PRESS RELEASE
July 07, 2014: Shanghai Pudong Int'l Airport Cargo Terminal Co., Ltd. (PACTL) achieved tonnage growth of 12.36 percent year-on-year and handled 121,178 tonnes of freight in June. Overall, the cargo terminal saw tonnage rise up by 13.78 percent to a figure of 687,276 tonnes in the first half of 2014. These are the best results achieved for the month of June and the first six months of any year in the company's history.
PACTL's domestic cargo volumes grew by 2.25 percent year-on-year to 44,527 tonnes in the first half of 2014, while international cargo volumes rose by 14.68 percent to 642,749 tonnes. Imports increased by 13.61 percent to 274,758 tonnes, while exports grew by 13.90 percent to 412,518 tonnes in comparison with the previous year.
"In addition to the ongoing growth in domestic imports, we saw strong double-digit growth in our international business throughout the first half of 2014. The volume of international exports in particular continues to grow significantly. We are confident of setting a new record by the end of this year and reaching a figure of 1.4 million tonnes of air cargo for the very first time", says Lutz Grzegorz, Vice President of PACTL.
PACTL is a Sino-German joint venture based at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). It brings together three shareholders – Shanghai Airport (Group) Co., Ltd. (51%), Lufthansa Cargo AG (29%) and JHJ Logistics Management Co. Ltd. (20%). PACTL offers handling services to airlines and forwarders transporting domestic and international air-freight via Pudong. Founded in 1999, the company has become one of the leading cargo terminal handlers in the world and has played a key role in establishing Pudong as one of the major cargo hubs in China. Based on recent figures, PACTL employs 2,200 people and serves 47 permanent and several charter customers. PACTL handled about 1.3 million tonnes of air- freight in 2013.
PRESS RELEASE
July 02, 2014: Angela Titzrath, Member of the Management Board and Labour Director at Deutsche Post DHL, has stepped down from her mandate today for personal reasons.
Wulf von Schimmelmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Deutsche Post DHL, expressed his regret at Angela Titzrath‘s decision, and expressly thanked her for her successful leadership and further development of the HR department within the company.
Pending the appointment of a new Head of HR, Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL, will take on the corresponding responsibilities in a dual role.
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(The following is an extract from a Q&A ‘It’s all about people’ with Titzrath posted on the Deutschepost DHL website in March this year):
Q: As Board Member for Human Resources, you're responsible for some 480,000 employees. What is your approach to HR policy?
A: My approach is to stay focused on one underlying truth: it's all about people. Deutsche Post DHL has a huge, truly global workforce, but we need to stay agile and responsive. For us in HR, this means establishing a global HR management system that develops and grows in line with employee needs and, at the same time, meets the operational demands of the business areas.
Q: How do you see your role in this?
A: It's important for us in HR to bring a spirit of entrepreneurship and problem-solving to our work - to approach challenges not just as HR specialists, but as business people. If we can do this, then we can make a significant contribution to our company's success over the long term. One of the keys is to make sure we have the right people with the right qualifications in the right positions across all divisions. I see my role and that of HR as a connector. We need to build bridges and harmonize our HR operations. This was the motivation for establishing a global steering committee, which regularly brings together all areas of the business and all regions to discuss all relevant HR issues around a single table. A lot has been accomplished on the organizational side, but the most important thing is to increase the dialogue with our employees. Continuous communication and exchange is the only way to continue to improve our HR work into the future.
Q: Do you see room for improvement in the area of women in leadership roles?
A: We are committed to filling 25 to 30 percent of all management-level vacancies with women, and we are making good progress on this front. Here in Germany we have increased the percentage of women in management from 17 percent up to 19.5 percent since 2010. But for me the question is still defined too narrowly. It's not just about promoting gender equality, it's also very much about enabling the balance between family and career. And this is by no means just a women's issue. More and more young men have a stake in this issue and expect their employers to provide solutions.
Q: And what’s your response?
A: We offer our employees a range of options to help them balance the demands of family and career, including flexible working time models, relocation support and continual improvements to our childcare services. Last year in Bonn we doubled the number of childcare places available. You can be sure that we will continue to develop new ways to help our people find their own work-life balance. One thing is clear: the success of Deutsche Post DHL depends on how we respond to these challenges in the future.
PRESS RELEASE
July 03, 2014: GEFCO UK is providing Bakkavor Group, the international fresh prepared foods manufacturer, with rail and air logistics support to transport mung beans from China to the United Kingdom.
Under the terms of the agreement GEFCO will support the movement of nearly 150 tonnes of mung beans from Dalian in Eastern China to Lincolnshire in the UK, where the beans will be used in the production of a range of food products.
15 tonnes of mung beans will be transferred by air, nearly 70 tonnes will be moved by rail via Mongolia and Germany along the ‘silk route’ rail network that links China with Europe, and around 60 tonnes will be moved as sea freight from China to the UK.
