The Nature of Intermodalism

History as well as competition between modes has tended to produce a transport system that was segmented and un-integrated. Each mode, particularly the carriers that operated them, has sought to exploit its own advantages in terms of cost, service, reliability and safety. Carriers try to retain business and increase revenue by maximizing the line-haul under their control. All the modes saw the other modes as competitors, and were viewed with a level of suspicion and mistrust. The lack of integration between the modes was also accentuated by public policy that has frequently barred companies from owning firms in other modes (as in the United States before deregulation), or has placed a mode under direct state monopoly control (as in Europe). Modalism was also favored because of the difficulties of transferring goods from one mode to another, thereby incurring additional terminal costs and delays, mainly because the load unit needs to be changed, which is common for bulk transportation.

Since the 1960s major efforts have been made to integrate separate transport systems through intermodalism, which took place in several stages, first with the setting of maritime networks which then better connected with inland networks. From a functional and operational perspective, two components are involved in intermodalism:

Intermodal transportation. The movements of passengers or freight from one mode of transport to another, commonly taking place at a terminal specifically designed for such a purpose. In North America, the term intermodal is also used to refer to containerized rail transportation.

Transmodal transportation. The movements of passengers or freight within the same mode of transport. Although "pure" transmodal transportation rarely exists and an intermodal operation is often required (e.g. ship to dockside to ship), the purpose is to insure continuity within the same modal network.

What initially began as improving the productivity of shipping evolved into an integrated supply chain management system across modes and the development of intermodal transportation networks.

Intermodal transportation network. A logistically linked system using two or more transport modes with a single rate. Modes are having common handling characteristics, permitting freight (or people) to be transferred between modes during a movement between an origin and a destination. For freight, it also implies that the cargo does not need to be handled, just the load unit such as a pallet or a container.

This involves the use of at least two different modes in a trip from an origin to a destination through an intermodal transport chain, which permit the integration of several transportation networks. Intermodality enhances the economic performance of a transport chain by using modes in the most productive manner. Thus, the line-haul economies of rail may be exploited for long distances, with the efficiencies of trucks providing flexible local pick up and deliveries. The key is that the entire trip is seen as a whole, rather than as a series of legs, each marked by an individual operation with separate sets of documentation and rates. This is organized around the followings concepts:

1. The nature and quantity of the transported cargo. Intermodal transportation is usually suitable for intermediate and finished goods in load units of less than 25 tons.
2. The modes of transportation being used. Intermodal transportation is organized as a sequence of modes, often known as an intermodal transport chain. The dominant modes supporting intermodalism are trucking, rail, barges and maritime. Air transportation usually only require intermodalism (trucking) for its "first and last miles" and not used in combination with other modes. Additionally, load units used by air transportation are not readily convertible with other modes.
3. The origins and destinations. Distances play an important role as the longer the distance, the more likely an intermodal transport chain will be used. Distances above 500 km (longer than one day of trucking) usually require intermodal transportation.
4. Transportation time and costs. Intermodalism tries to use each mode according to their respective time and cost advantages so that total transport costs are minimized.
5. The value of the cargo. Suitable for intermediate cargo values. Low and high value shipments are usually less suitable for intermodal transportation. High value shipments will tend to use the most direct options (such as air cargo) while low value shipments are usually point to point and relying on one mode such as rail or maritime.
6. The frequency of shipments. Intermodalism functions well when cargo flows need to be continuous and in similar quantities.

Urban Transit Challenges

Economics activity of certain cities is influenced by their complex structure of transport system. Transportation system comes with five modes which are road, rail, water, air and pipeline. The larger the cities, the larger the transportation complexity. The most important transit challenges are related to urban cities when their transport system cannot fulfil or satisfy the requirement of urban transportation activity. The most difficult challenges in facing urban transits are :

Decentralization.

Public transit systems are not designed to service low density and scattered urban areas that are increasingly dominating the landscape. The greater the decentralization of urban activities, the more difficult and expensive it becomes to serve urban areas with public transit. Additionally, decentralization promotes long distance trips on transit systems causing higher operating costs and revenue issues for flat fare transit systems.

Fixity.

The infrastructures of several public transit systems, notably rail and subway systems are fixed, while cities are dynamical entities, even if the pace of change can take decades. This implies that travel patterns tend to change and that a transit system built for servicing a specific pattern may eventually face "spatial obsolescence".

Connectivity.

 Public transit systems are often independent from other modes and terminals. It is consequently difficult to transfer passengers from one system to the other. This leads to a paradox between the preference of riders to have direct connections and the need to provide a cost efficient service network that involves transfers.

Competition.

