The city, along with a private developer, has unveiled plans for the $200 million air freight handling centre on the north-east side of the airport.

The breakdown of the creation of over 10,000 jobs has been revealed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie Andolino. They say that 1,200 construction jobs, 1,200 permanent cargo jobs and 10,000 regional jobs will be created by the new air freight centre. In addition, the freight centre will provide approximately $600 million in economic benefits to the airport, at no cost to Chicago taxpayers.

The project will be funded by a $130 million investment by Montreal-based developer Aeroterm and over $62 million of airport funds.

Mayor Emanuel said,

“O’Hare is one of our city’s key economic engines and this project will vastly increase its cargo capacity, create thousands of quality jobs and increase Chicago’s competitive position as a global transport and cargo leader. This will help us achieve our goal of doubling exports over the next five years.”

Chicago is already the leading national gateway for air freight exports to China, representing over 25% of the market.

Aviation Commissioner, Rosemarie Andolino, said,

“The extensive progress we’ve been able to make on the O’Hare Modernisation Programme has paved the way for this project, with new, larger runways and taxiways that allow the airport to handle the larger, newest generation of B747-8 cargo planes.

“Because of our successful efforts, Chicago and O’Hare are able to better serve existing cargo carriers and attract new cargo service, which will boost Chicago’s position as an international air freight hub.”

OSE provide a full range of transport and logistics services including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more here.

Research obtained claim that only four in ten shippers obtain a bill of lading within three days of submitting shipping instructions. This suggests that for some lines, large improvements are necessary in order to improve commercial processes.

However, performances ranged between 0% and 93% across the five-month measurement period from October 2011 to February 2012. This indicates that the industry is somewhat polarised in its customer service efforts.

In addition, the key performance indicators for “on-time shipment of cargo” which is a measure of whether a box leaves port as scheduled showed a consistent success rate of 66-70% in the same 5 months. This indicated that delays are fairly common even before the box has been loaded on board.

However, as part of the research, when analysts compared the port-to-port transit time with sailing schedules, therefore excluding port delays, they found that the container lines fared slightly better. This being said, 25% of boxes still spent longer at seas than planned.

Simon Heaney, Research Manager at Drewry, said,

“Any improvement in reliability should be welcomed, but an average score of around 70% is still far too low for a key service industry to be happy with.”

“Carriers that want to secure new business – essential if they want to fill their big new ships – will have to aim higher than the current benchmark and not rest on their laurels.

“Reliability remains an area that carriers can distinguish themselves from the competition. Shippers can play their part in driving future service quality by putting greater emphasis on reliability and other service criteria in their carrier selections.”

According to Drewry, the most reliable carriers were Maersk Line and sister company Safmarine, followed by Hanjin Shipping.

OSE provide a complete range of reliable transport and logistics services including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more here.

They suggest a system of road pricing for all vehicles be introduced as tax revenue declines.

A recently commissioned report by the RAC Foundation outlines how a “relentless decline in fuel duty and VED revenue”, due to increasingly fuel efficient cars and a predicted uptake of electric vehicles, will leave a black hole in public finances.

Professor Stephen Glaister, RAC Foundation director, said,

“All road users, including freight” should therefore be included in road user charging, which would also mean scrapping the Lorry road user charge.

He added,

“It doesn’t fit in; it’s an obstacle. The revenue will be so small and the bureaucracy awful.”

The RAC Foundation also added that the government is considering the use of toll roads, in its submission to the Lorry road user charge consultation. This, they claim, undermines the argument for introducing a charge on Heavy Goods Vehicles.

However, Jack Semple, Road Haulage Association policy director, said that road charging and Lorry road user charges are “completely different subject issues.”

He said,

“While we increasingly discuss whether tolls should wholly or in part replace fuel duty as a tax we should get on with the more simple and low cost measure to try and level the playing field of UK and foreign trucks. I don’t see HGV charging in any way a barrier to what the government may or may not do in terms of charging for all vehicles. We give our very strong backing of it.”

OSE provide a complete range of transport and logistics services including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more here.

