24 January, 2023

Capabilities to get Global Supply Chains Moving

Posted on 24 January, 2023 by David Priestman

To help organizations increase the efficiency of global supply chains, Oracle is introducing new logistics capabilities within Oracle Fusion Cloud Supply Chain & Manufacturing (SCM). The updates to Oracle Transportation Management (OTM) and Oracle Global Trade Management (GTM), part of Oracle Cloud SCM, help customers reduce costs, improve accuracy, automate regulatory compliance, and enhance logistics flexibility.

Logistics leaders are overwhelmed with a recent build-up of port and shipping delays, fluctuating fuel costs, and evolving trade regulations while also being at the forefront of efforts to reduce carbon emissions of goods in transit. Organizations that don’t have flexible and responsive logistics processes in place often end up passing these delays and costs onto their customers.

“The last few years tested the flexibility of global logistics operations and many organizations have struggled to keep pace with the changing market,” said Derek Gittoes, vice president of supply chain management product strategy, Oracle. “With Oracle Transportation Management and Oracle Global Trade Management, organizations can rapidly adapt to changes in their supply chain and logistics network. Oracle’s self-updating platform gives customers access to continuous innovation, as new features are added every 90 days without business disruption.”

The new capabilities within Oracle Transportation Management and Oracle Global Trade Management include:
• Automated Trade Agreement Qualification: Helps customers validate Certificate of Origin, reduce tariffs, and enter new markets. With a deep view into the bill of materials, Trade Agreement Qualification enables customers to comply with labour regulations and prove where goods were produced via auditable records.
• New Oracle Logistics Digital Assistant Capabilities: Allow users to gain insight into the status of their shipments with simple voice commands. With the embedded Logistics Digital Assistant, users can quickly find answers to their questions.
• Enhanced Workbenches: Allow users to combine data from multiple sources into a single view to streamline operations and enhance decision making. New templates for driver management, dock scheduling, work assignments, shipment, spot bids, and restricted party screening enable users to manage specific logistics processes more efficiently.
• New Oracle Transportation Management Mobile App: Enables customers to send assignments to drivers, capture arrival and departure events, and communicate in-transit status and location information. The highly configurable and intuitive app synchronizes offline app data and allows users to execute tasks efficiently no matter where they are.
• ETA Predictions with Machine Learning: Provide real-time updates and shipment tracking to create accurate predictions for arrival times based on a customer’s unique business operations. With more accurate ETA predictions, customers can take quick action to reroute shipments to enhance operational efficiency.

“1-800 Flowers has a very complex supply chain and transportation plan with our focus on high end gifting, and a strategic priority to deliver an unparalleled customer experience through operational excellence,” said Don La France, vice president, enterprise logistics and supply chain solutions, 1800 Flowers. “Our goals were standardization, scaling capabilities, cost savings, visibility and reporting. After some discovery we quickly decided on Oracle for transportation management and warehouse management. We were able to stand up OTM on our largest brand in 12 weeks, improved our proactivity, and gave our teams the visibility needed to drive greater on-time performance. We are very happy with our choice and our decision has been validated by our results many times over.”

Oracle Cloud SCM helps organizations seamlessly connect supply chain processes and quickly respond to changing demand, supply, and market conditions. With new features added every quarter, Oracle Cloud SCM helps customers create a resilient supply network and processes that outpace change.

Capabilities to get Global Supply Chains Moving

Posted on 24 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Ocean Freight LCL Service from UK to India

Posted on 24 January, 2023 by David Priestman

With the weak pound providing opportunities for UK exporters currently, Davies Turner is delivering a further boost to its ocean freight services between the UK and the Indian sub-continent with the launch of a direct weekly LCL (less than container load) service to Nhava Sheva.

Davies Turner’s previous service to Nhava Sheva was via transhipment in Jebel Ali, but by going direct, the UK freight forwarding and logistics company can offer a fast 25 day transit time port to port.

Consolidation of cargo in the UK is undertaken at one of Davies Turner’s regional distribution centres at Birmingham, Bristol, Cumbernauld, Dartford, or Manchester, for the weekly ocean freight service that departs from London Gateway port.

John Adams, Davies Turner’s Head of Trade – Middle East, ISC & South Africa, says: “India’s population of 1.4 billion people and a domestic market that is growing year on year, means there is large demand for imported goods from Europe. Our latest service improvement will help to support clients who want to use Nhava Sheva as a gateway by providing a quicker, efficient and cost effective service option.”

The dedicated weekly service to Nhava Sheva also has direct links to the following inland container depots (ICDs) – Ahmedabad, Garhiharsaru, Ludihana and Patparganj (New Delhi).

The new direct ocean freight LCL operation adds to other similar direct services that Davies Turner offers to gateways in Asia, Middle East, South Africa and USA including Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Durban and New York, as well as services to other areas of India that are offered via transshipment at Singapore.

