tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16213437214931848072024-03-14T12:20:09.779+13:00DSL BlogUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-57697420772217100202023-02-22T14:49:00.000+13:002023-02-22T14:49:02.831+13:00Container Unpacking Delays<p class="MsoNormal">A quick message to all our amazing customers who may have
FCL inwards goods that have arrived or will arrive soon. We are sure most would
have read about the delays at the ports, over the last few of months, and
it would seem going forward we are also having major issues with congestion at
empty container parks.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For those of you not 100% aware of the issues or need more
details of exactly what is happening with all unpack yards please see the below
explanation.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Currently there is a massively disproportionate volume of
empty containers in Auckland. This means that the empty container yards which
work for the shipping lines are full or in some cases overfill, which is
causing them to shut and therefore not accept MT containers. The current
wait times seem to be anywhere from a week to two weeks to get a space.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that means that the cartage companies can’t pick up the
empty containers out of the depots (such as DSL) that unpack them, without
having somewhere to take them, because obviously they can’t stay onboard the
trucks.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Some cartage companies have yards they can hub them back
too, but this incurs costs, that end up getting passed back on to you the end
customer. After all it is not the FCL cartage companies’ fault that the de-hire
depots are full. Yes, it costs extra if the cartage company does hub the boxes
somewhere, however the alternative is even worse, because it means that they
don’t collect the containers from the people who unpack them. The roll-on
effect of that is that no more full containers can be received by the unpacking
depots.</p><p class="MsoNormal">This causes further costs and delays in getting what may be
urgently needed stock in. So, your cargo is delayed, and to add insult to injury
you will also be hit with huge demurrage and detention costs as well. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We as a company who unpacks containers on behalf of our
customers are being pushed into an awful position. We are trying to help all
our customers, by devanning as many boxes as we can each day, however unless
the empty ones are removed each night, or in a timely manner, we can’t get more
full ones in to help either yourselves, or other customers with the urgent
unpacks that are required. It is a vicious circle, and we are all left just
going around and around every day, for weeks and weeks, with no certainty of
the situation being fixed.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">And we all end up paying a price. Please put pressure on
your shipping lines to not only find a solution to this problem, but also to
stop charging Detention on containers that everyone is trying to return but the
depots those same lines choose to contract too, are full, and won’t accept
bookings. The shipping lines are the only ones who can fix the problem.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please be patient with our inwards team as they are trying
to get the containers moved around so that we can get your freight processed as
urgently as we can. I suppose this is just another link in the supply chain
crisis we are all facing!</p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zB547TL-44/YYRjyP-ReUI/AAAAAAAAAP0/emxw28JOxoc2vgk0JeCgnX3x6HlW1r54wCLcBGAsYHQ/s60/john.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="41" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zB547TL-44/YYRjyP-ReUI/AAAAAAAAAP0/emxw28JOxoc2vgk0JeCgnX3x6HlW1r54wCLcBGAsYHQ/w41-h41/john.png" width="41" /></a></div>John Widdows</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:john@dsl.co.nz">john@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-34543889627109006772023-01-30T19:34:00.001+13:002023-01-30T19:34:41.843+13:00One Damn Thing After Another<p class="MsoNormal">We were preparing to find out how many of our staff will not
be able to come back to work tomorrow, due to possible flood damage to their
homes and cars.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We have now received this advice: in the face of a weather forecast
for heavy rain on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, the Secretary of Education
directed all schools in Auckland to shut down for one week, until February 7. Details
in <a href="http://www.tinyurl.com/4zmnnc3a" target="_blank">the NZ Herald</a>.
Maybe this decision was made ‘out of an abundance of caution’.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Measures like this have historically resulted in as many as
half our staff being unable to attend work. We will update you later in the week,
but you can expect processing times to get worse before they get better.</p><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-10197561692155064012023-01-30T12:22:00.000+13:002023-01-30T12:22:05.456+13:00Auckland Floods – Stock Safe<p class="MsoNormal">We inspected our five warehouses in Auckland, following the floods
of last Friday evening. There was no water ingress in any of the warehouses and
no stock was damaged.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It is too early to tell how the floods will impact on our work.
