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Saudia Cargo and Riyadh Cargo strike interline agreement

Saudia Cargo and Riyadh Cargo have signed an interline agreement with the goal of offering freight forwarders and logistics partners broader network access, enhanced routing options, and improved cargo connectivity and flexibility across key international trade corridors. The agreement, which follows Saudia Cargo's launch of a scheduled route between Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Melbourne in Australia, combines Saudia Cargo's established cargo presence and expertise with Riyadh Cargo's expanding global network and digitally native operating model. This agreement will also support the continued expansion of Riyadh Cargo's network beyond current direct services to London, Dubai, Cairo, Jeddah, Madrid, and Malaga, while strengthening connectivity to upcoming destinations including Mumbai, Kuala Lumpur, and Dhaka. It further supports Riyadh Cargo's long-term ambition to serve more than 100 global destinations by 2030. Mansour Alasmi, vice president - network & revenue at Saudia Cargo, said: "This initiative reflects our firm belief in the importance of integration and cooperation to strengthen the Kingdom's shipping and logistics ecosystem. "By combining Saudia Cargo's established expertise and global capabilities with Riyadh Cargo's future ambitions, we will provide our customers with more integrated solutions to facilitate trade. "This aligns with our joint efforts to transform the Kingdom into a premier global logistics hub, while driving sustainable growth for both organizations." Pravin Singh, vice president of cargo at Riyadh Air, commented: "As Riyadh Air builds a global airline from the heart of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh Cargo has a clear ambition to become a modern, digitally enabled, and reliable cargo business serving customers across key international markets. "This agreement supports that ambition by extending our reach, opening new trade opportunities, and helping position Riyadh as an important gateway in the future of global logistics."

EXCLUSIVE: MSC targets SMEs - share gains to be had where 'others fall behind'

One instalment at a time: here comes the third under 'MSC EXCLUSIVE' this week following a leadership seminar that took place in Arizona two weeks ago. Previously on this screen, if you missed earlier episodes: - 'MSC CEO to crew: relationships remain a critical differentiator' - 'MSC + Cargomatic - speculation swirls' During the event - where top guns at MSC had the opportunity to listen to internal and external speakers - the ambition of the 'New-Looking MSC' re-emerged with a vengeance.

CH Robinson says AI already paying dividends as rivals focus on resilience

Just days after Kuehne+Nagel told investors artificial intelligence could generate Sfr100m-150m ($123m-$184m) in annual productivity gains by the end of 2027, CH Robinson has gone a step further, claiming the technology is already delivering measurable operational and financial benefits. The US forwarder devoted much of its second-quarter earnings call to AI, repeatedly linking it to productivity improvements, margin expansion and market share gains. Yet results from fellow forwarders Logwin and Geodis, also published this week, made little mention of the technology, instead highlighting resilient operations, network expansion, and customer demand. "We achieved [these results] through disciplined execution of our Lean AI strategy, which has enabled us to identify and remove waste and to automate manual processes in the quote-to-cash life cycle of an order," CH Robinson CEO Dave Bozeman told analysts. "The result has been evergreen productivity improvements of over 60% since the end of 2022 in both North American Surface Transportation (NAST) and Global Forwarding." Mr Bozeman said the strategy had created "a scalable model with significant operating leverage", helping the company increase adjusted operating income by nearly 20% year on year, while improving customer service and extending its market share gains in NAST to a 13th consecutive quarter. Chief strategy and innovation officer Arun Rajan said the company's competitive advantage lay not simply in 'using' AI. "Our AI agents are powered by proprietary data, deep logistics expertise, and an engineered context layer that simply cannot be purchased or built overnight," he said. "We don't just treat AI as another tool. We make it part of how we run the business." Rather than relying on a single autonomous system, CH Robinson said it had "hundreds of AI agents trained to perform very specific jobs across the shipment life cycle, with defined responsibilities, clear guardrails, and access to the operational context needed to do those jobs well". Mr Rajan added: "Humans remain in the loop where judgment, exception management, and customer nuance matter most." The company also highlighted what it claimed was the world's first "closed-loop agentic logistics system", combining AI planning and engineering tools to assess entire supply chains in 25 to 30 minutes, rather than four weeks. Meanwhile, the differing narratives came as all three companies reported respectable financial performances. CH Robinson increased second-quarter revenue by 19.3% year on year, to $4.9bn, which it credited to higher pricing in truckload, LTL and air and ocean. Adjusted gross profit rose 6.5%, to $738m, and adjusted operating income climbed 20%. Both its NAST and Global Forwarding divisions achieved their "mid-cycle operating margin targets", enabling the company to reaffirm its full-year operating income guidance. Global Forwarding revenue rose 12.4%, to $896.6m, owing to higher pricing, while adjusted gross profit increased just 0.7%, to $188.8m. Ocean gross profits fell 2.8%, as profit per shipment dropped 4%. Air gross profit went up 23.4%, with a 33.5% increase in profit per tonne - although it shipped 7.5% fewer tonnes. Geodis did not publish full results, but did disclose revenues of €5.3bn - although underlying revenue was down 1.4% at constant scope and exchange rates. It maintained an EBITDA margin of 10%, despite what it described as an uncertain market environment. The French logistics group highlighted its investments in healthcare logistics, its Le Havre logistics hub, acquisitions, and customer-facing digital services - but AI was largely absent from its results presentation. The contrast illustrates how differently major logistics providers are choosing to present themselves to investors and the market. While K+N is beginning to quantify the productivity gains it expects AI to deliver, CH Robinson's gains are already showing in its results. Logwin and Geodis focused on network expansion, operational resilience, and navigating volatile freight markets. Logwin reported first-half revenue of €737.4m, up 6.5% year on year, driven by stronger air and ocean freight business and higher freight rates. However, EBITA fell, from €42.5m to €38m, as competitive pressures squeezed margins. Some forwarders continue to focus on networks and resilience; others increasingly want to be seen as technology-first companies that move freight.