Procurement weekly August 29, 2008

Global - German logistics provider DB Schenker has discovered a major accounting fraud spanning the past few years in its Belgian subsidiary Schenker NV.

Singapore – The successful candidate will drive continuous improvement using internal business tools, consulting skills and change management processes

Vietnam - The General Statistics Office of Vietnam said a dip in food prices in August will drag the consumer price index (CPI) down. The CPI is expected to rise by 1.56% month-on-month.

India – NYK Line announced an additional NYK vessel to its Indian Subcontinent-US East Coast Express Service (IEX), to commence in August.

Global - Danish container shipping company AP Moller-Maersk said first half profits jumped 30% as its energy-related subsidiaries banked on higher oil prices.

Asia - Government and business spend rose 13% to reach some US$18.9 trillion in Asia last year, according to a new study.

Vietnam - TNT Express launched its International and Domestic Operations Centre in Vietnam to serve the heavy freight industry as part of TNT’s strategy to leverage increasing demands for freight express services between Vietnam, the rest of Southeast Asia, China and Europe.

Singapore - Cargo can be made more secure with the implementation of the Regulated Air Cargo Agents Regime (RCAR), said Darren Han, assistant manager of air cargo operations for CAAS.

Singapore - The supply chain is left largely unprotected even in the face of terrorism, with only 0.2% of the average company's revenue spent on security, says a Lloyd's Register Quality Assurances executive.

Singapore- Singapore Logistics Association (SLA)has launched the SLA Training Centre in conjunction with a security practice seminar on the August 25, 2008 at the Spring Singapore Building.

Global- STMicroelectronics and Ericsson have announced an agreement to merge Ericsson Mobile Platforms and ST-NXP Wireless into a joint venture. The 50/50 joint venture will manufacture semiconductors and platforms to mobile manufacturers and employ 8,000 people.

Singapore – The successful candidate will lead the development and implementation of commodity/supplier-specific supply chain strategies to ensure continuity of supply as key member of the commodity team.

Philippines - Chemoil has purchased a controlling stake in a storage terminal in the Philippines, from which the company expects to break into other markets.

Asia – Ford Motor Company has announced Jeffrey Wellman as executive director of purchasing in Asia and Africa, and Raj Nair as VP of operations for the same regions.

Global - Many companies choose outsourcing as a means to deal with a situation they are unable to handle internally but this may be counterproductive, said Infineon Technologies senior procurement director.

Global – CEVA group, a Netherlands-based logistics provider said second quarter revenue went up on strong Asia and Europe volumes in its contract logistics business, but had to grapple with weak currency rates in its key UK and US markets.

Global- The Estée Lauder Companies has announced Gregory Polcer as the new executive VP of global supply chain. He will direct the company’s end-to-end supply chain including procurement, manufacturing, quality assurance, and logistics operations.

India - Japanese global freight forwarder Yusen Air & Sea Service (YAS) Co Ltd has strengthened its position in the Indian logistics business with a new warehouse in Bangalore and a distribution centre in Delhi.

Vietnam - Keppel Logistics has announced an agreement to acquire a 40% stake of Indo-Trans Logistics Vietnam (ITL Vietnam), a sea-land-air freight forwarder and professional cargo consolidator, for US$1.6 million.

China - YRC Logistics has acquired a controlling 65% of Shanghai Jiayu Logistics for US$44.7 million.