It is likely that some of our colleagues will have to attend to flood damages to
their properties and/or cars. We can’t assess the extent of those factors, as
today is a public holiday in Auckland. Our Customer Services staff will provide
more information as it comes to hand.</p><div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-68511345100039590152023-01-16T14:49:00.000+13:002023-01-16T14:49:49.318+13:00Empty Container Returns<div>We are starting to see increased pressure on empty container yards, to the point where they have started to reject new deliveries.</div><div><br /></div><div>You may have experienced this already, or soon will. We have become an informal hub for empties with nowhere to go, which in turn limits the number of containers that we can fit into our yards.</div><div><br /></div><div>To add insult to injury, some shipping lines are charging importers for so-called ‘detention charges’ when they fail to return the empty containers by the due date. One legal advisor with specialist knowledge in this area, Pauline Davies of <a href="https://www.feelangstone.co.nz/" target="_blank">Fee Langstone</a> said, </div><div><br /></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div style="text-align: left;"><i>“The obligation on cargo interests is to return containers to the place nominated by the carrier, within the free period. It seems to me that if a place of redelivery is either not nominated by the carrier, or if it is impossible to return containers to that place, the right to charge detention does not arise. Contractual performance is simply not possible. If [the shipping company] continues to nominate a place that won't accept empties, arguably the nomination is invalid.” </i>Hat tip to <a href="https://www.cbaff.org.nz" target="_blank">CBAFF</a>. </div></blockquote><div><br /></div><div>If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to reach out.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/aaron.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="44" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/w44-h44/aaron.png" width="44" /></a></div>Aaron Hobbs</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:aaron@dsl.co.nz">aaron@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-89130068180538825592023-01-05T20:22:00.005+13:002023-01-06T08:11:43.067+13:00Artificial Intelligence In LogisticsChatGPT is all the rage in nerd circles. It is an Artificial Intelligence large language model that sounds eerily human. Just read the transcript below of a session for an idea of what you can get. Then, go over to <a href="https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/">https://openai.com/blog/chatgpt/</a> and give it a go. It could be more entertaining than playing Scrabble on a rainy day by the beach.<div><br /></div><div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666;"><br /></span></h3><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #666666;">Transcript of a ChatGPT Session</span></h3><div style="text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">How do I calculate stock turns?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Stock turns, also known as inventory turnover, is a measure of how quickly a company is able to sell its inventory over a given period of time. To calculate stock turns, you can use the following formula:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Stock turns = Cost of goods sold / Average inventory<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">To calculate this, you will need to know the company's cost of goods sold (COGS) and the average inventory for the period being measured. The cost of goods sold is the total cost of the inventory that was sold during the period. Average inventory is calculated by taking the average of the beginning and ending inventory levels for the period.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Here is an example of how to calculate stock turns:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Let's say a company has a cost of goods sold of $500,000 for the year and an average inventory of $100,000. To calculate the stock turns, you would divide the cost of goods sold by the average inventory:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Stock turns = $500,000 / $100,000 = 5<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">This means that the company was able to sell its entire inventory five times over the course of the year. A higher stock turn rate indicates that the company is able to sell its inventory more quickly and may be more efficient at managing its inventory. A lower stock turn rate may indicate that the company is having difficulty selling its inventory or that it is carrying too much inventory, which could lead to higher storage and carrying costs.</span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Where do I find stock turns benchmarks for sports footwear?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">There are a few different places where you may be able to find benchmarks for stock turns in the sports footwear industry. Here are a few options:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">1. Industry trade publications: Many industry trade publications, such as Footwear News or SGB Magazine, publish regular reports on key performance indicators in the sports footwear industry, including stock turns. These publications may also provide comparisons to industry benchmarks or to the performance of similar companies.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">2. Industry associations: Industry associations, such as the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) or the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), often publish industry data and statistics that may include benchmarks for stock turns in the sports footwear industry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">3. Company financial statements: You can also try looking at the financial statements of publicly traded sports footwear companies to see how their stock turns compare to industry benchmarks. These statements are typically available on the company's website or through a financial data provider such as Bloomberg or Yahoo Finance.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">4. Consultants or analysts: Consulting firms or industry analysts who specialize in the sports footwear industry may also be able to provide insights into typical stock turn values for the industry.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt; text-align: left;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Keep in mind that it is important to consider the specific business goals and objectives of a company when evaluating its stock turns, as the optimal value may vary depending on the company's unique circumstances. It is also important to consider the specific time period being measured, as stock turns may fluctuate over time.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br />Please repeat last answer in the style of a rap singer.</span></b></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Yo, it's your AI assistant here to bring the knowledge<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">I got a few places where you can find some benchmarks<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">For stock turns in the sports footwear game<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Trade publications, industry associations, company financial statements,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Consultants and analysts, they all got game<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">But don't forget, it's all about the company's goals and objectives<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">And the time period being measured, don't miss it<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">So keep that in mind as you seek out the data<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Hope this helps, now let's kick it, we outta here!<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /><!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--></span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">And now repeat in the style of Shakespeare.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Greetings, dear user, and allow me to impart<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Some wisdom upon thee, regarding benchmarks for stock turns in the sports footwear art<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Trade publications and industry associations, they have much to share Verily, company financial statements and consultants and analysts do declare<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">But remember, context is key, with business goals and objectives in mind And the time period being measured, do not be left behind<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Thus, these sources do offer guidance and direction In finding benchmarks for stock turns, with circumspection<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"><br />Can you create a formula to calculate stock turns in Excel?