Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

New Ripple (XRP) gateway being developed by Ripple Exchange LLC.  The company goal is to allow everyone to have the opportunity to purchase and sell XRP in a fast, secure, affordable, and enjoyable way.

It was announced from a California-based company Ripple Exchange, LLC that their new Ripple (XRP) gateway will be unveiled this month around the time of the inaugural Ripple Conference known as Swell.

The company shows limited information but on a timeline from their official website, it’s documented that back in April they began development and experimenting with Ripple blockchain integration and started creating some test applications leveraging the technology.

In July, the company started reaching out to the users to figure out what they actually needed. They started issuing polls, gathering opinions, and fine-tuning what the software should look like to deliver the best possible experience for an upcoming release.

We now learned that the company’s current target trajectory is to release the initial version of Ripple Exchange for users by October 15th, just in time for the Ripple Swell Conference.

| A Ripple release  ||  October 3,  2017   |||

Quintiq, a Dassault Systèmes brand and global leader in supply chain planning and optimisation (SCP&O), announced today that its software has gone live at KiwiRail after a 9-week implementation period. Quintiq’s software will enhance workforce planning and rostering at the leading New Zealand transport industry employer. With 3,400 staff in multiple locations across the country, the state-owned rail service is dedicated to building a high performance culture and maintaining excellent human resource standards.

The Quintiq planning solution will support KiwiRail’s workforce optimisation goals by equipping planners with the tools they need to make informed decisions in workforce planning and scheduling, as well as comply with occupational health and safety practices and processes. The solution will enable managers to proactively manage their teams and empower them to make customer-centric decisions that will improve service reliability and punctuality.

Quintiq delivers cutting-edge rail crew planning and optimisation technology to some of the world’s biggest names and innovators in freight and passenger rail. These include DB Cargo, Green Cargo, Transport for London, Queensland Rail, and NTV, Italy’s first high-speed rail network. Quintiq’s latest rail customer in the Australia and New Zealand region is Sydney Trains, which operates 2,885 timetabled services and over one million customer journeys each day in the greater Sydney suburban area.

“It is exciting to be selected by KiwiRail as it cements our position as the leader in rail crew optimisation in the Australian and New Zealand market,” said Rob van Egmond, CEO Quintiq, Dassault Systèmes. “Together with KiwiRail, we will create a highly efficient and employee-centric workforce planning and rostering system that will improve employee and customer satisfaction.”

KiwiRail is the largest rail transport operator in New Zealand, operating 800 freight services per week across the country. It moves around 4.5b net tonne kilometres of freight a year.

Ed Overy, KiwiRail CIO, said: “Quintiq offers us an innovative technology that will support our planners in managing the unique constraints for our freight business. We stand by our customer promise that we will deliver. The technology will enhance our capabilities in planning and rostering, thus ensuring that we live up to that promise.”

| A Quintiq release  ||  October 2,  2017   |||

Air New Zealand has appointed British ecological economist Professor Tim Jackson and leading carbon emissions policy specialist Dr Suzi Kerr to its Sustainability Advisory Panel. Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says the panel provides guidance and critique as the airline works to embed sustainable growth, with the new panellists bringing further expertise in social, economic and environmental issues. “As leaders in their fields, our new appointments offer a global perspective to support our Board and Executive as we challenge ourselves to drive our sustainability agenda forward. “Professor Jackson is at the forefront of research into sustainable economies, providing policy advice to numerous Governments on prosperity and growth - as well as stimulating public engagement on sustainability issues as a media commentator and playwright. “Carbon management is a significant challenge for the aviation industry so we are pleased World Bank advisor and international emissions expert Dr Suzi Kerr will share her expertise as we work toward our industry target of carbon neutral growth from 2020,” says Mr Luxon. Professor Jackson says he is delighted to join Air New Zealand’s Sustainability Panel, particularly as the airline works to strengthen its social impact programmes. “Prosperity consists in our ability to flourish within the limits defined by a finite planet, and I look forward to working with Air New Zealand as it explores this fundamental challenge.” Dr Kerr says research is fundamental to building a robust approach to carbon policy and offsetting, and she’s excited to share her expertise with the airline. “Air New Zealand is encouraging stronger climate change policy and I am pleased to work alongside the airline as it explores higher quality carbon offsetting options for New Zealand.” Air New Zealand’s Sustainability Advisory Panel will meet in Auckland for the airline’s annual sustainability breakfast event on Wednesday 4 October. Founder and Director of not-for-profit Forum for the Future Sir Jonathon Porritt heads up the panel which comprises a number of New Zealand and international experts, including:

