Cloud-based e-booking portal to help Air New Zealand expand cargo bookings around the world

Unisys Corporation (NYSE: UIS) today announced Air New Zealand has joined Unisys Cargo Portal Services (CPS) to allow the airline's current and prospective freight forwarder clients to book and track shipments online.

Unisys' CPS is an online portal that enables freight forwarders to interact with multiple carriers via a single website to view availability, make bookings and track shipments as well as other electronic services such as producing IATA electronic Air Waybills (e-AWB) and interacting with customs systems. As one of the world's most popular multi-carrier air cargo online booking portals, CPS will broaden Air New Zealand Cargo's reach to the more than 6,000 forwarders and shippers from 3,750 branch offices of 2,200 companies who are active users of CPS, spanning 330 cities in 105 countries.

Air New Zealand Cargo operates more than 590 international flights per week, serving 32 cities in 18 countries around the globe, using the airline's passenger schedule. It has three dedicated international cargo terminals in New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, as well as a North American hub in Los Angeles, with gateways in Honolulu, Houston, San Francisco and Vancouver. Goods range from high technology and time-sensitive goods to fresh produce and general cargo.

Eric Hutto, senior vice president and president, Enterprise Solutions, Unisys, said, "We understand how important freight management is. In the case of delivering fresh food, fragile pharmaceuticals or valuable items, freight forwarders need to be able to quickly view availability and book shipments with reliable airlines such as Air New Zealand. Unisys Cargo Portal Services will help Air New Zealand expand its global reach by allowing more freight forwarders to choose the airline to deliver such critical cargo and meet their customers' expectations."

Air New Zealand has used the cloud-based Unisys Logistics Management System (LMS) to manage its air cargo business since 2010.

Dheeraj Kohli, vice president and global lead of travel and transportation for Unisys, explained, "As Air New Zealand already uses Unisys LMS, we can leverage the data in the cargo operations system to bring them online quickly. And because they pay on a transaction basis, costs relate directly to value. Both of these benefits are clear examples of how cloud-based services are transforming the air cargo industry."

Unisys has more than 45 years of experience providing advanced, critical IT solutions to the aviation industry. More than 20 percent of the world's air cargo shipments are processed on Unisys solutions. Unisys cargo solutions are used by many of the world's leading carriers, who collaborate via the Unisys Cargo User Group (UCUG). Unisys and UCUG members have worked with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for more than 20 years on initiatives such as e-Freight, Cargo iQ and XML messaging.

About UnisysUnisys is a global information technology company that specializes in providing industry-focused solutions integrated with leading-edge security to clients in the government, financial services and commercial markets. Unisys offerings include security solutions, advanced data analytics, cloud and infrastructure services, application services and application and server software. For more information, visit www.unisys.com.

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Unisys and other Unisys products and services mentioned herein, as well as their respective logos, are trademarks or registered trademarks of Unisys Corporation. Any other brand or product referenced herein is acknowledged to be a trademark or registered trademark of its respective holder.

|  BLUE BELL, Pa., Feb. 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --  ||

Honey, Meat, Fish and Fresh Fruit Among the Cargoes Carried

Since American Airlines Cargo launched a new service between Los Angeles (LAX) and the New Zealand city of Auckland (AKL) in mid-2016, the carrier has seen consistent, rapid expansion—a developing story perfectly illustrated by the short notice shipment of a world renowned honey.

Manuka honey, lauded for its healing properties, is produced in New Zealand by bees that pollinate the native manuka plant. The transport of this honey, which is used in the treatment of a number of illnesses from sore throats to digestive problems, requires delicate handling.

Usually the honey is moved by ocean freight, but recently, on short notice, American was called upon to carry the honey for the first time; a 19,000-pound shipment from AKL to LAX and then on to London Heathrow (LHR)—and did so swiftly and smoothly in order to meet deadlines for a contract in the UK.

Lamb shipments from AKL have also exceeded expectations since the launch of this route, providing a level of confidence that has resulted in additional high-volume lamb shipments for the approaching Easter holiday.

“Customers across New Zealand are benefiting from the tremendous scope of American’s global network,” said Carolyn Evans, country manager for GSA Cargo—the airline’s global sales agent in Australasia. “Conversely, the onwards connections from the Los Angeles gateway to both Europe and South America are proving particularly popular because of the number of industries that need to airfreight goods out of New Zealand. Today, more than 50 percent of what we export is bound for destinations beyond Los Angeles.”