Ocean Freight LCL Service from UK to India

Posted on 24 January, 202331 July, 2025 by David Priestman

The dedicated weekly service to Nhava Sheva also has direct links to the following inland container depots (ICDs) – Ahmedabad, Garhiharsaru, Ludihana and Patparganj (New Delhi).

25 Years of Materials Handling Innovation

Posted on 24 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

It’s going to be a busy few months on the exhibition circuit for Irish materials handling specialist Combilift. It will be using the ProMAT event in March to kickstart celebrations to mark the company’s 25th anniversary. Amongst the many and varied exhibits that are always a feature of Combilift’s trade fair appearances, the 75,000th truck to roll off the production lines will also be on show. This model, with its special livery, will take centre stage at the booth and will be formally handed over to the customer during the show. An evening of entertainment and dinner for guests is also planned at a location close by the McCormick Place show venue.

As testimony to Combilift’s tireless R&D department, five new products will be launched throughout the year at various European trade fairs and in-house at the global HQ and manufacturing facility in Monaghan. The first of these will be unveiled at LogiMAT in April in Stuttgart. These will all feature the groundbreaking technology and innovation that has been a hallmark of Combilift products since the first C4000 multidirectional model first appeared on the market in 1998. More information on these new developments will be released in due course.

Further exhibits will of course represent the dozens of solutions that Combilift now offers for the safe, space saving and productive handling of long products, pallets and oversized loads. These will include multidirectional forklifts, sideloaders, pedestrian stackers and Aisle Master narrow aisle articulated trucks, all of which will be able to be seen live in action.

“We are looking forward to marking this company milestone at events and in person with our customers, dealers, sales personnel, representatives from the international trade press and of course our workforce,” said Combilift CEO and co-founder Martin McVicar. “Their loyalty and support has been pivotal in enabling us to achieve the amazing level of growth and success that we have experienced during the last 25 years. We’re not going to rest on our laurels though – you can expect more innovation from us in the next few decades to come!”

ProMAT: Booth # N6936. LogiMAT: Hall 9. 9B45

Route Planning Optimization Cuts Delivery Distance

Posted on 24 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Descartes Systems Group, a global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, announced that Topps Tiles, a British tile retailer, is optimising its fleet delivery capabilities with Descartes’ cloud-based route planning and optimisation solution. By working with Descartes, Topps Tiles is decreasing the average kilometres driven per delivery route by two percent and gaining a better understanding of the potential impact of changes to its delivery strategies.

“With over 300 stores nationwide in the U.K., we’re continuously evaluating how to maintain a high degree of customer service while reducing operational costs, especially today’s high transportation costs,” said Simon Macdonald, National Transport Manager, Topps Tiles. “Working with Descartes, we’ve replaced manual, spreadsheet-based processes with automated route planning to optimise the volume of tiles being delivered at any given time, as well as the routes our vehicles are travelling. Descartes’ strategic route modelling capabilities are also enabling us to model delivery scenarios and make more informed strategic decisions, which would have been nearly impossible with traditional resource-intensive analytical methods.”

Route Planning Optimization

Part of its Routing, Mobile and Telematics suite, Descartes’ route planning and optimisation solution helps brands, retailers and logistics providers reduce costs with more agile and efficient routing, improve fleet resource management by generating additional delivery capacity and become more sustainable through the reduction of their CO2 footprint and their use of paper across the route network. The strategic route modelling capabilities allow companies to understand and optimize their delivery and customer service strategies before having to execute them. Descartes’ mobile application helps drivers perform their daily routes, keeps managers aware of the progress and provides an accurate estimated-time-of-arrival (ETA) to notify customers of their deliveries. Proof of delivery (POD) capabilities support customer service excellence and order accuracy through real-time mobile communication.

“Topps Tiles’ long-term success is based upon its ability to continually provide customers with a superior shopping experience while offering cost competitive pricing,” said Pól Sweeney, VP Fleet Sales in Europe at Descartes. “We’re delighted to help Topps Tiles minimize its operational costs today through our route planning and optimisation solution and in the future with our strategic route modelling capabilities.”

Route Planning Optimization Cuts Delivery Distance

Posted on 24 January, 20237 August, 2025 by David Priestman

Route Planning Optimization

100 Nikola Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Ordered

Posted on 24 January, 202329 July, 2025 by David Priestman

Nikola Corporation, a global leader in zero-emissions transportation, energy supply and infrastructure solutions, and IVECO, the brand of Iveco Group that designs, manufactures, and markets heavy, medium, and light-duty trucks, have announced a Letter of Intent for an order of 100 Class 8, heavy-duty Nikola Tre hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) from GP JOULE, a system provider for integrated energy solutions based in Reussenkoege, Germany. The Nikola Tre FCEVs in the European 6×2 variant will be manufactured by the joint venture between Nikola and Iveco Group at the site created in Ulm, Germany.