  *  Sir Jonathon Porritt, Co-Founder and Director, Forum for the Future (United Kingdom)  *  Dame Anne Salmond, New Zealand anthropologist, writer and distinguished professor of Maori Studies, University of Auckland (New Zealand)  *  Sir Rob Fenwick CNZM, entrepreneur, business person and conservationist, Chair of Predator Free NZ and The Kiwi Trust (New Zealand)  *  Brian Pearce, Chief Economist, International Air Transport Association (Switzerland)  *  Dr Susanne Becken, Director of Griffith Institute for Tourism and Professor of Sustainable Tourism, Griffith University (Australia)  *  Dr Tim Jackson, Professor of Sustainable Development at University of Surrey and Director of the Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity (United Kingdom)  *  Dr Suzi Kerr, Senior Fellow at Motu and Adjunct Professor at Victoria University (New Zealand) Previous panellists Derek Hanley and Suzanne Hunt finished their tenure on the panel earlier this year. Christopher Luxon says the pair has brought immense value to Air New Zealand over the past two years. “I’d like to thank Suzanne and Derek for the very important role they have played as critical friends of the airline as we commenced our sustainability journey.”

| An Air New Zealand release  ||  October 2,  2017   |||

DB Schenker Australia has announced the opening of its new logistics facility in Hoxton, New South Wales – 42km east of Sydney. The company notes that the internal site covers an area the size of almost eight football fields, making it one of the largest multi-client contract logistics facilities in the Southern Hemisphere.

The additional of the Hoxton site, with its 50,000m2 internal area and 15,000m2 external under-cover area, brings DB Schenkers Australia’s nationwide coverage to 330,000m2 over 25 sites.

Hoxton Park is a multi-client facility for consumer electronics, FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) and fashion/retail customers. It is located close to major highways, including the M7, M4 and M5, and has access to the Sydney metro and national network.

“Hoxton Park is the newest and largest contract logistics facility for DB Schenker in Australia,” said Ron Koehler, CEO Australia and New Zealand. “Our staff will provide for our customers first-class logistics services in this well-positioned facility right on the Sydney freeway network.”

He added that the company will also utilise the facility as a hub for domestic transport network, and to move full container load movements cost effectively to Hoxton Park for distribution to Sydney customers.

The facility will incorporate Automated Transport Sortation Systems (ATSS) that will allow for the consolidation of freight from several customers into the Schenker domestic transport business. In addition, value added services will be provided on site, including an Advanced Technical Centre providing configuration and testing for IT devices.

“DB Schenker Australia is consolidating existing business into Hoxton Park as well as adding new substantial business,” said Michael Harich, Director – Contract Logistics/Supply Chain Management AU/NZ, DB Schenker Australia. “Hoxton Park is a key part of our 2020 strategy to grow to 500,000m2 in Australia and at the same time combine existing smaller sites into larger facilities to generate synergies.”

Key features of the TAPA-certified facility include high clearance warehousing and access for high performance vehicles (two 40′ containers or four 20′ containers on one truck), full drive-around access and a weighbridge to support Chain of Responsibility (CoR) commitments

| A L&MH release ||  October 2, 2017   |||

The New Zealand Shippers Council is concerned that the recent announcement by Port Napier that it will impose an insurance levy charge on transport operators is the thin end of the wedge for the countrys exporters and importers. The levy came into effect on October 1 and will be passed onto exporters and importers effectively through the back door as added cost in the supply chain.

 Chairman of the NZ Shippers Council, Mike Knowles said it is an alarming precedent.

“What we’re seeing is a levy that lands on those who have no contractual relationship with the port and therefore no ability to influence the outcome.”

“In our view ports should either be absorbing those increased costs as part of normal business activity, or negotiating them with their commercial clients – the shipping lines; not imposing them on parties who have no ability to review and negotiate rates,” said Mr Knowles.

Mr Knowles said the Shippers Council appreciates that the dramatic increase in insurance premiums in the wake of the Kaikoura earthquake places considerable pressure on providers of supply chain infrastructure. “However, applying a levy on parties who do not have a commercial relationship with the port is not the way forward. We are extremely concerned that this precedent may be adopted by other ports and will strongly oppose any move in that direction.”

The New Zealand Shippers’ Council represents the supply chain interests of major New Zealand shippers, with members across all sectors including importers, exporters, ports, freight forwarders, road and rail. Collectively members move over 60% of NZ containerised exports and a significant amount of bulk exports, imports and domestic volume.

| A NZ Shipping Council release  ||  October 2,  2017   |||