Articles

Global Logistics

Global 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 […]

Read More
Global Logistics—May 2010<br />

Global Logistics—May 2010

Netherlands Harvests Rail Efficiencies Combining two of the country’s national pastimes, flowers and trade, the Dutch are taking an innovative approach to exporting floriculture. Last year the GreenRail project—a partnership between flower auctioneer FloraHolland, the VGB (Association of Wholesalers in Floricultural Products), rail operator HUPAC, and 4PL e-Logistics Control—began arranging transportation for products along conventional […]

Read More
Trends—May 2010<br />

Trends—May 2010

Despite Interruptions European Integrators Express Themselves When an ash cloud from Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano forced the closure of most European airports and airspace in April 2010, express carriers TNT and DHL activated contingency plans and ramped up ground operations to cope with the service disruption. "The ground network allowed TNT to keep delivering customers’ goods […]

Read More
Global Logistics—April 2010<br />

Global Logistics—April 2010

Kiwirail Kudos The Port of Auckland, New Zealand, is bringing marine transport directly to shipper doorsteps with the debut of its new Wiri-to-Waitemata seaport rail link. The intermodal shuttle connection helps exporters and importers drive efficiency and increase flexibility by enabling them to drop off and pick up containers without negotiating Auckland’s motorways. Shippers can […]

Read More
Global Logistics—March 2010<br />

Global Logistics—March 2010

CEVA Goes Zoom Zoom Mazda has signed a three-year agreement with Dutch 3PL CEVA Logistics to manage spare parts distribution throughout Italy. CEVA collects parts daily from the automobile manufacturer’s warehouse in Klagenfurt, Austria, and transports them to its DC outside Bologna. The 3PL sorts and distributes an estimated 120,000 packages to 140 Mazda dealers […]

Read More
Global Logistics—February 2010

Global Logistics—February 2010

Middle East Logistics Heads North The Middle East’s express, freight forwarding, and logistics sectors are expected to weather a global depression and experience considerable growth during the coming years, according to Middle East Transport and Logistics 2010, a new report from Transport Intelligence, a Wiltshire, U.K.-based research firm. Despite recent problems in Dubai, foundations are […]

Read More
Global Logistics—January 2010<br />

Global Logistics—January 2010

Dutch Centrism: If the Clog Fits… Given its accessible location and proximity to two of the world’s great port cities—Amsterdam and Rotterdam—the Netherlands has historically been a center of commerce and trade. A new study, High Quality, Competitive Costs: Benchmarking the Netherlands as a Gateway to Europe, suggests the country’s reputation for cargo distribution—in terms […]

Read More

Clearing Customs Quickly and Efficiently

Efficient customs clearance requires technical knowledge and respect for procedure, as well as an ability to understand the game, speak the language, and build good relationships throughout the supply chain. Mike McCarron, managing partner, MSM Transportation, offers 10 tips for fast, reliable customs clearance. 1. Focus on what you can control. When you ship globally, […]

Read More

Sourcing Globally Now That The Rules Have Changed

MORE TO THE STORY: The e-Procurement Advantage During the 1980s and 1990s, manufacturers saved billions of dollars in inventory and other carrying costs by instituting effective just-in-time (JIT) supply chain management and production processes. These efforts were based on the fundamental assumption that, while global supply chains might experience short-term hiccups, they would run pretty […]

Read More

Handling the Rigors of Global Compliance

Compliance is an intrinsically complex and often misunderstood part of the global supply chain. Unlike other functions such as purchasing and receiving, which generate a lot of attention and activity, successful compliance is gauged when absolutely nothing happens—when freight leaves its origin and arrives at its destination on time and intact. But as soon as […]

Read More

Using Brokers and Forwarders for Global Trade

Hiring a broker or forwarder to move international goods can help you manage complex documentation and processes. But it takes some know-how to select and work with these agents. California-based international trade logistics solutions company Open Harbor offers these 10 tips to streamline global trade through brokers and forwarders: 1. Know when to use a […]

Read More

Supply Chain Planning in a Global Environment

Last month’s column examined LogicTools Inc.’s LogicChain and LogicNet supply chain applications. This month, we talk with the person behind those applications—David Simchi-Levi, LogicTools CEO and president. In addition to running LogicTools, Simchi-Levi is a professor of engineering systems at MIT and the author of two books, including the prize-winning Designing and Managing the Supply […]

Read More

September 11, 2001

I don’t have the ability or, at this time, the inclination to craft the correct words that describe to you what happened on September 11, 2001 in New York City. Let me just relate what I saw, thought, and felt on that day. The morning was clear and bright, with perfect weather. My routine was […]

Read More