Tag: Senior Vice President
PayPal stablecoin: What it could mean for payments
PayPal has confirmed it is exploring a stablecoin. Here’s how experts see the potential impact of a PayPal Coin.
NEC Acquires Mobile Network Innovator Blue Danube Systems, Inc. to Enhance its 5G Product Portfolio and Customer Support Capability
NEC, as a leading Open RAN provider that is recognized for its end-to-end Open 5G solutions and system integration capabilities, continues to invest in the 5G business through organic and inorganic initiatives, aligned with its "Mid-term Management Plan 2025." This acquisition expands NEC's customer support capability and assets in North America, and adds to the breadth of its Open RAN solutions portfolio to support the needs and demands of customers.
Blue Danube will join NEC with an innovative team that builds onto NEC's global 5G R&D capabilities, and the company's patented beamforming technologies will further enhance NEC's leadership in 4G and 5G Radio Units based on O-RAN specifications. Additionally, it will accelerate NEC's expansion of RAN software assets to help customers address issues related to spectrum efficiency, RAN optimization and reducing network OPEX.
"Blue Danube's 5G products complement our Open 5G solutions portfolio, enabling us to meet growing market demands and accommodate diversified use cases," said Shigeru Okuya, Senior Vice President, NEC Corporation. "This acquisition is a great opportunity for us to expand our 5G offerings and will bring substantial value to our customers. NEC has committed to a leadership position in Open RAN network development and this move extends our physical reach and innovation roadmap to deliver on that commitment."
About NEC Corporation
NEC Corporation has established itself as a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies while promoting the brand statement of "Orchestrating a brighter world." NEC enables businesses and communities to adapt to rapid changes taking place in both society and the market as it provides for the social values of safety, security, fairness and efficiency to promote a more sustainable world where everyone has the chance to reach their full potential. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.
About Blue Danube Systems
Blue Danube Systems designs next generation wireless solutions for mobile networks and other applications. Our Coherent Massive MIMO solution brings 5G beamforming to today's networks, dramatically increasing network capacity and end user experience. Together with a cloud-based software suite utilizing machine learning techniques, our technology enables up to a 10X capacity increase in cellular networks. Blue Danube Systems is a privately held US-based start-up backed by Sequoia Capital and Silver Lake along with other investors including AT&T. For more information, please visit www.bluedanube.com.
Copyright 2022 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.comNEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) announced it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Blue Danube Systems, Inc., a U.S.-based provider of CBRS/4G/5G RAN products and AI/ML-based software solutions that help mobile operators address the challenge of 5G network buildouts and spectrum optimization.
New Contract Logistics Joint Venture Formed in Europe
Röhlig Logistics and Penske Logistics today announced the formation of a new contract logistics joint venture company called Rohlig Penske Logistics GmbH, operating primarily in Germany and the Netherlands.
The newly formed venture builds on a history of successful cooperation between the two organizations serving shared customers in Europe. The aim of the joint venture is to expand into further Western European countries.
Hylton Gray, CEO sea freight, air freight, contract logistics & sales at Röhlig Logistics explained: “This joint venture is another milestone in the growth of Röhlig Logistics. We envisage great potential in this venture between Röhlig and Penske, which will expand our presence in Europe and offers even more flexibility to our customers in the EU.”
The new joint venture incorporates 55,000-square-meters of additional warehousing, transport management operations, and e-commerce logistics, with plans to accelerate additional growth, utilize operational synergies, and enhance services levels for potential and shared mutual customers operating in Europe.
“We have had an excellent working relationship with Röhlig Logistics for many years serving shared customers in the automotive, food and manufacturing segments,” said Bill Scroggie, senior vice president, international operations for Penske Logistics. “This new venture provides our shared customers with additional scale, service levels, and provides both businesses with additional growth opportunities in Europe.”
The new business entity, Röhlig Penske Logistics GmbH, is 80% owned and operated by Röhlig Logistics and 20% owned by Penske Logistics. This was a private transaction and financial details were not disclosed.
The parties closed the transaction December 31, 2021. The more than 80 employees of Penske Logistics Europe will remain employees of the Dutch company, which will in the future be wholly owned by Röhlig Penske Logistics GmbH.
Röhlig is an owner-operated logistics company which offers its customers services in the areas of sea freight, air freight, project logistics and contract logistics. The family-owned company was founded in 1852 in Bremen, Germany. Today, it employs nearly 2,400 staff members in more than 30 countries.
Photo caption: (left to right) Bill Scroggie, senior vice president, international operations for Penske Logistics, and Hylton Gray, CEO sea freight, air freight, contract logistics & sales at Röhlig Logistics, at the signing of the joint venture agreement.
By “Move Ahead” Staff
National Private Truck Council (NPTC) Survey Highlights Value, Performance of Private Fleets
The National Private Truck Council 2021 Benchmarking Survey Report provides fleets with new industry standards to evaluate performance and identify opportunities for improvement.
