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Global Logistics—July 2011
JAL and AA Cargo Go Hawaiian A recent agreement between Japan Airlines and American Airlines to work more closely and collaboratively together in the interest of strengthening their respective international cargo operations could have an intriguing side effect for Hawaiian air cargo prospects. The objective of the partnership is to provide cargo customers with more […]
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Trends—July 2011
The 2011 State of Logistics Report: Logistics Sector Faces a Tough Haul The U.S. economy’s road to recovery during 2011 is like occupational therapy: filled with hard work and occasional setbacks. For the logistics sector, the therapy also involves higher costs and tighter capacity. Business logistics costs rose 10.4 percent in 2010, making up more […]
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Trends—June 2011
Restaurants Change Supply Chain Menus Rising food prices, increasing transportation costs, and consumer demand for affordable meals are forcing restaurants to squeeze costs from their supply chains. Some chains are looking to offset an estimated four-percent rise in commodity prices internally, rather than simply passing costs along to customers. Here’s a buffet-line perspective of how […]
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Global Logistics—June 2011
High-speed Rail Has German Upside While the United States continues debating the pros and cons of investing billions of dollars in high-speed rail infrastructure, developing countries with nebulous transportation capabilities are fast-tracking light-rail projects. As a result, German manufacturing and transportation stand to gain the most. Deutsche Bahn has negotiated with Siemens AG to procure […]
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Trends—May 2011
100% Screening Deadline Up in the Air The air cargo industry, manufacturers, exporters, importers, and consumers face the prospect of dramatic global supply chain disruption if the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) enforces a proposed deadline of Dec. 31, 2011, for 100-percent screening of all international inbound cargo on passenger aircraft. The subject dominated The […]
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Global Logistics—May 2011
China Comes Clean China may be the most polluting country in the world, but it’s putting some of that smoke and carbon output to good use by manufacturing renewable energy equipment. The country is producing wind turbines and solar panels at a world-record pace, according to Who’s Winning the Clean Energy Race 2010, a new […]
Read MoreTrends—April 2011
Japan Crisis Creates SC Aftershocks The devastation and tragedy unleashed on Japan by a trio of domino-like forces—an earthquake, then a tsunami, and finally a nuclear meltdown—is now beginning to topple global supply chains. The immediate effect on U.S. companies with operations in Japan was muted, according to sources Inbound Logistics spoke with soon after […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—April 2011
The Swoosh Swoops in on China As a sign of China’s booming consumerism, Nike recently debuted its largest Asian logistics center in Jiangsu province. The U.S. sportswear and equipment maker is preparing for rapid growth in its second-biggest global market. The 2.2-million-square-foot logistics center in the city of Taicang is the company’s first mega facility […]
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Trends—March 2011
Texas Holds ‘em, Amazon Folds In 2005, Amazon.com announced plans to build a new distribution center in Irving, Texas, near the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The city council cleared the way for the facility by approving an economic development incentive package that provided tax rebates to the company for six years, with options to extend […]
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Global Logistics—March 2011
A New Suez Crisis? The 2011 revolution in Egypt and eventual overthrow of President Hosni Mubarek’s regime reminded global shippers how quickly political undercurrents can gnarl supply chains. Rumors persist about a closure at the Suez Canal, extended delays at nearby ports, and a shortage of ocean capacity between Asia and Europe as a consequence. […]
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Trends—February 2011
Where Demand Moves, DCs Follow Businesses are always keen to identify where populations are migrating and demand is building. Demographic shifts keep retail locations and distribution networks in constant flux. They also illuminate states that are attracting or losing people and business. If Atlas Van Lines’ 2010 Migration Patterns study is any indication, consumers are […]
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Global Logistics—February 2011
Largest Airlines Target Asia, Latin America The world’s five largest airlines now hail from Asia and Latin America, reflecting industry’s shift away from U.S. and European markets to higher-growth countries, according to a recent report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The data suggests that airline expansion for both freighter and passenger activity will […]
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Trends—January 2011
Supply Chain Influences That Have Made Their Mark Supply chain innovation is as old as history. Consider the very beginning, that first impulse to sow seed. Flint-sharpened sticks enabled hunters and gatherers to stop roaming, then grow and harvest staple crops. Animal husbandry soon followed. This created an impetus to store and transport goods. Surplus […]
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Global Logistics—January 2011
Russia and China: Eurasia’s Odd Couple For two countries that geographically touch and have historically close trade ties, Russia and China are worlds apart in terms of economic vitality. While Russia idly pumps oil for export, leaving its economy vulnerable to global commodity price fluctuations, China is fastidious to a fault, protecting its own economic […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics – December 2010
China Full of Beans China’s consuming population continues to expand without pause, as demand for American Joe is now competing with a long-standing cultural mainstay —green tea. Starbucks has inked a deal with the Chinese provincial government of Yunnan to set up its first coffee bean farm. The Seattle chain is partnering with local growers […]
Read MoreTrends—December 2010
A Cellular Distraction Exposes DOT’s Blind Spot When U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood recently took one hand off the Department of Transportation (DOT) steering wheel long enough to field another call about the dangers of cell phone use while driving, freight industry outsiders were eavesdropping. Truth be told, they’d prefer riding shotgun, even at their […]
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Trends—November 2010
A Break in the Chain: Solving the Port Chassis Problem When the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) started enforcing its discursive Requirements for Intermodal Equipment Providers and for Motor Carriers and Drivers Operating Intermodal Equipment rule in December 2009, there weren’t enough containers flowing through U.S. ports to cause immediate alarm. Shippers and trucking […]
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Global Logistics – November 2010
Heineken Tests Beer Float Heineken’s business is all about flow—from the brewery to the beer tap, and all logistics touches in between. Thanks to the new Alpherium inland container terminal in Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands, the beverage manufacturer’s supply chain flows a whole lot smoother. Heineken now ships export containers from its Zoeterwoude brewery […]
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Global Logistics – October 2010
Northern Wind Blows Off Course Efforts to build offshore wind farms in Northern Europe are meeting gale force resistance because of supply chain limitations, according to a recent report by the Wall Street Journal. The United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium are among the countries seeking to expand capacity to meet European Union mandates […]
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Trends—October 2010
U.S. Transportation Investment: A Political Pothole Drive any measurable distance across the United States and you’re bound to run into “Schneider Eggs”— trucker slang for sometimes-scrambled orange construction barrels. As much as road construction is an obstacle to efficiency and timeliness, it’s also a sign of progress, investment, and your tax dollars at work. Ironically, […]
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