January volumes at the Port of Los Angeles (POLA) and the Port of Long Beach (POLB) were both strong to kick off 2016, according to data respectively issued by the ports last week.
POLA and POLB are the two largest North American ports, and they collectively account for more than 40 percent of U.S. imports. As previously reported, West coast port volumes, especially in first half of 2015, had been uneven, as ports had to work through the backlog caused by the nine-month West Coast port labor dispute between the PMA and ILWU, which reached a resolution in the form of a new contract agreement that was reached last spring.

Traffic was switched to the new terminal entrances and the old entrances were closed during the evening. There are now separate entry points for heavy and light vehicles.

The Port of Felixstowe (UK) has confirmed that it will offer a container weighing service to ensure UK shippers are able to comply with new international regulations that will come into effect on 1 July 2016.

International mail and parcel solutions provider, Asendia UK, is expanding its Heathrow facility to meet increased demand from customers who are using the company to fulfil their own increase in demand.

The KION Group and its automation brand Egemin Automation say they have further strengthened their expertise in the fast-growing market for automated warehouse systems in North America by acquiring Retrotech, an established US systems integrator of warehouse and distribution solutions. The KION Group has signed an agreement to purchase the company, which is valued at around $US 40 million, with Savoye S.A. of France. The transaction is subject to the usual conditions precedent and is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2016.

“While many organizations’ supply chains rely heavily on technology, oftentimes, there are quicker and less costly options.” —Allison Ryder and John A. Caltagirone.
With all the talk of automation, robotics and the Internet of Things, it’s easy to forget that not every facility has to pick thousands of individual items to fill e-commerce orders in 30 minutes or less to move their businesses forward. Just as there are times when a hammer, screwdriver and pliers are the right tools for the job, many finished goods warehouses and crossdocking facilities rely on the fundamentals of lift trucks and floor and rack storage, while optimizing their processes with software tools like warehouse management systems (WMS) and transportation management systems (TMS).

The announcement is backed by published energy consumption figures based on the standard VDI 2198 60-cycle test. Yale expects energy consumption to become an increasingly important consideration in materials handling as even small savings add up to substantial cost reductions and productivity improvements over the course of a week, a month or a year.

Wolter Group has announced the acquisition of Ellis Systems, a leading distributor of high density storage and shelving solutions out of Lake Forest, Ill.

Linde’s new heavy diesel forklift trucks HT100Ds to HT180Ds with hydrodynamic drive are the second series in the load capacity range between 10 and 18 tonnes that Linde Material Handling (Linde) is offering its customers as an alternative to the hydrostatic drive concept. The compact trucks set new standards in their weight class in terms of comfort, safety, operational efficiency and ease of maintenance.

Hanjin Shipping India Pvt Ltd, the South Korean shipping conglomerate, made its maiden call at KPCT on 1st February, 2016. Vessel MV Hanjin Florida had exchanged 553 TEU out of which 109 TEU are imports and 444 TEU are exports. Krishnapatnam Port Container Terminal, whose volume during Apr’15 - Jan’16 has already surpassed FY 2014-15 container volume, offers immense opportunities for new service calls to tap its huge hinterland.