DC Velocity - December 2011

Intelligrated to expand Ohio HQ, add 200 jobs

short takes

Intelligrated, a material handling company, said last month it would double the size of its Mason, Ohio, headquarters and add 200 jobs.

Intelligrated said it would add 200 new technical and engineering positions in research and development, system design, and customer service. The company also said it would build a 60,000- to 90,000-square-foot facility in Mason to support its growth plans.

Intelligrated said its expansion was made possible by a $15 million incentive package from the state of Ohio and city of Mason. Final approval of those packages is pending, and Intelligrated’s expansion plans are contingent upon their approval.

The incentives are likely to include
an extension of Intelligrated’s exist-
ing Job Creation Tax Credit, state
and local loans, a property tax abate-
ment, and a grant from the state,
Intelligrated said.

UPS announces 2012 non-contract rate hikes

UPS Inc. will increase its 2012 non-contract rates on ground parcel, domestic air, and U.S.-originating international services by a “net” amount of 4. 9 percent, after factoring in reductions in the applicable fuel surcharge.

The Atlanta-based transportation logistics giant said it would raise its base rates by 5. 9 percent on its ground parcel shipments tendered on tariffs. The net increase will be 4. 9 percent after including a one-per-centage-point reduction in the applicable ground fuel surcharge, UPS said.

For its other services, the 6.9-per- cent increase in base rates will be adjusted downward by a two-percentage-point cut in its applicable fuel surcharge, UPS said.

UPS added that it would raise its next-day and second-day air-freight rates by 5. 9 percent on a net basis. Rates on the company’s three-day freight service will remain unchanged.

Jerry Hempstead, president of a
parcel and postal consulting firm
that bears his name, called the
increases “modest” and the “same as
[UPS] has been doing annually for
years.”
FedEx Corp., UPS’s chief rival,
already announced a base rate
increase of 5. 9 percent on all of its
domestic express services as well as
U.S. import and export express serv-
ices. Those increases will be offset by
a two-percentage-point reduction in
applicable fuel surcharges. FedEx has
not announced 2012 rate actions for
its ground parcel services.

Forklift manufacturer Crown Equipment Corp. is celebrating 25 years of manufacturing lift trucks for European and global markets at its Roding, Germany, facility. … Global trade solutions provider Management Dynamics has changed its name to Amber Road, a reference to the ancient trade route of the same name. … A new study released by

Saddle Creek Corp., The E-Fulfill-ment Trends Report, examines how companies today are addressing the challenge of providing efficient, cost-effective, service-driven fulfillment operations. To download the white paper, visit www.saddlecrk.com/ fulfill. … Inttra, a provider of e-commerce solutions for the ocean freight industry, has reported that e-commerce usage in ocean shipping has reached an all-time high. Inttra says a record-breaking 2 million container orders were initiated through its portal each month for the past two months. The company expects to process more than 22 million container orders in 2011, representing more than 14 percent of global container trade. … By taking advantage of the electric stand-by capability of its 27 Carrier Transicold Vector multi-temper-ature trailer refrigeration units, Western foodservice distributor Mile Hi Foods Co. is saving an estimated $85,000 annually in fuel costs while also improving the sustainability of its operations. … TotalTrax Inc. has acquired the equipment monitoring product line of Shock Watch Inc., a developer of damage prevention products.