</span></b></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Yes, it is possible to create a formula in Microsoft Excel to calculate stock turns. Here is an example of how you can do this:<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">1. Open a new workbook in Excel and create a new sheet.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">2. In cell A1, enter the heading "Cost of goods sold" and in cell A2, enter the cost of goods sold for the period being measured.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">3. In cell B1, enter the heading "Beginning inventory" and in cell B2, enter the beginning inventory level for the period being measured.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">4. In cell C1, enter the heading "Ending inventory" and in cell C2, enter the ending inventory level for the period being measured.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">5. In cell D1, enter the heading "Average inventory" and in cell D2, enter the following formula: =AVERAGE(B2:C2) This will calculate the average of the beginning and ending inventory levels for the period being measured.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">6. In cell E1, enter the heading "Stock turns" and in cell E2, enter the following formula: =A2/D2 This will divide the cost of goods sold by the average inventory level to calculate the stock turns for the period being measured.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 36pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">7. You can then format the cells as desired and add additional rows or columns as needed to include additional data or calculations.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="border: none; mso-border-bottom-alt: solid windowtext 1.5pt; mso-padding-alt: 0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Keep in mind that this is just one example of how to calculate stock turns in Excel, and you may need to modify the formula based on your specific needs and data. It is also important to ensure that the data being used in the formula is accurate and up-to-date in order to get an accurate stock turn value.<br style="mso-special-character: line-break;" /></span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Can you provide code to do the same in C#?</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">Yes, it is possible to use the C# programming language to calculate stock turns. Here is an example of how you could do this:<br /></span></p><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgld35iZ0dg7bfwxygQlfilDnfGpzKU3iBrIUMCpb_GgrwKPl-PDBr3Ufd1w0GIz3BKHAxZ3j1nfKjUxaUNj90ez1O4N7fgg92wxTXtbjXdKg_eEOECsWiLCFztGOm6N6bbaROlM1A49aANkq_iLq6Ku6P925ucKGqU9wZXWeVXJaE3goS3MqDYB-xu/s1182/image.png" style="clear: left; display: inline; font-size: 14pt; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1182" data-original-width="1053" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgld35iZ0dg7bfwxygQlfilDnfGpzKU3iBrIUMCpb_GgrwKPl-PDBr3Ufd1w0GIz3BKHAxZ3j1nfKjUxaUNj90ez1O4N7fgg92wxTXtbjXdKg_eEOECsWiLCFztGOm6N6bbaROlM1A49aANkq_iLq6Ku6P925ucKGqU9wZXWeVXJaE3goS3MqDYB-xu/w570-h640/image.png" width="570" /></a></div><p><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">In this example, the variables </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">costOfGoodsSold</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">, </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">beginningInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">, and </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">endingInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> are initialized with example values. The </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">averageInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> is calculated by taking the average of the </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">beginningInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> and </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">endingInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">. The </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">stockTurns</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> value is then calculated by dividing the </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">costOfGoodsSold</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> by the </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">averageInventory</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;">. Finally, the </span><span style="font-family: "Cascadia Code"; font-size: 13pt; line-height: 18.5467px;">stockTurns</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 19.9733px;"> value is output to the console.</span></p><div style="border-bottom: solid windowtext 1.5pt; border: none; mso-element: para-border-div; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;">You can modify this code to include additional calculations or to handle different types of input data as needed. It is also important to ensure that the data being used in the calculations is accurate and up-to-date in order to get an accurate stock turn value.<br /><br /></span></div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-88841328973312265062022-12-10T21:33:00.000+13:002022-12-10T21:33:48.906+13:00Supply Chain Crisis Becomes Inventory Crisis<p><i>"What was a supply chain crisis during the pandemic is now an inventory crisis with money tied up in products just sitting on a shelf. New data shows [New Zealand] companies are holding twice the level of stock compared to pre-pandemic levels [...].”</i> This was the introduction to a well-researched news item in TV1 News on 3 December 2022. Watch it on YouTube.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/wMsVMIne4TE" width="320" youtube-src-id="wMsVMIne4TE"></iframe></div><br /><p><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-16029951295353715692022-11-29T15:10:00.001+13:002022-12-10T21:39:24.814+13:00Inflation Predicted<p class="MsoNormal">These comments were
made way back on 9 April 2020, during the first lockdown. A video of the interview
is in YouTube. At around 3 minutes:<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i>“If you think that
you can rely on your savings for your old age – think again. We’ve been there
before. In the early seventies, we had the oil crisis. Most countries went into
spending huge amounts of money. That is precisely what we are doing now. So,
this fifty-billion-here, fifty-billion-there must be paid somehow. The usual way
is with rampant inflation and no growth.”</i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><i><br /></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VmnUN4bY8hA" width="320" youtube-src-id="VmnUN4bY8hA"></iframe></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-1758212009892411772022-11-15T17:57:00.000+13:002022-11-15T17:57:34.427+13:00Performance Update<div>This is an update on the impact of the current supply chain disruptions on our third-party logistics operations.</div><div><br /></div><div>Stock on hand (aggregate for all clients) increased substantially over 2021:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPknuQ_FiMsdN5NQUqNHGJIvmyKjpoJeAMhydP6AoE1vSt6sTqwCY38m2xVl0WlRsDS_FhL7e-BQKuOILHyet-rKEoS-7y_btRcQCjN6WWFkBj8vRktNgk02uuaQdvhwtanhdjCuUFwQKj_VhMXM14UZiHi5UxrwQAcJDHNwyxThnF2i3EP5UTBjQ/s381/PU1.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="254" data-original-width="381" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPknuQ_FiMsdN5NQUqNHGJIvmyKjpoJeAMhydP6AoE1vSt6sTqwCY38m2xVl0WlRsDS_FhL7e-BQKuOILHyet-rKEoS-7y_btRcQCjN6WWFkBj8vRktNgk02uuaQdvhwtanhdjCuUFwQKj_VhMXM14UZiHi5UxrwQAcJDHNwyxThnF2i3EP5UTBjQ/s320/PU1.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From August 2022, there was a substantial increase in the number of units that we were ordered to ship:</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mQwTepZ4CL6zb_2ifCLs_PHqjwnrw1b_I-Y5yFfTWqEhTYdyPW1WN1OXKFa5u0lgTwc3_l8I9OmARgLtc2GdzZu4TQD7XJ4vyEKoFpMdXBuroK6-ssAClEKqSFBExOqPjVagQQUq64Fv0sBjhaEj1MJMrxzL2XLQ23trv19P2slyhzTbyh50Axw6/s383/PU2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="383" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_mQwTepZ4CL6zb_2ifCLs_PHqjwnrw1b_I-Y5yFfTWqEhTYdyPW1WN1OXKFa5u0lgTwc3_l8I9OmARgLtc2GdzZu4TQD7XJ4vyEKoFpMdXBuroK6-ssAClEKqSFBExOqPjVagQQUq64Fv0sBjhaEj1MJMrxzL2XLQ23trv19P2slyhzTbyh50Axw6/s320/PU2.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This resulted in an increase in the number of units being shipped after the target date. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1310" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s320/PU3.png" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6D-FLsFfwnOzL2Bc5hoaBZsFxxj_rhZ2Nv9gZgrSXpIBYesZ8OHnB1bg78QeSFO6Dd_wu7EYbxrJPIK9T9woE6_omhiRDpZ2mkQl1i58wVEaLTAsKNM7RBzn8Y3R-GVAOObP1v5KLdg7Ppkpq3FKkk9Ngk-i0U_H5DCM9ASizAMoK4-r3yr1DTcPn/s1310/PU3.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Overdue Units peaked at the end of October and are continuing to decline. That is a result of us increasing storage space, acquiring new equipment, and recruiting more staff.</div><div><br /></div><div>We continue to work hard to reduce the number of overdue units and will keep you updated on progress.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<table>
