Tag: International

Cologne extends night flights as airlines fight Frankfurt ban

Posted by | Feb 7, 2008 | |

Germany’s two leading cargo airports are taking diverging approaches to night flights for cargo and express airlines. Cologne/Bonn will permit night flights until 2030 but proposals to reduce flights at Frankfurt to just 17 flights a night are being opposed by airlines.

The existing permit for night operations at Cologne/Bonn will be extended from 2015 until 2030, although the airport operator will have to improve noise protection measures. There are currently about 120 take-offs and landings at night at Cologne/Bonn, mostly operated by cargo and express carriers.

Airport chief Michael Garvens welcomed the permit extension as “a fundamental contribution” to the airport’s future. It would give companies “relying on night flights” the planning security to invest over EUR 200 million within five years, and would guarantee 10,000 jobs, he said.

UPS completed a EUR 135 million expansion programme at its European air hub at Cologne in early 2006. This doubled the hub’s sorting capacity to 110,000 packages an hour. UPS operates both intercontinental and intra-European flights to and from its Cologne hub.

FedEx will transfer its Central European hub from Frankfurt to Cologne in 2010. The airport authority will spend about EUR 70 million building a new 50,000 sqm freight terminal that it will lease to FedEx, while the integrator will invest about EUR 70 million in sorting equipment and in the stationing of three MD-11s.

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New GPS Device Tracks Letters in the USPS Mail

Posted by | Feb 7, 2008 | |

The new GPS Letter Logger (GLL-1000) by TrackingTheWorld uses a Texas Instruments microprocessor and a u-blox ANTARIS 4 GPS module to help the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) find out where and how long a piece of mail spends in one place.

The device fits in a standard Number 10 business envelope and is sturdy enough to go through USPS sorting machines without damage. It is only ¼” thick with a surface slightly smaller than the envelope and the weight of a few sheets of papere. Positioning data can be linked with Google Earth, allowing officials to identify delivery delays. The USPS is apparently still evaluating the results from a trial of the device in the Denver area last year.

The GLL-1000 uses an 1100mAh battery that can last from 20 hours to 2 weeks depending on how often the device is programmed to receive updates. The user can also select a mode that activates the tracking device only when it moves. Positioning date is stored on a standard micro-SD card for later downloading and analysis.

Engineers at TrackingTheWorld developed the Letter Logger for the USPS. The company designs custom GPS and OEM products and software and is based in Burlingame, California, USA.

The company website indicates that a commercial version will be released in February and that TrackingTheWorld is seeking wholesale distributors for the product.

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Indian firm Elbee Express to invest EUR 35m in expansion

Posted by | Feb 7, 2008 | |

Elbee Express plans to invest Rs 2 billion (EUR 34.82 million) for its expansion over the next three years thanks partly to financing from a new investor.

The expansion plan includes an increase of the company’s branches from 132 to 250 within the next 4-5 months, Elbee Express said in a statement. This will enable it to cover 15,200 locations in India. The company will also upgrade its technology.

Nikhil Shah, Executive Director of Elbee Express, said: “We have an aggressive expansion plan to double the number of branches in the next 4-5 months. Through this we are looking to provide a wider distribution reach to our premium customers in Tier II and III cities.”

Elbee Express signed up telecommunications firm Airtel last autumn to provide a new electronic tracking system for some 400 delivery staff under a three-year contract. Airtel will supply hand-held scanners enabling Elbee staff to record POD data and transmit it by the Airtel GPRS network to the company’s central IT server. Customers will then be able to track their shipments on a real-time basis.

Shah told The Hindu newspaper that Elbee plans to focus on the domestic market but was also looking at entering the Chinese market through a cooperation with a Chinese company.

The initial investment of approximately Rs 250 million with an equal amount will be invested by two shareholders, Clearstone Venture Mauritius, an international investing arm of the US venture capital firm Clearstone Venture Partners, and Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, a well-known Indian equity investor. Previously, Kotak Mahindra Investments also took a minority stake in the company. These shareholders jointly hold a majority stake in the company.

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DHL wins global freight contract with Siemens

Posted by | Feb 7, 2008 | |

DHL is able to use both its Express and Global Forwarding services to launch the Drop Shipment Program for Siemens.

DHL Global Forwarding has been selected as preferred international carrier for Siemens’ air and ocean freight and Customs Brokerage business in the U.S. The global contract awarded to DHL will support Siemens in improving service levels, reducing costs and streamlining their overall supply chain.

DHL has also been re-awarded the exclusive contract for the Siemens Energy and Automation Europe to U.S. Drop Shipment Program. Siemens selected DHL as the only provider endorsed for its U.S. to Worldwide business and received the freight forwarding endorsement for all regions.

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DHL extends reach with Dh 1bn (USD 272 million) investment in the Middle East

Posted by | Feb 7, 2008 | |

DHL Exel Supply Chain, part of DHL logistics, is to invest about Dh1 billion (USD 272 million) this year in expansion projects for its business in the Middle East.

The investments will be carried out mainly in the UAE and Saudi Arabia to tap the growing demand for logistics services triggered by the booming trade in the two regional heavyweights.

The influx of capital into the sector is expected to boost the company’s standing as the number one supply chain operator in the region and help DHL meet its 40 per cent growth target for 2008 and 2009.

“DHL Exel is greatly focusing on the Middle East as one of the top three emerging markets after China and India. There is great potential for logistics services in the entire region, which calls for further investments in the logistics sector,” David Christmas, Middle East Managing Director for DHL Exel, told Emirates Business.

DHL Exel Supply Chain has been growing at an average of 35 per cent annually in the past three years and according to Christmas, the same level of growth is expected in the next five years.

DHL Exel operates in 16 countries in the Middle East but the largest share of its operations are in Saudi Arabia, where it foresees huge growth potential of the market. With 120 facilities across the region and 10,000 staff, DHL Exel is currently ranked number one in the region, with 10 per cent of the market, which is shared with several other players.

The company has four road hubs and two air hubs in the region, a fleet of 2,000 vehicles and 17 aircraft operated from Bahrain air hub to serve the GCC market and link it with East Asia and Europe. 1 AED = 0.272346 USD

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