Tag: DHL

Deutsche Post reviving US air cargo ambition

Posted by | Jul 4, 2007 | |

Deutsche Post has quietly revived a plan to invest in the US air cargo industry which was dropped four years ago in the face of regulatory opposition.

The company last month acquired a 49 per cent stake in Miami-based Astar Air Cargo, which in turn launched an unsolicited bid for Ohio-based ABX Air. Both companies derive most of their business from long-term contracts with Deutsche Post subsidiary DHL.

The proposed deal follows years of wrangling over Deutsche Post’s role in the US air cargo business, which is subject to the same constraints over foreign ownership as passenger airlines.

DHL agreed to sell its 25 per cent stake in Astar – then known as DHL Airways – to a group of US investors in 2003 after rivals such as UPS and FedEx claimed it had broken the ownership laws.

DHL’s USD 1.05 billion purchase of Airborne Express was also subjected to similar scrutiny, and the air cargo company was spun off to shareholders and renamed ABX, while the German group kept the ground-based parcel business.

Astar, which is headed by former Northwest Airlines chief executive John Dasburg, also tried to acquire ABX in 2003, and the talks were revived last December before the Miami-based group last week made an unsolicited USD 7.75 a share proposal to acquire its rival, citing “unusual volume and pricing activity” in ABX stock.

ABX was asked to respond to a proposal which valued the company at USD 454 million. Its shares climbed 12 per cent in the wake of the announcement and were trading just above USD 8, fuelling speculation of a rival offer from management.

DHL said it expected no problems in securing regulatory backing for the two deals involving its suppliers.

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Sigma shareholders need good lie down

Posted by | Jul 4, 2007 | |

Sigma, which had the worst performing share price of any of the ASX’s top 100 companies, last year, had forecast 10 to 15 per cent growth on last financial year’s USD 101 million net profit.

But in a statement yesterday Sigma wiped out the forecast growth, indicating that the coming year’s profit would remain at about USD 101 million.

It attributed the profit downgrade to diluted access to a government funding scheme and heightened competition in the generic pharmaceutical market.

Sigma managing director Elmo de Alwis said Sigma’s competitor, global freight company DHL, should not be able to access the Federal Government’s community service obligation fund, which is worth USD 12 million a month.

The CSO funds pharmacy distributors to ensure all pharmacies across the nation are adequately stocked. Mr de Alwis said he had received legal advice that DHL should not be allowed access to the scheme because it only distributed for the generic drug manufacturer Alphapharm.

If DHL was taken off the scheme it would boost the USD 4 million monthly payment Sigma received from the pool. But analysts said Mr de Alwis had been overly optimistic in including a revision to the CSO scheme in Sigma’s original profit forecast.

Increased discounting by generic drugs companies and the expiry of Sigma’s sole licence to produce some generic products would also hurt the company’s future earnings, Sigma said.

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DHL expands in Columbus, Ohio

Posted by | Jul 2, 2007 | |

DHL announced the opening of a new service center facility to meet the growing needs of customers in Columbus, Ohio and surrounding communities. DHL has invested USD 2.1 million in the state-of-the-art service center facility which serves local package pickup and delivery operations in the area.

The new, 54,000-sq.-ft. service center combines a 5,500-sq-ft facility 45 miles east of Columbus and a 20,000-sq.-ft facility near Port Columbus International Airport into one larger operation. Shipments that flow in and out of the new service center are routed directly through DHL’s principal air and ground hub in Wilmington, Ohio – one hour by road from Columbus.

The new facility was built to allow individual letters and packages to flow directly onto and off of vehicles from a conveyor belt system. This new “loose-load” operation will enable greater operational efficiencies, leading to quicker loading and unloading of freight, increased capacity on line-haul vehicles, earlier deliveries and expanded pickup cutoff times for customers in the area.

The new service center will serve package pickup and delivery operations for Columbus, Ohio and surrounding towns, including Mt. Vernon (North), Piketon (South), and Bethesda (East). The facility will handle a wide variety of shipments – including domestic and international parcels as well as palletized, loose-load and container freight.

DHL will continue to maintain its 50,000-sq.-ft service center facility located in the western part of Columbus at 2250 International Street.

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Express Couriers acquire Roadstar Transport Ltd

Posted by | Jul 2, 2007 | |

Monday July 2nd 2007, sees Roadstar Transport under the new ownership of Express Couriers Ltd. This acquisition while further cementing Express Couriers market leadership, responds to customer demand for the addition of a multi-package and palletised transport solution to their current Whole Package offering.

“Customers are demanding we offer a full range of services including their multi-package and palletised product” says Jim Quinn, CEO of Express Couriers Limited. “We are delighted to have secured the Roadstar business to achieve our growth aspirations, and meet those needs” he added.

Following on from Express Couriers transition to New Zealand Post and DHL joint ownership two years ago, this next leap forward is a signal of their commitment to the market, and their customers.

Broadening The Whole Package offer with the addition of multi-package and palletised transport solutions, compliment Express Couriers current range of services provided by Pace, CourierPost and Contract Logistics alongside the wider services of New Zealand Post and DHL.

As a signal of the desire to ensure this new ownership is a success, Grant Robertson and the management team of Roadstar have agreed to remain with the business. Both Grant and his team continue to be passionate about the business and the industry, and are delighted to be part of a new ownership that shares this passion.

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Bioscience boost from DHL

Posted by | Jul 2, 2007 | |

DHL has developed a dynamic system for the pharmaceutical industry, in partnership with Microlise and AeroScout, which enables real-time monitoring of product shipment temperatures throughout an extended supply chain using RFID sensors.

The companies joined with a leading healthcare company to develop a system that will help customers better meet the industry’s temperature compliance regulations. Full visibility of shipment location and temperature throughout the supply chain has been made possible through a web browser linked to Microlise’s Transport Management Centre (TMC) software.

TMC shows vehicle position while AeroScout active RFID tags, attached to shipments inside the load compartment, indicate temperature.

The system has been fitted in trailers from Mueller Transporte, a Vienna-based specialist in temperature-controlled transport, and is used to carry bioscience products that need to be stored at between 2 and 8 deg C. It is being tested initially between Belgium and a DHL warehouse in Sweden.

The RFID tags continuously monitor and transmit the load’s temperature to a wi-fi reader connected to the Microlise tracking unit installed in the vehicle. This unit sends temperature and vehicle location data, using a GPS device that transmits data via GPRS to a central server provided by Microlise.

During the journey, the system monitors the temperature of the shipment against customer-defined rules. If the shipment undergoes a change in temperature, an SMS or email alert message is automatically generated so appropriate action can be taken.

A benefit of the RFID tags is that the shipment/pallet location and temperature can continue to be monitored at the DC after delivery.

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