The charity reached this conclusion after voicing concern at the lack of crash barriers situation on much of England’s motorway network.

Barriers prevent a vehicle from veering off a motorway at high speed. In a large number of cases, the barriers prevent some of the energy of the car which increases the motorist’s chances of survival.

The charity’s research found that only half of England’s motorway network had adequate barriers which would provide any protection for motorists if they lost control of their vehicle.

According to the research, the problem has been made worse by poor motorway maintenance. This has seen crash barriers being left unrepaired after a previous accident, therefore decreasing their effectiveness.

In addition, a number of trees, in some parts of the country, have been planted too close to motorways, therefore increasing the potential risk to motorists.

The research comes after the Department for Transport proposed an increase in the speed limit on motorways from 70mph to 80mph later this year.

Supporting the move, which was announced by Philip Hammond, the former Transport Secretary was the belief that road vehicles are now safer than they were when the current speed limit was set.

If the Government decides to go ahead with the proposals, a number of trials would be carried out on selected parts of the motorway network first.

The Road Safety Foundation’s director, Dr Joanne Marden, said,

“The vehicle fleet has become safer in the last decade through better crash protection. At motorway speeds, the car alone cannot protect the human body. The car has to work with the motorway’s protection systems such as safety fencing to absorb high speed crash energies. In the next decade, the greatest potential for reducing deaths is on higher-speed roads outside built-up areas.”

Edmund King, the AA’s president sounded a note of caution. “Some stretches of motorway are more suitable for 80mph than others.

“If you don’t have adequate central reservation barriers, a hard shoulder and variable speed limit message signs then the road is not safe for 80mph.”

The research will come as a blow to the Department for Transport, as well as UK Express Transport operators, who believed that by increasing the speed limit, journey times would be reduced, therefore aiding business and boosting the economy.

OSE provide a full range of transport and logistics services including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more here.

Mark Huybrechts, president of CLECAT, the European freight forwarders organization, said,

“Europe’s transport infrastructure, especially its road network, is falling behind which is mainly due to lack of investment. CLECAT will be calling for more funding for road related infrastructure.”

Debating the Connecting Europe Facility instrument at an event hosted by MEP Filip De Backer, Huybrechts said the instrument, published by the European Commission in October last year, represented a big leap forward. Together with the TEN-T guidelines they establish the framework for the building of one trans-European network.

However, with a sense of caution, he said that it was essential that mistakes of the past did not repeat themselves and that the TEN-T did not become a patchwork of individual national networks during its implementation phase once again.

De Backer said,

“We agree that priorities will have to be established but EU interests should nevertheless be promoted to have a true TEN-T with EU added value, delivering a TEN-T that would be environmentally sustainable and economically viable for the benefit of the entire EU.  But, project assessment is particularly important to avoid directing funds to places with no or little demand.”

“It is now important that Member States are convinced of the European approach. We are convinced that a European Transport network will lead to more growth and more jobs for the benefit of the wider economy.”

OSE provide a full range of Transport and Logistics Services including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more here.

Chivers was speaking at this month’s UK-based Multimodal 2012 trade show, where he was a speaker during the three-day supply chain seminar programme hosted by European Shippers’ Council web portal The Shippers’ Voice.

Chivers addressed delegates at a session on Green Freight Europe, a new multi-industry voluntary initiative to benchmark C02 emissions from road haulage.

He said,

“We are working with customers to achieve eco-friendly and cost efficient logistics solutions for sound financial as well as environmental reasons.”

Chivers went on to describe the movement of goods as ‘essential to social vitality and economic growth’

However, he went on to stress that this had to be reconciled against reducing emissions in an age when environmental sustainability was crucial to the industry’s long-term development.

“This requires collaborating with our customers on providing tailor-made solutions that take into account their market, their own cost objectives in supplying that market and the need to reduce their particular supply chain complexity,” he explained.

“The increasing challenge is to provide an effective and sound supply network that includes economic, environmental and social reasoning and low-carbon sustainable freight solutions.”

A number of improvements have already been implemented by Freight operators such as better route planning to reduce vehicle miles, less empty vehicle running, driver training and more efficient vehicles and fuels.

