Freightfox Update

DHL Global Forwarding named Freight Forwarding Company of the Year 2012

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:56:09 +0000

Dublin, March 22, 2012: DHL Global Forwarding, the air, ocean and road freight specialist at Deutsche Post DHL, has been acknowledged as the Freight Forwarding Company of the Year at the annual Irish Logistics and Transport awards. The presentation was made before a packed audience of leading players in the industry at a gala event held in Dublin.

The Irish Logistics and Transport Awards are organized by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport – with the aim to celebrate excellence in the industry. The awards also seek to encourage teams and individuals to constantly raise the bar, to innovate and to maintain commitment to the transport and logistics sector.

First accredited members announced by FTA Ireland

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:55:17 +0000

The first five companies to successfully achieve FTA Ireland’s membership accreditation standard were announced and presented with their certificates at a conference in Dublin, on 21^st of March.

FTA Ireland (FTAI) was established in 2010 to promote high standards of vehicle operation and improve the reputation of Irish logistics with government and the public. An early commitment by its founder members was to develop an accreditation scheme to enable businesses to demonstrate their achievement of good practice through a formal audit against agreed standards.

The first five operators to successfully achieve FTAI accreditation are:

1. BOC Gases (Ireland) Ltd
2. Brake Brothers
3. Bus Eireann
4. REMY Distribution
5. Keelings Logistics

Representatives of the companies were presented with their Accreditation Certificates by Maurice Mullen, Assistant Secretary at the Department of Transport, during FTAI’s Transport Manager conference which took place in Enfield.

All new members of FTA Ireland are expected to apply for accreditation within three months of joining and existing members will be audited during the rest of 2012.

Managers freed

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:54:29 +0000

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 – Two managers at Sernam were held against their will last week by striking workers at the embattled French delivery firm.

Incidents of managers being held hostage are unusual, especially outside France, but have gained in frequency and popularity since the advent of the financial crisis.

Fearing redundancies, workers at Sernam’s Miramas branch, outside Marseille, held the branch director and the head of human resources from Wednesday evening until late on Thursday.

A spokesperson at the branch told IFW that the workers had justified their actions “within a context of uncertainty over the future of the company,” and hinted that action could not be ruled out at other company locations.

An official at Sernam’s head office in Paris said activity at the branch has returned to normal and the two directors, who were not ill-treated, are no longer under any restrictions of movement.

Sernam, which has a permanent workforce of 1,600 staff, was placed in administration by a Paris district commercial court earlier this year.

SNCF Geodis group submitted the only bid for the company earlier this month. Its partial takeover offer focuses on retaining 826 of the staff.

Several days later, a European Commission (EC) investigation concluded that aid granted to Sernam, dating back more than a decade and totalling over €642 million, must be reimbursed by the French parcel delivery operator as it contravened EU regulations.

The EC is expected to provide clarification before the end of the month on whether its decision on reimbursing the aid has any consequences for the takeover bid.

SNCF Geodis chief Pierre Blayau has underlined that the main condition of his group’s offer is that it not liable to repay aid.

“If the EC judges that aid must be reimbursed by the new owner then that will be the end of Sernam,” a senior union official said.

German forwarders say no to accepting liability

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:53:14 +0000

14. March 2012 - The German forwarding and logistics association (DSLV) has prepared a policy document that provides its members with arguments to help counter growing pressure from clients. The latter, for example, are increasingly demanding that when forwarders collect goods, they promise to obtain a so-called “delivery confirmation document”. On top of this the service providers are then obliged to retain it. The DSLV urgently recommends that such requests are ignored as forwarders cannot exert any influence in this matter, nor is it one of their duties. Such requests come about because of changes to VAT regulations in Germany since January 2012.

www.spediteure.de

Cargobull presents innovative tarpaulin to speed up HGV loading/unloading

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:52:31 +0000

21. March 2012 – The German vehicle manufacturer Schmitz Cargobull has presented an innovative truck tarpaulin that speeds up truck loading and unloading processes. The product, known as a Speed Curtain, allows a vehicle’s cargo area to be opened and ready for loading within 35 seconds. Up until now tarpaulins had to be strengthened by support laths and side slats had to be inserted. Schmitz Cargobull’s innovation has integrated micro-stanchions that provide sufficient structural rigidity to meet the requirements of the DIN EN 12642 Code X load securing guidelines, and no additional load securing measures are required for tightly fitting cargo. (ben)

www.cargobull.com

Crash ship captain released on bail

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:51:57 +0000

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 - A sea captain who has admitted crashing his ship while under the influence of alcohol has been released on bail.

Miroslaw Pozniak, 55, was at the helm of a cargo ship which was in collision with a Stena Line ferry in Belfast Lough on 7 March.

Pozniak admitted the charge at an earlier hearing. He was released on bail until 24 April, but had to surrender his passport and seaman’s card and must report to police three times a week.

He is due before another court on 3 April, as the Maritime and Coastguard Agency is pursuing a parallel prosecution.

The Stena Feronia, which had sailed from Birkenhead, and the cargo ship Union Moon collided in Belfast Lough between Carrickfergus and Helen’s Bay.

Both vessels were damaged in the collision, but no-one was injured.

New GACAG website provides updates for air cargo industry and regulators

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:51:18 +0000

26. March 2012 – Companies across the air cargo supply chain and regulatory bodies can now obtain updates on the lobbying activities and views of the Global Air Cargo Advisory Group (GACAG) online following the launch of its new website. GACAG is an industry advisory group formed in November 2010 to provide the air cargo industry with a stronger, unified voice in its dealings with worldwide regulatory authorities and other bodies whose decisions directly impact on air cargo. It was founded by the International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations (Fiata), the International Air Transport Association (Iata), the Global Shippers’ Forum (GSF), and The International Air Cargo Association (Tiaca).

www.gacag.org

Smile Awhile – Driving

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:50:35 +0000

with thanks to LW.

Quote of the Week – Lewis Carroll

admin — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 06:49:52 +0000

“ Everything has a moral if you can only find it.”

- Lewis Carroll.

Irish International Freight Association celebrates 50 years

admin — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 14:29:44 +0000

At an informal ceremony on Wednesday 14^th of March, a quiet celebration was held commemorating the inaugural meeting of the Irish International Freight Association. That meeting was held in the then Jurys Hotel, now Blooms Hotel in Anglesea Street, near the Central Bank.

On 14^th of March in 1962 thirteen freight forwarders got together and decided the formalities of a new association to represent the interests of freight forwarders in Ireland. One member of that original group was also present on the occasion last week. He was Mr Aedan Archer who, back in 1962 represented the firm of Jenkinson and Archer.

Members from previous councils present at the celebration, were Mr. Sean McCool, Michael Connolly, Bernard Jones, Tony Kiernan, Peter Maybury, Philip Clancy, Mary O’Sullivan, Vincent Brennan and Owen O Brien.

The present Council was represented by President Philip Kane, Hon. Treasurer Paddy Kenny, Past Presidents Finbarr Cleary,

Vice President John O’Hanrahan, Simon Tobin, Ms Pearl Cumiskey.

Welcoming all to the celebration, Mr. Colm Walsh CEO of the Association expressed the view that it was an occasion “ in which we acknowledge the efforts and contribution everyone has made and are continuing to make towards the development of the association, which now has a total of 107 Full Trading Members and 13 Affiliated Members”.