Menlo forms ocean shippers’ association

Menlo forms ocean shippers’ association    Redwood City, Calif.-based Menlo Worldwide, part of the CNF group, is forming an ocean shippers’ association to centralize contracts and dealings with ocean carriers.
   “The Vector Menlo Shipper’s Association will combine the buying power, global infrastructure, and carrier relationships of Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, Menlo Worldwide Logistics, and Vector Supply Chain Management to purchase and manage transportation in a more creative manner,” Menlo said in a statement.
   Representatives and staffers from the three member companies ' Menlo Worldwide Forwarding, Menlo Worldwide Logistics and Vector SCM ' will manage the new unit.
   The shippers’ association will work with carriers by bringing volumes to complement the carrier's own needs for balancing equipment and capacity. It will develop IT systems to manage service contracts.
   The Vector Menlo Shipper’s Association expects to begin working with its first customers in April and to process all requests for quotes for ocean services by the end of 2004. Global accounts based in North America will be among the first to benefit from the newly formed association, Menlo said. Menlo said that its customers would benefit from the value delivered by the association through the member companies.
   The association will also provide value-added services such as supply chain security assessment, contract management and strategic planning, and network modeling and engineering based on multiple customer profiles of volume.