 In view of cheap and ubiquitous road transport systems, public transit faced strong competition and loss rider-ship in relative terms and in some cases in absolute terms. The higher the level of auto-mobile dependency, the more inappropriate the public transit level of service. The public service being offered is simply outpaced by the convenience of the auto-mobile. However, changes in energy prices are likely to impose a new equilibrium in this relationship.

NIPPON EXPRESS USA, INC

Nippon Express Company is a Japanese company that have a large scale of business area. This company make service as transportation enterprise. After Nippon Express get additional funding from Japanese government to large their business scale this company become semi – government transportation enterprise and cooperate with government. Nippon Express become a worldwide after their service has spread to over 387 locations such as at Europe, China, The Americas, East Asia and also at south Asia Oceania around 37 countries. Nippon Express Company making a variety of service such as truck service, freight forwarding, moving service, and warehousing and distribution.

Truck service

Nippon Express offers competitive rates, service coverage, and on-time delivery for regional and national Less than Truckload (LTL) freight, with services delivered by more than 300 local terminals. Expedited and Time Definite service is available, including scheduled airport-to-airport service and truckload service includes dry-van, temperature-controlled, and flat-bed service throughout North America. The firm’s capacity across partners includes more than 50,000 tractors and 150,000 trailers. Nippon Express’ intermodal service combines the door-to-door service of trucking with the cost effectiveness of rail transportation. Freight moves by container on flat car with satellite tracking and temperature-controlled service available. International containers are also available.

Freight Forwarding

The Nippon Express global airfreight network is unrivalled in size, depth, and experience. Nippon Express companies are geographically positioned to respond to their customers’ needs, anywhere in the world, including dedicated space on more than 60 international air carriers. For the ocean Freight Nippon Express is uniquely positioned to provide one-stop shopping to multinational manufacturing, distribution, and trading companies with unsurpassed reliability for door-to-door global ocean cargo transportation. The Nippon Express multimodal approach to freight forwarding provides a choice of options for today’s global business activities. For some of the world’s most important markets, their Sea, Air & Truck Service is faster than standard ocean freight and more economical than air freight.

Nippon Express provides the warehousing and distribution network, the best-in-class systems, and the highly motivated personnel to meet the most demanding customer service requirements. Nippon Express warehouse facilities in North America are strategically located near all major population centre and manufacturing locations. Most are easily accessible by multiple modes of transportation. Nippon Express will help you plan a distribution network that optimizes customer service and minimizes costs. Nippon Express will help you determine the right number, location, and type of DCs, including multi-user, flexible-use across the Nippon Express network, or dedicated DC for your exclusive use. Nippon Express has invested in a world-class warehouse management system (WMS) that complements its highly efficient physical operation. Nippon Express possesses a global network of companies to provides premier handling of fresh, chilled and frozen perishable goods commodities.

Air Transportation

Assalamualaikum, today our group wanna share something about air transportation .Usually we use air transportation for international and also for domestic cargo movement.So ,there are some of the characteristic why we choose air cargo for transportation.

characteristics of air cargo transportation are:

1. Delivery speed

from the date of the birth of the aviation industry, air transport take the fast and famous. So far, the aircraft is still the most efficient means of transport, a common jet mostly in the economic cruise speed of 850 to 900 kilometers per hour. Fast transport significantly shortened the transit time of goods, for those prone to decay, deterioration of the fresh goods; timely, seasonal press, seasonal nature of goods; rescue, emergency goods transport, a feature that is particularly prominent. It can be said that the rapidly together with the global air transportation network-intensive it be possible to make and cannot, and we were eager to open up long-distance market of fresh goods, so that consumers enjoy more benefits.

Delivery speed, in-transit time is short, but also reduces the risk of goods in transit, so that many valuable items, precision instruments are often used in the form of air transport. Today's international market competition, rapid air transport services provided by the supplier can make foreign markets to respond to the changing of the market immediately, rapid introduction of marketable products to capture the market, to obtain better economic benefit.

2.  The ground conditions are not affected inland regions

air transport to use the sky of this natural channel, without geographical restrictions. For the harsh conditions on the ground inaccessible inland areas are very appropriate and beneficial to the export of local resources, promote local economic development.

Air transport so that local and world connected to external wide area, and air transport compared to road transport and rail transport occupation of land is limited to the Cuntucunjin, geographical small area development of external transport is undoubtedly a very appropriate.

3. Secure and accurate

with other modes of transport than the safety of air transport higher in 1997, the world's airlines carried 18 million flight sorties, only 11 cases of a serious accident, the risk rate is about 1/3000000. Air transport management system will also be more perfect low rate of damage of goods, if the use of air cargo transported in containers, then the more secure.