<tbody><tr>
<td><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></td>
<td><div><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">Daniel Silva</span></b></div><div><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></div><div></div></td>
</tr>
</tbody></table><div><br /></div><div></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-29004521189726490942022-10-25T15:33:00.001+13:002022-10-25T15:35:16.593+13:00Progress Report<div>We are still having some difficulty meeting normal processing targets. Like emergency departments in hospitals, we have had an increase in workload (in our case, sudden large-scale overstocking by several clients) accompanied by a shortage of staff. In the case of the hospitals, the consequences include the odd patient death. In our case, we have some orders being delivered to shops days late. To aggravate matters, all couriers are also currently experiencing delays.</div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike the Government, we can’t just respond with platitudes. We were reluctant to increase wages, as we thought that you would not accept cost increases. We have now concluded that you will not have much of an option but to accept justified costs increases, like we all reluctantly accept the increases in the weekly supermarket shopping bill. This issue will be discussed with you during the next scheduled annual contractual review.</div><div><br /></div><div>In recent times, it has been very hard for us to recruit staff. The hourly rate is not that great, and we are competing against a government that is only too happy to pay people a generous ‘job-seekers benefit’ (no questions asked), while keeping the border firmly shut to new entrants. So, we decided to advertise for new staff at a rate even higher than what a priest from Lower Hutt calls “the living wage”, the holy grail of trade unions. It worked.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is a report of our progress. Our plan to add fifteen new staff is going well. We have had twelve excellent applicants who will start within the week. We are implementing a new shift system that enables an increase in the operation of picking hoists from 40 to 70 hours per week. This is important, given the current delay in us receiving the additional materials-handling equipment we ordered months ago.</div><div><br /></div><div>We expanded our total storage footprint by 2,500 m2. We racked an additional 1,500 m2 for pallet storage in the existing warehouses. These decisions alone amounted to investments of over one million dollars. </div><div><br /></div><div>We haven’t forgotten how to do the job, but unfortunately some of the combined effects of Covid have caught up with us. We are confident the planned changes will have us back to normal within the next two weeks and we will keep you informed of further progress. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-11074560183565650212022-10-11T16:09:00.001+13:002022-10-11T18:02:16.466+13:00 Just In Time: The End?<div>Last month (September 22) we had a record 4.6 million units of stock on hand. That was an increase of 25% on the same month in the previous year. </div><div><br /></div><div>We expanded our total storage footprint by 2,500 m2. We racked an additional 1,500 m2 for pallet storage in the existing warehouses. These decisions amounted to investments of over one million dollars.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also ordered more materials-handling equipment, but of course none of that is available immediately and we will just have to wait. Today, we decided on an aggressive recruitment initiative aiming to increase our warehouse staff by about twenty people, as soon as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our decisions confirm our commitment to continue to be a leading 3PL service provider delivering high quality services to our clients at a competitive cost.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our staff have been very dedicated, many working extra shifts and overtime (over 900 hours/week, company-wide) to compensate for the reduction in labour available. Despite that, we have had increasing difficulty in keeping up with KPIs, agreed with our clients in more gentle times. The reality is that the old days of just-in-time are unlikely to return any time soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>Given the way the market has changed in the last two years, we can no longer pursue a KPI of same-day delivery for orders received before noon. That KPI will now be to ship the order by 6pm on the following day. For large Indent shipments, we will assign a target of 21 days for completion, subject to negotiation in each case. </div><div><br /></div><div>We are in the process reviewing all KPIs and service charges agreed with each client and will discuss yours as part of the annual review cycle.</div><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-48445204801705193812022-08-29T14:07:00.001+12:002022-08-29T14:32:37.569+12:00The Most Open and Transparent 3PL<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt;">We are claiming this
title. Have a look at the new “3PL Costs” page in our website. It will look like
this:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUiiF7fgqZDQJWvU38b0kQEt-HheuitHaCas3p8R0vwTMl9Sv9_zR_380Lvet08EELCxVdEHZmwpJfCj4icUIYYNprROEOB8dL3uSxqiixLWTaWNLyrLAEMSAlsEUH8Q6I_HUAutXdTj_jjNbS_96qyeOh73kwiP-aTrzx6J3LzQTLpX_fE0qmuRJ/s1674/Transparent.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1674" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUiiF7fgqZDQJWvU38b0kQEt-HheuitHaCas3p8R0vwTMl9Sv9_zR_380Lvet08EELCxVdEHZmwpJfCj4icUIYYNprROEOB8dL3uSxqiixLWTaWNLyrLAEMSAlsEUH8Q6I_HUAutXdTj_jjNbS_96qyeOh73kwiP-aTrzx6J3LzQTLpX_fE0qmuRJ/w502-h259/Transparent.png" width="502" /></a></div>You can select any
period between January 2020 and last month. It updates monthly. We hope that this information can be of some help for managing your 3PL costs.<p></p><div><br /></div><div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-2925443347425216342022-07-14T14:30:00.000+12:002022-07-14T14:30:51.105+12:00Supply Chain Disruptions: They Disrupt<p class="xmsonormal">We are in the middle of a surge in the arrival of new
stock. We are also in the middle of a second Covid wave. Not every container
can be unpacked immediately on arrival. That is annoying but maybe not quite as
bad as being held in a leaking tent, awaiting a turn to enter the emergency
department of a hospital in our largest city.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal">Our staff do their best to give priority to genuine
urgencies. When everything is urgent, nothing is. Containers that unload from
ships in Tauranga take about three weeks to reach Auckland, a three-hour drive
away.</p><p class="xmsonormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal">We continue to be subject to Covid-related absenteeism and
have difficulty finding new staff. There is a waiting list of several months
for us to get delivery of goods-handling equipment. Most warehouses, ours included,
are full to the rafters and few are being built. Yet, this too will pass. The
large inventories accumulated by some importers will have to move out, sooner
or later.</p><p class="xmsonormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal">We have adopted several measures to mitigate the current
difficulties. We leased a fourth warehouse that acts as a processing centre for
the other three. That will enable us to convert the processing areas in those
warehouses to high racking, substantially increasing our storage capacity. We
bought two additional trucks to cover the movements to the processing centre.
