Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

By Justin Cramer

Before Henry Ford created the mass market for automobiles, there were scores of buggy-whip factories. A few remain today and one of them is thriving. Hoover, that one-time buggy-whip company, now makes vacuum cleaners. Most other turn-of-the-century whip makers stubbornly stuck with dated technology and suffered the consequences, as did the coach manufacturers that bought from them.

There are many Value Added Resellers (VARs) today with a buggy-whip mentality. They are comfortable, or should we say complacent, with yesteryear’s software.

This is not to suggest that VARs are not a valuable resource. There are compelling reasons to use VARs. Good VARs not only know their software, but they know you. Working closely with a high-quality VAR can result in a smooth-running shipping operation.

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FedEx will launch next-day service in Mexico On Oct. 6th.

The service, called FedEx Express Nacional, will include delivery to any address in Mexico, online tracking and tracing, and a money-back guarantee.

It will initially create more than 180 jobs in Mexico in addition to the 1,000 it currently employs in the country. Operational hubs will be located in Toluca and San Luis Potosi.
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By Jeff Goeters

Hinda Incentives, a full-service reward-programs company, became an industry leader through a combination of high-quality inventory and supreme customer service. Proof of this winning combination is 20 to 40 percent annual growth.

The company distinguishes itself by providing award recipients with immediate gratification through fast and accurate shipping.

Benito Bustamante, Hinda’s director of warehouse operations, said, “If someone knows they are getting a reward, they want it yesterday. And we want to oblige.”

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The U.S. Postal Service could lose about $2 billion this year according to Postmaster General John E. Potter.

Potter said the postal service is grappling with issues that many businesses are facing, such as how to handle high fuel prices. He pointed to the postal service’s large fleet of alternative-fuel vehicles as a positive step.

He said unless USPS does more to reduce bureaucracy, cut costs and embrace technology, the Postal Service could lose $2 billion or more next year.”

NEW YORK — The Associated Press — On a narrow street in lower Manhattan’s financial district, Godvell Merilus pulls his UPS truck alongside a curb and parks illegally.

Like the nearby Poland Spring and FedEx drivers, Merilus doesn’t have a choice. There are no legal spaces, and he has a demanding schedule to keep, delivering hundreds of packages to corporations such as Goldman Sachs and Citibank.

Then the inevitable comes wrapped in a blaze-orange envelope: Merilus gets a $115 parking ticket, one of four he receives this day. “It’s automatic,” said Merilus, 34. “There is not a single day I don’t get a summons.”

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The Dominican Republic and five Central American countries recently signed a free trade agreement with the United States that could boost their combined exports to the United States by as much as 28 percent after implementation, especially in textiles, clothing and processed crops, according to a new International Monetary Fund report. The U.S. International Trade Commission has previously estimated a 12.5 percent increase after the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) is fully implemented, as reported in the Latin Business Chronicle.

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By Jeff Goeters

Shipping is a critical customer satisfaction tool, and running a responsive shipping department requires significant investment.

Fortunately, that investment is recoverable. The shipping department can be configured in a way that can turn a profit.

Ways to accomplish this range from good planning to creating detailed business rules for your shipping software.

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Shipping Industry magazine Parcel Shipping & Distribution has included a page on Best Way Technologies, ProShip and ProSTART in their latest “Who’s Who in the Parcel Industry” issue.