However, rising costs in a tough economy have made it more and more difficult to take future investment decisions. Therefore collaboration between all stakeholders has been required to achieve further carbon efficiencies.

Chivers went on to add,

“We joined Green Freight Europe because we see it as a progressive initiative that includes not just other operators but, importantly, stakeholders who are producers, manufacturers and retailers – all of whom have an interest in improving the environmental performance of road freight transport in Europe.”

If various elements were applied, then making logistics more sustainable was a complex but feasible achievement.

This included having a single industry-recognised measurement system, setting ambitious but achievable goals and encouraging long-term supply chain strategy that minimised impact on the environment and economy while offering a wide range of benefits.

These solutions included reducing energy consumption, reducing the tone/kilometer ratio of less sustainable transport modes and increasing then use of rail and inland waterways modes.

Green Freight Europe was officially launched in March of this year, and has since doubled in size to more than 50 members. The programme aims to develop, share and verify best practices based on a standard measurement and reporting system for CO2 emissions.

A pilot stage is due in June ahead of a general launch in October, later this year. In the longer term it is planned to extend the scheme to rail and sea freight.

The European Commission has voiced support for the initiative as going a long way to help the European Union achieve its emissions targets.

OSE aims to reduce its carbon footprint wherever it can throughout its range of transport and logistics services. Find out more about our range of services, including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing here.

The new announcements, created by the writer of British sitcom Green Wing, Richard Preddy, and aim to make the Birmingham to London express journey a more enjoyable experience for passengers.

New announcements, as part of the team-up between Chiltern Railways and the UK TV comedy channel GOLD, include:

• “I’d like to welcome passengers boarding this 7.33 from Birmingham Moor Street to London Marylebone. If you’ve just bumped into someone who you barely know, you now have one hour and 30 minutes of awkward small talk. Good luck.”
• “For any passengers who’ve not visited London before, do please prepare yourselves for the capital’s overwhelmingly calm and relaxing pace of life.”
• “We will shortly be passing through West Ruislip where we will be racing the Underground trains. Do please feel free to cheer for our driver.”
• “Will any passengers listening to noisy iPods please get a better taste in music. Thank you.”

Tony Robinson, who played Baldrick in the award winning British sitcom, spent a month helping Chiltern Railways staff learn the lines. The announcements will also be heard at London Marylebone station.

Richard Preddy said,

“We have all waited for a train or a bus into work as the rain pours down and bustled our way to a seat and I think comedy can help to alleviate that stress.

“Everyone we met was so enthusiastic and the feedback so far has been fantastic.

“It’s important to note that we aren’t trying to turn everyone into a comedian.

“Rather we are hoping to bring out a little more of the staff’s personality and humour via their day-to-day announcements and help cheer up the commuters along the way.”

To learn more about OSE’s transport services, visit our transport and logistics services page here.

In 2010, Dell was shipping only 5% of its notebook computers by sea freight. By the fourth quarter of 2011, it was shipping half of these volumes by sea freight which reduced their transportation costs by nearly a third.

Over the last four years, Dell, the US computer giants, have completely overhauled and redesigned its supply chain, with the results showing obvious improvements. Over the period, Dell’s forecast accuracy has tripled, their manufacturing costs are down and they pay considerably less for freight transport services.

Dell was able to achieve these results by moving from a regional to a global structure. This meant variabilising its cost structure resulting in working with partner networks almost exclusively in China. This enabled the optimisation of its global IT infrastructure and also enabled the segmentation of its supply chain in order to provide more individual solutions for customers.

Dell’s Executive Director, Global Supply Chain Operations, Padraig Healy, said,

“We accepted that Dell had to transform. The world was changing around us, and how our competitors were supplying notebooks gave them a competitive advantage. Customers wanted to buy in a different way.”

The hi-tech community as a whole has been successful in driving down costs by completely overhauling its supply chain. Hi-tech companies dominated the ranks of the all-industry Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2011, with 9 of the top 25 and 5 of the top 10 made up of hi-tech companies.