GEFCO’s air, sea and rail solution, which includes in-house track and trace systems, will afford Bakkavor full visibility across all flows, and will enable them to manage transportation in line with demand.
The decision to transport a significant proportion of the shipment by rail has resulted in cost savings for Bakkavor, with the price of rail transfers approximately one quarter of those for equivalent volumes being transferred by air.
The rail, air and sea shipments have been staggered to meet the specific timing requirements of the Bakkavor production process; ensuring consistency of supply.
The rail transfer from China to the UK is the first time that GEFCO UK has provided an in-bound rail solution to the UK from China, although a common route into mainland Europe for GEFCO; demonstrating the viability of rail flows from China to the UK via the silk route rail network.
GEFCO UK and Bakkavor are in the process of discussing potential future logistics projects in territories including Peru, Chile and Mexico.
Speaking in relation to the Bakkavor agreement, Rob Brown, GEFCO’s Overseas Business Unit Head, said: “We are delighted to be working with Bakkavor. This business helps to demonstrate our global multimodal capabilities, and helps to build links between the UK business and China, a key strategic market in terms of enabling future growth. It also showcases our growing strength in sectors such as food and drink.”
Jo Wakefield, Bakkavor’s Shipping Manager, commented: “GEFCO offered a service that combined a competitive rate with a commitment to ensuring that our business needs were put at the heart of the solution provided.”
PRESS RELEASE
July 01, 2014: AirAsia today announced that it will be entering into a Shareholders Agreement with Octave Japan Infrastructure Fund I GK (Octave), Rakuten Inc. (Rakuten), Noevir Holdings Co. Ltd. (Noevir), and Alpen Co. Ltd. (Alpen) to establish AirAsia Japan.
Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia said, "We are very excited to return to Japan's skies together with Octave, Rakuten, Noevir and Alpen this time round. I am more confident than ever that AirAsia Japan, led by Odi (Odagiri Yoshinori) with the strong partnership we have with our new investors, will continue to realize our vision to revolutionize the low-cost carrier segment of Japan.
"The AirAsia Japan team is now working hard with the relevant authorities to obtain necessary operational approvals, and we hope that all will be in place to start both domestic and international flights by the summer of 2015."
Odagiri Yoshinori, Chief Executive Officer of AirAsia Japan further commented, "We are ready to take on this challenge and with great teamwork, we hope to bring AirAsia's successful low-cost business model once again to Japan. Our counterparts in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines and India have seen great and encouraging responses in their markets, and we will work towards the same for Japan. We would like to thank the investors for their belief in us and we look forward to working closely with them moving forward."
Octave was incorporated in Japan on May 2014 and its major business is to acquire, own, manage, hold, sell, and dispose of the shares of AirAsia Japan and make collections from the shares of AirAsia Japan; while Rakuten was incorporated in Japan on February 1997 and its major business includes Internet services (e-commerce, travel), financial services (bank, credit card, securities), telecommunications and professional sports.
Noevir, which was incorporated in Japan on March 2011 and its major business includes cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and health food, apparel and aviation business. Alpen was incorporated in Japan on July 1972 and its major business includes manufacturing and retail of ski equipment, other sporting goods equipment including golf, tennis, marine sports, baseball, etc. and leisure goods; management of ski resorts, golf courses and fitness clubs.
PRESS RELEASE
July 01 2014 – Emirates SkyCargo, the freight division of Emirates, is set to further strengthen trade lanes between Scandinavia and its worldwide network with the start of operations to Oslo, Norway, from the 2nd of September this year.
Oslo, the Norwegian capital and centre of the country’s shipping industry, will become Emirates SkyCargo’s third gateway in Scandinavia after daily passenger and cargo services were introduced to Copenhagen, Denmark, in August 2011 and Stockholm, Sweden, in September 2013.
The start of a daily service to Oslo, with an Emirates Boeing 777-300 ER, will provide a total of 322 tonnes of belly hold cargo capacity per week and create new trade and business opportunities between Europe’s largest oil producer and markets around Emirates SkyCargo’s worldwide network.
Emirates SkyCargo first started cargo operations to serve Scandinavia with freighter flights to Gothenburg in Sweden in 2003, when Emirates had no passenger flights to the region. With Oslo joining the network and the steady growth in operations since the start of the Copenhagen and Stockholm flights, Emirates SkyCargo now offers an extensive cargo service to and from Scandinavia.
From flying Norwegian Salmon to cities as far flung as Singapore and Japan, electronics and pharmaceuticals to the Middle East, Africa and other markets, Scandinavian products and commodities are being moved across Emirates SkyCargo’s extensive global network.
