DHL Express Implements Programs to Reduce Carbon Emissions
Your Shipping Just Got Greener

The environmental cost of moving goods can be significant. A growing focus on climate and energy has brought the shipping industry’s environmental impact to the forefront. More and more companies are beginning to take action, and many have embraced the “green” principle of “reduce-reuse-recycle.”

One example of a company that is taking steps to lessen its environmental impact is DHL Express. In addition to its goal of realizing a 30 percent improvement in carbon efficiency by 2020, DHL Express is also rolling out a GOGREEN shipping service around the world.

The GOGREEN service has been available in Europe since 2006 and will be expanded to 17 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in 2008, allowing customers to offset the carbon emissions produced when shipping their parcels and goods. DHL Express was the first logistics company to offer customers the option to offset the carbon outputs of their shipments.

The underlying approach behind the GOGREEN Program is a three-pronged method of assessing, reducing and offsetting carbon emissions. In order to measure DHL Express' carbon emissions on a regular basis and make achievements transparent, the company will set up a comprehensive carbon-accounting system.

To reduce its overall carbon footprint, DHL Express has identified a number of business-specific measures that will be implemented in the coming months and years, including a large-scale overhaul of the company’s transport fleet. It will replace many of its existing vehicle fleet with hybrids, introduce route-planning software geared towards fuel-saving and train drivers in energy-saving techniques.

More and more shipping companies are understanding the importance of saving the environment (and improving their bottom line) by using alternative measures for delivery purposes. Many companies have invested millions of dollars over the past few years and are using trucks that are either hybrid or alternative fueled systems. Over the next few years, industry experts say we will see companies doing more and more to ensure their vehicles and systems are as eco-friendly as possible. The future is looking cleaner and greener.

Customer Chronicles
International Veterinary Sciences Helps Keep Pets Healthy

International Veterinary Sciences is in the business of promoting the health and wellbeing of man’s best friend — the family pet. Since dogs and cats are important members of nearly 63% of all U.S. households (equating to approximately 73 million dogs and 90 million cats), International Veterinary Sciences is committed to supplying a complete line of pet supplement and grooming products for this ever-growing market.

Ken O’Brien, president of International Veterinary Sciences, says that providing high-quality products to pet owners is the key to success in his business. Millions of consumers throughout the country are looking for ways to improve their pets’ health and hygiene, and his company fills that need very well.

Established in 1989, International Veterinary Sciences is a division of Micelle Products, Inc., an organization that manufactures nutritional supplements and animal health products. According to the company’s website, studies supervised by veterinarians show that key nutrients are inadequate in many animal diets. For example, omega-3 fatty acids, which may help to reduce joint pain and stiffness and increase joint mobility, are virtually non-existent in a typical pet’s daily regimen. International Veterinary Sciences creates and distributes its pet nutritional products to help correct these deficiencies. The company’s food supplements can also aid in digestion, help with relaxation and improve the health of joints, hips and bones for cats and dogs. In addition, it offers a wide variety of other products for pets including shampoo, skin and coat treatments and tasty treats.

As a distributor of pet products with no company-owned retail store, Ken says that shipping is essential. “We ship to a large number of distributors who distribute our product nationwide, as well as to large retailers like Petco and PetSmart,” Ken says. He explains that before switching to Unishippers, the company was having problems with damaged shipments, which create hassles for his clients and cut into his profit margins. Since he began shipping through Unishippers, Ken reports that the number of damaged shipments is much lower.

Ken says that the ability to quickly ship out orders is another important part of his success. “We try to ship the orders we get on the same day that they come in. I’ve found that Unishippers’ carriers can often get our product there sooner, which our distributors appreciate.”

Pricing is also important, and Ken believes Unishippers is very competitive, explaining that he initially agreed to ship with Unishippers in an effort to reduce his freight rates. Unishippers has not only helped Ken realize significant cost savings, but has given the company much greater convenience in the shipping process through powerful technology tools like Unishippers' Freight Manager.

“Using the Freight Manager system has cut down on dozens of phone calls a day,” Ken asserts, explaining that his shipping employees can just log on, get a quote and lead time for a shipment, pick a carrier, call for a pick-up and the shipment is ready to go. “Instead of calling four or five different LTL carriers for the best rates and shipping times, we can now do it with a couple of points and clicks. It’s all pretty streamlined and we love it.”

