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Global 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, […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics – September 2010
Audi Stops For Green Light Audi is pushing the accelerator in its pursuit of greener cars and a more sustainable supply chain. For example, in December 2009, Green Car Journal honored the German automotive manufacturer’s 2010 Audi A3 TDI as its Green Car of the Year. But the carmaker doesn’t stop there. Audi transports its […]
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Trends—September 2010
U.S. Ports Dig Panama Gold For a wee slip of waterway, 48 miles in length and 33 feet wide at its narrowest, the Panama Canal has publicity buoyancy the likes of the two great oceans it connects—and the buzz is only building. Despite technology and globalization, the Canal has remained a vital gateway in the […]
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Trends—August 2010
Shipping Maintains Traction Despite Gulf Slick The considerable environmental impacts from British Petroleum’s (BP) Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico have cast a pall over the region, endangering delicate ecosystems and tourism industries alike. But to date, the oil crisis has had little negative impact on shipping in the heavily trafficked corridor. Gulf […]
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Global Logistics—August 2010
CEVA’s Triumph Iconic British manufacturer Triumph Motorcycle —famous for giving Steve McQueen the wheels to leap reality in an equally iconic scene from The Great Escape —signed a three-year contract with CEVA Logistics to streamline, integrate, and optimize the global logistics flow of components, accessories, and finished goods. Triumph, which produces 50,000 motorcycles a year, […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics–July 2010
Prince Rupert’s Princely Returns As the rest of the world deals with the aftershock of a global economic recession, British Columbia’s Port of Prince Rupert keeps steaming along with record traffic. Because the port is two days closer to Asia than any other West Coast gateway, isn’t bottlenecked with congestion, and has made considerable investments […]
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Trends—July 2010
21st annual State of Logistics Report: Beating the Recession; Making dollars and Sense out of Jabulanis and Vuvuzelas; Mergers and Acquisitions Show signs of Recovery
Read MoreGlobal Logistics—June 2010
Panama Canal Sets Great Expectations Geographically it’s not much of a stretch and historically there’s precedence. But the famous locks linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans will become the transportation and logistics hub of the Americas when expansion is complete, says Alberto Alemán Zubieta, administrator/CEO of the Panama Canal Authority. Speaking at the Panama Business […]
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