Our immediate expenditure on those measures was about $900k, including an
additional recurring annual rent of $300k.</p><p class="xmsonormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="xmsonormal">We will continue to provide updates on local conditions, so
that they are visible to you. We ask you to work cooperatively with our
warehouse managers to increase communication for both parties, so we can do the
best we can during this period of disruption.<br /><br /></p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-8517303681136083052022-06-25T13:49:00.000+12:002022-06-25T13:49:09.680+12:00Travel Notes<div>Last week, three of us went to Melbourne to catch up with our clients there, for the first time in over two years. Covid fashions happen there one or two months before they land here, so it was good to see their airports and airlines discarding the mandates for performative mask rituals. </div><div><br /></div><div>On our return, we had to mask up in flight, except for the time spent slowly sipping from a small glass of water. We also had to spend quite a bit of time filling forms online for no discernible effective purpose. This nonsense, like pre-departure testing last week, will soon be dropped here too – much to the dismay of some of our public health activist experts.</div><div><br /></div><div>Melbourne looks like a well-kept city, compared to Auckland. Their restaurants are as good as ever, perhaps even better, but we noticed a strange reluctance on the part of chefs to comply with our requests for two fried eggs on the steak. Weird.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our clients are having the same issues that we have here with labour availability, supply chain disruptions in China and large increases in freight costs. They are also overstocked, having increased their inventories. They were pleased to hear of our large investments in additional capacity and equipment, to enable us to cope with stock-on-hand levels about 30% higher than the same time last year. John Widdows will explain those changes soon in a forthcoming post in this blog.<br /><br /></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-47728426620121792032022-05-15T10:53:00.009+12:002022-05-16T13:20:59.605+12:00Friendshoring<p class="MsoNormal">The past two years have presented importers with large
increases in freight costs and the loss of reliability of freight schedules.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The freight costs will eventually come back to pre-pandemic levels.
That is because the extraordinary profits of the major shipping lines have
attracted new players keen to get a share of that bonanza. Capacity will
increase and so will competition.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Likewise, freight schedules will return to some level of
predictability, as supply chains gradually adapt to the new conditions. The
capacity to spontaneously adapt is what makes supply chains so resilient. They
are a product of millions of decisions made independently by millions of
individuals, every day.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">So, Covid-related disruptions will come to an end but there
are two other factors at play which are of present concern to importers. The
first is the need for democratic nations to realign their trade to other
democracies. The second is the looming inflation and the resulting corrective
recessions, which could adversely affect economies for years to come.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Two examples of the perils of trading with dictatorships:
(1) Germany becoming dependent on Russian gas while dismantling its nuclear
energy sector; and (2) many other countries’ decisions to subcontract manufacturing
to China.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">China’s zero-Covid folly is one that we are familiar with,
having tried it here. Our attempt to eliminate Omicron was only abandoned when
people decided that it was futile and stopped complying with the increasingly
absurd isolation mandates. In China, however, the option to change course when mugged by
reality is not in play, as rulers there appear to believe themselves to be infallible.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">Importers in the rest of the world will be affected by the
resulting disruptions. As they realise that the lure of cheaper labour is not
sufficient to outweigh the uncertainties inherent in dictatorships, like a
brutal lockdown here or a small neighbourly invasion there, they may start to
trade more with other democracies. This tendency even has its own buzzword:
“friendshoring”.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">The other cloud on the horizon is the looming inflation and
the inevitable corrective recessions. This is the result of some believing that
“this time it’s different”. It wasn’t. This too will pass, but it may take a
decade or two.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">In May of 2021 we were storing 3.1 million units of stock.
Today, we are storing just over 4 million, an increase of 29%. This is an
illustration of how supply chains are fast to adjust to changing conditions. Most of
our clients decided (wisely in our view) to increase their inventories. We are responding
by increasing our storage capacity. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">On 1 June, we will take possession of a fourth warehouse in
Mangere.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal">This warehouse, unlike the others, will not be used for a
specific set of clients. Instead, it will become a fulfilment centre for the
other three warehouses. That will enable us to centrally deploy our automation
investments and increase the storage space available in the main warehouses. </p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-36350019527236305482022-02-23T14:01:00.002+13:002022-04-05T11:01:22.454+12:00Labour Capacity Reduced, Targets Increased<p class="MsoNormal">We have started to experience labour shortages caused by
isolation mandates. We expect these shortages to increase and to continue until
the attempt to resist the spread of Omicron is abandoned.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The result will be an increasing difficulty in us meeting processing
targets. We are currently running about one day behind. We will keep you
informed on how we are tracking and will review the job completion targets
weekly. This notice will appear in our Portal page:</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPeg8d30Q4AzDv4IbjqVGRSgy8YT8wivgSpWag5NaOmGsFJvnwmhtSMaRc4OFr4_pLf-dq74505y5AE2F4RP8vORUEgClDFjGPPQeqHro1wMLtZDPYzD05zlsfDA-RSn8tO4J7mnmVqfOt4-pxblGwDMHYW3rmcUAn8_KfSQ-gw5pEYS5XAzZu5YcY=s396" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="396" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiPeg8d30Q4AzDv4IbjqVGRSgy8YT8wivgSpWag5NaOmGsFJvnwmhtSMaRc4OFr4_pLf-dq74505y5AE2F4RP8vORUEgClDFjGPPQeqHro1wMLtZDPYzD05zlsfDA-RSn8tO4J7mnmVqfOt4-pxblGwDMHYW3rmcUAn8_KfSQ-gw5pEYS5XAzZu5YcY=w277-h240" width="277" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal">The target date extension applies only to new jobs. These
notices will be updated every Wednesday afternoon (pay day) with data from the
previous week.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/aaron.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="44" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/w44-h44/aaron.png" width="44" /></a></div>Aaron Hobbs</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:aaron@dsl.co.nz">aaron@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-2575618373519353362022-01-20T21:29:00.000+13:002022-01-21T09:57:40.145+13:00We Are Running Short of Cartons<p class="MsoNormal">The supply chain challenges continue to grow. Now, we are
