APL CALLS FOR MONITORING OF SHIPMENT PROCESSES

APL CALLS FOR MONITORING OF SHIPMENT PROCESSES    APL, an ocean carrier, and APL Logistics, a provider of transportation management services – both subsidiaries of Singapore-based Neptune Orient Lines (NOL), issued a joint statement on Tuesday noting that augmented security initiatives require “changes to processes and systems that stretch far back into the supply chain,” said Ron Widdows, acting chief executive officer of APL.
   “Initiatives such as the new Advance Manifest rule are significant, but this is just the start,” Widdows said.
   “IT tools that reach back to the original source of goods are key factors in providing, in a timely fashion, the information required to monitor the supply chain,” the APL ‘white paper’ noted.
   “Currently, the supply chain is designed to get goods to market as rapidly as possible. It’s very much a ‘hands-off’ system right from the factory floor, through trucking or barging, terminals, across oceans, and on to the customer’s door. IT tools are used to provide visibility and inventory management,” said Hans Hickler, chief executive officer of APL Logistics.    “All those in world trade need to think about how we can tighten that supply chain while not causing undue delays to the flow of goods,” Hickler said.