, including for same-day service, are detailed here.
A UAE-based startup LoadMe, a Digital Transport Broker attached to the first Online Transport Marketplace in the Middle East, has raised $1 million in pre-series A round from Angel investors including three family office establishments from Saudi Abdullah Alshawaf, and two undisclosed Emirati investors.
On-demand truck transportation startup is looking to close the total round of $5 million before the year-end and is targeting a pre-money valuation of $20 million for the present Series A Round.
Founded in 2014, LoadMe is the operator of an online, B2B, cloud-based portal that matches the available trucking space and loads to be carried in real time in the Middle East. The system is based on the Internet, combined with GPS tracking and Smartphone apps.
A-round proceeds will be used to add sea cargo, air cargo, and warehousing services to the marketplace platform. At the same time, LoadMe will be looking to expand its footprint to new markets. No external help has been mandated but Load-Me would welcome approaches from experienced financial advisors.
LoadMe aims to continue its expansion by implementing its software with partner logistics brokers all around the world. It is also looking to gain more customers in GCC, mainly corporates with large volumes of cargo.
Sebastian Stefan, the co-founder and CEO, and the other two co-founders Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar hold the majority stake, while the UAE VC Prime Venture Partners, port operator DP World and three other institutional investors along with five angel investors own the balance.
The company prefers strategic investors with a portfolio or relevant experience in the logistics sector, but would also welcome financial investors. LoadMe is monitored by industry players and has buyout approaches by strategic, but the focus remains on growth, generating value for a potential future acquisition scenario.
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