Europe

Companies are responding by diversifying sourcing and looking for new trade routes.

In a Form 8-K filing with the United States Securities Exchange Commission earlier today, Memphis-based global freight transportation and logistics services provider FedEx announced a workforce reduction plan in Europe as part of the company’s ongoing measures to reduce structural costs. Company officials said that this plan will impact between 1,700-to-2,000 FedEx Europe-based employees serving in back-office and commercial functions.

The company said that this business unit now has more than $200 million euro ($218.2 million USD) in freight under management and is on track for $2 billion ($2.18 billion USD) by 2028.

Considering all that has taken place, our European correspondent reports that the logistics industry in Europe has responded well to the generational disruptions experienced over the past few years. Through the development of new routes, services and even diplomacy, supply chains have been maintained—even under extreme pressures.

Greenwich, Conn.-based global contract logistics services provider GXO announced today it has rolled out an expansion of GXO Direct, its shared warehouse service offering, which provides immediate access to high-quality space, technology, and services at a lower cost, in the United Kingdom. What’s more the company said that the pairing of the combined capabilities of GXO and London-based Clipper Logistics plc, a provider of omni-channel retail logistics services, which GXO acquired a little more than a year ago,...

Despite economic and financial uncertainties, the first half of 2012 has been moderately successful for many leading European carriers, ports, and 3PLs.