Outsourced Logistics

ChemLogix Global LLC Created to Provide International Logistics Services to Small and Mid-Sized ShippersChemLogix Global LLC Created to Provide International Logistics Services to Small and Mid-Sized ShippersChemLogix LLC has established ChemLogix Global LLC, a new subsidiary dedicated to providing international supply chain and logistics services world-wide using the latest web based technology and leading partnerships. ChemLogix Global offers small and mid-sized shippers the opportunity to optimize their international logistics operations, expand into new markets, and ensure compliance with the many new regulations for security, international trade and financial processes. As a licensed NVOCC and freight forwarder, ChemLogix Global is able to leverage ocean freight volumes and provide competitive rates with reliable international logistics services for small and mid-sized chemical shippers. William Spiro ChemLogix Global’s Vice President of International Operations states that “Our technology simplifies the process of complying with government export regulations and provides strategic reports enabling our clients to better manage landed costs and improve profitability.” ChemLogix Global also provides consulting services, determining the best routes and carrier lanes for shipments and the economics of sourcing from various countries.  In addition, the company has the expertise to process the proper documentation to ensure compliance with international shipment regulations to various destinations.  “Using our services, chemical shippers can eliminate administrative tasks associated with paperwork and be assured of full compliance associated with specific ports of call,” notes Spiro.  Supporting international freight services with web-based technology, the company provides clients complete online visibility into freight status throughout the entire supply chain cycle.  On-demand transportation management gives customers online access to cargo shipment status, freight detail and business patterns to better control supply chain operations and costs.   For more information about ChemLogix Global’s international logistics solutions, refer to the company web site at http://www.chemlogix.com/solutions/international/page.aspx or contact Bill Spiro at bspiro@chemlogix.com. 

Software update will help drive force efficiencies and introduce new vehicle tracking functionality

Milton Keynes, UK – 10th March, - APD Communications announced today that Hampshire Constabulary is trialling its new Co-Ordinator 7 fleet location management system in the force’s Netley control room near Southampton. The deployment will enable control room operators to better support the 3,800 police officers and 500 special constables responsible for the safety of 750,000 households in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The deployment at the heart of the Hampshire control room will allow operators to assign the most appropriate resource to an incident to improve efficiency and reduce officer response times. The system will ensure optimum use of police resources, preventing over deployment of vehicles and officers at incident which in turn will lead to an increase in visibility of officers in the community.

Co-Ordinator 7 will also provide the Hampshire Constabulary management team with comprehensive reporting such as details of where officers have been, vehicle speed, direction of travel and blue light usage. Control room staff can access a range of information from officers on the move via 800 INCA in-vehicle data communications units deployed within the force’s vehicle fleet.

Hampshire Constabulary currently relies on APD’s Co-Ordinator 6 to manage its officers. Once fully deployed, the new version will provide control room staff with a superior map client that allows multiple maps to be loaded simultaneously helping staff to respond more quickly to incidents. Geo-fences may be used in-vehicle to ensure that officers stay within approved geographical areas, allowing short term targeted monitoring. Vehicle journeys can also be replayed at any time to assist with post-incident analysis.

“Hampshire Constabulary has been a long term customer of APD. The constabulary required a futureproof technology that could allow the force to expand and support multi-site operations as required. This flexibility combined with our market knowledge and technical expertise ensures that the Constabulary has a control room solution that provides its offers with the best support possible in the most efficient way,” said Steve Denison, Managing Director of APD Communications.

Norfolk, Virginia – March 3, 2009 - CMA CGM (America) LLC announced today that Denise Steele has joined the company as an Account Executive for the South Atlantic region. Denise has six years of combined experience in inside and outside sales. Prior to working for CMA CGM (America) LLC, Denise worked for APL, Ltd. for six years.

She is based out of CMA CGM’s Atlanta, Georgia office, and will be working with reefer accounts as well as import Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCO). Denise reports to Carmen Murphy, Director of Sales, South Atlantic.