In addition to the belly-hold cargo operations, Emirates SkyCargo also currently operates six weekly freighter flights to Copenhagen, which will increase to eight when the two Gothenburg freighter flights are consolidated and shifted to Copenhagen from today.
“While Gothenburg is still an important destination, we can achieve greater efficiency by operating all the freighter flights alongside one of our key online passenger points. With eight freighter flights a week to Copenhagen, coupled with the belly-hold capacity of an all Boeing 777 operation into Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen, we will offer more than 2500 tonnes of cargo capacity, enabling new trade opportunities for importers and exporters across the region and across our worldwide network,” said Robert Siegel, Emirates Vice President Commercial Operations Cargo, Europe and the Americas.
PRESS RELEASE
July 02, 2014: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing air cargo growth accelerated in May, with 4.7% growth compared to a year ago. This is up from the 3.8% year-on-year growth recorded in April. Cargo volumes, measured by Freight Tonne Kilometers (FTKs) were up across all regions, but with significant differences in performance.
The Middle East carriers reported 9.3% year-on-year growth, whereas the corresponding growth rate for North American carriers stood at 2.4%. The acceleration of growth reflects improved economic conditions. There are indications that world trade and business confidence to be improving after weakness in the first quarter. In particular, Chinese manufacturing activity rebounded in May, with a corresponding rise in export order growth.
"After several months of wavering conditions in the demand environment, the outlook for global air cargo appears to be stabilizing. That's good news but the sector still faces an uphill battle to restore competitiveness and increase its share of trade growth. This will not be achieved with a business-as-usual mindset. The competitors to air cargo are innovating aggressively, cutting end-to-end shipping times and improving efficiency. There is tremendous potential in the e-cargo agenda to help shorten average shipping times by 48 hours from the current average of 6.5 days. Airlines have a pivotal role through expanding the use of e-Air Waybills. But success will need a united approach across the value chain," said Tony Tyler, IATA's Director General and CEO.
Regional analysis in depth
- Asia-Pacific carriers recorded a strong increase of 5.3% year-on-year. Regional trade volumes have picked-up again, and there are signs that the slowdown in the Chinese economy is easing. Capacity grew a little faster than demand, at 6.0%, but the region still has the highest freight load factor (55.5%).
- North American carriers grew by a modest 2.4% in May, down on the April year-on-year growth rate of 3.5%. This reflects the general slowdown in the US economy in the first quarter. However, the latest data supports a return to trade and business growth. Capacity was down 0.2%.
- European airlines expanded 3.4% in May. The month-on-month rise was solid at 0.6% (compared to 0.3% growth recorded in April), pointing to a consistent improvement in economic activity. If GDP accelerates in the second quarter, that should support continued growth in air freight volumes in the coming months. Capacity increased 4.0%.
- Middle East carriers continue to see the highest rate of growth, expanding 9.3% in May compared to a year ago. Stronger expansion in developed markets is combining with rising links to emerging economies to fuel growth. Capacity grew 10.6%.
- Latin American airlines recorded an increase of 4.9% year-on-year, responding to a pick up in trade growth. This may be a spike in business activity associated with the FIFA World Cup. Capacity climbed 4.5%, slightly slower than demand.
- African carriers' demand increased by 7.2% in May, considerably ahead of the average growth of 2.9% for 2014. Weaker growth in the major African economies in the first months of the year appears to be ending, which will hopefully fuel stronger performance in the months ahead. Capacity rose 7.2%, exactly in line with demand.
PRESS RELEASE
June 30,2014: UPS announced today the addition of a Full Container Load (FCL) rail solution to its China-to-Europe transportation lineup. The move is the latest in a series of expansions of UPS's worldwide forwarding services designed to offer customers more choices for shipping.
"Our customers are looking to UPS for ways to achieve their business objectives of reaching new markets and reducing costs," said Keith Andrey, UPS vice president of ocean freight and multimodal services. "We are excited to add our rail option for our customers in one of the world's largest freight lanes to complement our existing ocean and air freight and package capabilities. This gives customers access to a broader transportation portfolio to better meet their business needs."
UPS now offers the rail service from Chengdu, China, to Lodz, Poland, and from Zhengzhou, China, to Hamburg, Germany. Combining the rail movement with a truck network, UPS can provide service to customers throughout China and Europe. The new rail service is up to 50 percent faster than ocean freight and up to 70 percent less costly than air freight.*
The new rail service is well-timed to meet the needs of customers looking to balance supply chains. According to a recent Seabury survey, 71 percent of customers expect a moderate to strong shift to lower cost modes in the next 1-3 years.
The rail offering follows several enhancements in 2013 to UPS's multimodal express services, including the expansion of UPS Preferred Less-Than-Container Load (LCL) ocean freight service from Asia to Mexico and from Europe to the U.S. and Canada, and the introduction of UPS Worldwide Express Freight service to and from the UAE.
