Articles
Global Logistics
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 […]
Read MoreH&M Tries on Supply Chain Improvements
The world’s second-largest fashion company, Sweden’s Hennes & Mauritz (H&M), says it will increase supply chain investments and continue cost control measures to address slow growth in 2017, and keep pace with e-commerce rivals. After a supply chain reorganization in 2016, H&M’s new focus includes investing in data analytics and intelligence to enhance retail assortment […]
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UPS Ups Cross-Border Investment
To support commercial and residential commerce in the growing North America Borderplex, UPS will develop a new package operations center there. The strategic investment serves a manufacturing region that stretches across Texas, New Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, Mexico. The North American Borderplex area is home to 2.5 million people and one of the world’s […]
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Taking the Measure of Global Trade
Cross-border trade of intermediate goods and early-cycle commodities point to a moderate increase in world trade through March 2018, according to the DHL Global Trade Barometer for January 2018. On its initial release, the index scored 64, which is slightly below the values calculated for previous months (see chart). That means that world trade is […]
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Global Trade Disruption: Managing the New Normal
Global trade disruptions come in all shapes and sizes, and can wreak havoc on supply chains. Find out what proactive strategies and tactics leading companies use to tackle the escalating challenge of supply chain risk management.
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Venezuela Crisis Surpasses Great Depression
The collapse of Venezuela’s economy has reached historic proportions, equal to or surpassing the 1929 and 1939 U.S. Great Depressions. That’s according to economist Gerver Torres, a researcher at the Gallup Company and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in a recent lecture at the University of Miami’s Robert and Judi […]
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Realigning Logistics
FedEx Corp. will realign its specialty logistics and e-commerce solutions in a new structure under FedEx Trade Networks, Inc. (FTN), beginning March 1, 2018. The goal is to create an organization focused on serving the unique needs of this important growth driver. "In order to improve our ability to leverage the unique capabilities of our […]
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Middle East Gain for Crane
Crane Worldwide Logistics has expanded in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, opening a fully operational office based in Dammam. Providing airfreight, ocean freight, and logistics services, the operation is strategically located in Al-Khobar and served by King Fahd International Airport and King Abdul Aziz Port. Crane Worldwide Logistics also has its own entities in both […]
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Fleets Don’t Fail Me Now
The number of active fleet management systems deployed in commercial vehicle fleets in Russia/CIS and Eastern Europe was 4.8 million during the fourth quarter of 2016, according to a new report from analyst firm Berg Insight (see chart, right). Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5 percent, this number is expected to […]
Read MorePeak Season Piques Airfreight Demand
Global air freight is on track to achieve its strongest operational and financial performance since the post-global financial crisis rebound in 2010. Demand measured in freight ton kilometers (FTKs) rose in November 2017 by 8.8 percent over 2016 totals, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). While the 2010 gains lasted for about one […]
Read MoreConnectivity, Advanced Telematics Buoy LATAM Logistics
Digital transformation and connectivity are reshaping the future of logistics and the trucking industry, according to Frost & Sullivan’s recent Latin American Commercial Vehicles Market Forecast to 2023 study. Demand for greater transparency, speed, and truck capacity optimization, as well as higher logistics costs in Latin America (LATAM), ushered in a range of digital freight […]
Read MoreChina on a Logistics Spending Spree
Chinese companies are acquiring overseas warehousing, trucking, and other logistics service providers in record numbers as part of its goal to build a new Silk Road. Total acquisitions in Europe, Asia, and other regions by Chinese groups of logistics companies more than doubled in the first 11 months of 2017 compared to all of 2016, […]
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It’s Now or NAFTA
The odds are “about 50-50” that NAFTA will be terminated, according to Gerónimo Gutiérrez, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States, following a fifth round of renegotiations among the United States, Mexico, and Canada on the nearly 24-year-old free trade agreement. “I remain concerned about the lack of headway,” said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in […]
Read MoreArtificial Intelligence Will Transform the Global Logistics Network in Three Key Areas
Two of the world’s most influential research and advisory firms predict major acceleration in artificial intelligence (AI) use as more businesses look to make the digital transformation leap. Forrester projects AI investment tripled in 2017, and Gartner expects AI to be pervasive in almost every new software product and service by 2020. With its cognitive […]
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Building Resilience in Your Global Supply Chain
If your company has a business continuity plan in place in the event of a supply chain disruption, you are not alone. Nearly 75 percent of organizations responding to a report published by the Business Continuity Institute and supported by Zurich Insurance Group have made business continuity arrangements related to supply chain management. Companies that […]
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K Line, Agunsa Drive KAR
To leverage rising automotive import traffic in Latin America, particularly in Chile, multinational logistics agency Agunsa has partnered with Japanese shipping firm “K” Line to create a dedicated automotive logistics company. The new company, KAR Logistics, offers integrated transportation services as well as warehousing, customization, pre-delivery inspection, and spare parts services. Its target is automotive […]
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