About CMA CGM (America) LLC

Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, CMA CGM (America) LLC is the U.S. agent of France-based container shipping giant CMA CGM. The company provides 23 services in and out of North America, and offers a global network to over 150 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.cma-cgm.com/usa.

About CMA CGM

Led by its founder Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM is currently the world’s third largest container shipping Group and is ranked number one in France. Operating a fleet of 400 vessels, including 100 company-owned, the Group serves over 400 ports around the world. In 2008, it carried more than nine million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). With a presence on all continents and in 150 countries through its network of 650 agencies, the Group employs 17,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.cma-cgm.com.

For more information, please contact:

Veronica Gerken

Manager, Marketing and Communications

(757) 961-2117

usa.vgerken@cma-cgm.com

M+R Forwarding Implement’s Trade Tech’s 10+2 SolutionHong Kong – March 5, 2009 – M+R Forwarding, a leading worldwide logistics provider based in Hong Kong, announced today that it has implemented Trade Tech’s new full-service Importer Security Filing(ISF) solution designed to meet the data reporting regulations enacted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 10+2 Rule for its customers throughout Asia, effective immediately.Using Trade Tech’s workflow management tools, M+R Forwarding is combining its in-depth knowledge of the Asia-USA trade with Trade Tech’s latest technology to maximize supply chain efficiency and fulfill the ISF filing requirements.By collaborating with Trade Tech, M+R Forwarding has full access to all ISF input at origin. Furthermore, M+R has built-in its Asia export shipment workflow to collect the required data from both the shipper and importer, ensuring the ISF filing can be completed 48 hours before the ship’s departure. This allows M+R to stay in control of the entire ISF filing process and provide a comprehensive solution to its customers.

Trade Tech clients have access to applications and data anywhere in the world, and receive the latest versions of the applications every time they log on to the Trade Tech network – there are no software downloads required.Trade Tech has been providing a full-service solution for AMS to its NVOCC customers since the inception of the 24 Hour Rule. Trade Tech currently services over 350 NVOCC customers through its overseas customer service and data input centers.For more information, please contact Chad Sprecher at: chad.sprecher.sha@cn.mrspedag.com

CHERRY HILL, NJ, March 5, 2009 – Charles “Shorty” Whittington, Chairman of the American Trucking Association, Michael Sansolo, retail food industry consultant, and Dan North, chief economist with Euler Hermes ACI are among the slate of speakers at the AmeriQuest Transportation Industry Symposium April 16-18 at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, The event gathers top-ranking private fleet, truckload carrier, and rental and leasing executives for intensive discussions aimed at positively impacting each company’s performance now and in the future.

Other speakers to present during the three-day conference are Richard A. Epstein, a law professor with the University of Chicago, and Michael Gallis, America’s leading expert in large-scale metropolitan regional development strategies.

ATA’s Whittington talk is entitled “What’s Ahead for the Transportation Industry” and will give Symposium participants a complete look at the trends, challenges, and opportunities facing leaders in the industry at present and in the years ahead. Sansolo, former Senior Vice President of the Food Marketing Institute, will speak on “Going Green: Where Sustainable and Profitable Meet.” The talk gives a look at how retailers around the world view issues impacting environmental readiness, with the goal of educating listeners on how the alignment between better business practices and environmental measures can be critical to future success.

North, whose macroeconomic analyses have been featured on ABC, CNBC, and FOX Business Network, will speak on the “State of the Economy,” giving valuable insight into the condition of the current economy and what it means for businesses in 2009 and beyond. “The Employee No Choice Act” is the presentation by Epstein, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law at the University of Chicago. He will address the profound changes the Obama administration’s overhaul of employee law as it relates to unions may bring to employers, including matters such as card check, compulsory arbitration of first labor contracts, comparable worth, and statutes of limitations.

“Our Future Economy, Transportation, and Environment in the Global Network” is the title of Gallis’s presentation, which will focus on four main categories of change, including the integration of the global network, a new global economic geography, the new economy, and the environment. He will provide insight into the status of the U.S. infrastructure that will help Symposium participants prepare for the future.

