by CanadianSailings | Mar 22, 2016 | Bruce Striegler, Government and Regulation, Other
By R. Bruce Striegler
Toronto’s General Manager of Transportation Services, Steve Buckley, says he has enthusiastically followed autonomous vehicle (AV) technology since his graduate days in the nineties. “At that time there were pilot projects going on in California, but years later when I became part of government, I became highly skeptical of the model some of those projects were based on. It was incremental and dependent upon public sector infrastructure.” Pointing out that governments often tend to be risk-averse, he says that if they were required to be drawn into liability issues, planning for the new technology would stall.
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by CanadianSailings | Mar 22, 2016 | Bruce Striegler, Government and Regulation, Other
By R. Bruce Striegler
“Automated vehicles are going to have a big and disruptive impact on many different departments of all three levels of government and many different businesses. Unfortunately in Canada, we are dead last of the G7 nations in our preparation for this big disruption,” says Barrie Kirk, Executive Director, Canadian Automated Vehicles Centre of Excellence (CAVCOE). In terms of legislation, there are no new federal standards for self-driving cars and Kirk says that will need to be changed. “Any vehicles imported into Canada need to meet the Canadian Vehicle Safety Standards, and those standards have not yet been modified.”
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by CanadianSailings | Mar 22, 2016 | Business and Economy, Gateways and Corridors, Other, Supply Chain and Logistics
By Peter G Hall, Vice-President and Chief Economist
In all the turbulence swirling around us, a moment of bliss. Canada’s merchandise exports ended a volatile 2015 with a 3.9 per cent monthly surge that cut the trade deficit by almost two-thirds. The December gift came in spite of widespread fears that Canada’s trade stats would continue to disappoint, treading gingerly into the New Year’s financial market maelstrom. Is it just one of many volatile stats, soon to be erased by a down-month, or is there reason to believe that things are looking up?
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by CanadianSailings | Mar 22, 2016 | Corporate events & profiles, Other
Overseas Express Consolidators Canada Inc. (OEC Group), a global logistics and transportation provider, is pleased to announce that it has acquired Ryder CRSA Logistics in Canada and its affiliated interests in Hong Kong and Shanghai. The purchase reflects OEC Group’s corporate growth strategy and continued commitment to providing end-to-end logistics services across international markets. The joining of the two companies merges the individual strengths of both organizations, specializing in the retail vertical and fulfillment.
CRSA has over 35 years of experience in the logistics industry providing leading retail clients and consumer goods manufacturers with supply chain solutions: BCO/ NVOCC, global hubs, VAS, buyer’s consolidation, real-time visibility tools, and PO management through leading edge technology.
Marc Bibeau, President and CEO of the group welcomes CRSA, now operating under the name CRSA Global Logistics Inc., and its members stating, “This purchase represents a significant value creation opportunity for all stakeholders. We have acquired a quality portfolio of assets, which complements our existing position in the market and strengthens our specialization in the retail vertical. Our combined customer base will benefit from increased flexibility in the supply chain, product innovation and a service culture of excellence that is unparalleled in the industry.”
Founded in 1984, OEC Group has since developed a dynamic network that spans the globe. This year, OEC proudly celebrates over 30 years in the industry supporting businesses throughout North America and the world.
by CanadianSailings | Mar 22, 2016 | Ocean, Ocean Carriers, Other
By Gavin van Marle
The crisis gripping the container shipping industry is likely to present opportunities for forwarders and 3PLs as shippers struggle to manage the continuing freight rate volatility and increasing workloads. On the sidelines of the TPM conference in Long Beach this week, AlixPartners Vice-President Jim Blaeser told The Loadstar: “Look at the shippers you see at this event, they are all utterly exhausted. “These companies slimmed down after the great recession and I don’t think they ever imagined the way their workloads would increase; it’s been relentless and yet companies are not going to hire more staff, they are going to look to pay 3PLs to do that work for them. “As a director of logistics today, I think it is much easier to say ‘I am going to get my 3PL to do this for me than get the budget to increase my headcount’.
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