Articles
Global Economy
Weather Forecast: Supply Chain Disruptions Ahead
Global supply chain disruptions continue to grow at an alarming rate and the potential for financial or revenue impacts is the highest it has been in three years, finds Resilinc’s recent EventWatch Supply Chain Disruption report. In the first half of 2018, Resilinc notified a record 1,069 events within six months, the highest since the […]
Read MoreEconomic Nationalism Challenges Global Supply Chains
Sixty-six percent of manufacturers responding to a new survey of global senior supply chain decision makers by software company LLamasoft say they would change their supply chains in order to tackle economic nationalism. In addition, 50 percent of respondents say economic nationalist policies will increase operational costs, and 45 percent are considering alternative suppliers, representing […]
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Trade Wars, Cyber Threats Top Maritime Concerns
The global maritime industry is cautiously optimistic about the global business environment for world trade, but also concerned about the potential impact of trade tensions, cyber security, fuel costs, and other headwinds to industry recovery. Those are the findings of a new benchmark survey developed by the Business Performance Innovation Network, in partnership with Navis. […]
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New NAFTA Winners and Losers
Although the recently announced trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada is not likely to take effect until 2020, assuming each country grants final approval, many have been quick to seize upon the agreement in search of "winners and losers." The new deal, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is poised to […]
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Strong Im/Ex Market Fuels South Korea Trade Growth
Air trade in South Korea will remain steady due to strong exports of high technology, basic materials, and machinery parts, as well as imports of industrial raw materials and machinery parts, predicts the DHL Global Trade Barometer, an early indicator of global trade developments calculated using artificial intelligence and big data. The Barometer also expects […]
Read MoreGetting the Most Out of Foreign Trade Zones
When I first started working in logistics, I heard a horror story about what can go wrong when a single detail is missed in a given transaction. A classic-car collector found his dream car in Europe after many years of searching and bought it for several million dollars. When shipping the car to the United […]
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SCPA: One for the Record Books
South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) set a new container volume record, handling 2.2 million TEUs during 2017, and posted nine-percent container volume growth. The port’s total container volume in 2017 surpassed the previous record of 2 million TEUs achieved in 2016. In addition, the port moved 182,884 TEUs in December 2017, an increase of 11.2 […]
Read MoreGet Your Supply Chain Up to E-Commerce Speed
It’s hard to go more than a day without reading about a new startup or outside party looking to “digitize” the supply chain or logistics process. While some logistics companies such as freight forwarders are automated and use software packages based on EDI or newer cloud-based technologies, if the output of your technology is nothing […]
Read MoreChina Ups Delivery Service to the U.S.
Two leading express companies are joining forces to leverage their complementary networks, service portfolios, technologies, and logistics expertise. China’s Ministry of Commerce approved a planned joint venture between UPS and SF Holding, the parent company of SF Express. The agreement allows UPS and SF to collaborate on developing and providing international delivery services from, initially, […]
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India and Southeast Asia: Land of Opportunity and Challenges
The region offers a promising but complex supply chain climate for companies interested in expanding globally.
Read MoreSupply Chain Commentary: Manufacturing Returns to the U.S.
Despite being one of the oldest job sectors, manufacturing is experiencing an interesting reversal. Chinese companies are now moving manufacturing jobs to the United States at an accelerating rate, with job investment in the United States tripling in one year to $45.6 billion, according to the Rhodium Group. Chinese manufacturers are plagued by wages in […]
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Why Global Trade Needs a Rebrand
In 2016, doubts about the wisdom of trade deals factored heavily in the UK’s vote to leave the European Union and in the outcome of the U.S. presidential election. Skepticism about the benefits of free trade has been bubbling for years. In the United States, President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to kill the 14-nation Trans-Pacific […]
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Times They Are A-changin’
Let’s say you are a manufacturer in the Midwest. You’ve got an excellent product line, a well-tuned supply chain, dedicated workers, and a great brand. Let’s say your company’s name is Harrier, because you have a long history of being a tough global competitor. The problem is, your competitors moved offshore, reaping competitive advantages such […]
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Trump Presidency Is Reality. Let’s Talk Supply Chain Implications.
As the 2016 Presidential election results were announced, it became clear that the candidate with the least concrete trade policy had won. This created a fair amount of concern for supply chain professionals everywhere: Would the new president implement the protectionist measures he campaigned on, or were those statements made primarily to appeal to an audience? […]
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Panama Canal Expansion Re-Routes Logistics for U.S. Businesses
Panama has completed the monumental $5.25-billion overhaul of the Panama Canal, which will have far-reaching implications for any business that employs or is part of an international supply chain. The Panama Canal can now accommodate ships that are one-third larger than before. These megaships carry 45 percent of the world’s cargo and will be able […]
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Communication Insights Boost Shipper-Supplier Relationships
Shippers who acknowledge that they have the power to enable their own supplier base to satisfy their needs as well as their customers’ are on the right track. In particular, North American importers would be well served to emphasize stronger communication practices with Asian exporters to boost supply chain efficiency. Stronger communications go beyond monitoring […]
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Panama Canal Expansion to Spur East Coast Shipping Boom
After nearly 10 years and $5.4 billion, worldwide shipping is in for a major shakeup. With the nearly triple-the-size expansion of the Panama Canal completed in late June 2016, a vastly increased quantity of goods will be able to easily traverse one of the world’s most important waterways. This change comes amid a slump in […]
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Global Logistics—September 2016
Cheat Sheets Wrinkle Target’s Supply Chain Target’s supply chain got a wakeup call when supplier Welspun Inc. allegedly provided a fraudulent product. The retailer recently ended its contract with the India-based textile company, claiming that Welspun supplied Egyptian cotton sheets made from a lower-quality cotton between August 2014 and July 2016. Target’s allegations drove Walmart, […]
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Shippers Should See Positives from the Trade Promotion Act
When the U.S. Congress passed the Trade Promotion Act (TPA) in June 2015, debate over its benefits and how its passage would affect the U.S. economy lingered. U.S. Congress felt that the goal of TPA and its historical record were solid proof of the benefits this legislation would provide. Although TPA is not a trade […]
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Global Logistics—January 2016
It’s Not Easy Beijing Green China reached its highest level of air pollution on record in December 2015. The smog in Beijing was so bad that the government issued a series of red alerts (the highest alert on a four-tier scale) spanning days. The alerts forced more than 2,000 factories to reduce or shut down […]
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