Articles
Global Logistics
Alibaba Ties Thailand To Online Commerce
Thailand and Alibaba have signed a letter of intent to cooperate on initiatives to develop e-commerce in the country—from providing training to small and mid-sized companies and individuals to exploring ways to enhance the country’s logistics capabilities to support Thailand 4.0 and Digital Economy strategies. The agreement covers four key areas. First is e-commerce training […]
Read MoreIndia Loses GDP To Poor Logistics
India is losing 14 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) due to inefficient logistics, which impacts the competitiveness of the country’s products, according to CR Chaudhry, Minister of State for Commerce & Industry. "Logistics is an important sector and it is clear that the government is giving importance to the development of better connectivity […]
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XPO Logistics Taps Mobile Technology in Europe
XPO Logistics, a global provider of transportation and logistics solutions, will expand its Drive XPO mobile technology to Europe in spring 2018, following a successful launch in North America. The app, designed for carriers, supports real-time visibility across transportation modes, and integrates carrier operations with daily productivity tools in one technology. The company’s proprietary Freight […]
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U.S. Imports: It’s a Steel
While the Trump administration introduced tariffs of 25 percent on the import of steel and 10 percent on aluminum, many of the United States’ most important steel trading partners were granted exemptions, at least temporarily. These exemptions apply to the selected major steel exporters shown in the chart below, including the European Union, Brazil, Canada, […]
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Simplifying Supply Chain Complexities
Manufacturing has never been more global, productive, profitable, or vulnerable. Despite tremendous advances in breaking down global barriers and adding efficiency to the supply chain, there are still challenges to move products quickly, safely, and seamlessly. To appreciate the complexity of today’s global supply chain, consider Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner passenger jet. Each jet is comprised […]
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Panama Canal Has a 3-in-1 Day
The Panama Canal successfully transited three LNG vessels through its Neopanamax locks on April 17, 2018, marking a first for the waterway. The Clean Ocean, Gaslog Gibraltar, and Gaslog Hong Kong vessels first arrived at the Canal from the Pacific Ocean then transited north, departing on the Atlantic side. The development marks a significant milestone […]
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Outsourced Manufacturing: Ethical and Environmental Concerns Grow
Some interesting trends around the ongoing trade war between the United States and China, as well as continuing challenges with environmental issues and health and safety, have emerged. That’s according to AsiaInspection’s (AI) quarterly barometer of outsourced manufacturing and the quality control services industry for Q1 2018. Highlights of the report include: As many as […]
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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Good Start for Air Cargo? Too Early to Tell
2018 looks to be off to a flying start for the air cargo industry, according to World ACD, but it may be too early to celebrate. Worldwide air cargo yield dropped to USD $1.89 (U.S. dollars) in January 2018, 7.8 percent below December, but 16.8 percent higher than January 2017. MORE TO THE STORY: World […]
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2018 Global Logistics Guide
Inbound Logistics’ 14th annual Global Logistics Guide presents a transportation and logistics world atlas to help you stay on top of shifting global dynamics and identify and map out continents and countries that require further exploration.
Read MoreLeveling the Ocean Shipping Playing Field
Participating beneficial cargo owners (BCOs) can benefit from enhanced purchasing power, service monitoring, and cost transparency as a result of a new partnership between supply chain consulting company Chainalytics and global shipping consultancy Drewry. The companies have joined forces to launch an innovative ocean freight procurement solution for shippers. The Chainalytics Ocean Buying Group will […]
Read MoreSmall Businesses Face Import Overhead
Freightos research sheds light on rampant inefficiencies within the global freight sector, trends impacting the growing import/export industry in the United States. While importing continues to grow across both small and enterprise companies, almost 50 percent of the 300,000+ American businesses that import still use spreadsheets to manage their international supply chain. Global trade is […]
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German Trucks: It’s a Steal
Growing cargo thefts across Germany, resulting in product losses valued at $1.3 billion annually, have prompted business associations in the country to launch a joint initiative to tackle the problem. Physical cargo carried onboard almost 26,000 trucks is stolen in Germany every year, averaging a new attack on a truck every 20 minutes, according to […]
Read MoreFTAs Top Concern of Importers/Exporters
To gauge shipper perspectives on trade in today’s world, and particularly about the shift in free trade agreement (FTA) focus, global logistics and transportation solutions company BDP polled U.S. importers and exporters attending its 29th Annual Regulatory Compliance Seminar in Houston in late February. The results confirms that FTAs remain in the forefront of the […]
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Coping With Trade Compliance Challenges
The Thomson Reuters-KPMG International Third Annual Global Trade Report reveals leading practices from top global trade practitioners in the following areas: Centralization Centralizing the governance of global trade is a good starting point, report many large and experienced multinationals. They find that once one area is centralized, companies tend to centralize more trade processes than […]
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Long Beach Port Goes With the Flow
As cargo volumes and the complexity of port operations continue to increase, the Port of Long Beach and GE Transportation are collaborating on a pilot project to improve cargo flow, increase visibility, and enhance real-time decision-making. After a successful pilot with the Port of Los Angeles that increased visibility of incoming cargo from two days […]
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U.S. Manufacturers Brace for Tariff Backlash
Shortly after the Trump administration announced the United States would impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, Harley-Davidson was among the companies expressing concern. The U.S. motorcycle manufacturer stated it would suffer a severe impact on sales if other countries countered by imposing a punitive or retaliatory tariff on its bikes. If President Trump follows […]
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Sky. Falling or Not?
Trade uncertainty. Tariffs. Protectionism. Retaliation. Supply chain disruption. What is happening? For the past year, we have been hearing shouted warnings that global trade as we know it will end in 2017…no, in 2018….no, in 2019. “The future of the global trade system faces more risk and uncertainty than at any time since it was […]
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The Model Port of the Future
The Port of Rotterdam, Europe’s largest port, is working with IBM on a long-term digitization strategy that will transform the port—not only to improve safety and efficiency today, but also to accommodate autonomous ships, as well as process and ship metal 3D-printed ship components on demand in the future. Key elements of the digitization strategy […]
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Airline Confidence Stays High
Airline management confidence remains high, despite concerns about higher fuel costs, and an expectation that profits will fall from 2017, according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest Airline Business Confidence Index. Among the index highlights: Nearly 75 percent of airline CFOs and heads of cargo indicate an improvement in year-on-year profitability in Q4 […]
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