Did U Know?
Avoid Delays and Fees with Correct Export Information Filing

The Census Bureau of the U.S. Department of Commerce recently revised its regulations regarding export information filing. These changes affect many Unishippers customers, and should be carefully reviewed and adhered to. One major change is that the Shipper’s Export Declaration (SED) will no longer be used, and the export trade data that is reported will be referred to as Electronic Export Information (EEI) going forward.

The new Census Bureau regulations state that the EEI must be filed and accepted in the Automated Export System (AES) two hours before scheduled flight departure. and that an Internal Transaction Number (ITN) must be on the air waybill. Under this Foreign Trade Regulation, penalties for non-compliance could be levied up to $10,000 per shipment, and criminal penalties for filing false and/or misleading information are now up to $10,000 or imprisonment for five years, or both. Customers should therefore make every effort to abide by all EEI regulations in their shipping.

In addition, effective September 2, 2008, DHL requires that all international shipments requiring an AES filing have the ITN (Internal Transaction Number) printed on the waybill when the courier arrives to pick up your shipment. DHL will hold any international shipment for export until the ITN is provided. If an ITN is not provided on the day of pickup, the customer can expect a minimum of a one-day delay in transit time.

To assist you with AES/EEI compliance, the following solutions are available:

• Unishippers’ Express Manager tool allows you to link to the AES website (www.aesdirect.gov), where your EEI is automatically filed. Please not that this must be done at least four hours prior to scheduled DHL pickup.

• The latest versions of DHL EasyShip and DHL WebShip will also allow you to automatically file your EEI.

All exporters that are required to file an EEI will be affected by the new regulations, which went into effect on July 2, 2008 and are currently in a 90-day “soft” implementation period that will end on September 30, 2008. At that time, the implementation will be full and final, with all penalties and fees in effect. All Unishippers customers should make sure that they are aware of these new regulations and in full compliance by the end of September. As with any other shipping issue, your local Unishippers office stands ready to assist you with any questions regarding the new export information rules.

Saving U Time, Trouble and Money
The Benefits of TMS
Whether the majority of your shipments are express letters or heavy freight, you can save time and money by making use of Transportation Management Software (TMS). These systems are designed to allow customers the utmost control and access to information as they set up and manage their shipments.

Unishippers customers benefit from having access to the two best TMS systems in the industry: Freight Manager and Express Manager. These two invaluable tools, both of which are available on www.unishippers.com, provide a myriad of benefits for their users.

Express Manager
Unishippers’ Express Manager tool is an easy-to-use online method for quoting and processing DHL express and ground shipments. The benefits of Express Manager include:

• You can see your rates and compare rates of each service, making it easy to select the service that best fits your delivery speed and cost requirements.
• You can set up sub accounts and specify permissions to allow for security and easy internal monitoring/reporting of your shipping activity. (Reports can also display which sub account handled the shipment.)
• Robust reporting capabilities, including a detailed report of each shipment and an overall summary of shipments.
• You can create, view, edit and void shipments and print waybills. The tool minimizes errors such as blank fields and misread routing information which can lead to unnecessary fees.
• You can link to order DHL supplies, schedule a pickup and find a drop box from Express Manager.
• Ability to create a shared address book.
• Ability to upload address books from other shipping tools including DHL, FedEx^®, UPS^®.

Freight Manager
Unishippers’ Freight Manager tool enables freight customers to quickly and easily manage and process their shipments. The benefits of Freight Manager include:

• You can obtain rate quotes and transit times from multiple carriers
• Easy Bill of Lading preparation
• Online address book
• Shipment tracking
• Capability for handling outbound, inbound and 3rd party freight shipments
• You have the ability to generate your own customized shipping reports
• You have the option to provide login information to suppliers to allow blind/drop shipping

Whether it’s an express, ground or a freight shipment, Unishippers offers you a TMS solution to make your shipping experience more convenient, accurate and cost-effective. For more information on both of Unishippers’ powerful TMS tools, visit www.unishippers.com. For assistance in determining whether your shipping needs can be better served by express or freight, please contact your local Unishippers office.