In addition to the slate of speakers, the AmeriQuest Transportation Industry Symposium will feature three panels addressing the topics of the state of the industry, the capital and credit markets, and supply management.

A detailed agenda is available at www.ameriquestcorp.com/symposium.

To register to attend the event or for more information, go to www.ameriquestcorp.com/symposium or contact Kate Barnes at 856-382-4701 or e-mail kbarnes@ameriquestcorp.com.

About AmeriQuest Transportation Services

AmeriQuest is a leading provider of comprehensive fleet management services. By leveraging the strength of over 700,000 vehicles, AmeriQuest delivers savings, expertise, and opportunities to its private fleet and truckload carrier members. AmeriQuest provides supply management services, asset management services, material handling services, financing, technology products, and outsourced transportation management services such as full service leasing, integrated logistics, and contract maintenance. More information can be found at ameriquestcorp.com.

BELLEVUE, Washington – Trade Tech, a major supplier of web-based supply chain and transportation applications and service solutions, announced today that it has created a full-service Importer Security Filing (ISF) solution designed specifically for Customs House Brokers to solve all challenges associated with the new time-sensitive data reporting regulations enacted by U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s 10+2 Rule. “The key issue for ISF this year will be on-boarding the more than 300,000 importers in the United States and the more than one million corresponding exporters that work with them around the world,” said Bryn Heimbeck, Trade Tech’s CEO. “It’s an issue of time. There are only eleven months until mandatory compliance is the law and at that rate, more than one thousand importers per day need to become ISF compliant.” Through Trade Tech’s workflow management tools, brokers have full access to all ISF input and can review or add additional information to the ISF in the event that the shipper is unable to provide critical data such as the HTS number or bond number. “This keeps the broker directly involved in the process while assisting with the data input and customer service at origin,” said Heimbeck. “Since so much of the 10+2 data originates with shippers, we have created a ‘virtual back office’ to ensure there are no delays in reporting ISF data and that every container gets loaded.”  Trade Tech provides both logistics software and service, processing over 30,000 bills of lading per month for over 350 NVOCCs around the world. By leveraging its global office structure and its offshore data input centers, Trade Tech’s 10+2 solution takes advantage of both the strength and robustness of its software products and its overseas presence to ensure that exporters (the key to timely reporting of 10+2 data) can be reached when needed to ensure timely compliance with the new regulations. “What we’ve created is the only ‘full service’ ISF compliance product available on the market today,” said Heimbeck. “We are not talking about just a software package, but a vehicle for solving all 10+2 issues by communicating directly with shippers at their locations during their workday. What’s happened is the collection of commercial shipment information is moving closer to the beginning of the time line in the import process. This means the data collection window has been positioned in a very short time-critical slot – just 24 to 48 hours between container loading and the 24-hour cut-off time before vessel loading begins. There are a number of software-oriented 10+2 solutions on the market today, but the reality is that a U.S.-based broker needs to be able to leverage a neutral customer service organization that can reach out to ensure exporters’ participation in ISF, while allowing customs brokers to contribute their own domain expertise.” According to Heimbeck, the ISF regulations have created specific new challenges for Customs House Brokers:  1)      Brokers need to provide an ISF solution for their importers in order to stay competitive.2)      Brokers who are not able to do so will be at risk of losing their customers to a broker with an effective ISF solution.3)      In order to provide an ISF solution that allows for timely filing of all data elements required by 10+2, brokers must work directly with shippers, who are located on another continent and in a different time zone. Regional proximity to the shipper will be essential for brokers to remain competitive in this new environment. “To create an effective 10+2 solution for brokers, there are three major issues that have to be addressed: direct contact with the shipper, the timing of data filing requirements, and the need for a feedback loop in order to deal with any hold messages issued by U.S. Customs in response to the data filing, which are all covered by our full-service 10+2 solution,” noted Heimbeck. Direct contact with the shipper: Brokers must be able to contact the shipper directly to receive relevant 10+2 data for Customs filing, which  includes challenges such as:a)      Time Zones – the shipper is located on another continent, many time zones away from the United States.b)      Language – the shipper may not speak English.c)      Physical proximity – brokers are based in the United States while shippers are based overseas. “A delay in receiving 10+2 data from the shipper will result in the broker having to contact the shipper in their language during their workday in order to avoid costly hold orders caused by delays in filing 10+2 data in the allowable time frame,” said Heimbeck.  Timing of data filing needs: Ten data elements must be filed with U.S. Customs 24 hours before the cargo loads on board the vessel. This creates a challenge because of the time zone difference between the United States and foreign ports.  a)      Because most shipping vessels sail on the weekend, 65% of all AMS data is input between 6:00 PM Pacific Standard Time Thursday night and midnight Pacific Standard Time on Friday night.b)      All administrative corrections are made in the last two hours before the CY cut-off between 1:00 AM and 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time.c)      Brokers without a local overseas presence at the foreign port will need to be ready to work through the night on Thursdays and Fridays to bring all ISF data into their systems and file with U.S. Customs, or cause the shipment to suffer delays. “The presence of a local back office at the foreign port will greatly reduce the amount of time a U.S.-based broker has to spend ensuring all ISF data is filed in time for the 24-hour cutoff before sailing,” said Heimbeck, “while still allowing them the capacity to review and add data, which is solely within their domain expertise.” Need for a feedback loop “The solution must be capable of addressing ‘hold messages’ that result from administrative error in real time at origin if cargo is going to move smoothly without delay,” noted Heimbeck. “A broker that can effectively catch hold messages and resolve them prior to loading will be invaluable to clients who would otherwise suffer massive financial losses should their goods be unable to ship in a timely manner.  Brokers have full access to all ISF input through Trade Tech’s workflow management tools and can review or add additional information to the ISF in the event that the shipper is unable to provide critical data.”  Heimbeck says the combination of Trade Tech’s international office structure, with nine overseas offices in Asia and Europe, and its data input and operations centers, allow customs brokers to fully leverage Trade Tech’s technology in servicing their customers’ origin-oriented needs in order to comply with 10+2.About Trade Tech:

