[Video] DHL optimistic on the recovery of cargo

Singapore – Herbert Vongpusanachai, county manager of DHL Express said DHL’s recent addition of a Boeing 747 to its Asia Pacific trade route is testament to the company’s optimism on the recovery of the cargo industry.

Learn more about DHL Express Singapore’s view on the air cargo industry in the Asia Pacific region and Singapore's potential as a trading hub.

Plane eats cargo

JAL's appetite for cargo: a case of human error or has dwindling freight volume literally prompt an airplane into ingesting a baggage container?

Earlier this week, A Japan Airlines (JAL) plane sucked up a large metal baggage container, with one of its engines, as the plane prepared to depart from Los Angeles International Airport.

The incident took place on Monday, just as JAL flight 61 heading to Narita, Japan was leaving one of the airport's gates at the Tom Bradley International Terminal.

Media sources have suggested that during the unfortunate event, the baggage cart was either parked or driven too close to the aircraft, when the vacuum created by the engines preparing for take-off sucked the baggage cart into the left outboard engine housing.

Fortunately, all 245 passengers and 18 crew members on board made a lucky escape due to a quick thinking pilot in charge. The plane was duly grounded and towed to a hangar for investigation by The Federal Aviation Administration.

Could this be another big blunder by baggage handlers, frequently flamed for luggage that go missing on flights, or did poor volumes really prompt the airliner into a sporadic action.

Tweet tweet

The more Internet-savvy of you out there will realise ProcurementAsia has its own twitter account, and are part of the 136 (and counting) that we correspond with on the micro-blogging site.

"Tweet...what?" Unfortunately, apart from PR companies or those that are active in the social media space, that's the normal response I get when I try to tell my esteemed purchasing colleagues about it.

Twitter, explained by Wikipedia, is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

What does this mean to you? Well let's see. ProcurementAsia is now in contact with 136 purchasing and supply chain professionals across the world, who update on their Twitter about their lives, their jobs and what's going on in the supply chain space where they are at. I've essentially met and chatted with over a hundred buyers and supply chain folk, most of who I would have otherwise never get the chance to.

What's more, our followers get live updates when we're at conferences, price and market trends and the news when it breaks. In fact, more and more visitors to the ProcurementAsia website (www.procurement-online.com) are redirected from Twitter. It's a great place to bounce your thoughts out to the purchasing and supply chain world, and have them respond quickly, in 140 characters back to you.

But don't just take my word for it. Try also UPS, whose account (@thomasatups) helps frazzled Twitter clients find or track their parcels; Kingfisher (@flykingfisher) which uses Twitter to reach out to their customers; @ariba and @Oracle which extend their spend management helpline, new products and tips to the twitterverse; oh and of course, the very helpful groups of supply chain experts at @SupplyChainNtwk and @PurchasingPros.

See the number of likeminded purchasing and supply chain individuals you might be missing out on meeting? It's not too late. Get on over to http://twitter.com and start your 140 character updates.

Oh, and don't forget to follow us. We're at http://twitter.com/procurementasia

Happy tweeting!

[Video] How to keep costs down

Singapore - YCH chairman and CEO Dr Robert Yap gives a few pointers on how to keep supply chain costs at a minimum and keep your company from going under.

[Video] RFID adoption in Asia on the rise?

Singapore - The food recalls of 2008, together with initiatives from governments and mandates from retailers like Wal-Mart is expected to push RFID adoption in Asia, says a top NXP executive.

Competitive, much?

I always knew the 3PL industry was competitive, but I had first hand experience of just how cutthroat it can get at a press conference this week.

One of the major 3PLs held a good press conference this week and after the presentation and q&a I decided to approach the company's head honcho with a couple of questions, notebook open and pen poised.

It was only when he exclaimed and called over his head of marketing that I realised something was amiss. I was at their company event, but writing in my notebook from another 3PL, with a pen from a third major player in the logistics market.

Whoops.

It was a bigger hooha than I had originally expected. The executive made sure the marketing department sent over a new company-branded notebook saying "this simply will not do!". I think he was more than just a little appalled.

I really wasn't out to offend anyone, and my attempts at telling them I still have the media gift they sent two years ago fell on deaf years after my little faux pas.

But if I may just defend myself for a minute, I guess they really don't call us starving writers for nothing. When we need notebooks, pens or recorders (just a few journalism essentials), we'll grab the first thing available. Of course there are certain notebooks or pens or post-its that we like from one company over another, but when push comes to shove and you're running out to nail that story, most of us will grab the nearest free essential we can lay our hands on.

On the flip side, it just goes to show exactly how loyal these executives are to their brands, and that's always really nice to see. Competition is healthy anyway, right?

Ps/ Unlined notebooks are the best. I'm not saying anything, but you know. Just FYI.

Who says logistics is a boring business?

At our job we sometimes have to trudge through pages and pages of photos to put in the magazine. During one such session late in the night I came across this image that stopped me in my tracks.


While some may look at it like a silly, even frivolous thing to do (or in Singapore the colloquial terms "eat already nothing to do"), it made me chuckle and think: there's so much being said about not being able to find good talent because the supply chain is not a sexy business, but is that really true? Being in charge of a whole network that drives a company means you have to get creative to get an advantage, so why the boring stigma?

I don't think logisticians and supply chain professionals deserve the "boring" title. Don't believe me? Here's more proof. Check out this Christmas carol from William Martin of Total Logistics Solutions I got in the mail:

It was the night before Christmas, when all through the warehouse, Not a forklift was stirring, not even a mouse;

There were no stockings hung, only safety signs that read, Pedestrians beware, or you could end up dead;

As I looked around I noticed, the inventory was not nestled where it was supposed to be,

The warehouse was out of space and all the world could see;
The supervisor in his kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down and told me, the consultant, "he was sick of this crap;"

Inaccurate inventory, not enough space,

Constant employee turnover, a pile of returns,

He took a deep breath, and then put his hands on his face;

How did we get here, he asked, what are we doing wrong,

How will we catch up with receiving, I thought to myself,

"This is the same tired song;"

Next comes the dreams of a Warehouse Management System, to save us next year,

But it never comes, because a lack of ROI is what the executives fear;

I tell him the lack of ROI is not because of the software,

But because few organizations address their problems,

Before implementing a solution that big,

They merely end up putting clean clothes on dirty kid;

He says, nothing ever changes and wonders if we will be able to keep our sanity,

How many more customers will we lose and blame on the economy;

What will we do when the customer on the phone asks, "Are you sure you have that in stock,"

Smile like always and say, "Can you hold while I check my receiving dock;"

Just then the CEO enters and asks how is it going,

The supervisor smiles and says, "Its going, as you can see its going;"

The CEO then tells of a simpler time when customers weren't so demanding,

When inventory levels were low and all he thought about was expanding;

Well expand we have done, with a warehouse bursting at the seams,

But is the warehouse too small he asks, or do I need to speak with the Purchasing team;

The supervisor responds no I think we will be okay,

We just need to catch up on the receiving that came in the other day;

Well we definitely need to get those receivers entered so we can close out this year,

So do what you can, to make it disappear;

As he began to stroll away, down the aisle, he stepped over numerous piles of inventory, He then turned and said, "Merry Christmas you two," and that is the end of Warehouse Christmas story.

Now to all of those who think the supply chain business is boring and "not sexy" enough should think twice. Clearly people can get pretty creative on this. And even if some might look at it and laugh, what it actually highlights is just how much passion and interest the community has in their work - something that has drawn me in since we kick-started the magazine.

Passion. Now that's pretty sexy, isn't it?