"Information is power," explained Jim Lager, senior vice president for Penske Truck Leasing. "Fleet operators need real-time data to make informed decisions about their business. They want to know if what they are doing is best-in-class or underperforming, and how they can improve. Being able to see that information helps them identify areas of opportunity within their operations."
Lager added that every aspect of the supply chain is stressed right now. "I think it is even more critical to have good information and good partners to talk to about it," he said.
The 2021 NPTC Benchmarking Survey Report, which is sponsored by Penske, captures critical metrics from the 2020 calendar year, which was a time like no other.
"The purpose of this report is not to critique any fleet's performance, but rather to give them the tools so when they need the answers and the metrics in their continuous improvement efforts that they can grab onto those metrics in the report and move on," said Tom Moore, executive vice president of NPTC.
Even with the challenges, private fleets performed well and used their advantages to navigate supply chain challenges, hauling more shipments and volume than they did in the previous year.
Moore continued: "The thing that really impresses me, despite everything that is going on in the pandemic, is the stability that occurred in our private fleet management. We didn't see extreme swings in terms of equipment buying or a lot of change in the driver hours, even though the DOT extended those hours. Those folks stuck right in that core business. I thought that was a telling statement for how private fleets position themselves for success."
Supply chain challenges have helped private fleets raise the awareness and importance of transportation generally within their companies.
"In the last three to four years, companies have decided to start their own private fleet from scratch because of the vulnerability in finding transportation," said Gary Petty, CEO of NPTC. "I think a lot of companies are saying, 'We can manufacture the greatest product around, but if we can't get it in a way that has no damage and no loss that is timely, it doesn't matter.'"
Many private fleets shined during COVID disruptions and were able to navigate capacity constraints and surging costs others faced within the transportation market, strengthening the case for having a private fleet.
"Private fleets are resilient and flexible," Lager said, adding that more and more companies are considering and transitioning to private fleets. "That is a result of the spot market and the carrier situation driving them toward that so they could control their destiny. They don't want to trust that to a carrier. They want to do it with a partner like Penske."
Petty stated 75% of the private fleets in the study are operating as cost centers or, as he calls them, contribution centers. "They're in it to provide outstanding customer cost in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Whatever financial model, the goal is to deliver exceptional levels of customer service in the most efficient manner possible," he said.
As in years past, the primary reason companies report operating a private fleet is to provide exceptional levels of customer service that are unavailable on the open market, especially at a time when transportation and logistics capacity has been relatively constrained.
In the latest study, more than 92% of the respondents, in response to the open-ended question, 'What is the primary reason your company operates a private fleet?,' answered customer service.
Measuring on-time performance remains the primary means of tracking customer service, although other metrics are growing in acceptance.
This year 68% of the fleets report measuring on-time performance as opposed to 82% last year.
This erosion in on-time deliveries makes room for a bevy of other metrics, according to the NPTC report, most notably safety scores, tracked by 56% of respondents (53% last year); cost-per-mile, tracked by 55% of the respondents (35% last year); and customer comment, tracked by 32% of the population.
Shipments for private fleets were up from last year by 9.7%, and volume was up by 5.6%. This growth is supported by an overall mileage increase of 5.7%, which means that fleet respondents accomplished these gains rather efficiently, according to the report.
Even still, private fleets do face challenges, with driver-related issues being the No. 1 challenge listed. Driver-related issues are cited by nearly every respondent, often more than once. Rounding out the list of issues cited by fleets are: Cost-related issues; equipment and maintenance; customer service; regulatory and safety.
While driver issues remain top-of-mind, private fleets perform better than the for-hire population. "While everybody is feeling the driver shortage, it is less at private fleets," Penske's Lager said.
This year's survey found that driver turnover fell to 15.8%, nearly three full percentage points down from last year's 18.5% turnover rate and much lower when compared to the for-hire segment. Private fleet's average driver turnover is 14.25% over the 15-year history of the survey, and the average driver in the NPTC survey stays with a carrier for more than ten years. "That is extraordinary," Petty said.
NPTC started tracking metrics surrounding the time to hire and the hiring process for the first time. NPTC found that the average fleet has to review, screen and/or interview 19.7 candidates to fill one driver's seat, and the average time to hire a driver candidate is 34 days.
"Private fleets understand you get what you pay for," Moore stated. "They changed the mentality from speed-to-hire because they want to hire the right person.
The three top reasons for turnover are discipline issues, drivers leaving for another job, or retirement.
Moore noted: "For those leaving for another job or discipline issues, that tells me a private fleet can do a better job in the hiring process. If you're asking the right questions in the interview, you can identify what drivers are more likely to leave or will have discipline issues."
