Three new resources to help U.S. apparel and footwear companies navigate social responsibility reporting requirements and other important social responsibility concerns within the global apparel and footwear industry supply chain were released by the American Apparel & Footwear Association. AAFA President Kevin Burke said "the mounting reporting requirements and disclosure mandates are proving difficult to manage.

United Parcel Service officially announced the withdrawal of its offer for TNT Express, as expected (see ITT's Online Archives 13011413). The European Commission issued its formal decision prohibiting the proposed acquisition of TNT Express, so one condition of the deal can't be fulfilled, it said. UPS and TNT Express entered a separate agreement to terminate the Merger Protocol, it said. UPS said it's disappointed with the EC’s decision, but "the company’s focus is on the continued execution of its growth strategy."

Netwin Solutions announced its GTKonnect FTZ (Foreign Trade Zone) software, which it said automates and simplifies complex zone-related data management, deadlines and reporting through reconciliation with inventory Bill of Materials (BoM), exception reporting, and integration with other software systems and partner organizations to reduce data entry. Netwin said its FTZ software provides end-to-end management of zone requirements with zone admission (or e-214 filing) to notify CBP of merchandise entering the zone via automated broker interface (ABI) link, QP/WP reporting for goods that arrive in one location and are being shipped to the zone or exported out of the zone, complete inventory management and visibility to process all zone related inventory transactions, 06 and 08 entry filing, and end-of-year reporting. Mitsubishi Motors North America has been a user of the software since December, Netwin said, using it to automate more than 250,000 zone transactions per day.

GATX Corp. had 2012 fourth quarter net income of $29.7 million, compared to$31.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Net income for the full-year 2012 was $137.3 million, vs. $110.8 million in the prior year, it said. Rail International segment profit was $10.5 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, vs. $6.7 million in 2011. American Steamship Co.'s segment profit was $8.2 million in the fourth quarter 2012 compared to $9.4 million in 2011.

International logistics firm Dachser acquired the Spanish air and sea freight forwarder Transunion S. A., subject to approval by the antitrust authorities, it said. Transunion, with a staff of 235, has nine offices in Spain and represented in Turkey, Argentina, Peru and Mexico. The acquisition is part of Dachser's Global 2.0 strategic growth program, it said.

The Mariner Group will provide its CommandBridge situation management and security system to Port Everglades, Fla., it said. "Our CommandBridge security integration platform provides overall security situation awareness to significantly enhance incident management," said Mariner CEO Steve Dryden.

ABF Global Supply Chain Services said it's now providing a single contact for full-container-load (FCL) and expedited less-than-container-load (LCL) supply chain solutions to Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and Uruguay. "South America is a natural extension of our global coverage," said Carlos Martinez-Tomatis, ABF GSCS division vice president. ABF Global already reaches nearly 90 percent of the total ocean international market to and from the U.S., he said, and "our goal is to reach 96 percent of the total import/export market, which we anticipate achieving before the end of 2013."

Livingston International bought New Orleans-based MBLX, Inc. and MBLX Resources, LLC, said CEO Peter Luit. MBLX provides full barge load and less-than-barge load services, primarily on the Mississippi. Luit said the acquisition gives Livingston additional freight forwarding expertise and a new service offering.

Zepol said U.S. vessel imports rose 1.2% in 2012, to more than 17.6 million TEUs (twenty-foot-containers) imported, about 200,000 more containers than 2011. It said "slow and steady growth seems to be the consistent pattern for the year," but import volume still has not returned to 2007 or 2008 levels.

Oracle announced new releases of its Transportation Management and Global Trade Management tools. The releases include new capabilities such as enhanced fleet management; transportation sourcing, business intelligence and planning; freight payment, billing and claims; and document and customs management. The releases will help customers boost business growth and market expansion by cutting transportation costs, increasing operational efficiency, improving customer service, decreasing supply chain lead times and mitigating supply chain/trade compliance risks, Oracle said. The latest releases combine “new capabilities such as specialized mobile applications with enhancements to the industry's most comprehensive transportation and global trade management platforms,” said Oracle Vice President-Logistics Product Strategy Derek Gittoes.