|
ACBL
To Use American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), Jeffersonville, Ind., announced recently that it will use Originals Online to enhance the exchange of barge freight commercial documents with its customers. The system used the patented eOriginal technology, providing a secure, Web-driven process for initiating, signing, endorsing, verifying and storing electronic barge freight transaction documents. (See WJ, November 5.) "We are pleased to offer our customers an opportunity to join us in reducing our reliance on inefficient paper transactions," said James F. Farley, ACBL senior vice-president-marketing. "Originals Online is designed to protect the security of electronically exchanged certified and signed original trade documents. We hope our customers will partner with ACBL in transition to efficient, secure, paperless barge freight transactions." For more information on Originals Online, visit www.originalsonline.com. |
ACBL
Announces
Logistics Joint Venture
American Commercial Barge Line (ACBL), Jeffersonville, Ind., and MBLX Inc., New Orleans, La., have announced the formation of BargeLink, a joint venture company providing river barge logistics, barge brokering, electronic rate requests and tracking services for full barge load cargoes.
Based in New Orleans, BargeLink supplies a broad range of barge-related services, including ocean transportation, customs clearance, discharge of vessels, unloading of barges, warehousing, distribution and truck/rail deliveries.
The joint venture offers domestic and international shippers the combination of MBLX's logistics expertise and advanced web-based tracking systems with the unmatched coverage offered by ACBL's extensive inventory of boats, barges and fleeting services. With these combined strengths, BargeLink can design and implement the best conventional or customized transportation packages to maximize a customer's shipping opportunities, the firms said in the announcement.
Enhanced Information Capabilities
"BargeLink is designed to meet our customers' demand for innovative logistics services supported by enhanced information capabilities," said David Schulingkamp, president of MBLX. "Customers have told us the game has changed. They want information to move with the product. BargeLink provides operational intelligence at every step in the supply chains. This sophistication tells us that any quality third-party provider had better be as adept at distributing information as it is at distributing products."
Steve Brooks, ACBL's vice president, said BargeLink "offers the types of value-enhanced initiatives and operational excellence that our customers have specifically requested. Because we have an outstanding track record with MBLX in other markets, BargeLink is the next logical step toward satisfying our customer's requests. By combining the size and flexibility of ACBL's marine fleet with the breadth and depth of MBLX information systems, BargeLink offers a major advantage for all of our customers."
MBLX will continue to offer less-than-barge-load consolidation and logistical services and ACBL will continue to provide full barge load transportation services for the inland river system.
ACBL is the largest and most diversified barge transportation company in both North and South America. The barge line operates along most of the 11,000 miles of U.S. inland and intracoastal waterways on the Orinoco River in Venezuela and on the Parana/Paraguay river system in Argentina. The company ships more than 70 million tons of cargo in the United States alone, transporting a wide variety of commodities, including coal, grain, liquids, steel products and bulk ores. ACBL is a subsidiary company of American Commercial Lines LLC.
MBLX Inc. was formed in 1996 as a non-asset-based third-party logistics provider. The company offers logistics services throughout the river system using barging and other modes of transportation. It provides barge transportation of import cargoes of less-than-barge-load shipments through the exclusive use of ACBL's roll-covered fleet. MBLX is an affiliate of M.G. Maher & Company Inc., an international freight forwarder and customs house broker providing logistical supply chain services to customers worldwide.