Matson chairman Andrasick to retire, ex-CFO of parent Alexander & Baldwin
MATSON Navigation Company has announced the retirement of its chairman James Andrasick, 65, effective from September 1, 2009.

Mr Andrasick has been Matson's chairman since October 2008 and was the company's president and CEO from 2002 through 2008.

During his tenure at the helm of Matson, Mr Andrasick oversaw the building of four containerships, the start up of a new China service, the growth of the subsidiary, Matson Integrated Logistics, and the promotion of "green" programmes both at sea and on land, a company statement said.

Prior to his Matson responsibilities, Mr Andrasick served as chief financial officer and treasurer of Matson's parent company, Alexander & Baldwin Inc from 2000-2003.

"Jim Andrasick provided strong leadership for Matson during a very important time for the company," said Matson president Matt Cox.

"All of us at Matson appreciate the support and guidance he has given the company's management team since 2002. Both Matson Navigation Company and Matson Integrated Logistics have strengthened their positions within their respective markets as a result of initiatives that were implemented under Jim's watch."


http://www.schednet.com/

13th Global NYK Week
Recently, K. Tamrong Chotjinda, DGM of Laem Chabang Branch and Operation Department, has flied to Japan, spending almost 1 week joining with the 13th Global NYK Week held by Head Office. There were altogether 25 colleagues in NYK Group companies worldwide partaking in this activity.

The NYK Glocal Week is one of the strategic training programs under Human Resources Department of NYK Line's Japan. For this time, the objectives are for participants to:

Learn the history, the struggles, and the development of NYK for the past 124 years through the visit of MV. Hikawa Maru - the legendary NYK vessel which has been regarded as a Yokohama cultural asset since year 2003.
Gain insights about NYK through the presentations by various NYK divisions of Liner, RORO, Logistics, Bulk & Energy, HR team as well as by affiliated company of NCA (Nippon Cargo Airline).
Reinforce NYK Group Values of 3Is (Integrity, Innovation and Intensity) which are NYK's DNA and the "NYK Cool Earth Project" which is the project about environmental conservation to reduce CO2 emission and save the earth.
Work together on the group work on the topic, "What more can you do to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions related to your job on a daily basis?"
Visit Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI) which is a global center to educate NYK personnel and a technological development hub to better serve the customers such as RFID, a technology to keep track of the inventory information on various reusable transport items by locating its whereabouts and providing a management system of such items.
Experience and sigh-seeing the Japan historical temples and rural/cultural life in Kyoto.
All these provide the opportunity for participants to blend together, to get to know more one another, to exchange experiences and expertise and above all, to further enhance the understanding about NYK Line which shall be of benefits to all as a whole.

http://www.nykline.co.th

Former NYK president appointed chairman of Japan-Belgium Society
FORMER NYK chairman and president Takao Kusakari was appointed as chairman of the Japan-Belgium Society while retaining his directorship with Tokyo-based shipping giant as counsellor to the board.

Shinichi Miwa, an NYK advisor to the president, was also appointed secretary general of the Japan-Belgium Society, and a secretariat was established at the NYK headquarters in Tokyo.

The Japan-Belgium Society has been aiming to contribute to the enhancement of friendly relations through social and cultural exchange activities and to contribute to the development of the economies of both Japan and Belgium through the expansion of trade between the two countries.

The head office of NYK Bulkship (Atlantic) N.V., a wholly owned subsidiary that oversees tramper operations in the Atlantic, is located in Antwerp. NYK also operates a logistics business and a ro-ro terminal in Belgium.

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Kuehne + Nagel wins '2009 RFID Italia Award'
Milan / Italy, June 12, 2009 - Kuehne + Nagel was praised with the “2009 RFID Italia Award” in the category “Best business project” at the RFID Italia Summit held in Arese on June 10, 2009. The prestigious award underpins the company’s achievements in the employment of the RFID technology and distinguishes more specifically the application Kuehne + Nagel has devised and rolled out in its Turin warehouse dedicated to Iveco’s customer services operations.

Organised by RFID Italia, a think tank created by Cedites (Centro Studi per la Divulgazione della Tecnologia e della Scienza), the RFID Awards honour companies who have demonstrated dedication in promoting continuous organisational improvement by leveraging the utilisation of RFID technology in their internal organisation.

Kuehne + Nagel’s project, developed during the second half of 2008 in collaboration with Iveco and Alfaproject.net (using ID.Mode Methodology that allowed a faster deployment), is based on the identification and tracking of every spare part from the warehouse to the dealers. On a special RFID-equipped area in Kuehne + Nagel’s 190,000 sqm facility in Turin, the application involves a range of 3,000 strategic items, including engines, gears, radiators, tanks, windshields bumpers, spoilers etc., representing over 120,000 parts managed per year. As part of the reception process, every unit is uniquely tagged and identified, certificating the origin, thereby easy to track over the whole supply chain up to its delivery to the dealer.

According to the initial objectives, the project has significantly improved the efficiency of the overall warehouse management processes. This resulted in a measured reduction in shipping errors that is in line with the manufacturer’s ultimate objective of further improving its parts availability at user level.

Claudio Boschetti, Contract Logistics Director of Kuehne + Nagel Italy Srl, who accepted the award at the ceremony, commented: “We are honoured to receive this prestigious title. This is a vote of confidence in our willingness to continue to enhance our portfolio of services through innovative development solutions and process optimisation to further support our customers facing their day-to-day business challenges.”

http://www.kn-portal.com/

Rickmers celebrates 175th anniversary
How it all began: 175 years ago, in June 1834, Rickmer Clasen Rickmers, born on the island of Heligoland, founded the Rickmers shipyard in Bremerhaven, thus laying the foundations for the family’s long involvement in the shipping business. In addition to the shipyard and the shipping business, the trained ship builder also became involved in rice trading.

By 1890, under the management of the second Rickmers generation, the Rickmers Rice Mill had developed into one of the leading rice processing companies in Europe. The following generations entered into steam shipping, the Asia trade as well as liner services. Wars and new beginnings also determined their actions. Thus the Rickmers history also reflects the social history of the early 19th century.

Today, Bertram and Erck Rickmers, the fifth generation of entrepreneurs, run two independent groups of companies, employing more than 5000 people both ashore and at sea.

More about the anniversary, publications and a press kit can be found at:
www.rickmers.com >> 175 years Rickmers

http://www.rickmers-linie.com