The Gartner report said,

“As demand began to rebound in 2010, hi-tech companies continued to shine financially, exceeding last year’s average performance.

“They accomplished this, in part, through the introduction of innovative new products and aftermarket solutions, improved demand management capabilities, and increased resiliency to more profitably withstand supply chain disruptions.”

OSE provide a full range of transport and logistics services meaning we are perfectly equipped to ensure the smooth running of our customers’ supply chain. To find out more about our services, including UK and European Express, Economy European Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing, visit our services page here.

The investment will place hundreds of electric, hybrid and other low carbon commercial vehicles on UK roads and the Low Carbon Truck Demonstrator Trial project will pay up to 50% of the price difference between a conventional diesel vehicle and the low carbon equivalent.

In addition, it will also pay up to half of the cost of an electric vehicle charging point or other ‘cleantech’ refueling station.

The bid is being put together by Zero Carbon Futures, the region’s leading development and advocacy consultancy for low carbon vehicles, who are actively seeking partners to further strengthen the bid from the North-East.

Zero Carbon Futures was established in 2012 by Gateshead College, to develop and implement the College’s international low carbon vehicle strategy.

The North-East is already internationally recognised as the UK leader in the development and production of low carbon vehicles. Programme funding is currently available for purchasing electric trucks with a gross vehicle weight of over 3.5 tonnes and hybrid trucks with a GVW of over 7.5 tonnes.

At the moment bids can be made for up to 25 trucks which can be placed with one large fleet or a consortium of smaller operators.

Electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Smith Electric Vehicles will supply vehicles for a free open day to showcase the opportunities for North-East vehicle and system manufacturers, plus truck and large van operators.

The event is to take place at Gateshead’s College’s Test Track in Sunderland, on Monday 14^th May between 8 and 11am.

The Managing Director of Zero Carbon Futures, Dr Colin Herron, said,

“Trucking accounts for around 20 per cent of the UK’s carbon emissions, so it is crucial that we help the regions transport industry accelerate the adoption of greener technologies. This funding offers haulage, transport and delivery companies the chance to procure green trucks at very attractive prices, helping them to not only lower their carbon footprints but also their cost base, in what is a highly competitive sector.

“As the UK leader in the manufacture and development of low carbon vehicles, North-East England already has all the right elements in place to make a really strong bid. The consortium approach also makes this a unique opportunity for smaller companies in the region to be right at the forefront of some exciting low carbon vehicle technologies.”

The North-East is the UK’s first designated Low Carbon Economic Area and is committed to the introduction and adoption of electric vehicles and other low carbon vehicle technologies.

Over the last six years, more than £200 million has been invested in developing the region into world leading experts in this sector.

The development is based at the £10 million Skills Academy Manufacturing and Innovation, in Washington, Tyne & Wear. It has a broad remit including delivery of job creation programmes, advising on sustainable manufacturing techniques and overseeing the growth of Gateshead College test track and low carbon vehicle development workshops.

Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, OSE provide a complete range of transport and logistics services including UK and European Express, European Economy Freight, International Air and Sea Freight and UK and European Warehousing. Find out more about our services here.

OSE are also express transport specialists. Based in Newcastle upon Tyne, we also have European premises in Veurne, Belgium.

With 23,000sq metres of warehouse space, the new logistics facility will unite all of the European express transport operator’s air freight activities under one roof at Brucargo West.

The new building will provide dedicated areas, including a 1750 sq metre temperature controlled space for life science customers and customers with other particular requirements.

The CEO for the express transport operator’s BeNeLux and France division, said

“Brussels Airport is our country’s second economic driver, providing 20000 direct and 40000 indirect jobs.”

Through this €27 million investment, specific logistics needs of various key industry sectors will be boosted in Belgium.

The project is also set to represent a ‘green investment’, involving the deployment of environmental technologies including solar panels installations and water recovery systems.

OSE are specialists in UK and European dedicated express transport services. With European premises in Veurne, Belgium, OSE are perfectly located to react with speed, accuracy and certainty to any transport request. Find out about our specific transport services here.