"SITC places US$72m order for four container vessels" from South China Morning Post

"Mainland logistics company SITC International Holdings yesterday entered into an agreement with a shipbuilder for four container vessels for US$72.4 million. SITC also has an option to buy another four container vessels from Yangfan Group for US$72.4 million. The option will expire in August next year."

"China Qinfa buys into Huameiao" from South China Morning Post

"Coal logistics firm China Qinfa Group's share price surged 10.7 per cent to HK$4.03 after it unveiled a deal to buy a 32 per cent stake in Huameiao Energy for 1.6 billion yuan, to be half-financed by a bank loan and half by its own resources. Huameiao has three coal mines within 100 kilometres of China Qinfa's coal loading stations in Datong, Shanxi province. They will have a combined output capacity of 8 million tonnes by next year's third quarter. China Qinfa will have the right to buy at least 32 per cent of the mine's output."

"Earlier this year, mainland business media reported that a multinational consortium led by Blackstone had invested US$600 million in a key logistics park for fresh produce in Shouguang, Shandong." from South China Morning Post

"The interception of mail bombs sent by militants from Yemen via FedEx and UPS last month was a dramatic reminder to air passengers that they could be flying with poorly screened cargo." from South China Morning Post

" "The challenge is staying ahead of what the bad guys come up with, trying to be proactive rather than reactive," says Lori Beckman, president of US company Aviation Security Consulting and former director of security at Denver International Airport." 

"It's what Issac Yeffet, former head of security for Israel's hypersecure flag carrier EI AI, calls a "patch on top of a patch" - successively reaching to previous threats with improved technologies in a security race in which the terrorists are always likely to be one step ahead: one lunatic comes up with a particularly wacky idea, and the whole global airport security industry tries to make sure that, if someone else tries exactly the same thing, they're foiled."

"Passenger screening, meanwhile, is moving from simple identification towards complex biometrics - fingerprints, retinal scans and facial pattern recognition."

"It is difficult to measure success - the best result is nothing happening As Lawson puts it: "Given the cost of security technology and implementing it for an airline nowadays, especially when they're running as lean as they are, it's a bit difficult to persuade them to spend a lot of money on something that might happen."

"The events of 9/11, for example, happened not because of a particular screening failure, but because no one had thought of the possibility that terrorists armed with Stanley knives might try to fly planes into buildings. In other words, the issue, as much as security, is imagination."

"The objective is to have an integrated system and seamless supply chain."

"By helping to shorten lead times, speed up order processing, manage inventory and monitor transport, this creates greater transparency and efficiency for all parties involved.

  "We consistently study the whole supply chain and have regular meetings with customers to identify areas to enhance logistics performance," Chung says. "It is not just a question of getting feedback from the big names such as the supermarket groups, but also from general trade customers and smaller retailers."

  She explains that the company has its own internal set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to understand how things stand and what needs further attention. These track standard measures such as in-stock rates, service levels and inventory days. However, they are deliberately designed to reflect customer objectives - not some self-defined targets - and are revamped when necessary to take account of sometimes fast-changing requirements.

  To keep things moving forward, frequent KPI reviews incorporate feedback and suggestions from day-to-day interaction. The mechanism encourage customers to provide comment and input and, where appropriate, is quite open about what the KPIs actually are. This makes for closer co-operation, more fruitful discussions, and progressively higher standards that bring all-round benefits.

  "For us, good logistics performance is all about providing the right product at the right time and in the right quantity to fulfil shopper's needs," Chung says." from South China Morning Post

"Being able to track consignment status almost instantly and at an item level makes it possible to minimise movements within the global supply chain and plan more effectively." from South China Morning Post

"SITC International Holdings, a mainland shipping and logistics company which listed in Hong Kong last month, saw a 334 per cent year-on-year growth in net profit for the first nine months on higher freight rates and shipping volume." from South China Morning Post

" "The rapid expansion of intra-Asia trade has resulted in a need for a package and freight service provider with the speed and capacity necessary to support the region's unparalleled growth," said Derek Woodward, President of UPS Asia Pacific Region. "In building this facility in Shenzhen, UPS is also recognizing the importance of China to the growth of the Asia Pacific region." from Shippers Today

" "UPS experienced another great quarter in Asia with nearly 35% growth in export volume. We also experienced a strong performance in our Asia-to-Europe trade lane export volume with more than 30% growth," said Derek Woodward, President, UPS Asia Pacific Region." from Indiablooms  

"Kerry Logistics will build a new 42,000 sqm logistics centre in Xiamen, Fujian Province, Mainland China, preparing the way for a significant increase in trade between the coastal city and Taiwan." from Shippers Today