26 March, 2020

Hannover Messe Cancelled Altogether This Year

Posted on 26 March, 2020 by Keith McKinley

For obvious reasons, Hannover Messe has now been cancelled altogether for 2020.

“Given the dynamic development around Covid-19 and the extensive restrictions on public and economic life, HANNOVER MESSE cannot take place this year,” says Dr. Jochen Köckler, Chairman of the Board of Management, Deutsche Messe AG. “Our exhibitors, partners and our entire team did everything they could to make it happen, but today we have to accept that in 2020 it will not be possible to host the world’s most important industrial event.”

It is the first time in HANNOVER MESSE’s 73-year history that the event will not take place. However, the organizers will not let the show completely vanish. “The need for orientation and exchange is particularly important in times of crisis,” says Köckler. “That is why we are currently working intensely on a digital information and networking plattform for HANNOVER MESSE that we will open to our customers shortly.”

Fortna Names General Electric Veteran as New CEO

Posted on 26 March, 202029 July, 2025 by David Priestman

US-founded global distribution, engineering and software provider Fortna has named Robert McKeel (above) as its new CEO. He starts immediately.

McKeel joins Fortna from General Electric, where he was most recently President and CEO, GE, Automation and Controls. During his 25+ year tenure with GE, he managed billion-dollar P&Ls across various business units driving unprecedented results across the globe. McKeel holds an MBA from James Madison University, a Master of Computer Science degree from the University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from North Carolina State University.

“Robert brings exceptional leadership, experience and passion for delivering results to the Fortna executive team,” said Hank Boye, Office of the President at Fortna. “His proven ability to create a shared vision across all organizational levels and simultaneously prioritize operations with overall fiscal health will be key to accelerating Fortna’s growth in the coming years. We are delighted to welcome him to the company.”

“I am excited to join Fortna, a global leader in designing and implementing distribution operations optimized with world-class automation and intelligent software,” stated Robert McKeel. “I am excited by the geometric growth of this industry and the vast opportunity for Fortna to transform the future of distribution for our clients.”

Conductix Introduces Compact Version of ProfiDAT Data Transmission System

Posted on 26 March, 2020 by Keith McKinley

Conductix-Wampfler, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of energy and data management systems for mobile applications, has launched a new development for its ProfiDA data transmission system. While the established ProfiDAT has already been successfully used in the field of container handling, overhead cranes or intralogistic applications, the new ProfiDAT compact is a much smaller and more flexible version that meets the unique requirements of the automotive industry.

“ProfiDAT compact is a slotted waveguide system for continuous data transmission between a local network and mobile consumers moving along a rail,” explains Nico Knab, Product Manager at Conductix-Wampfler in Weil am Rhein. “Data is transmitted safely and reliably between a stationary and mobile antenna. The antenna on the mobile unit is guided via sliding contacts on the slotted waveguide profile and extends into the slotted waveguide without contact. The profile is installed along the guide rail, parallel to the power transmitting conductor rail system.” ProfiDAT compact combines three functions that previously needed to be covered by different devices: It handles secure data transmission, serves as a protective earth conductor and can be expanded with an optical positioning system. The combination of these three functions saves space, and reduces costs and installation time.

“The goal was to optimize our already successfully established ProfiDAT system in order to meet the requirements of further customer groups,” explains Knab. “The challenge in developing ProfiDAT compact was to design a compact system without accepting losses in data transmission.” In comparison to ProfiDAT, the dimensions of the new version have been significantly reduced. ProfiDAT compact is therefore more flexible and is also suitable for applications with curves, lifts and transitions. It is characterized by a low level of interference with other wireless systems. For example, ProfiDAT compact can be used for automated storage and retrieval units, shuttles, transfer cars, sorters or electrified monorail systems.

Transporeon Releases Live Data on Cross-Border Transport of Goods

Posted on 26 March, 20207 August, 2025 by Paul Hamblin

Freight transport in Europe is running with almost no delay, according to Transporeon, with only short waiting times for transport between Germany and Austria, France and Switzerland. New website shows real-time data from all European borders.

Supply in Europe is still guaranteed. Although many European countries have introduced strict border controls to slow down the spread of Covid-19, the movement of goods is almost unhindered by this. The delays of the last week, which in some instances were significant and led to traffic jams of more than 50 km and waiting times of 24 hours at some borders, have been remedied. Looking at the situation from a German perspective, only road transport across the borders to Switzerland, France and Austria is somewhat slower. This is indicated by the tracking data that Transoporeon currently receives from its visibility partner Sixfold.

Sixfold helps freight forwarders and major shippers to track goods and vehicles in real time; Transporeon operates Europe’s platform for order placement in logistics. This gives both companies a comprehensive, highly up-to-date overview of the actual flow of goods in Europe. This data on border waiting times is now presented clearly and free of charge on a detailed map: https://covid-19.sixfold.com.

The information is based on anonymised data from the GPS trackers fitted in tens of thousands of trucks involved in cross-border transportation. It is processed in real time and used to calculate the current waiting times at all European border crossings. This allows problems to be identified at an early stage and alternatives planned. The data can also help politicians and administrators to better assess the situation.

Last week (16-22 March), the number of late deliveries in road haulage throughout Europe was only three to seven per cent above the long-term average, although there were higher deviations on individual days in some regions. “Despite the tense nature of the situation and immediate measures taken by politicians, the situation is largely stable: goods are still reaching their destination”, says Wolfgang Wörner, CEO of Sixfold. According to Stephan Sieber, CEO of Transporeon, the data sends a clear signal: “Freight forwarders and logistics departments have processes under control.”