PRESS RELEASE
July 02, 2014: IAG Cargo has today announced that it is increasing the frequency of flights between its Madrid hub and Bogota, Colombia.
Two additional weekly flights will be added to schedules from 9th August, with this number increasing to three in September. These additional frequencies will be offered on top of the daily flight that already operates on this route and will be in service for ten weeks in total, providing customers with increased flexibility during the summer period.
The flights will be operated by Iberia's A340-600 that can carry up to 18 tonnes per flight.
In August, the new flights are scheduled every Saturday and Sunday departing at 16:30 from Madrid and arriving at 19:55 at Bogota. The return flights from the Colombian capital will be at 23:35 and arrive at 16:40 the following day at Madrid. In September, the additional frequencies between Madrid and Bogota will be offered on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Rodrigo Casal, Vice President LATAM at IAG Cargo, commented: "Few carriers can match the depth of the IAG Cargo network in Latin America, which connects businesses to more than 350 destinations worldwide. These additional summer frequencies will provide a welcome boost to businesses trading to and from Colombia, offering them more capacity, as well as giving them more control over the pace and volume of shipments."
The main goods carried by IAG Cargo into Bogota are general freight and textiles coming from Spain, Italy, France and Germany. From Colombia, the most important flows are perishables such as flowers and fruits heading to markets in Spain, France, the UK and Switzerland.
PRESS RELEASE- Yemen News Agency
June 26, 2014: Yemen sought on Thursday the Netherlands' support to lift the European Union's (EU) ban on air cargo shipments originating in Yemen.
During their meeting, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Hamid al-Awadhi reviewed with Dutch ambassador to Yemen Jeroen Verheul discussed Yemen's request to lift the ban on air cargo bound for the EU from Yemen.
The United States lifted its ban on air freight from Yemen in October 2013. The US Homeland Security decided to ban all air freight from Yemen following the discovery in 2011 of explosives within several packages originating from Yemen.
During their meeting, al-Awadhi and Verheul also discussed areas of cooperation between the Yemen and Netherlands in area of smuggling phone calls. They discussed the mutual cooperation between the Yemen's diplomatic institute and Dutch diplomatic institute.
For his part, the Dutch ambassador said that Yemen is an important partner for the Netherlands, reiterating his country's commitment to support the underway political process in Yemen.
PRESS RELEASE
July 02, 2014: The official China news agency Xinhua says the Free Trade Agreement between China and Switzerland enters into force. That means from now on, tariffs on Swiss imports such as watches, machinery and cheese will be cut, either immediately or within 5 to 10 years. And the same goes for Chinese exports to Switzerland.
Swiss watches are a status symbol worldwide. But China's rising middle class has shied away from their intimidating price tags. The China-Switzerland FTA signed a year ago but taking effect on Tuesday means slashed tariffs across the board.
Chinese consumers can now expect cheaper Swiss watches, machinery and chemical imports on sale in China. For example, a Swiss luxury coffee maker, Jura's GIGA 5, which costs about 4,700 US dollars now, will see its price drop to just under 3,600 dollars within five years representing a tariff drop from 32 percent to zero.
Meanwhile, Switzerland can expect cheaper textiles, agricultural products and light industrial goods from China.
At the Sino-Swiss economic forum held in Beijing, participants agreed that the comprehensive and mutually beneficial pact will contribute to increased trade between the two economies.
Switzerland is the second European country after Iceland to have signed a deal with China. Last year Switzerland exported goods worth 9.8 billion dollars to China, while the Alpine nation's imports from China totalled 12.85 billion dollars.
Credit Suisse predicts that China will overtake Germany as Switzerland's biggest export market by 2035.
PRESS RELEASE
June 26, 2014: Danone Poland, a subsidiary of Danone, one of the most successful FMCG multinational corporations in the world, extends its cooperation agreement with Kuehne + Nagel for another three and a half years.
Kuehne + Nagel in Poland has been providing contract logistics activities for the Polish dairy division of Danone since 2001, operating temperature-controlled (2°-6°) warehouses located in the Warsaw area (13,000 sqm) and in Chorzow (4,000 sqm). Furthermore, Kuehne + Nagel is supplying exclusive warehousing (storage and handling) and co-packing services, with operations running 24 hours a day and six days a week. Danone Poland's product orders are managed and controlled by modern technologies including pick-by-voice and a specified IT architecture.
Harry Klompe, General Manager of Danone Poland & the Baltics, comments: "We believe in the additional value-creation of closely cooperating with our proven partner Kuehne + Nagel."
"We look forward to extending our successful partnership with Danone Poland based on our thorough know-how in the FMCG industry. We will deliver day-to-day efficiency benefits for Danone Poland through our innovative information systems and advanced project management tools." added Tobias Jerschke, former President of Kuehne + Nagel in Poland and new Global Head of Integrated Logistics.