Trade Tech is an Internet-based supply chain and transportation solutions company owned and operated by industry professionals. Trade Tech is an Application Service Provider (ASP), which licenses and delivers applications in seven key areas, including:Ø      10+2 Rule Solution ProviderØ      Cost optimization / PricingØ      Transportation ManagementØ      Supply chain / Purchase order visibility (tracking and tracing) Ø      Sales / OperationsØ      AccountingØ      AMS/ACI and security related to ocean and air transportation, including all Cargo Security Filing requirements.  Founded in 1997, Trade Tech’s applications help link shippers, importers, Customs House Brokers, consignees, NVOCCs, carriers, truckers, warehouses and forwarders, so that everyone in the community has visibility to the movement of goods throughout the supply chain. Trade Tech clients have access to applications and data anywhere in the world, and receive the latest versions of the applications every time they log on to the Trade Tech network – there are no software downloads required. 

Trade Tech has been providing a full-service solution for AMS to its NVOCC customers since the inception of the 24 Hour Rule. Trade Tech currently services over 350 NVOCC customers through its overseas customer service and data input centers.

 Media Contact: Melissa Bradley/ bradleycomm@frontiernet.net/ 928-854-1721

Norfolk, Virginia – February 27, 2009 - CMA CGM (America) LLC announced today that Timothy Ring has been named Director, Inbound Trade and Government Cargo. In his new role, Tim will be responsible for the growth and development of inbound cargo volumes for the company’s transatlantic, Oceania, and Indian Subcontinent services. He will also continue to oversee all U.S. government shipments.

Tim joined the Washington, D.C. office of CMA CGM in November 2005. Since then, he has successfully developed and managed the company’s PL-480 / Title II program for the carriage of food aid worldwide. Tim serves as the liaison between the company and numerous governmental agencies, such as the United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agriculture Service, United States Agency for International Development and various other non-governmental organizations and private voluntary organizations. Tim has worked with CMA CGM offices worldwide to expand the company’s involvement with the U.S. government’s Food Aid program.