Ocean Insights Releases Blank Sailings Data

Posted on 26 March, 2020 by Keith McKinley

COVID-19 is having an impact on port calls and particularly, the issue of blank sailings, according to Ocean Insights.

Ocean Insights (OI) has counted 386 blank sailing announcements that will take place between mid-March until the end of April 2020.

Ocean carriers have responded by replacing large volume vessels with smaller volume vessels to adjust to the lower trade volumes.

This is reflected in measured Vessel Capacity (in TEU) across major carriers which is especially strong in the Asian trade lanes with a 23% detected decrease from mid-January to mid-March.

In comparison, the global decline is less acute with a 7% decrease from a peak of 16.8m TEU capacity in mid-January to a low of 15.5m TEU measured capacity.

The OI system has detected an “unusually high” number of blank sailings. To assist the supply chain community, the OI team has put together the entire blank sailing list and is providing the same free of charge. This is essential as it will enable the industry to plan their shipping requirements. The updated list is available here.

Detego RFID Software Gives Boost to Returns Handling

Posted on 26 March, 202029 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Retail RFID software specialist Detego has announced a new solution to support retailers and help them maintain business continuity during the ongoing effects of COVID-19. The solution, available to retailers using RFID, will allow brands to adapt to the increased pressure on their DC / DTC operations as eCommerce becomes their primary sales channel. With it, retailers will be able to utilise efficient RFID processes to drastically increase the speed of handling returns directly from consumers back into their DCs.

Detego, who partners with several major fashion retail brands, aims to alleviate some of the pressure on retailers due to the COVID-19 epidemic by solidifying their eCommerce operations and returns process for increased demand. With retail sales down and brick-and-mortar stores being heavily affected by closures and social distancing measures, Detego is anticipating an unprecedented shift to online shopping. Whilst the majority of retailers run eCommerce operations alongside their physical stores, this is typically only around 10-15% of their overall retail sales. For omnichannel retailers, eCommerce has now become the primary sales channel for the foreseeable future. There is already early evidence of this, with preliminary data from Quantum Metric showing that eCommerce associated with Brick and Mortar retailers saw an average revenue weekly growth rate increase of 52%.

This sudden shift to eCommerce will pose significant challenges for many retail distribution centres, as supply chains and operational systems may struggle or even buckle under the increased pressure. The primary challenge that comes with increased online sales is the subsequent increase in returns. While shoppers return only 10% of what they buy in stores, they send back up to 50% of what they buy online. The major capacity concern will be in the increased rate of online orders and will most likely present bottlenecks and stockouts in the returns process.

The new returns module (part of Detego’s end-to-end RFID platform) strengthens distribution centres by utilising fast and efficient inbound RFID reading of cartons/boxes to verify against a target list based on the returned item from the customer.

The SaaS-enabled solution integrates with all standard RFID hardware and WMS (Warehouse Management Systems) to count, verify, display, track and manage inventory moving from the DC/DTC to consumer or wholesaler as well as processing all returns back to the DC / DTC. Additional functionality will also allow retailers to use a ‘quality grading’ system and display product imagery to more effectively identify and sort inbound returns.

RFID-enabled retailers utilising the solution can achieve greater flexibility in ordering and fulfilment due to forecasting of incoming returns/shipments and up to 90% faster processing times. This not only prevents bottlenecks occurring in the supply chain due to unprocessed returns, but it ensures stock is made available as soon as possible upon being returned, reducing out-of-stocks on the webshop. This is in addition to 100% shipping accuracy and verifying the legitimacy of returns using unique digital identity provided by RFID tags.

Etihad Cargo Deploys Cargo-Only 787s in Passenger Flight Suspension

Posted on 26 March, 2020 by Keith McKinley

Etihad Cargo is responding to the current crisis demand and and stoppage of passenger flights into and out of the UAE by Introducing further cargo-only aircraft.

To complement its fleet of Boeing 777 Freighters, Etihad Cargo is introducing a fleet of Boeing 787-10 aircraft as passenger freighters to operate 34 weekly flights, serving 10 markets initially. Each aircraft will provide capacity for 12 Lower deck pallets and four containers, carrying up to 45 tons of payload.

The passenger freighter network will introduce capacity into India, Thailand, Singapore, Philippines, Indonesia, South Korea and other places where borders remain open for cargo. On top of that, the current freighter schedule will be enhanced by additional flights into Riyadh, London, Hong Kong and Shanghai.

By utilising the Boeing 787 in addition to its freighter fleet, Etihad Cargo will ensure the continuity of vital imports into the UAE including fruits, vegetables, meat, medical supplies, mail and ecommerce.

Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, Managing Director Cargo and Logistics at Etihad Aviation Group, said: “As the national carrier to the UAE, Etihad is working closely with the UAE government to ensure the country is well served and the needs of the people residing in the UAE are unaffected, while continuing to play our role as a facilitator of global trade between the East and the West.”

“In the current environment and as per our leadership’s guidance, it is essential these trade lanes remain open, and with the addition on this capacity we are able to serve those constrained markets that face decreased passenger freight operations, offering a strategic cargo lifeline and supporting the continuity of the global trade ecosystem.”

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