UPS's 2008 "Pain in the (Supply) Chain"
UPS’s 2008 “Pain in the (Supply) Chain”
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DHL Express Global CEO testifies before House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
DHL Express Global CEO John Mullen testified before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure regarding the company’s potential contract with UPS for domestic airlift and related services.
DHL has analyzed all realistic options and the proposed agreement with UPS is part of DHL Express’ U.S. restructuring aimed at enabling the company to remain a viable competitor in the U.S. market while continuing to service its customers. This type of airlift arrangement is common in the transportation industry.
He stressed that as DHL has cooperated and provided information to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Judiciary, they will continue to cooperate with all such requests. DHL informed the Antitrust Division informally of the proposed agreement on May 28, and would cooperate fully in any investigation the Division might choose to undertake.
Read MoreDHL Global Mail expands Parcel Plus offering (U.S)
DHL Global Mail announced the expansion of its Smartmail Parcel Plus service to include packages weighing up to 10 lbs.
With this new weight limit, Parcel Plus now offers e-tailers and other high-volume mailers a more cost-effective alternative to traditional courier options for residential delivery. That means more companies can save without sacrificing speed, since Parcel Plus transit times remain highly competitive (2-5 day average for Expedited service, or 5-10 days for Budget). And Parcel Plus continues to provide the businesses demand, thanks to DHL Global Mail’s network and workshare partnership with the U.S. Postal Service, which handles final-mile delivery.
The expanded Parcel Plus service is available effective September 1, 2008.
Read MoreU.S. Postal Service new website
Customers visiting the new and improved usps.com homepage will notice less clutter and easier-to-find links to the products and services they use most, including online shipping, package pickup and shipping supplies. In addition to the cleaner design, graphics highlighting the most popular product and service offerings will help customers more easily navigate the site and find the information they need.
These changes are the first step towards improving the site. Before the redesign, the Postal Service’s website ranked fourth among all government agencies, according to an August report from the Brookings Institution. Brookings ranked 61 government sites based on their effectiveness at using interactive features to engage the public and provide services. In addition, usps.com made BtoB Magazine’s 2008 list for “The 10 Best Internets for BtoB Customers.”
usps.com is one of the most frequently visited government sites, averaging more than 386 million visitors each year and close to 1.2 million visitors each day.
UPS Releases Results of Survey on Healthcare Supply Chains
Targeting top supply chain decision makers in the pharmaceutical, medical and surgical device and biotech industries, UPS’s 2008 “Pain in the (Supply) Chain” survey reveals that regulatory compliance and industry competition top the list of healthcare company concerns.
The survey also found “global market access” emerging as the area companies need the most help addressing. Global market access is a major focus area for healthcare companies seeking to take advantage of lower-cost sourcing opportunities and penetrate fast growing, emerging consumer markets.
When asked about supply-chain specific concerns, companies ranked managing and containing supply chain costs as the number one concern. Sixty percent of companies reported they were “very concerned” or “extremely concerned” about the potential impact of supply chain costs on their business.
The vast majority of survey respondents planned to make changes to their supply chain models in the near future. Among the immediate changes companies planned to make are: expanding their distribution channels; outsourcing more supply chain functions; working with third-party logistics companies, and increasing their supply chain spending.
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