facing a shortage of cardboard cartons.<u5:p></u5:p><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have just received notice from our main supplier that we
are nearly out of our custom-specified cartons. Our supply agreement with them includes
a commitment for 3 months’ supply at any given point. However, the cardboard
manufacturer is so far behind that there are no reserves.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">It seems that all alternative manufacturing avenues are in a
similar situation. At this stage, we will not get any new stock until around
February 8.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The reason we specify custom carton sizes is that they fit your
order profiles and courier breakpoints. That ensures that you get the best
value in carton utilisation and freight cost.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I have instructed all our teams to immediately re-use,
re-use, re-use the cartons the goods arrive in. We have also secured a supply
of some generic sizes, to keep disruption to a minimum.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The downside of this is that there may be instances where
our packaging choices will not be the best for you. Please bear with us on this; we
hope it is only temporary. Our teams will continue to try to pack your orders
in the most efficient manner possible.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Please contact your warehouse manager or me at any time to
discuss this issue.</p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/aaron.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="44" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-gn9UtYg3aA0/YYRlsagS8zI/AAAAAAAAAQE/5c8tV0ruKV4KIkIaJeaqSWOA4OoeakoIACLcBGAsYHQ/w44-h44/aaron.png" width="44" /></a></div>Aaron Hobbs</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:aaron@dsl.co.nz">aaron@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>
<u5:p></u5:p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-7990738465580154272022-01-20T11:50:00.001+13:002022-02-08T08:41:57.055+13:00Preparing for Omicron<p class="MsoNormal">When Omicron enters the community, we may see large numbers
of people labelled as close contacts being forced to stay home and isolate.
This means we could see big workloads while being short-staffed and unable to
work at full capacity.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We are hoping we don’t end up in this situation but, in case
we do, we are setting up our customer service teams now with the training and
equipment for remote work.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Our warehouse managers will be in touch with you, if and
when the need arises, to discuss a plan to achieve the least possible
disruption to your business and customers. This would be a big-picture plan
rather than selecting specific orders for priority, as that could have the
potential to further slow processing.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We suggest that you too start to prepare in case this
situation arises and discuss with your customers the impact of possible future
warehousing and courier delays.<br /></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #575757; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;"><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #575757; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;"><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dHVaBRBq-k/YYRmBUkN1GI/AAAAAAAAAQM/dHGjpSjzVU09OuNwfHy_ylvUNvAcEQNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s60/Tegan.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="44" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dHVaBRBq-k/YYRmBUkN1GI/AAAAAAAAAQM/dHGjpSjzVU09OuNwfHy_ylvUNvAcEQNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w44-h44/Tegan.png" width="44" /></a></div>Tegan Smith</b></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:tegan@dsl.co.nz">tegan@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div><div><br /></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #575757; font-family: Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif; font-size: 14.3px;"><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></b></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><div><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-40316568528838677292021-12-20T11:16:00.003+13:002021-12-22T09:10:48.159+13:00Groundhog Year?<p class="MsoNormal">About this time last year, we looked back on 2020 and said, <i>“<span style="background: white; color: #575757;">As we come to the end of 2020, we are
still to find out if our attempt to isolate ourselves in a bubble, separate and
distant from the rest of the world, can work. With the help of real science (vaccines)
we may yet get away with it and make 2021 a year to remember. Let's hope so.”</span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So much for those hopes. Politicians and bureaucrats do not
seem to have prepared that well for future waves. Maybe they reckoned there was
no need, given the apparent success of their ‘world-leading’ elimination
strategy. Last year, we also said, “<i>It is easy to criticise the Government
for […] missteps, but we must forgive them, for they knew not what they were
doing.</i>” This year, we are not quite so forgiving.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">On a positive note, our colleagues at DSL were amazing. They
coped with wild fluctuations in volumes of work and managed to complete jobs no
more than one or two days from the KPI targets. By contrast, at least one of
our major competitors is running three and a half weeks behind. Couriers are
having trouble scaling up to meet demand and their delays in delivery appear to
be increasing.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Another positive note is that our clients were also amazing,
both in their resilience and forbearance. By that we mean that none have gone
out of business, and we have not received complaints about the small delays in
meeting targets. Thank you. We decided to remove the “KPIs Suspended, Best
Endeavours” Covid disclaimer from our portal by the end of this month and will
return to aim for the usual KPI of at least 98% on-target.</p><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">We too have learned something, so we refrain from making hopeful predictions for 2022. We do, however, note that even the worst plagues
in history came to an end, usually within two years of the outbreak. What we
can assure you is that we will continue to aim to keep business – yours and ours – running as best we can. We thank you for your continued support and
wish you a great Christmas and a better New Year.</p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p></o:p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-69870230007007655712021-12-08T15:10:00.003+13:002021-12-10T09:51:54.489+13:00Our Heads Are Up In The Clouds <p class="xmsonormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">We have just finished migrating our main servers to the cloud, hosted by Microsoft on their Azure platform. This means that our file, email, data, web, and other servers no longer live in the airconditioned storeroom opposite the office kitchen. </span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">This also means that we can sleep better, in the knowledge that a hoodie-wearing lowlife from Minsk or Pyongyang can’t blackmail us for some bitcoin in exchange for your data. It also means that we have a much better chance of continuing to serve your orders without interruption, and are able to easily scale up our IT systems as demand increases. </span></p><p class="xmsonormal" style="background: white;"><span style="color: #201f1e;">In other IT news, we welcomed Christian Whyte to our in-house fulltime developers’ team last week. Christian will be focusing on migrating our client portal to the new .Net 6 Blazor framework. When that project is completed, you may not notice much of a change on how the site looks or works, except that it will be faster and more secure. </span></p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZcU-hgMbEE/YYRmWxUJ4mI/AAAAAAAAAQU/QtQDA5BWacwIbc6iookhgvm-BUR_UHc2gCLcBGAsYHQ/s60/phillip.