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Trends-April 2008
Flipping through Backpacker‘s 2008 Gear Guide recently, I happened upon the magazine’s Zero Impact Challenge – a call to action for outdoor equipment manufacturers to design backpacks with “greener” footprints. In the spirit of environmental awareness, the magazine featured five brands in the process of developing new packs that are lighter, simpler in design, made of […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-April 2008
Given Belgium’s proximity to mainland European markets; well-developed, multimodal transportation infrastructure; and highly skilled labor force, its potential as an offshore manufacturing, research and development (R&D), and distribution location far exceeds its geographical size. The Port of Antwerp, together with Liege and Brussels airports, places Belgium squarely among Europe’s top-tier cargo crossroads, incenting U.S. businesses […]
Read MoreTrends—March 2008
10+2: Anything But Elementary The Importer Security Filing mandate proposed by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been a hot topic of late – as much for speculation about its loose provisions as for its underlying purpose of tightening offshore supply chain links. When CBP announced its Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) in early […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-March 2008
China’s rapid economic growth and recurring spikes in consumer prices could give U.S. manufacturers and retailers more reason to consider alternate sourcing locations. Inflation rose to its highest level in more than 11 years in January after devastating snowstorms exacerbated food shortages throughout the country. Consumer prices climbed 7.1 percent from the same month last […]
Read MoreTrends-February 2008
The push for green compliance is slowly permeating the logistics sector as businesses find greater incentives for designing and constructing distribution and retail facilities with sustainability guidelines in mind. As an example of this emerging trend, ProLogis, the world’s largest owner and developer of distribution facilities, recently introduced a directive mandating that all new developments […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-February 2008
While many eyes remain fixed on Far East sourcing and offshoring activities, Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries are stealing glances as steady growth in logistics investment and development continues. The logistics industry in CEE and Russia is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, according to recent Datamonitor research, with nominal logistics […]
Read MoreTrends-2008
From tracking global containers to maintaining rail tracks, Inbound Logistics takes a closer look at recent legislative rumblings on Capitol Hill, industry causes and concerns, and what they portend for U.S. trade in 2008 and beyond
Read MoreTrends-Jan 2008
Trucking will increase its share of the nation’s freight pool and continue to dominate domestic freight movement into the next decade, according to the American Trucking Associations’ (ATA) U.S. Freight Transportation Forecast to 2018. Despite recent bumps in the road, the forecast, which reports on the present and future of the entire U.S. freight transportation […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-January 2008
On the strength of surging Asia-Europe container trade and the strong valuation of the euro, leading North European ports are reporting strong throughput growth for 2007, with annual double-digit percentage increases very much the norm. Even the region’s largest gateway—the Port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where box terminal and overall capacity is under considerable […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-December 2007
The friendly skies are taking a stand against countries that fail to clean up their act—and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is flying cover. Giovanni Bisignani, director general and CEO of the international trade body, recently challenged governments attending the World Air Transport Forum in Cannes, France, to put aside politics and join industry […]
Read MoreTrends-December 2007
Greening the supply chain isn’t just good for the environment, it’s also good for business. Efforts to create a more sustainable and efficient footprint for freight transportation in the United States and around the world are becoming more transparent thanks to the stewardship of supply chain visionaries. In recent news: FedEx will introduce 10 hybrid-electric/diesel vehicles […]
Read MoreTrends-November 2007
Traffic at the nation’s major retail container ports dropped below last year’s levels late this summer, and the peak monthly volume for 2007 is now expected to fall slightly below last year’s peak, according to the National Retail Federation and Global Insight’s recent Port Tracker report. “These figures reflect the weakened U.S. economy and retailers’ cautious outlook […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-November 2007
European contract logistics providers are signing more contracts. The market in western Europe grew by 6.7 percent in 2006 to reach EUR 49 billion, according to Transport Intelligence’s most recent report, European Transport and Logistics Markets 2007. Some of the highest growth rates were in the Nordic region, where Finland in particular has benefited from increasing […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-Oct 2007
Plans to ensure that the international ocean freight industry pilots a sustainable course for the future received a shot in the arm recently. At its U.S. Legislative Policy Council meeting in Norfolk, Va., the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) got the go-ahead from its member ports to advocate for setting new, tougher air emission […]
Read MoreTrends-Sep
Long adopted by Europe, short-sea shipping – defined as the shipping of cargo for moderately short distances or to nearby coastal ports – is making waves in North America as a viable alternative to ground and air transportation. As highways and airports grow closer to bursting at the seams, short-sea vessels, which typically follow a […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-September 2007
While it seems that every supply chain is global these days, many companies are struggling to “go global” effectively. Navigating language barriers, cultural differences, and brand consistency can be challenging for even the most globally minded companies. One particularly troubling variable is making sure that the customer experience is consistent across all languages—and U.S. companies […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-July 2007
Will inadequate transportation infrastructure and congestion negatively impact worldwide economic growth in the years ahead? One transportation leader believes so. “If our transport infrastructure can’t keep pace with the rate of growth, then big question marks hang over the continuation of the kind of economic prosperity that has been delivered this decade,” warned Ron Widdows, […]
Read MoreTrends-July 2007
The biggest news of 2006 was what didn’t happen, not what did. A year of relative calm, however, isn’t giving way to complacency. Instead, businesses are proactively, if privately, tinkering with and tightening supply chains to streamline processes and build additional scalability into their networks, observed Rosalyn Wilson at the Council of Supply Chain Management […]
Read MoreGlobal Logistics-June 2007
Port congestion remains a common concern for U.S. companies importing goods from overseas, and for good reason: one in nine of the world’s maritime containers are either bound for or coming from the United States, according to America’s Container Ports: Delivering the Goods, a new report from the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics. The report ranks […]
Read MoreTrends-June 2007
Regardless of their political affiliations or opinions on the Iraq war, logistics and transportation professionals paid close attention to the compromise Iraqi war appropriations supplemental bill signed into law by President Bush in May. The bill contained two provisions impacting supply chain security: funding for port security measures, and further details on the hotly debated […]
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