Friedman Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Constellation Software, Inc., and parent company of Varsity Logistics announced that it has acquired Markinson Technologies Pty Ltd.  Markinson offers full-featured, configurable applications for multi-facility wholesalers and retailers.  Markinson’s ERP solutions support a broad range of industries including Automotive, Electronics, and Capital Equipment.  As a result of the purchase, Markinson will become part of Constellation’s Friedman Operating Group, and will operate as an independent division of Friedman. Markinson will continue to develop, enhance, and sell ERP software solutions and continue to provide the highest level of support to their customers.

Click here to view the full press release.

Varsity Logistics will be busy this Fall season and will be participating in the Quest Midwest Conference in Chicago, IL  November 7th and 8th and the JD Edwards New England User Group meeting in Milford, MA on November 16th.  If you are planning on attending either one of these events, please stop by the Varsity booth, or plan to attend one of our breakout sessions.

In Chicago, Mike Parrilli with be presenting the benefits of deploying an enterprise wide TMS solution, interfaced seamlessly to JDE, running natively on the IBM System i.

In Milford MA, Joe Bentley, Director of IT for K&M Industries will be discussing his experience with the implementation of the Varsity Logistics solution for his JD Edwards environment.

Visit our events page to learn more. http://www.varsitylogistics.com/company/events.asp

We are pleased to have Logimax join the Constellation Software, Inc.  portfolio of vertical market software companies.  As a fellow member of Constellation Software, we are looking forward to working with Logimax to extend our reach into the Supply Chain industry specifically in the Distribution and Logistics space, which has been their area of expertise for over 20 years.  Go to the following link to read the complete press release, and learn more about Logimax:  http://www.e-logimax.com/

Join us in welcoming Logimax to the Constellation Software family of businesses!

Varsity Logistics will be exhibiting and speaking at two Quest Regional events this summer. We will be at the Mohegan Sun resort in Connecticut in July for the Quest Northeast event, and at the Marriott in San Diego, CA in August. Visit our events page for exact dates and other details.

On May 26th 2011 Varsity Logistics made a significant announcement in that they have extended their product offering to include a Supply Chain Management suite of products from Viewlocity Technologies. Both companies, part of CSI (Constellation Software, Inc.) have partnered to offer the Viewlocity Solutions to Varsity customers who are in need of better control and visibility into their Supply Chain. As part of the announcement, both organizations presented a live webcast highlighting the features and functions of the “Control Tower Platform” solution, which is one module within the suite of products. The presentation was a tremendous success and well received by the Varsity customers who attended.  For additional information regarding the Viewlocity Supply Chain suite of products, contact your Varsity account rep today. 

The Varsity marketing team will be in full swing this Spring as we are scheduled to exhibit at events in NJ, MA, and WI.  In addition our team will be conducting a series of TMS webinars over the next two months for different segments of the North American market.  Go to the events page of our web site for an entire list of current activity.

(http://www.varsitylogistics.com/company/events.asp)

“ Varsity is joined by Viewlocity Technologies, as a sister company within the Constellation Software, Inc  group of companies.  Viewlocity is a market leader in the development of Supply Chain Management (SCM) software products.  Click here to view press release. http://www.friedmancorp.com/pressroom/FC_Announce_Viewlocity_Acqusition.pdf

As a fellow member of Constellation Software, Varsity will be working with Viewlocity to extend its reach into the supply chain industry and will introduce their solutions to companies looking to better manage their complex supply chain.”

Throughout 2010 we saw warning signs that shippers may see their transportation costs go up 10% to 20% within the next two years.  In 2008 we experienced an economic meltdown as the financial markets collapsed, credit markets froze, and the government intervened with a $ 700 billion dollar bailout of the financial services sector.  There may be debate as to when the recession actually started, but everyone agrees that the financial crisis of 2008-2009 was as significant as anything this country had seen since the great depression.

This massive economic contraction and decline led to sharp reductions in shipments and tonnage.  Capital spending and orders dropped, unemployment surged and transportation carriers scrambled to survive.  Consider that shippers experienced in 2008-2009, abundant capacity, declining prices, a collapse in ocean rates, declining truckload and LTL rates, and little new federal regulation.

Companies that operate as if these new rates and abundance of capacity are the new norm may not be properly preparing for the future.   Under normal circumstances transportation budgets increase 2% to 3% each year, there is no difficulty in procuring carriers, and companies can continue to meet their customer’s increasing complex supply chain needs.  As we enter into 2011, there is an increasing probability that companies will see a 10% to 20% increase in transportation costs over the next two years.

One challenge that should serve as an early warning is the sharp fluctuation in fuel costs.  In addition, shipper demand is beginning to outstrip carrier supply, and legislation from the DOT will increase the cost of doing business with carriers. With manufacturing and new order indexes rising, it appears that the US economy is in a recovery mode.  The result is a tightening of capacity in the truckload and ocean sector and the carriers asking for and receiving rate increases.

Organizations need to be aware of these critical issues facing them and begin to take steps to reduce their transportation spend, and improve efficiencies by providing the tools necessary  to remain in control and competititive.

Chris Anderson, President
Varsity Logistics, Inc

UPS has announced their rate and zone files for 2011.  Varsity will have the completed UPS Rate Update ready for FTP to all customers prior to the effective date of January 3rd, 20101.  UPS logic changes will be included in the new rolling PTF for v2.61 and v2.70.  If you are on v2.60, please forward your current library list to gnorton@varsitynet.com.  

US Postal Service has released their rate files for 2011 for Express Mail, Priority Mail, Parcel Select, Express Mail International, Priority Mail International and M-Bags.  These rates will be ready for FTP to all customers prior to the effective date of January 2^nd, 2011.  USPS logic changes will be included in the new rolling PTF for v2.61 and v2.70 customers. 

All of Varsity’s Rate Updates will be made available either electronically, via FTP, or on physical media, according to your preference.  We encourage all of you to take advantage of the electronic distribution method. It is much faster and more reliable than a physical distribution of CD(s).   Please call (650)392-7979 to request a Rate Update Form.

Our office and Technical Support desk will be closed for the Christmas Holiday December 24th and 27th and for the New Years’ Holiday December 31st and January 3rd. 

If you have any questions about either the Rate Update itself or how we plan to distribute it, please do not hesitate to contact us either via email or by telephone.