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="39" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MZcU-hgMbEE/YYRmWxUJ4mI/AAAAAAAAAQU/QtQDA5BWacwIbc6iookhgvm-BUR_UHc2gCLcBGAsYHQ/w39-h39/phillip.png" width="39" /></a></div>Phillip Rashleigh<br /></b><a href="mailto:phillip@dsl.co.nz" style="background-color: transparent;">phillip@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-12120641719004719932021-11-01T10:06:00.005+13:002021-11-06T18:41:03.287+13:00Rationing by Courier Post<p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Courier Post told us that we must not send more than 84 parcels per day from our warehouses. One day last week one of their drivers, unaware of our limit, collected 109 parcels from us. When their central command found out, they immediately slapped us with a one-day penalty. Our clients were punished by Courier Post refusing to collect their parcels from us the following day.</span></p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">The 84-parcel limit was calculated as being 80% of the average daily collections from us during a two-week period in October. We know that no such limits apply to their own warehousing subsidiaries.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Of course, we understand that Courier Post, like us and every other logistics service provider, is having to contend with large volumes of web sales. We have told our clients that the usual 98% KPI is suspended, and it may take us a day or two longer to fulfil their orders. They understand <span style="font-family: "Calibri",sans-serif; font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-NZ; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">–</span> and not even one has complained.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">It never occurred to us to simply tell our clients to stop sending us orders. We obviously lack the command-and-control instincts of the state-owned postal service. Still, we have been trying to help them by giving as much of their business as we can to their competitors. If you have specified Courier Post, you can help us to help them even more, by allowing us to shift your business away from them.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zB547TL-44/YYRjyP-ReUI/AAAAAAAAAP0/emxw28JOxoc2vgk0JeCgnX3x6HlW1r54wCLcBGAsYHQ/s60/john.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="41" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8zB547TL-44/YYRjyP-ReUI/AAAAAAAAAP0/emxw28JOxoc2vgk0JeCgnX3x6HlW1r54wCLcBGAsYHQ/w41-h41/john.png" width="41" /></a></div>John Widdows</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:john@dsl.co.nz">john@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div><div><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-77598571422707008522021-10-06T10:31:00.005+13:002021-11-05T11:55:17.198+13:00Outlook For Retailers<p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">In Auckland, we are in a lockdown variant. From a retailer's perspective, you could call it "lockdown with KFC". This week, it evolved to "lockdown with KFC in the park". At some stage, retailers may have to cope with regulations like "one person per x m2 in the store", enforced by a security guard at the door (at their cost).</span></p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Then, lockdowns will end – as they have in most of the world. Retailers shouldn't count on a strong recovery based on web sales, like the one we experienced last year. That is because we no longer have large volumes of new entrants to on-line commerce, and many people appear keen to spend their money on overseas travel, the moment border restrictions ease.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Web sales will continue to be an important and growing part of retailing. Some retailers are doing it very well. Software designed years ago to manage store operations using cash-register-based control systems may not be best suited for a web channel. Retailers should consider upgrading to one of several modern platforms designed for that purpose.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Here at DSL, we have continued to cope with large inbound volumes, which are a mixture of catching-up from shipping disruptions and the usual seasonal Christmas rush. Orders have been packed ready for dispatch as soon as the lockdown lifts. Warehouse space is tight but manageable, at this stage. We have suspended the usual strict 98% KPI but are running no more than a day or two behind. We will keep you informed.</span><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-91847598375750041902021-08-23T10:34:00.003+12:002021-11-05T11:55:47.888+13:00Back In Lockdown<p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">New Zealand was suddenly placed in lockdown last week. This one is different from that imposed in March of last year. We are no longer required to lock up our distribution centres and can accept incoming shipments. We can ship direct-to-consumer orders of products that our clients consider to be essential. Retail stores are to remain closed, but we can ship orders to other distribution centres or to retail stores that want to receive them in preparation for reopening.</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;">We are focusing on unpacking containers and counting and putting the contents away. Our dedicated staff are available to perform the work, until they find themselves in the company of more than 10,000 “close contacts” or visit a place in the ever-growing list of “locations of interest”. Then, they will have no option but to self-isolate.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></p><div class="dslcard" style="border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid lightgrey; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15) 0px 5px 15px 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 8px; width: 290px;"><img src="https://dsl.co.nz/images/Covid.png" style="border-style: none; box-sizing: border-box; vertical-align: middle;" width="270" /></div><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">Our contractual KPIs are suspended for obvious reasons of </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">force majeure</i><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">. It takes longer to unpack a container under strict social distancing rules and not all pallets can be immediately placed in pickable locations. We will be working on a best-endeavours basis during this period and for some time after it ends. We will keep you informed.</span><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><div style="font-size: medium;"><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-22885662591448054492021-03-16T10:38:00.015+13:002021-12-13T08:23:00.615+13:00Stock Management<p>Our Stock Management page now includes more information to help you manage your stock. Please let us know if there are any other useful metrics that we can include for you.</p><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jImYOFUqCk4/YYRTd0IKhfI/AAAAAAAAAPo/m6WuTFxXDooV9rkU0DPeikvl0GzXHX2eQCPcBGAYYCw/s60/image.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="46" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jImYOFUqCk4/YYRTd0IKhfI/AAAAAAAAAPo/m6WuTFxXDooV9rkU0DPeikvl0GzXHX2eQCPcBGAYYCw/w46-h46/image.png" width="46" /></a></div>Phillip Rashleigh</b></span></div><div><a href="mailto:phillip@dsl.co.nz">phillip@dsl.co.nz</a></div><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUI8IIxJMrk/YYhfLy-rd1I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/xJjR1ZCv-d4DFvjuwKgRrhRpLqx6t-wZgCLcBGAsYHQ/s815/stock2.