Thirty of the initial 100 Nikola Tre FCEVs are expected to be delivered to GP JOULE within 2024. This will be followed by the delivery of the remaining 70 vehicles in 2025, with the possibility for GP JOULE to acquire them through GATE – Green & Advanced Transport Ecosystem – Iveco Group’s all-inclusive electric truck rental model. IVECO will provide the essential maintenance and service functions. GP JOULE will make the 100 Nikola trucks available to its customers in transport and logistics. The order is subject to GP JOULE’s successful application for KsNI funding, Germany’s program to support the acquisition of vehicles with alternative, climate-friendly powertrains. Furthermore, starting in 2026, GP JOULE and Iveco Group have agreed to market additional FCEVs to customers in Europe. GP JOULE will provide them with 100% green hydrogen via their hydrogen refuelling station network.

Michael Lohscheller, President and CEO, Nikola Corporation, said, “The order from GP JOULE will be an example of how the Nikola Tre FCEV can further support commercial customers in Germany in their transition towards zero-emissions several years ahead of other OEMs, which helps to achieve the goal of decarbonising the transportation sector.”

Andre Steinau, Managing Director at GP JOULE HYDROGEN, declared: “100% renewable energy for all, this is what drives us. Together with Nikola and IVECO, we offer our customers all the components for climate-neutral heavy-duty transport from a single source: from the production and purchase of green hydrogen to the hydrogen filling stations to the fuel cell trucks and service that meet their needs. This is the easy entry into emission-free freight transport.”

Simone Olivati, President, Financial Services, Iveco Group commented: “We are very pleased by the choice of GP JOULE and that with this agreement, thanks to our innovative GATE rental model, we will bring hydrogen mobility to customers in Germany and progress on the decarbonisation of road freight transport. GATE is dedicated to meeting the needs of both battery and hydrogen fuel cell electric commercial vehicle customers, initially serving both the IVECO and Nikola brands. This agreement is a chance to start offering our comprehensive service based on a pay-per-use formula that will allow customers access to the propulsion of tomorrow.”

Nikola Corporation is globally transforming the transportation industry. As a designer and manufacturer of zero-emission battery-electric and hydrogen-electric vehicles, electric vehicle drivetrains, vehicle components, energy storage systems, and hydrogen station infrastructure, Nikola is driven to revolutionize the economic and environmental impact of commerce as we know it today. Founded in 2015, Nikola Corporation is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.

100 Nikola Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Ordered

Posted on 24 January, 20237 August, 2025 by David Priestman

DB Schenker to Deploy MAN eTrucks

Posted on 24 January, 20237 August, 2025 by David Priestman

DB Schenker, one of the world’s leading logistics service providers, has signed an agreement with commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus to become the first customer to adopt the new MAN eTruck. DB Schenker will add 100 new MAN low liner and swap body trucks to its fleet by 2026. The first vehicles are to be handed over in the first half of 2024.

Cyrille Bonjean, Head of Land Transport at DB Schenker Europe, said: “We want to build up practical experience with e-trucks as early as possible. In this way, we can quickly create an offer for the business community to make supply chains more climate-friendly. That’s why it was important for us to receive the first MAN eTrucks. This brings us another step closer to our goal to be net zero on the road in land transport by 2040.”

“DB Schenker and MAN are embarking together on the road to an electric future. We are very pleased to have our first customer for the new eTruck. Demand in the market for this all-electric vehicle is already enormous. The topic is now really taking off, partly because more and more of our customers are setting extremely ambitious decarbonization targets. This has a direct impact on logistics chains. However, we will only succeed in achieving a sustainable mobility turnaround in heavy goods traffic with the appropriate political support. Among other things, this relates to the rapid development of the charging infrastructure and also the further design of the funding framework for the acquisition of electric trucks,” said Alexander Vlaskamp, CEO of MAN Truck & Bus.

eTruck from Munich

The first MAN eTrucks will be produced in a small series in the first half of 2024 on the production line at the company’s headquarters in Munich. With the signing of the agreement, DB Schenker is the first pilot customer for these eTrucks. The logistics service provider wants to gain practical experience with the product as early as possible. This also includes setting up its own charging infrastructure, intelligent route planning, and other digital services from MAN Digital Solutions such as eManager, ServiceCare, and MAN Driver App. DB Schenker is therefore supported by 360° consulting from MAN Transport Solutions, including route analysis, charging strategy, charging infrastructure planning, and energy demand optimization.

The first MAN eTrucks for DB Schenker in 2024 will be volume semitrailer tractors, so-called ultra-semitrailer tractors. The reduced semitrailer height of around 950 mm makes it possible to transport volume trailers with an interior height of 3 meters electrically. The other electric trucks to be delivered in 2025 and 2026 are planned as ultra-semitrailer tractors and swap body trucks.

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