SkyBitz said COFC Logistics will install its Galaxy Series to provide comprehensive asset management solutions for their entire fleet of 850 intermodal containers. It said the technology will allow COFC Logistics to know the exact location and status of all its containers at any time.
Textainer Group Holdings said it acquired about 81,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) of standard dry freight containers from its managed fleet for about $98 million. The acquisition increases the percentage of Textainer's owned fleet to 66%, it said. CEO Philip Brewer said this is Textainer's second large managed container acquisition announcement in the past month, totaling more than $164 million.
The global air cargo market will expand at a 5.2 percent annual rate over the next 20 years, according to a study by Boeing, which makes cargo airplanes. The Boeing World Air Cargo Forecast 2012/2013 said growth will be driven by world gross domestic product that will nearly double over the forecast period. Trade also is expected to increase due to liberalization of markets, it said, and because more-efficient aircraft and infrastructure improvements will reduce the cost of air cargo.
Law firm Squire Sanders opened an office in Seoul, Korea, to deal with a variety of matters, including trade disputes, it said. The office is led by Joon Yong Kim, a U.S. licensed lawyer who was admitted as a foreign legal consultant by the Ministry of Justice in July.
C.H. Robinson Worldwide formed a new ChemSolutions division to provide logistics services to chemical manufacturing and distribution customers globally. It is to provide chemical bulk shipping, safety and sustainability, freight forwarding, customs brokerage, vendor and supplier compliance, global trade management, and multi-modal transportation to chemical shippers, the firm said. ChemSolutions has RC14001 certification and uses proprietary technology to ensure that contract carriers meet customer, and industry requirements, it said.
U.S. high-tech executives' confidence in the future of global trade and U.S. exports has grown significantly over the past two years, according to a UPS annual survey. It said 85 percent of U.S. high-tech executives believe the Obama administration's National Export Initiative goal to double exports by 2014 is either "very likely" or "somewhat likely" to be achieved, versus 40 percent two years ago.
August air freight volume fell 0.8% compared to the previous year, according to International Air Transport Association figures. IATA said the minor recovery seen at the start of the year has faded quickly and the stability seen in freight markets during 2012 could be under threat owing to continued economic weakness. There was growth in the Middle East (11.3%), Africa (10.2%) and North America (2.0%), but all other regions saw freight volumes decline, including a 5.5% drop for Asia-Pacific carriers, it said.
The Teamsters launched contract negotiations for 250,000 UPS employees, but said no tentative agreement will be reached with UPS until supervisor harassment is addressed and there is consensus on restrictions on the use of the U.S. Postal Service. And at UPS Freight, there will be no agreement without addressing subcontracting, they said. The UPS contract is the largest collective bargaining agreement in the country. The UPS and UPS Freight contracts are five-year agreements and expire July 31, 2013, and both sides stressed the importance of reaching a tentative agreement by March 31.
INTTRA said it has enhanced the OceanSchedules multi-carrier scheduling solution, allowing customers to access and evaluate over 7 million global vessel schedules from 31 carriers with a new option for integrating OceanSchedules within existing applications and support for additional data formats. This release of OceanSchedules includes a new delivery format that supports the requirements of SAP's Transportation Management Solution, it said, joining XML and EDI as a way for shippers and alliance partners to receive OceanSchedules information. With this release, INTTRA is delivering access to OceanSchedules through a web service that retrieves available schedules in real-time, eliminating the need to load schedules into a local database, it said.
Freight logistics company FreightCenter said it's actively recruiting staff, despite the downturned economy. It said it has nearly doubled its employee count since 2011, creating more than 40 new positions. By the end of 2012, FreightCenter anticipates adding 20 additional positions to its workforce, it said. Employment inquires can be sent to careers@freightcenter.com or call 800-716-7608.