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="594" data-original-width="815" height="350" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CUI8IIxJMrk/YYhfLy-rd1I/AAAAAAAAAQ8/xJjR1ZCv-d4DFvjuwKgRrhRpLqx6t-wZgCLcBGAsYHQ/w481-h350/stock2.png" width="481" /></a></div><br /><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><br /></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-24992829779231331452020-12-04T10:43:00.003+13:002021-11-05T11:56:42.179+13:00Looking Back on 2020<p><i style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">This article was first published in <a href="https://exportertoday.co.nz/article/dispatches-lockdown" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #336699; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_bank">Exporter Today</a></i></p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"></span><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">One day last March, we had the awful task of telling more than 100 of our staff that they were out of work. Go home, don’t come tomorrow.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">This was not because we chose to but because we were ordered to. Government told us that “we need your support to protect New Zealand and eradicate Covid-19. Enforcement measures may be used to ensure everyone acts together, now.”</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">There was a stiff jackboot behind all the ‘be-kind-to-each-other’ niceness. There was just no way that we could keep our distribution centres open.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Almost immediately, we started getting requests from clients, keen to claim one of a fast-growing number of exemptions and loopholes. They wanted us to bring staff back from isolation to unpack containers, where some goods deemed to be essential (with vanishing degrees of plausibility) could be found. We tried to accommodate those urgent requests as best we could.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">The Government’s decision to try to distinguish between essential and non-essential services/people was a mistake. Flowers were essential if you bought them at a supermarket, but the florist shop had to remain closed - just like the butcher, the fishmonger and the fruit and vegetables shop.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Meantime, the new 'Zoomocracy', secure in their public sector jobs, enjoyed quality family time going on teddy bear hunts and signalling their environmental virtue by riding electric motorbikes (disguised as bicycles) through the car-less streets of their neighbourhoods.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">It is easy to criticise the Government for these missteps, but we must forgive them, for they knew not what they were doing – and neither did most of us. These matters are not normally part of the curricula of media studies, political science, or public relations courses from whence many of our leaders graduated.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Furthermore, their lack of business experience was aggravated by calls from a pandemic of epidemiologists, dazzled by being suddenly catapulted from obscurity to stardom and oblivious to the economic and health consequences of their preferred response – lockdown.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Some importers panicked and stopped ordering, reckoning that, if stocks run low, we can always top them up later. Except, they couldn’t because the top-up shipments come by airfreight and most of it is carried in passenger flights, of which there are precious few these days. So, they compensated by ordering more by sea freight.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">The ports, unable to recruit staff internationally and constrained by substandard road and rail infrastructure, choked. That’s the problem with supply chains, they are complex and a disruption to any part will usually raise unintended consequences elsewhere.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">Not all our clients survived the lockdown, but most did. Some pivoted to web sales, which kept us busy. All staff came back to work.</span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;">As we come to the end of the horribilis year 2020, we are still to find out if our attempt to isolate ourselves in a bubble, separate and distant from the rest of the world, can work. With the help of real science (vaccines) we may yet get away with it and make 2021 a year to remember. Let's hope so.</span><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><div style="font-size: medium;"><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/s60/daniel.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="43" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-C9BXWPRrX2w/YYRkr51AVDI/AAAAAAAAAP8/EEcIzFQEXPYfaZICTzhQnwvpFhepkDooACLcBGAsYHQ/w43-h43/daniel.png" width="43" /></a></div>Daniel Silva</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:daniel@dsl.co.nz">daniel@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div></div></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1621343721493184807.post-8654771107286032982020-09-09T10:48:00.002+12:002021-11-05T12:00:45.571+13:00Address Validation<p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">We have seen a big increase in direct-to-consumer orders since March. We have also seen an increase in problem deliveries due to addresses on parcels not being formatted correctly.</span></p><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">We have updated our address validation processes, using the address validators in use by the larger couriers. When an order fails that automated process, our system flags it to us for action. We will try to fix the address. If we can’t do that, the order will be placed on hold and our system will notify you by email. Please email me (tegan@dsl.co.nz) with your preferred email address for notifications.</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">The main issues that we come across are:</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-bottom: 1rem; margin-top: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">The street address and the suburb are entered on the same line.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Addresses have a street name but no street number.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Addresses have a street number being a range i.e. 32-36, instead of the main number.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Addresses have no suburb, only the city i.e. Auckland instead of Epsom, Auckland.</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box;">Inconsistencies, like web orders coming through with a street address in line one, and store orders having the street address in line 2.</li></ul><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;">We would like you to do an audit of the customer addresses stored in your system. Thank you for your support in helping us to get this project underway quickly, to help us to serve you and your customers better.</span><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dHVaBRBq-k/YYRmBUkN1GI/AAAAAAAAAQM/dHGjpSjzVU09OuNwfHy_ylvUNvAcEQNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/s60/Tegan.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="60" data-original-width="60" height="44" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_dHVaBRBq-k/YYRmBUkN1GI/AAAAAAAAAQM/dHGjpSjzVU09OuNwfHy_ylvUNvAcEQNJgCLcBGAsYHQ/w44-h44/Tegan.png" width="44" /></a></div>Tegan Smith</b></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="mailto:tegan@dsl.co.nz">tegan@dsl.co.nz</a></span></div><div><span face="Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0