Typical LAX-AKL flights now contain both general freight and perishable cargo with items such as medical equipment, locks, and printed matter, alongside the more traditional meat, fish and fresh fruit products for which New Zealand has long been associated.

“We are currently gearing up for another big fruit and flower season in 2017,” added Evans, who noted that recent bad weather including snow on the south island has impacted exports, which have delayed the season slightly. “Sub-tropicals, like passion fruit, will soon be coming on stream—and in the meantime, we are busy with wine, shoes, wool products and band equipment.”

American provides a daily, direct flight from New Zealand to LAX with its new Boeing 787 aircraft, offering connections beyond the U.S. to China, Japan, London, and Sao Paulo.

A group from the University of Auckland’s Centre for Supply Chain Management, including Lynn who is editor of the FTD magazine, were invited to find out.

The Devonport Naval Base – HMNZS Philomel – is the home of the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), where it hosts training and support services for all its ships and personnel, including engineering facilities. The Naval Supply Depot is also located at the base which houses the Supply Chain Group to support the material requirements for ship operations.Students past and present of the University of Auckland’s Centre for Supply Chain Management enjoyed a tour of the Royal NZ Navy Supply Depot late last year

Commander Julie Simpkins took over the role of logistics and supply chain manager in August last year following a diverse career in the RNZN dating back to 1989, including land and sea experience plus several overseas postings. She says the role of logistics within the RNZN is to ‘deliver today, shape tomorrow’.

>  >  >  Continue to read Lynne's article here

Like many in the logistics industry, Cantabrian Tony Marriott started work as a storeman, working at Meadows Freight at Christchurch Airport in the early 1980s. Today, he’s the general manager of one of New Zealand’s leading providers of moving services within the country and around the world. This is his story.

I left high school at the age of 16 with every intention of going back to uni after I had figured out what I wanted to do. I landed my first job in freight forwarding because, as my first manager put it, I had the best geography scores! Some 30-plus years later, I’m still in logistics and still loving it.

The old days of freight forwarding were the wild frontier of learning. There were no manuals, and most of what we learned was by observation or the old process of ‘drop ‘em in the deep end’, with the possible exception of the IATA/FIATA dangerous goods courses where anything less than 90% was a fail. University graduates were non-existent, and there were no formal qualifications other than airline courses, which I had completed within the first 18 months.

>  >  > Continue to read the full article here

Skoda are making a push toward battery-powered transporters at its factory.

To try and make them more energy-efficient, a tractor towing two trailers full of solar panels is being put to the test on its 70-km (43-mi) route.

By harvesting solar energy on its daily errands, Skoda expects it to lower its energy usage by around 10 percent annually. Should the trial be successful, the full fleet of battery-powered tractors at the factory will be kitted out with the solar chargers.

>  >  > read full article here

Following the announcement of Managing Director, Michael Brockhoff's retirement from MaxiTRANS, the trailer builder has appointed Dean Jenkins as his replacement, effective 1 March.

According to MaxiTRANS, Jenkins (pictured) brings two decades of industry experience to the role, most recently as COO and Executive Director of leading engineering business, Weir Group.

Chairman of MaxiTRANS, Robert Wylie, said the Board was delighted to appoint a senior international executive of Jenkins' calibre and experience to the role.

"Dean has over 20 years' executive experience in managing transport and manufacturing businesses. He has a strong track record of successfully leading large, complex and truly global companies, driving change and improvement throughout his career," Wylie said.

"This in-depth international transport and engineering experience and leadership capability means he is ideally suited to build MaxiTRANS' next phase of development to generate superior value for shareholders."

Previous to his role at Weir Group, Jenkins also was CEO of UGL Rail, Australia's largest supplier and maintainer of rolling stock with operations in Hong Kong, New Zealand and supply chain in China.

He also spent 11 years in senior leadership roles with Qantas, including the position of Group General Manager/Head of Engineering, Material and Logistics.

Jenkins said he was delighted to have been appointed to the position of Managing Director of MaxiTRANS.

