Con-Way Central Express (CCX) has opened an expanded service center in Florence, Ky. Featuring 64 doors and more than 27,000 square feet of space on a 15.5-acre lot, the new facility provides next-day service to all points in Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee, and parts of 13 other states. It also makes it possible for the carrier to provide two-day delivery from the Midwest to the entire East Coast and three-day service to all parts of the West Coast.

CCX estimates that the new facility will be able to handle more than half a million additional pounds of freight daily while reducing intrastate, interstate, and coast-to-coast transit times. Shippers within the immediate area will also benefit from faster pickups and deliveries.

Siemens Dematic has introduced www.rapidship.com, an e-business portal that offers a 48-hour lead time for delivery of gravity and powered roller, belt, and accumulation conveyors; motorized rollers; and lift tables. The site also handles orders for electrical components and replacement parts.

USFreightways Corp. has standardized its product line at all of its regional less-than-truckload subsidiaries. The new service categories include: USFPremier standard regional and next-day service; USFPremierPlus high-value inter-regional and national service; USFGuaranteed delivery by 5:00 p.m.; USFGuaranteed Before Noon delivery; and USFExpedited customer-defined time-definite service. The USF LTL carriers include USF Red Star, USF Holland, USF Reddaway, USF Bestway, and USF Dugan.

Freight Solution Providers now offers online bookings on its Web site, www.fspworld.com. Confirmation e-mails are sent automatically, and an online tracking system provides document imaging, real-time updates, and special appointment tracking. The Sacramento, Calif.-based freight forwarder, a woman- and minority-owned enterprise, is an agent for Associated Global Systems.

China Ocean Shipping Company (COSCO) and its partners K-Line, Yang Ming, and Hanjin Shipping Lines now offer direct service from Boston to China. Weekly sailings depart Boston for Qingdao with subsequent stops at the ports of Hong Kong and Yantian. This marks the first time in more than 20 years that a ship has sailed directly from the Port of Boston to China.