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Singapore, November
29, 2002 – Global ocean carrier APL was last night named top IT innovator
at the inaugural Asia Logistics Awards.
APL received the award for IT Innovation at a gala ceremony in Hong Kong attended
by more than 300 representatives of the global logistics and shipping industry.
The award was based on votes cast by the readers of leading supply chain management
publication Freight Transport Buyer Asia, as well as the Asian readerships of
Containerisation International and International Freighting Weekly.
Readers were asked to consider a number of criteria before casting their votes,
including reliability of information technology (IT) solutions as well as cost
savings and efficiency gains resulting from its implementation.
APL and sister company APL Logistics (APLL) were finalists in several other categories
at the awards, which were billed as the “Asian view of the global logistics industry”.
APL and APLL’s IT products and services have received numbers of awards, with
plaudits often coming from outside the shipping industry. This year, for example,
they were prominently placed in Information Week’s top-500 for IT excellence,
and BtoB magazine named APL one of the top business-to-business (B2B) web sites,
for the second year.
Collecting the latest award, Phillip Chin, Vice President, E-Commerce Products,
APL, said: “Above all, we want to help customers achieve their business objectives
by getting the best out of APL’s global network and industry expertise. Our ground-breaking
suite of IT solutions helps them to do just that as well as saving them time,
reducing costs and, ultimately, helping improve their bottom line.”
Recent figures show that more than 30 per cent of total customer transactions
go through the APL’s e-channels. And more than 45 per cent of active APL customers
use the company’s e-commerce services and products.
APL is continuing to expand its e-commerce offering through its HomePort web-based
e-commerce platform.
Tools available include: E-BL Print, which allows customers to deliver printable
Bills of Lading (BLs) directly to a bank, forwarder or consignee via email or
the Internet; Electronic Bookings – a quick and flexible way to make bookings
24 hours a day, regardless of location.
But customers do not need Internet access to make use of the tools available.
For example, track@apl.com allows customers to get detailed information on the
status of their shipments 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The customer simply
sends an email to track@apl.com and within minutes they receive an automated reply
detailing origin, load vessel, departure date, final discharge, discharge vessel
and estimated time of arrival (ETA).
Mr Chin said, “Our approach to e-commerce is to make it easier for customers to
do their business and provide them with choice in how they transact with us. For
example, track@apl.com specifically targets users operating in a non-browser environment.
“We will be developing further tools along these lines in the future.”
About APL and APL Logistics
APL provides customers around the world with container transportation services
through a network combining high-quality intermodal operations with state-of-the-art
information technology. APL Logistics offers end-to-end supply chain management
services enabled by leading information technology. APL Logistics is a sister
company of APL. Both companies are subsidiaries of Singapore-based Neptune Orient
Lines (NOL), a global transportation and logistics company engaged in shipping
and related businesses. Its IT function is managed in Oakland, California.
For more information
Jerry Drelling tel: APL Americas (510).272.8208 or jerry_a_drelling@apl.com
Paul Barrett APL Asia/MEast tel: (65) 6371.5022 or paul.barrett@nol.com.sg
Michael Haig APL Europe tel: +44 1737 248300 or info@isiscomms.com
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