"I am excited about the prospect of leading MaxiTRANS and working with the Board and the leadership team to build the company's competitive position. The company has strong brands and enduring customer relationships which provide a strong platform to generate growth opportunities right across the business," Jenkins said.

| A Trailer release  |  February 13, 2017  ||

Size matters to CEVA. The world's fourth largest logistics company has just moved into what it claims is one of the biggest sheds in the southern hemisphere, a half-kilometre-long storage and distribution facility equivalent to eight MCG playing fields in size.

Netherlands-based CEVA Logistics occupied the new $80 million single span building in Melbourne's western suburbs in August last year, part of a rationalisation that has also seen it consolidate into similar, although smaller, "super sites" in Brisbane and Perth.

"There's huge demand for this site," said CEVA's Australia and New Zealand managing director Carlos Velez Rodriguez.

The building acts as a staging, storage and distribution point for companies as varied as General Motors Holden, Mazda, Michelin and Continental tyres, NBN Co's equipment, items for Caltex's service station convenience stores and Accent shoes.

> > >  Continue to full article

Alibaba Group has opened a new office in Melbourne, with a remit to oversee sourcing and operations in both Australia and New Zealand.

The new office is Alibaba's first expansion into the region, with personnel positioned to source and promote products, which are becoming increasing popular with consumers in China and South East Asia, from both countries. Alibaba will also use the new office to better facilitate the supply of goods to markets in Asia in which it operates, having also signed a memorandum of understanding with Australia Post to improve logistics between Australia and China. It is also understood that the relationship will be used to develop an Australian shop on the Lazada marketplace in South East Asia, of which Alibaba are the majority shareholder.Cross border ecommerce a priority for Alibaba

Alibaba's new office in Melbourne is similar to other offices they have opened around the world in order to facilitate better sourcing of products that Chinese consumers are increasingly demanding. For example, Alibaba's office in London is used for the same purpose, attracting both suppliers and retailers to use its services to sell products into Asia via its platforms.

In the last few years, both Woolworths, Metcash and Costco, alongside numerous other retailers, have all started selling products on Alibaba's Tmall platform in China, with cross border ecommerce set to grow further in the future. Something that Alibaba CEO, Jack Ma, who was present in Melbourne, is keen to promote.

| A SupplyChain release  |  February 7, 2017  ||

Prime Vision has launched a new strategy for its regional division in Australia and New Zealand with a specific focus on the Postal and Logistics industries.

According to Prime Vision: “The new strategy responds to the challenges faced by Postal and Logistics operators in the region, providing a range of solutions to help operators improve utilization of their assets, providing tracking of individual items from first mile to last mile, increasing parcel processing capacity cost effectively, and providing Consumers more choice for delivery.”

Prime Vision added that it is offering a new portfolio of solutions to deliver the new strategy including:

• Asset tracking for cages, vehicles and items within cages.• Item tracking, for first mile to last mile, using printed electronics for identification instead of barcode, stamps or other indicia.• A fully connected Internet of Postal Things (IoPT), platform built on the latest architecture technology, connecting physical ‘things’ used in the operation, with gateways to enterprise systems.• Autonomous and assisted sorting solutions, which combine Prime Visions recognition technology with robotics to sort parcels from point-to-point using mobile robots.• Smart mailboxes and home parcel lockers with secure access management solutions to enable controlled access by postal workers and confirmed acceptance by Consumers.

Prime Automation established its office in Sydney in 2011.

The Prime Automation division will change its name and be known as Prime Vision Australia, and existing contracts for the Food and Beverage industry will transfer to a new regional service provider.

|  A Prime Vision release  |  February 7, 2017  ||

Load handling equipment provider, Kalmar, will soon deliver two new container straddle carrier models to New Zealand shipping company, Port Otago.

According to Port Otago, the two Kalmar straddle carriers will include its ESC350 and ESC450 models. “Improved economy, performance, reliability, and safety are key facets of this purchasing decision, and the Port welcomes any developments in Straddle Carrier design that reflect genuine safety improvements,” said Bob Smillie, Maintenance Manager, Port Otago.

“The Port is currently conducting a detailed analysis of Kalmar’s HSC350 Hybrid, a design that is expected to be a leading contender for future Straddle Carrier replacement decisions.

“Port Otago Ltd operates in a pristine area of New Zealand, taking pride in environmental conservation while undertaking their operations. Kalmar therefore focuses on providing solutions to support their operations while maintaining environmental sustainability.”