4. Save packaging, insurance, interest and other expenses

as a result of air mode of transport, goods in transit time is short, fast turnaround, business inventory can be a corresponding reduction. On the one hand beneficial to the recovery of funds and reduce interest expense, other companies can reduce storage costs. Also, because air cargo transport safety, accuracy, cargo damage, cargo less poor, and insurance costs are lower. Compared with other modes of transport, air transport packaging simple, packaging cost reduction. All these are the hidden costs of the decline in business, revenue increases.

Of course, air transport also has its own limitations, mainly in air cargo transportation costs higher than other modes of transport is not suitable for low-value goods; air vehicles - the limited capacity of the aircraft cabin, for large goods or large quantities of goods the transport of goods under certain restrictions; aircraft flight safety, and so are vulnerable to adverse climate impacts. However, generally speaking, with the new technology is more widely used, the product has become more thin, light, short, small, high-value, managers pay more attention to the timeliness of transportation, reliability, i believe there will be more air cargo great prospects for development.

The Biggest Ship In Shipping Company

Water transportation is the movement of goods and also can be used for transport a people around the world. The journey of water transportation can move through the inland or domestic waterway such as river, lakes and oceans. The most important link for freight movement is the oceans because oceans are the largest natural highway that can transport goods by using a big ship in bulk.

In the history of past, most of water transport use some motive power such as current and wind that can be provide by nature. Now, water transportation has been improved by modern technology that has a large space and the speed movement faster than before. They are a lot of shipping companies that run a business of water transportation but there are famous shipping companies that have a largest ship or vessel in the world. The shipping company is Maersk Sealand group.

Maersk Sealand or known as Maersk Group. This company is located in Copenhagen, Denmark that was established in 1904. Maersk Group has a lot of subsidiary and offices in more than 135 countries worldwide. Maersk Group also has around 108000 employees. Maersk Group activities are organised into several main business segments such as Container shipping, Tankers, Oil and gas activities, Retail activity and shipyards. Maersk group also own terminal that called A.P.Moller terminal. Container shipping of maersk sealand is considered as the largest container ship operator and supply vessel operator in the world.

The company has held that distinction since 1996. It operates 600 vessels with 3.8 million twenty foot equivalent unit (TEU) container capacity. It also owns the ship Emma Maersk, considered as the largest container ship and the longest container ship ever built in the world when launched in 2006. This ship or called vessel able to carry around 11,000 TEU or 14,770 TEU depends on its carry. The company has a presence in 135 countries around the world.

WHY LOGISTICS ??

Logistics nowadays is known as demanded career that requires basic skills and knowledge of logistics fields. Logistics is a booming industry which is full of opportunity and its growth.  So that, degree in logistics is one of the most popular degree among inspiring professionals business.

But what else makes a logistics degree so valuable these days? We’ve put together a list of five reasons why achieve a degree in this field is a wise career with the potential for awesome professional and personal pay off.

Reason #1: Salary

Let’s face it. Money is a motivator, and logistics careers typically pay well. The statistics from Bureau of Labor reported that a mean annual wage of logistics worker is $74,860 in May 2011. Not bad, right? So, imagine what you can earn after you have worked in this field for a few years. This means that by learning logistics, you may have high income for your salary .

Reason #2: Unlimited Opportunity

No matter what, companies will always needs employees to help with distribution of merchandise. Without logisticians, manufacturing and other businesses would have a very hard time succeeding. Logistics keeps the supply chain flowing, which in return, keeps you employed. So, it is the best opportunity.

Reason #3: Jobs at Every Education Level

You don’t have to have a master’s degree to land a job in logistics. This field has entry-level positions as well as career opportunities for job seekers with more experience. Entry-level opportunities include forklift operator, material handler, and truck drivers while mid- to upper-level positions include operations managers, logistics analysts, and purchasing agents. This is because, logistics will be the easier task for you although if you only have low educational level but still have the basic skills and knowledge.

Reason #4: Plenty of Variety

Logistics is a diverse industry with a wide variety of sub-sectors, keeping your daily schedule both interesting and challenging. You’ll learn about many different industries and how they function. So, every day and every time, you’ll learn a new and differ things from what you have learn and done.

Reason #5: Gain International Business Experience

Perhaps the most exciting reason to earn a degree in logistics is to gain international business experience which is pretty cool. You’ll develop relationships with professionals around the world if your employer deals with international customers. And it is the must and most do work for you! Who knows, you might score a few travel opportunities to Korea, South America, or anywhere for that work.

So, that’s all about the reasons why great peoples chose logistics for their educational and careers. You may hard to figure it out right now. But somehow, some time, you’ll realize that all these will give benefits for you.

p/s : just a bit information to share together for you and us as we are future logisticians !!