For the first time, NPTC asked fleets how much it cost to bring a driver on board. It is about $7,500 for the typical heavy-duty operation, and $3,400 for medium-duty fleets.
The survey also examined which freight movements private fleets haul and which they contract out. Private fleets typically handle about 2/3 of the outbound flow of goods and work with third-party carriers to handle the rest.
For-hire motor carriers handle 17% of all outbound freight movements, while dedicated contract carriers perform 12%. When deciding how to position the private fleet, survey respondents mention numerous inter-related and overlapping factors. The most frequently highlighted are cost, service, geography, and proximity to customers, and backhaul loads.
Empty mileage rates decreased, with an empty mileage of 26% down from last year's 33.3% and the previous year's 28.4%. NPTC found that 28% of respondents reported improved empty mileage, and Lager said reducing empty miles is top-of-mind for carriers. "There is not the luxury of being inefficient right now."
Penske Truck Leasing helps customers analyze their network to determine the best lanes to handle internally and the best to outsource.
"We have the engineering capability and capacity to analyze a customer's entire operation and make a recommendation," Lager said. "We can process the data and optimize it in several ways. It isn't always about cost; it is about delivery windows and meeting schedules. We can display all of that and help them make those decisions."
Use of on-board safety technology continues to increase, and not one respondent indicated not using on-board safety technology.
"If you're not safe, you're not going to be efficient, and the rest of the metrics don't matter," Moore said. "The safety record continued to get better and stronger and was one of the best years we ever had."
Survey participants can request customized data pulls that compares data of peer or like-kind fleets in the same market.
Petty: "It is apples-to-apples numbers they can use. This is powerful information internally. We have found once companies get on the track of scoring themselves against peers, it gives the whole benchmarking exercise a powerful boost of credibility."
By "Move Ahead" Staff
Proud Tradition of Military Service A Family Affair for Penske Veteran
As a child, Michael Kegerise marveled as adults recalled his family's legacy of military service, which predated the Civil War.
"I always knew I would regret not serving in the military, so I enlisted while in college," said Kegerise, enterprise facility services project engineer at Penske's corporate office in Reading, Pennsylvania.
After serving 11 years with the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Captain Kegerise recently took off his uniform for the final time as he ended his military service and added his name to Penske's long list of military veterans.
This month, the organization paused to honor the service and sacrifice of military veterans in recognition of National Veterans and Military Families Month. Today, associates from across the corporate campus joined in celebrating Veterans Day by thanking colleagues for their military service.
"Penske is proud to support our veterans and active-duty military, and we thank them for their service on behalf of our nation and our citizens," said Sarah Smith, senior vice president of Human Resources.
"Veterans and active-duty military bring key skills and capabilities that enhance our truck leasing and logistics businesses: leadership, teamwork and problem solving, to name a few," Smith said. "Their contributions have helped move our company and our industry forward."
Driving Military Recruitment
Penske was named a 2021 Military Friendly Employer in recognition of the company's commitment to creating employment opportunities for veterans.
"We are proud to honor the dedication and sacrifice of veterans in service to our country," said Ron Schwartz, vice president of staffing. "We are equally as proud to hire and employ veterans as well as active National Guard and Reserve members."
The company actively recruits veterans by promoting employment opportunities in military publications, on veterans' job boards, and through exclusive partnerships with military-friendly organizations, such as ESGR, G.I. Jobs, RecruitMilitary, Military Officers Association of America, VetCentral, VRS Virtual Veteran Career Fairs, Hirepurpose, Corporate America Supports You, Lucas Group and Bradley-Morris, Inc.
Penske has teamed up with Veteran Recruiting (VR) and other leading employers to support the VetFriendly Jobs Initiative to hire or train 100,000 veterans by 2020.
The company was one of many that joined efforts with VR to support the White House Joining Forces Initiative, which led to the hiring of 170,000 veterans between 2011 and 2016.
Military-Friendly Organization Supporter
In addition to hiring, the company is proud to partner with and support military-friendly organizations, including The Paralyzed Veterans of America's Mission: ABLE campaign and Support Military Families.
Penske Truck Rental joined with Paralyzed Veterans seven years ago to create the #OneWay4PVA campaign, which encourages rental customers to donate $1 to Paralyzed Veterans Mission: ABLE campaign.
Penske associates regularly volunteer for organizations that support and honor our troops and veterans, like the Paul R. Gordon Veteran Social Center of Berks County in Reading, Pennsylvania.
In addition, Penske offers discounts on truck rentals for active military members and veterans when reserving one-way truck rentals online.
Both Penske Truck Leasing and Penske Logistics offer a wide range of career opportunities, including truck fleet maintenance technicians, truck drivers, fleet maintenance supervisors, operations management roles, as well as logistics and supply chain operations roles and many others.
Visit https://penske.jobs/veterans/ for more information on career opportunities.
By Bernie Mixon
Latest Intelligence