Tim received his Bachelor’s degree in political science and American government from The Catholic University of America. His new role will be based in the company’s Norfolk, Virginia office, and he will report to Todd Rives, Vice President, Export Trade and Line Management.

About CMA CGM (America) LLC

Headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia, CMA CGM (America) LLC is the U.S. agent of France-based container shipping giant CMA CGM. The company provides 23 services in and out of North America, and offers a global network to over 150 countries around the world. For more information, please visit www.cma-cgm.com/usa.

About CMA CGM

Led by its founder Jacques R. Saadé, CMA CGM is currently the world’s third largest container shipping Group and is ranked number one in France. Operating a fleet of 400 vessels, including 100 company-owned, the Group serves over 400 ports around the world. In 2008, it carried more than nine million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units). With a presence on all continents and in 150 countries through its network of 650 agencies, the Group employs 17,000 people worldwide. For more information, please visit www.cma-cgm.com.

For more information, please contact:

Veronica Gerken

Manager, Marketing and Communications

(757) 961-2117

usa.vgerken@cma-cgm.com

HICKORY, NC, February 23, 2009 – Total Insight, LLC, an affiliate of Transportation Insight, LLC, expands its business services by acquiring Petra International, a professional solutions provider.

In a response to the changing market, Paul Thompson, CEO of Transportation Insight, partnered with Gary Ledford, President of Petra International, to acquire the associated proprietary consulting services and expertise of Petra International.  The acquisition resulted in the formation of Total Insight’s Professional Solutions Division headed by Gary Ledford as Vice President.

Petra International, founded in 1989, has helped over 300 executive leadership teams across numerous industries accomplish game-changing goals for excellence, productivity, and financial performance.  The acquisition by Total Insight pulls together Petra International’s resources with top management employees and experienced professionals from Total Insight and its affiliate Transportation Insight.

“In today’s evolving business environment, only the companies with exceptional human capital which produce superior products and services with high client satisfaction levels will thrive,” stated Paul Thompson, CEO.  “We are excited to add additional Professional Services Division to meet client needs for organizational development, executive coaching, lean consulting, and whole company strategy development and execution.  With the addition of these services to our existing supply chain management, technology, business intelligence, and business process optimization offerings, we are able to orchestrate many of the most ambitious and game-changing initiatives our clients need in our increasingly challenging marketplace.”

With almost 20 years in organizational consulting and management solutions, Petra (now Total Insight) complements and expands Transportation Insight’s services with comprehensive business solutions.  These solutions extend far beyond the supply chain to provide top-tier results to achieve and sustain client excellence.

Mr. Ledford discovered Transportation Insight when he was serving a company which already utilized Transportation Insight’s management services.  “I was so impressed by the value Transportation Insight created for their client company that the proposal to join the company’s services group, Total Insight, offered an irresistible opportunity to deliver excellence to the business community,” said Mr. Ledford.

About Transportation Insight

Transportation Insight improves client profitability and competitive advantage across the North American marketplace by lowering clients’ logistics costs, automating business processes with state-of-the-art transportation management system (TMS) applications, providing enterprise-wide business intelligence, and enhancing customer service.  For more information about how Transportation Insight can assist your company, please visit www.t-insight.com or call 828-485-5208.

About Total Insight

Total Insight helps clients achieve results through wholistic path™ business solutions which improve business processes, stimulate organizational and leadership development, and raise corporate execution ability to achieve and sustain excellence.  Total Insight professionals apply lean principles and industry best-practices to identify goals which optimize business flow to land those goals effectively and consistently.  For more information about how Total Insight can assist your company, please contact us at MoreInsight@totalinsight.com or call 828-485-5030.

RALEIGH, NC, February 19, 2009 — Reducing costs is vital for all companies as the global economy continues to decline. Some business leaders believe that the best approach to saving money is to make across-the-board cuts.  

