NNR — A Global Player
Elk Grove Village, IL USA
February 2021
By
Richard Armstrong
NNR Global Logistics (NNR) has transportation management and import/export operations in 125 countries blanketing the settled continents, over 4,000 employees globally and gross revenues of $1.05 billion. It operates with a proprietary Transportation Management System (TMS) dubbed “vNext” and uses Manhattan SCALE for its Warehouse Management System (WMS). A sample of its customers includes Barco, Citizen, Honda, Kodak and Ricoh. NNR is one of six business segments of the Nishi- Nippon Railroad, one of “16 Main Private Japanese Railroads”. Its freight forwarding operation handles over 260,000 metric tons of air freight and 145,000 ocean containers a year.
One of its major U.S. locations is the Midwest Regional Center (MRC) in Elk Grove Village, IL. (Its North American headquarters is in Itasca, IL.). The Elk Grove Village operation (also referred to as the Chicago office) is just west of O’Hare International Airport and south of I-90. The Elk Grove Village facility is 150,520 square feet with 12,000 square feet devoted to hazmat and 3,600 square feet used as a customs holding tank. The ceilings are 32 feet high and there are 3,200 pallet positions. In and out movements happen through 32 dock doors and two ramps. The MRC has CCTV security cameras and a fire suppression system.
Midwest Regional Center
In addition to third-party logistics (3PL) value-added warehousing, NNR’s MRC has extensive import/export operations controlled by the Chicago Branch Office. In all, there are 40 dockworkers and 40 office staff. The Branch Manager is Hiro Nakatsuma and the Assistant Branch Manager is Ed Peera.
CFS Warehouse Operation
5 Levels of Racking
The MRC customs brokerage operations provide the following services:
- Air and ocean import management
- Customs entries (local and remote filings)
- ISF (10+2 Importer Security Filing) with U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Duty draw back processing
- Full container drayage from port
- Container devanning and transloading
- CFS handling of air freight pallets (ULDs) and ocean containers
- Domestic transportation management
- Bonded transfer of goods to the U.S./Canadian border
Air and ocean export services are as follows:
- Regular consolidation service to major destinations
- Screening of air shipments according to TSA regulations (CCSF-Certified Cargo Screening Facility)
- ULD building capability
- Full container vanning
- Container drayage to port
- AES (Automated Export System) filing capability
Value-added warehousing and distribution services at the MRC include:
- Storage – 3,200 pallet positions of capacity
- Pick/pack order fulfillment
- Product repacking
- Inventory management and cycle counting
- Labeling, barcoding, and other value-added services
- LTL/FTL transportation management
- Hazmat handling warehouse (12,000 Sq. Ft.)
Not surprisingly, this is a continuous improvement operation which is certified ISO 9001-2015. The vNext system is an integral part of the quality program and is the proprietary enterprise software developed for NNR. This platform allows NNR to rapidly respond to customer needs and deliver highly customized transportation solutions. Its technology platform provides the benefits of a global footprint without losing sight of customers’ individual requirements.
NNR’s MRC processes customs entries for over 700 air freight shipments and manages approximately 350 (Air Import) metric tons of air freight forwarding activity per month. Its ocean freight forwarding volume is over 850,000 kilos (Ocean Import) per month and approximately 120 import house bills. The major commodities handled are auto parts, electrical goods, and medical lab machines.
Like many 3PLs, NNR has allowed many staff to work from home on a regular basis due to the COVID pandemic. 2020 was a challenging year as it was for most logistics providers. However, sales activities showed an uptrend in Q4 of 2020 and are expected to continue in 2021.