However, Jim Tompkins, President and CEO of Tompkins Associates, stresses that the best response is to focus on cost reduction strategies. Tompkins outlines intelligent, aggressive ways to reduce costs in the podcast Supply Chain Cost Reduction as a Strategy, the latest installment of the supply chain globalization series.  

“‘Cut, cut, cut’ is not a strategy, and strategy must always, always, always come before action,” he says in the series’ introductory podcast. “Recession should be looked upon as an opportunity to improve business processes, and we must work smart and work hard now that the slope is steep.”  

Tompkins goes on to detail specific ways to reduce operational and capital expenditures so that survival and future growth are guaranteed.             

Upcoming podcast installments will focus on cost reduction strategies within specific areas:

● Asian sourcing

● Transportation

● Distribution operations

● Material handling systems

● Inventory  

● Technology

● Logistics outsourcing

● Energy  

Subscribe by email or via RSS feed at http://www.tompkinsinc.com/podcast to receive updates when a new episode from The Global Supply Chain Podcast series is available. You can also learn more about cost reduction strategies at http://www.tompkinsinc.com/costreduction.  

About Tompkins Associates

Tompkins Associates designs and integrates global end-to-end solutions for companies that embrace supply chain excellence. For more than 30 years, Tompkins has evolved with the marketplace to become the leading provider of global supply chain services, distribution operations consulting, technology implementation, material handling integration, and benchmarking and best practices. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, the company is known for innovative, practical solutions that improve supply chain performance and produce value-based results. For more information, visit www.tompkinsinc.com.  Subscribe to Tompkins Associates’ RSS feed for up-to-date information.  

CHERRY HILL, NJ, February 19, 2009 – AmeriQuest Transportation Services will bring together top-ranking executives representing the private fleet, truckload carrier, and rental and leasing sectors of the transportation industry at its annual Transportation Industry Symposium to be held April 16-18 at The Ritz-Carlton in Orlando, FL.

An intensive three-day conference, the AmeriQuest Transportation Industry Symposium provides industry executives with exceptional opportunities for networking with fellow leaders and hearing expert speakers lead discussions on topics that will have a major impact on guiding their companies in the future. “We’re bringing together the best minds in the industry at this crucial time to discover the best ways to nurture and capitalize on innovation,” said Douglas Clark, President and CEO of AmeriQuest.

Highlights of some of the topics that speakers and panels will discuss in an open forum are:

• The Current State and Future of Capital Markets – Focus on equity, debt, and leasing.

• Supply Management – Technology’s role in taking cost out of the chain.

• Business Sustainability: Doing More with Less – A report on a study performed by the food industry, sponsored by The Coca-Cola Company.

• Economic Update – Focus on “where we are;” “where we are heading;” and “has the medicine started to work?”

• The United States Highway Infrastructure – This report will focus on what the stimulus package will accomplish and what impact other modes of transportation will have on the truck transportation industry.

• Labor Relations: Employee Free Choice Act – Among the many issues raised as a result of this bill is the issue of whether it will lead to the partial nationalization of all unionized firms, as well as what effect the bill have, if passed, on the economy and directly on transportation businesses.

• Tactics and Strategies for Managing Business in a Recession Environment – This will include suggestions from leaders of companies who are preparing themselves for the return of a good economy.

A detailed agenda is now available at www.ameriquestcorp.com/symposium.

To register to attend the event or for more information, go to www.ameriquestcorp.com/symposium or contact Kate Barnes at 856-382-4701 or e-mail kbarnes@ameriquestcorp.com.

About AmeriQuest Transportation Services

AmeriQuest is a leading provider of comprehensive fleet management services in North America. By leveraging the strength of over 700,000 vehicles, AmeriQuest delivers savings, expertise, and opportunities to its private fleet and truckload carrier members. AmeriQuest provides supply management services, asset management services, material handling services, financing, technology products, and outsourced transportation management services such as full service leasing, integrated logistics, and contract maintenance. More information can be found at ameriquestcorp.com.

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